Welcome. CLI is happy to reintroduceThe Path-- our monthly newsletter with CLI updates and the latest on diversity and inclusiveness news in the legal profession. October is a great time to assess your D/I initiatives, evaluate your strategic plan and make adjustments for the upcoming year. To help you with that, under D&I Tips, play the SAMBAS game to learn if you have the necessary elements for an effective diversity committee.
Dream Teams Return to CLI, Arguello Team Receives $5K Grant
Judge Christine Arguello
CLI is pleased to announce the Dream Teams are once again being administered by CLI. This exceptional pipeline initiative has more than 50 legal volunteers who encourage diverse students to pursue a career in law. There are three Dream Teams and each is led by a judge(s). In September, the Peyton Family Foundation awarded CLI a $5000 grant to support Judge Arguello's outstanding Dream Team's efforts including its long-term mentoring program Law School ... Si Se Puede. If you are interested in participating on any of the Dream Teams, please contact CLI.
CLI Reaches Out to Small Law Firms
Small firms face different issues as they address diversity and inclusion in the workplace. As a result, CLI held a Small Firm Roundtable on September 16 at Stern & Curray. Small firms need help recruiting and retaining diverse attorneys, and incorporating D/I with fewer resources, especially staffing. CLI is developing D/I programming for small firms. Contact CLI for more information.
Member Appreciation Luncheon December 2
CLI members and friends are invited to join us from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Sullivan's Steakhouse, 1745 Wazee Street, Denver, CO. The event is free but please bring new/gently used children's books to be donated to Reach Out and Read Colorado, a nonprofit promoting early literacy and school readiness. RSVP by November 21.
Colorado Gives Day December 9
Save the date. Make your year-end donation to CLI online. A gift of any amount helps. Each donation received on 12/9/14 will be matched by a percentage of the Incentive Fund. 100% of your donation is tax deductible and there's no credit card fee.
CLI Leads Unconscious Bias Panel
CLI's Executive Director Karen Hester moderated a panel discussion about acknowledging and overcoming unconscious bias at the State Bar of Georgia Diversity Program on September 24 in Atlanta.
A diverse and inclusive workplace typically doesn't just "happen." Among other things, you need a strategic plan, buy-in/support from leadership and a point person and/or committee to lead the charge. Today's tip will help you create and maintain an effective diversity committee - the SAMBAS grid.
The SAMBAS grid contains necessary elements for a productive diversity committee. As you evaluate your committee, think of SAMBAS and address any missing "squares." Like BINGO, you "win" when all squares are covered. To learn more about effective diversity committees, read pages 72-86 of CLI's Beyond Diversity: Inclusiveness in the Legal Workplace.
CLI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to advancing diversity in the legal profession by actively educating and supporting private and public sector legal organizations in their own individual campaigns to create cultures of inclusion.
