JD Diversity | Overview
Fall 2009
JD DIVERSITY Promoting Diversity in the Legal Profession What is JD Diversity? MISSION STATEMENT:
JD Diversity (www.jddiversity.com) is the only one-stop information and networking portal for diverse law students and attorneys (JD Diversity views diversity as encompassing race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, and familial status). JD Diversity is equipped with a wide array of interactive tools that allow members to exchange useful information.
Mission Statement: JD Di versi ty i s co mmi tted to maki ng JD Diversity is the l egal prof essio n committed mo re i nclutosimaking ve and the profession more dilegal verse. JD Di versi ty seeks toand fu lfil l thi s JD inclusive diverse. co mmi tment byto fulfill Diversity seeks pro vi di ng an o nli ne this commitment by co mmu nity of di verse an online lawproviding stu dents, community prof esso rs, of diverse law students, professors, practi tio ners, and legal emplo yers, practitioners, and legal all owi ng fo r employers, allowing for info rmati o n- shari ng information-sharing and and ho nest honest communication. co mmu nicati o n. JD Di versi ty vi ew s di versi as this In ty creating enco mpassi ngDiversity race, community JD gender, sexu al aims to ultimately help ori entatio n, diverse di sabil i ty, attorneys and achieve inclusion famil i alfull statu s. By and creati ng their thi s highest reach co potential mmu nitywithin JD their Di versi ty ai ms to places of employment, ul ti matel y hel p and withinatto therneys profession di verse large. achieveatful l i nclu sio n and reach their hi ghest po tenti al wi thi n thei r pl aces of emplo yment, and i n the prof essio n at large.
Created by attorneys of color who worked within big law firms, JD Diversity grew out of a desire to foster a stronger sense of community among diverse attorneys within the profession.
Services Provided by JD Diversity Networking Community Professional Profiles Fellowship Listings Job Listings Event Calendar Professional Advice Diversity News Updates
Besides being the first-ever social network for diverse (minority and female) lawyers and law students, the site provides a wealth of tools and information including job listings, fellowship listings, blogs, studentshared outlines, articles, an event calendar, and a discussion forum. The networking community is a great way for students to communicate with law profession colleagues in a concentrated and professional fashion. The community also allows members to locate potential mentors from practice areas that interest them, and send these potential mentors messages.
*JD Diversity is the first to marshal the power of social networking to promote diversity in the legal profession. JD Diversity, LLC; 1629 K Street NW, Suite300 Washington, D.C. 20006; (202) 509-9559; www.jddiversity.com
JD Diversity | Overview
Advantages of JD Diversity As JDDIVERSITY.COM offers a wide range of free resources for diverse law students and attorneys, the site prevents waste of time and resources by all parties involved in the struggle to change the face of the legal profession. Rather than spending hours conducting web searches or visiting each individual firm’s website, diverse law students and attorneys are informed of the diversity scholarships, jobs, event listings, and other resources that are available to them -- all in one place. The JD Diversity job board provides an efficient way for employers to reach diverse legal applicants throughout the country, rather than having to list on numerous separate job boards.
*Prior to JD Diversity there was no central
Additionally, since the web is a comfortable and convenient forum in which to conduct discussions about the different issues that diverse law students and attorneys face, the site provides a platform for the exchange of candid advice and mentoring—thus providing unprecedented support for diverse lawyers and law students.
place where attorneys and law students could look for diversity fellowship and scholarship info, comprehensive diversityrelated event schedules, and updates on diversity initiatives and strategies. JD Diversity filled this void.
Over the past decade legal employers have expended enormous resources on diversity-centered recruiting, firm branding, conference sponsorship, etc. However, throughout this time, firms’ diversity messages have often been diluted, misunderstood, or even ignored. That is in part because a carefullycrafted diversity statement, or a banner placed on a conference table simply cannot substitute for repeated, sustained, direct contact and clearly articulated messages that diverse students and attorneys actually see and pay attention to. That direct contact is what JD Diversity offers to sponsoring firms. JD Diversity is particularly useful in the face of the economic downturn, as it provides a more efficient, less costly way of disseminating diversity information and promoting diversity initiatives.
JD Diversity, LLC; 1629 K Street NW, Suite300 Washington, D.C. 20006; (202) 509-9559; www.jddiversity.com
`
*According to the U.S. Census Bureau, only 11 percent of lawyers are minorities, compared to approximately 25 percent of physicians/surgeons, 21 percent of accountants, and 18 percent of college and university professors. Minorities comprise only 5 percent of all partners within U.S. law firms. Females comprise only 29 percent of all lawyers in the U.S. despite the fact that 49 percent of enrolled law students are female. These disparate numbers were part of the impetus for JD Diversity.
Why JD Diversity is Necessary Attrition rates among diverse attorneys are highly problematic. The American Bar Association Commission on Women in the Profession recently found that women of color are leaving the legal profession at alarming rates, due in large part to harassment, denial of assignments and/or billable hours, denial of access to clients, and unfair performance evaluations. JD Diversity recognizes that other demographics (i.e. men of color, and Caucasian women) are also plagued by similar issues, even if their attrition rates are not as high. In the face of these issues, diverse legal professionals often feel as if they are alone, lacking mentors and useful information about how to best navigate the profession. Through its forum, its comment mechanism, and its networking community with advanced connection and messaging features, JD Diversity facilitates connections amongst formerly disjoined diverse law students and legal professionals. In so doing, JD Diversity provides a safe platform for information-sharing and open, honest discussions of issues that are of particular interest to diverse attorneys and law students. Additionally, JD Diversity’s Blogs and Articles keep members informed and offer helpful tips for professional development and law school success.
JD Diversity, LLC; 1629 K Street NW, Suite300 Washington, D.C. 20006; (202) 509-9559; www.jddiversity.com
*JD Diversity is bringing vast awareness to the cause of legal diversity, keeping the issue fresh and current.
The JD Diversity Network JD Diversity is already being recognized as a key tool in the effort to diversify the profession, and is fast becoming an authority on all that is important in the realm of legal diversity. After only two full months of operation, the site averages about 25,000 hits per week with members and diversity-conscious visitors checking in regularly to view the blogs and event calendar. To ensure that updates remain current, JD Diversity has fostered information partnerships with key organizations including Practicing Attorneys for Law Students (PALS), the Howard University School of Law Alumni Association, and the Association of Black Women Attorneys (ABWA). Such information partnerships help to ensure that JD Diversity can continue to be a highly informative, dependable resource for its members. *On Twitter (twitter.com/JDDiversity), JD Diversity is being followed by hundreds of law-related entities, including: American Bar Association Bar Services, Am Law Daily, Legal News Report, Legally Minded, Legal Talk Network, Blawging Lawyers, Lex Monitor, Lexis Hub, and Black Lawyers. JD Diversity is also the third highest ranked professional diversity profile on Twitter, and is being followed by a number of diverse legal professionals and diversity entities, including Diversity Crossings, Div2000, and Respectful Workplace. Through the Twitter network JD Diversity’s updates are automatically included in the Twitter homepages of representatives from these important legal and diversity entities. It is in part through this network that JD Diversity is becoming the premier authority on diversity-related legal profession news.
JD Diversity, LLC; 1629 K Street NW, Suite300; Washington, D.C. 20006; (202) 509-9559; www.jddiversity.com
Law Schools Represented JD Diversity currently has members who attend or attended the following law schools: American University, Washington College of Law University of Arkansas School of Law University of Baltimore School of Law University at Buffalo Law School (SUNY) University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law University of California, Berkeley, School of Law University of California, Davis School of Law Case Western Reserve University School of Law Charleston School of Law City University of New York School of Law Duke University School of Law Florida State University College of Law George Washington University Law School Georgetown University Law Center Harvard Law School Hofstra University School of Law Howard University School of Law Loyola University New Orleans College of Law New York University School of Law Northeastern University School of Law Northwestern University School of Law Notre Dame Law School Rutgers University School of Law—Newark Seattle University School of Law SMU Dedman School of Law Southern University Law Center St. Mary's University School of Law Stetson University College of Law Suffolk University Law School
Texas Southern University (Thurgood Marshall School of Law) Univ. of Denver Sturm College of Law Univ. of the District of Columbia (David A. Clarke School of Law) Univ. of Kentucky College of Law Univ. of Maryland School of Law Univ. of Maryland School of Law Univ. of Miami School of Law Univ. of Minnesota Law School Univ. of North Carolina School of Law Univ. of North Dakota School of Law Univ. of Oregon School of Law Univ. of Pennsylvania Law School Univ. of Pittsburgh School of Law Univ. of Richmond School of Law Univ. of San Diego—School of Law Univ. of Tulsa College of Law Univ. of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law Univ. of Washington School of Law Univ. of Wisconsin Law School Univ. of Wyoming College of Law Valparaiso University School of Law Vanderbilt University Law School Vermont Law School Wake Forest University School of Law Washington and Lee University School of Law Wayne State University Law School Widener University School of Law William Mitchell College of Law
Membership Demographics African, African-American, or Black …………………………………..………………………..... 55% Multi-Racial…………………………………………………………………………………………….13% Asian, Asian-American, or Pacific Islander and Caucasian (1%)
*Gender of JD Diversity members:
African, African-American, or Black and Asian, Asian-American, or Pacific Islander (2%) African, African-American, or Black and Caucasian (7%) African, African-American, or Black and Latino or Hispanic (2%)
Female………….. 59% Male…….………. 41%
African, African-American, or Black and Other (1%)
Asian, Asian-American, or Pacific Islander………………………..…………………………….. 11% Caucasian ……………………………………………………………..……………………………. 11% Latino or Hispanic ……………………………………………………..…………………………….. 5% Native American, American Indian, or Alaska Native ……………..…………………………….. 1% (*4% declined to identify)
Job Listings JD Diversity offers the only nationwide job board that exclusively reaches diverse law students and attorneys. All jobs posted on JD Diversity’s ty’s job board are also included in direct e-mail mail correspondence with JD Diversity members and in JD Diversity Twitter posts and Facebook updates. updates This makes the board a great resource for legal employers seeking qualified diverse applicants. Additionally, JD Diversity’s job board is the most affordable in the nationwide market, making it a viable option in the face of the economic downturn. If you have a job opportunity to list on JDDiversity.COM, send an e-mail e to: jobs@jddiversity.com or visit the board directly at: http://jddiversity.com/job-corner/job corner/job-listings.
Advertising and Sponsorships JD Diversity is committed to providing its services for free to its members. As such, JD Diversity offers a number of unique opportunities for advertisement and sponsorship. If you would like to advertise on JD Diversity, or to receive a copy of JD Diversity’s media kit, please contact advertising@jddiversity.com or call (202) 5099559, ext. 225. JD Diversity’s sponsorship opportunities allow law firms, law departments, and companies to highlight their diversity initiatives via JD Diversity’ss website and e-mail correspondence with JD Diversity members. If you are interested in sponsoring JD Diversity and helping to promote diversity in the legal gal profession, please call: (202) 509 – 9559, ext 222.. JD Diversity, LLC; 1629 K Street NW, Suite300 Washington, D.C. 20006; (202) 2) 509-9559; 50 www.jddiversity.com
JD Diversity Sponsor Sign-Up Form Company Information Name of Company or Firm: ____________________________________________ Company/Firm Address: ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ City: _________________________
State: _______________
Zip Code: _____________
Primary Contact Information Name:
_________________________________________
Title/Position: ___________________________________________________ Telephone: _____________________
Fax: _____________________
E-mail: _____________________________________ Sponsorship Package Selected (Flagship, Platinum, Gold, Silver, etc.): ______________________________________________________________ Signature: _________________________________ If you would prefer to complete this form via fillable pdf, and submit it via email, please go to www.jddiversity.com and click on “Sponsors� at the bottom of the page.
Date: _____________
*Please make checks payable to: JD Diversity, LLC, and mail checks with a copy of this form to: JD Diversity, LLC, 1629 K Street NW, Suite 300 Washington, D.C. 20006. *Wire transfers also accepted. Please contact JD Diversity for details. Please e-mail electronic copies of your company/firm logo (for linking) to: lmsmith@jddiversity.com. Thank you very much for your sponsorship commitment! JD Diversity, LLC; 1629 K Street NW, Suite300 Washington, D.C. 20006; (202) 509-9559; www.jddiversity.com