ARKANSAS LAWYER DIVERSITY OUTREACH REGISTRY: AJOINT
W. HAROLD FLOWERS LAW SOCIETY AND THE
VENTURE OF THE
ARKANSAS BAR COMMISSION ON DIVERSITY by Colette D. Honorable and Peter G. Kurnpe
The Arkan sas Bar Co mmi ss io n on Diversity was created under the leadership of Arkansas Bar Pres ident Ron Harriso n in rh e 2000-0 I bar year. Initi ally. the Co mmi ss ion was chaired by President Harriso n and th e H onorab le H enry L. Jon es. Th e purpose of the Commission is to educate concerning the value of diversity, and ro promote ethnic diversiry in the Bar, the Co urts. and the Arkansas Bar Association. It has sponsored programs at the Association's annual meetings and at the mid-yea r meetings. It organ i7..cd a seminar co ncerning diversity in the legal profess ion, and hosted a job fair to promote diverse emp loyment. In its deliberations, the Commissi on determined that di versiry in th e legaJ professio n could mo re certainly be ach ieved if rhere were mechanisms for identification and recruitment beyond the placement o ffi ces of the law school s and that would utili ze th e organized bar. Th e structure that was develo ped is a registry or database to be maintained by the Arkansas Bar Association. The regisrry will be created and administered under a joint ve nture agreement berween th e Arkansas Bar Commission on Diversity and the W. Harold Flowers Law Society. Th e cost of creating this resource has bee n fund ed by a g rant from th e Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation. The grant is being administered by the Arkansas Bar Foundation. In addition to funding the registry, the \'V'inthrop Rockefdler Foundation grant is also funding a survey, presently being conducted by the Institute of Governmem on Ih e UALR ca mpus. This survey was sugges ted by rhe sraff of the W inrhrop Rockefeller Foundation to id entify lawyers of color prese ntly practi cing in rh e state. This information had neve r been co mpiled, and the hope is that thi s reso urce will enhance the effecti ve ness of th e registry and provide an information baseli ne to co mpare ou r 26 The Arkansas la\\ye r
vvww.arkbar.com
progress in promoting diversity. A key el ement of this project is the mobiliza tion of th e membership of the W. Harold Flowers Law Society and the Arkansas Bar Associat ion co promote employment opportuniti es fo r lawye rs of color. The Flowers Law Society will take rhe lead in promoting participation by recruits; members of the Commiss ion and the Association will be asked co prom ote partici pation by employers. These efforts wi ll take the form of direct solicitation and outreach through bar associations around the state. Among the subsidiary conce rns of th e reg istry is the ed ucation of potential employe rs co nce rning predi ctors of professional sllccess other than simply law school grad es. The registry wi ll also arrempt to id entify employm ent opportunities for lawyers of co lo r in the less urban portions of the sca te and seek to provide oppo rtunities to improve the employment situation for la\vyers of color who may be underemployed. This resource is now available and can be accessed at the Arkansas Bar Association \'V'eb site (www.arkbar.com). Select the link to the Diversity Registry. There you will find a form for emp loyer registration and another form for an attorney registration. Si mply complete the appropr iate form and fax it to rhe office of th e Associarion. (50 I) 375490 I. Members of the Dive rsity Registry Task Force, comprised of members of the CO lllmission and the Flowers Law Society. will periodically review submiss ions and fol low-up o n inquiries. The goal is to match appropriate ap plica nts and potential employers. Th e rol e of the Registry and its administrarors is nor to supplant the normal recruitment, eva luation, negotiation . and hiring process, bur to enhan ce it. Under most circumstances, potential employe rs would be provi ded with resume-eype information from applica nts marching predetermined
criteria, and then the emp loyer will proceed with its normal hiring process. In other cases, registry administrators may appropriately prolTIme candidates or hiring oppOrtunities to insure both sides of the potential employment relationship fuHy appreciate the opportuniry offered by the other. That Arkansas is a relatively small state provides unique opportunities for perso naJ interaction and evaJuation. Beca use o f this characteristic o f the legaJ job market, those of us involved in promming this effort are optimistic that we can create and exploit oppo rtunities on a perso nal basis that wi ll insure that the work place, our legal system, and our association achi eves aJl of the benefits offered by the diversity that has enri ched our community and our profession. _
--.
Ms. Honorable is ChiifofStafffor Attorney General Mike Beebe. She is President .-!. ~ of th, W Harold .~ Flowers Law Society. and serves on ArkanJm ...,.,; Bar Association HoIIS' of Drlegatrs. Sh, obtai,,'" 1m JD d'gru from VALR School of La w.
. • 'I ,
s
M r. Kumpe is a commerciallitigator and parmer il1 Williams 6Anderson PLe in Little Rock. He i.s a pml co-chairman of the Arkan.sas Bar Commission 011 Diversity. He is a graduate ofthe University ofArkansas at Little Rock. and obtainet! hisJD degree III the University ofuxas at Au.stin.