SKKM Inclusion Diversity Equity and Accessibility (IDEA) Initiative Strategic Plan The IDEA Initiative is an action plan developed by the IDEA Task Force – including attorneys and staff at Stritmatter Kessler Koehler Moore. The purpose of this strategic plan is to outline the mission and vision of our law firm’s efforts to address and improve inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility within our firm and the legal justice system that we are all a part of. This strategic plan additionally outlines specific actionable steps we can take to begin and continue this work. While there is always more to learn about barriers to access to justice, there are some fundamental truths that we must acknowledge in order to effectively engage in this work. 1. Our legal system was founded by white men. 2. The fact that our legal system was founded by white men – and systematically excluded people of color, women and other historically marginalized communities for generations – has had ripple effects. 3. Some of those ripple effects have led to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility issues within the profession.1 Just as a few examples: a. Despite the fact that more women than ever are going to law school, only 37% of trial lawyers are women. b. Additionally, 86% of trial lawyers are white. 2 c. Nearly all people of color are underrepresented in the legal profession compared with their presence in the U.S. population. As one example, 4.7% of all lawyers were Black in 2021 – the U.S. population is 13.4% Black. 3 4. Some of those ripple effects have led to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility issues between the legal system and the people the legal system is supposed to serve. See below. The following facts were pulled from a 2015 study on Civil Legal Needs in Washington state. 4 1. Our legal system is not adequately supporting people from low-income backgrounds. More than 70% of the state’s low-income households experience at least one civil legal problem each year on matters affecting the most fundamental aspects of their daily lives. And more than threequarters of these people do not receive the legal help they need. 2. Many people from low-income backgrounds experience problems that are compounded by race, ethnicity, age, disability, immigration status, or status as a victim of domestic violence or sexual assault. 1
Law is the least diverse profession in the nation. And lawyers aren’t doing enough to change that. - The Washington Post 2 Lawyer Statistics for Success in 2022 | Clio 3 Demographics – ABA Profile of the Legal Profession (abalegalprofile.com) 4 CivilLegalNeedsStudy_October2015_V21_Final10_14_15.pdf (wa.gov)