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    Louisiana

    Diversity Portal

    The Louisiana State Bar Association (LSBA) recognizes that achieving diversity in the legal profession is an evolutionary process that requires the Association's continued effort and commitment.

    The LSBA is committed to diversity in its membership, Board of Governors, staff, House of Delegates, committees and all leadership positions. Diversity is an inclusive concept that encompasses race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation and disability.

    Diversity Committee

    The mission of this committee is to assess the level of racial, ethnic, national origin, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation and disability diversity within all components of the legal profession in Louisiana; to identify barriers to the attainment of full and meaningful representation and participation in the legal profession by persons of diverse backgrounds; and to propose programs and methods by which the LSBA can most effectively work to remove those barriers and achieve greater diversity.

    Diversity Subcommittees

    LGBT Subcommittee

    This subcommittee coordinates programs to unite, support, and educate attorneys, judges, professors, law students, paralegals, and other members of the legal profession in Louisiana around issues facing LGBT individuals; promotes the creation of coalitions with other legal bar associations and organizations; encourages the adoption of nondiscrimination policies in law firms protecting both sexual orientation and gender identity; and encourages and empowers LGBT individuals to choose law as a career.

    Pipeline to Diversity and Outreach Subcommittee

    This subcommittee coordinates the Suit Up High School Legal Institute and Internship (Summer) Program; develops professional development workshops and programs for law students with diverse backgrounds; develops programs for high school and college students; identifies volunteers for programs to expose children to legal professionals; and researches and applies for grants to fund LSBA pipeline initiatives. This subcommittee also encourages diversity efforts within the judiciary and law firms; assists in providing educational components and training on various diversity issues; assesses diversity needs of law firms; recommends programs to assist law firms and courts in developing diversity programs and strategic plans; and plans efforts to encourage courts and law firms to execute the diversity commitment statement.

    Legal Services for Persons with Disabilities Committee

    The mission of the Legal Services for Persons with Disabilities Committee shall be to provide members of the bench, bar and the general public with a greater understanding and knowledge of the legal needs and rights of persons with disabilities; to better meet the legal needs of persons with disabilities, and to increase the knowledge that persons with disabilities have regarding their rights and resources.

    Disabilities Assistance Network

    The Legal Services for Persons with Disabilities Committee has reactivated its Disabilities Assistance Network (DAN) in response to an expressed need to assist the public to identify the small number of attorneys willing to provide representation in the areas of the law related to disabilities. DAN helps connect attorneys able to provide representation on these issues with the public or colleagues looking to make a referral.

    Minority Involvement Section

    The most diverse comprised section of the Bar, the Minority Involvement Section was designed to foster a sense of inclusiveness and community among those attorneys who feel their special needs are not currently an intricate part of the Bar system. The Section hosts an annual Minority Job Fair in the fall, a Legal Internship Fair in the spring, a mentoring program for law school students, and many other activities in furtherance of its goals.

    Statement of Diversity Principles

    Meaningful diversity advancements occur when the leaders in an organization embrace diversity and demonstrate through their actions that diversity is a priority to the organization.

    Those signing this Statement of Principles, hereby commit themselves to foster diversity in the legal profession. The LSBA recognizs that diversity is an inclusive concept that encompasses race, color, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, national origin, disability and other aspects of diversity.... See LSBA website for more.

     

    Local Bar Associations

    Association for Women Attorneys (New Orleans Chapter)

    The Association for Women Attorneys is a non-profit professional association whose membership includes both women and men and represents every sector of the legal community, including private practitioners from firms of every size and specialty, professors, judges, law clerks, corporate counsel, prosecutors, government lawyers and law students.

    Through monthly membership luncheons, CLE seminars, information on our Website, and emails to members, as well as membership in the National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations, the goals of the AWA are threefold: (1) to foster the exchange of information among our members; (2) to encourage and facilitate the participation of women in economic and social decision-making in the community; and, (3) to advance the interests and improve the status of women in the legal profession and the status of women in our society.

    Vietnamese American Bar Association
     

    Louisiana Asian Pacific American Bar Association

    LAPABA was formed in 2013 as a not-for-profit corporation to represent and advocate the interests of Asian American and Pacific Islander (“AAPI”) attorneys, their allies, and their communities, to foster fellowships between the members of LAPABA and between LAPABA members and other members of the legal profession, and to encourage and promote the professional growth among the Louisiana AAPI legal community.

    Black Lawyers Association of Shreveport-Bossier
     

    Women’s Section of the Shreveport Bar Association

    The Women’s Section of the Shreveport Bar Association promotes the empowerment and the strengthening of the bond between women lawyers in the Shreveport-Bossier area through social engagement, community involvement, and continued legal education, in order to advance morale within our profession and our personal lives. This section is open to all female members of the Association. The Women’s Section elects its own officers and conducts its own affairs, subject to the approval of the Executive Council.

    Hispanic Lawyers Association of Louisiana
     

    The Greater New Orleans Louis A. Martinet Legal Society

    The Greater New Orleans Louis A. Martinet Legal Society, Inc. was established to encourage interchange of ideas, promote legal scholarship, advance the science of jurisprudence, promote the administration of justice, uphold the order and ethics of the courts and the profession of law and promote the welfare of the legal profession in Louisiana in keeping with the vision of Earl J. Amedee; Israel M. Augustine; Louis Berry; Lionel Collins; Robert F. Collins; Nils R. Douglas; Norman C. Francis; Benjamin J. Johnson; Alvin Jones; Vanue B. LaCour; Ernest N. Morial; Justice Revius Ortique, Jr.; J. T. Powell; James Smith; A. P. Tureaud; Freddie Warren and Lawrence Wheeler, all of whom had the courage and foresight to found the Louis A. Martinet Legal Society of Louisiana, the precursor to this organization.

    Louis A. Martinet Legal Society of Greater Baton Rouge

    For decades, the Greater Baton Rouge Chapter of the Louis A. Martinet Legal Society has served the needs of African-American members of the bar and the public at large. The Greater Baton Rouge Chapter of the Louis A. Martinet Legal Society is committed to continuing its proud tradition of promoting, serving, and assisting African American lawyers in this community.

    LGBTQIA+ Committee, New Orleans Bar Association

    The New Orleans Bar Association is proud to announce the establishment of the LGBTQIA+ Committee, a group of attorneys dedicated to promoting education and awareness for LGBTQIA+ issues that affect both our community and the legal profession. The Committee endeavors to create a welcoming and inclusive space for all members of the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as their allies, to come together and improve the practice of law through greater participation and visibility. The Committee welcomes all members of the New Orleans Bar Association who share in our commitment to create a more inclusive legal profession and beyond.

    Minorities in the Profession Committee, New Orleans Bar Association
     

    Women in the Profession Committee, New Orleans Bar Association