IDEA Task Force Strategic Plan

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.

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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)

3. The legal system and community is not accessible, and has failed to effectively educate lowincome people on their rights. A majority of low-income people do not understand that the problems they experience have a legal dimension and that they would benefit from getting legal help.

4. Most low-income people do not believe they will be treated fairly by our state’s civil justice system.

Terms to Know and Understand INCLUSION Inclusion is what makes people feel like they belong. It is diversity in action. For example, an organization that hires women but excludes women from weekly happy hours at the pub, neglects to offer menstrual hygiene products in the bathroom, imposes strict dress codes on women but not men, or generally creates a “maledominant” office culture is not inclusive of women. Inclusion refers to the actionable steps that are taken to foster an environment and culture where everyone feels accepted and comfortable. Simply having a diverse staff does not make a work environment inclusive.

DIVERSITY Diversity is the presence of difference within a group. For the purposes of this specific initiative, that may include race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, education, religion, disability, nationality, and/or citizenship. If a group is described as ‘diverse,’ it means that the group has a broad representation of individuals, experiences, and perspectives from some of the aforementioned identities. Diversity is a term used to describe groups. An individual person is not diverse.5 EQUITY Equity refers to the distribution of resources to make things as fair as possible. Most of us grew up understanding what “equality” means – the idea that everyone deserves the same things.6 Equity takes into account the fact that we are not all the same, and we have not all had the same experiences in institutions and systems that have hystorically excluded and marginalized certain groups. An equitable environment distributes resources with these systemic factors in mind.

ACCESSIBILITY Accessibility is about more than just if your organization is compliant with the ADA. It is about creating an environment where there are no barriers to equal access. Can people for whom English is not their first language read and understand our website with ease? Can a mother who is breast feeding have space in the office to do so comfortably? Can a person with a mental health condition have flexible work accommodations? Is the way that this blog written easily accessible (without legal jargon) to a lay person? An organization can be diverse, but if there are barriers to access, then it is not truly inclusive.

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A Person Cannot Be 'Diverse': The Linguistic Problems Highlighted by Ava DuVernay Around #OscarsSoWhite and the Academy Awards - The Atlantic 6 Equity vs. Equality: What Is the Difference? (thoughtco.com)

Vision We believe in a Washington state where a person’s social identity7 (including but not limited to their race, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, education, religion, disability, nationality, and/or citizenship) does not impact their access to and experience in our justice system.

Mission Our mission is to better serve our community by understanding and tackling barriers that exist to justice in our practice areas, fostering an inclusive environment that welcomes clients from all backgrounds, and building a team and partnership network comprised of diverse perspectives to better serve our clients.

Values These values will guide the work and priorities of the IDEA initiative.

1. Real justice for real people. Excellent outcomes and positive experiences in the justice system should be accessible to everyone.

2. Power is in partnerships and relationships. The systemic change we envision is not dependent on a single person, law firm, or action. There is no reason for us to reinvent the wheel or duplicate work that is already being done, unless we see a way in which we can uniquely offer something different. We are as strong as networks and partnerships that we intentionally invest in to work collectively toward our vision.

3. Authentic relationships are built slowly and with trust. Especially for communities who have historically not felt supported by our justice system, relationship building takes time and consistency. We know that to chip away at the barriers that have historically prevented many communities from having equal access to justice, we must consistently and authentically show up for them.

4. Work that focuses inward is just as important as outward facing work. It would be hypocritical to only focus on social justice issues outside ourselves and our law firm, and not look thoughtfully at our own biases and ways of thinking we have adopted that may contribute to the structural inequities we are striving to eliminate.

Task Force Action Plan We envision a two-pronged approach to working toward our mission and vision.

INTERNAL FACING Efforts to address diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility outside the firm will not yield genuine results if we are unable to do the same internally as a team, and as individuals.

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EXTERNAL FACING Partnerships and community outreach are at the heart of external work the SKKM IDEA Task Force hopes to engage in. This work is important not only because we believe it will play a small part in addressing larger systemic issues in the

Social Identities: Searle Center for Advancing Learning & Teaching (northwestern.edu)

Some strategies we may engage in to address this work internally: 1. Learning Resources: Develop a suggested reading/podcast list of short articles, chapters, or podcast episodes that may help inform members of the firm about IDEA issues.

2. Website Assessment: Re-evaluate our website to ensure it is as accessible as it can be. This may include converting it to additional languages.

3. Interpreter Network: Identify a list of interpreters we can work with to assist on intakes of clients for whom English is not their first language.

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legal system, but it will also aid our law firm in being a better and more active participant in our community.

Some strategies we may deploy to engage in this work externally: 1. Community Outreach and Engagement: This will be executed through the Token Majority and their “Know Your Rights” initiative and may include:  Organizing speaking engagements  Tabling at community events  Distributing brochures and print materials at community centers  Launching podcast episodes about topics that may help educate ordinary people about their rights and how to navigate the legal system.  Promote this content on social media 2. Referral Network: A diverse referral network is one critical component of ensuring the legal system feels inclusive and accessible to a diverse client base.

3. Legal Clinic: We will work to partner with local organizations 1-2 times per year to host a legal clinic….