Practical Tools

    Practical Tools features a collection of ABA training, tools, tips, methods, and other resources related to equity and improvement in the American Justice System.

    Implicit Bias Videos and Toolkit

    The Diversity and Inlusion 360 Commission, a one-year presidential initiative established by past President Paulette Brown, explored the existence of implicit bias and what can be done to combat it through a series of videos specifically targeting key players in the judicial system: judges, prosecutors and public defenders. The videos are accompanied by a toolkit that offers additional resources and materials that can be used in training programs for those groups of professionals.

    View - Videos & Toolkit

    Judicial Diversity Resources

    The ABA Judicial Division is committed to promoting full & equal participation within the Division & throughout the nation's judiciary by minorities.

    Learn - More

    Diversity & Inclusion

    Men of Color Logo

    The ABA Men of Color Project

    The Men of Color Project (MoCP) exists to build leaders in the law field, facilitate intergenerational support, and encourage community service and civic engagement amongst men of color in the legal profession.

    Learn - More

    Diversity and Inclusion Resources

    Programs, resources, and information across the American Bar Association.

    Learn - More
    Woman Clapping

    Left Out and Left Behind

    The newest research from the Long-Term Careers for Women in Law Initiative, focusing specifically on the experiences women lawyers of color have in the profession.

    Learn - More

    The School-to-Prison Pipeline

    Report

    In 2014, the American Bar Association (ABA) Coalition on Racial and Ethnic Justice (COREJ) turned its attention to the continuing failures in the education system where certain groups of students.

    Download - Report

    National Task Force on Stand Your Ground Laws

    Report and Recommendations

    The Complimentary National Task Force on Stand Your Ground Laws - Report and Recommendations is available.

    Download - Report

    Other Judicial Resources

    Compassion Fatigue Webinar

    This seminar looks at which legal professionals are most at risk, the development of compassion fatigue, the interface between attorney impairment and discipline and what individual and organizational measures can prevent and mitigate compassion fatigue.

    View - Webinar

    The Commission on Homelessness and Poverty's resource clearinghouse

    Combatting Poverty and Decriminalizing Homelessness Through a Race Equity Lens

    View - Resource

    Syllabus: 21-Day Racial Equity Habit-Building Challenge

    The Council of the ABA Section of Labor & Employment Law is proud to announce its participation in the “21-Day Racial Equity Habit-Building Challenge.”

    Learn - More

    Featured Articles

    Shot of a young businessman experiencing stress during late night at work

    During COVID-19

    Mental Health Resources for the Legal Profession During COVID-19

    Learn - More

    How to advise clients on civil disobedience

    From the Boston Tea Party to the civil rights movement to Black Lives Matter to #MeToo, civil disobedience is woven into America’s fabric. And lawyers have played a major role in it, representing clients “who are willing to sacrifice some of their own freedom and take a risk to point out injustice,” said William Quigley, a civil and human rights lawyer and professor at Loyola University of New Orleans Law School. He was one of the panelists on the ABA webinar, “Civil Disobedience 101: Adding the Defense to Your Practice.

    A Force for Freedom: Representing Protesters and the Constitution

    Our freedom has to be reclaimed by each generation from forces that benefit from coerced silence.

    Implicit Bias: Be an Advocate for Change

    There is a racial bias problem in America, and it impacts our entire society, especially the criminal justice system.

    5 ways law students can interrupt implicit bias

    Ellen Hoover did a terrific job outlining how to challenge implicit bias in the law firm and law school setting. Now I want to turn it over to you. What can you, as an individual, do about implicit bias in your everyday life? Here are some ideas.

    ABA and Brennan Center release new manual on judicial diversity

    The American Bar Association Judicial Division and the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law today released Building a Diverse Bench: Selecting Federal Magistrate and Bankruptcy Judges, a manual that provides guidance on how courts can increase diversity among federal magistrate and bankruptcy judges.

    Troubleshooting Law Firm Diversity Efforts

    Law firm diversity programs suffer from several common pitfalls. Here’show to identify and end them.

    How to Recognize and Prevent Lawyer Burnout

    Lawyer burnout, the term used to describe the stress, difficulty, and fatigue that can affect attorneys, is hardly new.

    Compassion Fatigue

    Compassion fatigue is the cumulative physical, emotional and psychological effect of exposure to traumatic stories or events when working in a helping capacity, combined with the strain and stress of everyday life.

    The ABA Coronavirus (COVID-19) Task Force

    In response to the growing legal needs of Americans arising from the coronavirus pandemic, the American Bar Association has created a nationwide task force of volunteer lawyers and judges from across the legal profession.

    Learn - More