Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession

David B. Wilkins, a law professor at Harvard, told Newsweek: "Harvard has graduated more Black lawyers than any other law school with the exception of Howard and other historically Black institutions, including President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, Charles Hamilton Houston, the architect of the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education outlawing segregation in the public schools, and countless others who have played a critical role in helping this country live up to its founding credo of Equal Justice Under Law. "The precipitous decline in Black enrolment at Harvard and other law schools is therefore a grave threat to the progress this country has made in the 70 years since the Brown decision, and to the ideals of equality, democracy, and the rule of law upon which our continued prosperity depends."

"The Supreme Court decision, and the fact that Harvard College was named in the case, played a role, according to David B. Wilkins, a Harvard law professor who has studied Black representation in the legal profession. 'This obviously has a lot to do with the chilling effect created by that decision,' Mr. Wilkins said on Monday. 'This is the lowest number of Black entering first-year students since 1965,' he added, pointing to numbers compiled by the Center on the Legal Profession at Harvard, where he also serves as faculty director. That year, there were 15 entering Black students. Since 1970, there have generally been 50 to 70 Black students in Harvard Law’s first-year class, he said." https://lnkd.in/dnWFT9GX

New program from our friends at Harvard Law School Executive Education explores how AI will impact the legal profession. Learn more and apply!

Paulette Brown, president of the American Bar Association from 2015-2016, has seen many a report on the challenges faced by women—and especially women with children—in the legal profession. What does success look like to her? "I see success when people start talking about the things that I’ve been educating them on as though it’s their idea," she says. Read more on Brown's theory of culture change:

"The United States is growing faster than most any other country, certainly in the industrialized world, and we have an epidemic of loneliness, isolation, and deaths of despair. That’s not an economy that works. It’s not going to be enough just to pass some family-friendly policies. You really need to dig into who’s the economy for, what are we measuring, and how do we know when we’re succeeding." Anne-Marie Slaughter, CEO of New America, in the latest issue of #ThePractice, reflects on her viral 2012 article “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All” and how to support all families to flourish in the years ahead.

When Brittany Lovely, a student at Georgetown Law, asked to take her exams at home or early so as to not coincide with her baby's due date, she was denied (see: https://lnkd.in/gPNfd8JE). While a number of federal and state laws insist on support and accommodations for pregnant and postpartum students, students—even those in law schools—often meet with bias and discrimination. In this issue of #ThePractice, we spoke with people who gave birth during law school and the unfortunate challenges they met during what is supposed to be—hopefully—a happy time in someone's life. As Bree Koegel, who entered law school with one child and had another during the course of her legal education, "It seemed as though the school forgot that they’re teaching us how to interpret the law."

In a survey with the American Bar Association Commission on Women in the Profession, 61% of mothers in law firms reported hearing demenaing comments about being a working parent; this was compared to 26% of fathers in firms. Roughly the same percentage of mothers vs fathers heard such comments in other legal settings. In the latest ABA report on the "Legal Careers of Parents and Child Caregivers," the depressing stats continue. Read more about the report—and its recommendations for reform—in the Practice:

"Women, and especially women with children, face unique biases and obstacles in the workplace that impede their advancement as compared to their male colleagues. These challenges are exacerbated by policies and practices used by many legal employers that are too inflexible to accommodate the child care and home life responsibilities that mothers disproportionately bear compared to fathers." In the latest issue of #ThePractice, we highlight the American Bar Association report, "Legal Careers of Parents and Caregivers." Read more 👇

Join us TODAY, Thursday, 11/21, 12:15 pm ET at Harvard Law School for a conversation with Luis Franceschi, Assistant Secretary General of the Commonwealth, an intergovernmental organization of 56 countries, 2.5 billion people, and one third of the world. Professor Franceschi is the founding dean of Strathmore Law School.

Join us today 11/19 at 4pm ET for a conversation between Janai Nelson, president and director-counsel at NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc., and Ronald Collins, author of "Tragedy on Trial: The Story of the Infamous Emmett Till Murder Trial." Register in-person or zoom: https://lnkd.in/emKUdAbt