Foley & Mansfield, together with the T.J. Reddick Bar Association and the Judicial Diversity Initiative, are hosting a webinar on the Pathway to Judicial Diversity on November 4, 2015 at 12:00 p.m.
The Honorable Ilona Holmes and the Honorable Michael Robinson will discuss strategies for applying to a judicial position from a civil or criminal practice background. Annika Ashton, Chair of Recruiting for the Judicial Diversity Intiative, will discuss the resources available through the program.
The Judicial Diversity Initiative is a joint committee organized by South Florida’s black bar associations, including the Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr., Bar Association, Gwen S. Cherry Black Women Lawyers Association, Caribbean Bar Association, Haitian Lawyers Association, T.J. Reddick Bar Association, and F. Malcolm Cunningham, Sr., Bar Association. The joint committee is focused on increasing diversity in the Florida judiciary.
The 2014 Report of the Special Task Force to Study Enhancement of Diversity in the Judiciary and on the Judicial Nominating Commissions, convened by former Florida Bar President Eugene Pettis, found that “blacks and Hispanics tend to have less confidence in the courts than whites. . . . [T]he lack of diversity among judges undoubtedly serves as a major contributing factor.”
A joint press release from the orgnizations said: “The importance of a diverse bench is especially critical in the wake of several high-profile police incidents in South Florida and across the nation, including the alarming findings of the Miami Beach and the Ft. Lauderdale police departments of racially insensitive communications among officers who are charged with serving, protecting, and enforcing the law.”
Foley & Mansfield is pleased to play a role in advocating for judicial diversity in the State of Florida.
Click here to register for the webinar.
Click here to learn more about Foley & Mansfield’s diversity initiatives.