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Seattle University School of Law

Lawyering in a Diverse World

Relevant, real-world workshops on issues of diversity to empower future lawyers for a just and humane world

Lawyering in a Diverse World is a series of engaging workshops designed to create awareness and empower you with skills and tools on a variety of issues related to diversity, and ultimately give you the competitive edge for effective lawyering in our increasingly diverse and complex world.

Whether your legal career takes you to a solo, large-firm or business practice, you serve as government or civil legal aid lawyer, or you use your legal education to teach or enhance civic leadership or a business career, you will be more successful and effective if you are skilled at working with diverse groups of clients, constituents, colleagues and communities.

The following series of workshops are open to all Seattle University School of Law students. Some of the workshops are offered as Continuing Legal Education seminars and are open to the public.

Workshops/Events At a Glance

2012 Spring Schedule

January 28, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. - Cross-Cultural Lawyering

 Professor Joe Knight and Associate Dean Shawn Lipton will facilitate a training on Cross-Cultural Lawyering, allowing students to gain practical skills around lawyering in our increasingly diverse world. For more info, contact ATJI Director Diana Singleton at singletd@seattleu.edu.

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February 16 and 17, Symposium on Racial Bias and the Criminal Justice System

Register online

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February 16. 5:30-7:00 p.m., Diversity Week Reception with Keynote Speaker Judge Arthur Burnett, Sr.

The law school and members of the legal community are invited to participatre in our annual Diversity Week reception. This is an opportunity to learn about and celebrate diversity and hear from our keynote speaker,  Judge Arthur Burnett, Sr., who is a senior judge for the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and the National Executive Director of the National African American Drug Policy Coalition, Inc. He was the first African-American to be appointed as a United States Magistrate (now called United States Magistrate Judges), which occurred on June 26, 1969. RSVP online.

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March 5, 5 - 7 p.m. - Table Talk, "The Socio-Economic Class Shift through Education"

Participate in the Diversity Table Talk, "The Socio-Economic Class Shift through Education." Students of working and owning class backgrounds will engage in a facilitated dialogue about the impact of shifts in class through higher education over dinner. Contact SBA Diversity Representative Cassandra Lynch at lynchc1@seattleu.edu for more info.

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2011 Fall Schedule

September 9th - 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. - 25th Anniversary of the Academic Resource Center: CLE and Reception

Seattle University School of Law will celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Academic Resource Center, a life-changing program that exemplifies the law school's commitment to educating leaders for justice and its goal of increasing access to and diversity in the legal profession. One of the greatest challenges still facing the legal profession is the lack of access and retention of members from historically underrepresented communities.  In this interactive CLE seminar, presenters will review the current landscape of and efforts by the law schools and the profession to meet this challenge and facilitate a "Think Tank" conversation to generate recommendations to address this challenge.  Register now. 

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September 23rd - 1 to 4 p.m. - Representing Limited English Prficient Clients and How to Work With an Interpreter, Annex - Room 142

The SU Law Clinic, CPD, and ATJI present this training opportunity for all law students to learn the critically important skills required to adequately represent limited English proficient (LEP) clients. In this training, you will learn about the legal obligations and remedies concerning meaningful access for LEP persons to services and programs. You will also learn critical hands-on skills which will allow you to most effectively work with interpreters in the course of representing LEP clients.  

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September 27th - 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. - QLaw Foundation's Panel Presentation on LGBT Parents and the Law

The law school community and the public are invited to come to this event to hear from a panel of experts who will share information and answer questions about the legal rights of same-sex parents in Washington, including recent changes to Washington's Uniform Parentage Act.  More details will follow.

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October 2011 through February 2012 - Racial Justice Leadership Institute (RJLI) (Applications due September 28, 2011)

RJLI is a professional development opportunity that is being offered to SU law students in-line with our commitment to the University mission.  RJLI is designed to foster leadership skills for working in all areas of the profession in ways that resist systems of privilege and oppression.  Participants can expect to gain:

  • Common tools and language for addressing discomfort, tension, confusion, and other dynamics that emerge in classrooms and workplaces
  • Strategies for identifying, naming, and responding to difficult situations related to identity, privilege, and oppression
  • Deeper connections with peers, including a sense of solidarity and trust with other RJLI participants
  • Shared analysis about the structural and interpersonal operations of racial privilege and oppression
  • Skills for cultivating personal wellness as a strategy for personal and professional sustainability

Dates for RJLI sessions will be:

  • Session 1 - October 29th (9am-4pm)
  • Session 2 - November 17th (6pm-9pm)
  • Session 3 - January 19th (6pm-9pm)
  • Session 4 - February 23rd (6pm-9pm)

The application process is currently open and will be closed at midnight on September 28th.  Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.  For more information and to apply: http://studentvoice.com/su/rjlistudent. 

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October 28th - 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. - How to Hang a Shingle - Solo and Low Bono Practice: Seminar and Networking Reception (from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.)

Does solo practice appeal to you? Have you thought about serving the growing moderate means income community who can't afford going legal rates but make too much money to qualify for legal aid?  If you're curious to learn what it takes to launch such a practice, you should join us for "How to Hang a Shingle" workshop, a program developed by the Center for Professional Development and the Access to Justice Institute.  This full day program will include information on the WSBA's Law Office Management Assistance Program, malpractice insurance, and effective client communication with a particular focus on running a low bono practice aimed at serving moderate means income clients.  Recognizing that many people of moderate means are ethnically and socio-economically diverse, this workshop is an essential part of the Lawyering in a Diverse World series.   More details will follow.

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TBD - Table Talk

Table Talk is an informal, facilitated conversation among students over a meal.   The small group conversations are on issues of diversity are facilitated by trained individuals provided by Seattle University's Office of Multicultural Affairs.   More details on the diversity topic will follow.  Tables Talks are organized by the SBA Diversity Representative.

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For more information about the Lawyering in a Diverse World program, please contact:

View previous Lawyering in a Diverse World events.