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Massachusetts

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Portal

The Massachusetts Bar Association acknowledges the impact of diversity, equity and inclusion in our legal profession for the benefits to our colleagues and clients. We have created this Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) page to support our members in an effort to develop a more just and equitable profession. This page provides information and access to various DEI resources around the commonwealth and around the country, ensuring that our members have the provisions they need to support a more inclusive legal profession, where belonging applies to us all.

DEI Committee

The work of the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee (DEIC) is critical to the overall functioning of the MBA and all those in the legal profession. It is a great honor to be tasked with leading a phenomenal group of individuals who volunteer their time and talents to ensure that these important issues are addressed in the legal community. 

The DEIC seeks to develop, monitor, and promote diversity and inclusion initiatives to achieve a genuine, sustainable, diverse, and inclusive environment within the MBA, throughout its membership and in the legal community. 

The DEIC works internally with MBA leadership, section councils, divisions and committees, as well as externally with the Supreme Judicial Court, Board of Bar Overseers, affinity bar associations, and other stakeholders to fulfill the following objectives:

  • Increase diversity, equity, and inclusion within the MBA’s membership and leadership, and within the legal profession (including within the judiciary)
  • Create strategies to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion practices generally
  • Increase awareness of inequities, systematic barriers, unacceptable behavior, and implicit/explicit bias experienced by members of the legal profession
  • Facilitate collaboration with affinity bar associations
  • Encourage unity and community among all people, especially those currently and previously disenfranchised, within the legal profession.

Lawyer Well-Being Committee

Vision statement: Our vision is that of a healthy, sustainable, inclusive legal profession in which each member of the legal community thrives in all aspects of their well-being. As a committee, we seek to lead in the well-being movement by improving the legal culture and supporting individual well-being; we seek to provide resources, education, and advocacy toward developing a healthy and positive legal culture, one that embraces and nurtures diversity, equity and inclusion as essential thereto; and we seek to destigmatize people’s experiences with substance use disorders and behavioral health issues by promoting help-seeking behaviors. In so doing, the Committee will assist members of the legal community to prioritize all aspects of their individual well-being, which in turn will benefit themselves, their clients, their employers, and the profession.

Local Bar Associations

Massachusetts LGBTQ Bar Association

Founded in 1985, the Massachusetts LGBTQ Bar Association (Mass LGBTQ Bar) is a voluntary state-wide professional association of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer lawyers and our allies, providing a visible LGBTQ presence within the Massachusetts legal community.

Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts

The Women's Bar Association of Massachusetts (WBA) is where women lawyers in Massachusetts come together to build important personal and professional relationships. The WBA is about women helping women. When you join the WBA you can expect leadership opportunities, rewarding work on our committees, a networking forum for business development, and more.

Massachusetts Association of Women Lawyers

The Massachusetts Association of Women Lawyers (M.A.W.L) is committed to promoting activities directed toward the advancement of women in the profession of law and in society. To that end, we present educational programs and host social events where members have the opportunity to network with others in a professional and collegial atmosphere. In addition, membership in M.A.W.L entitles you to a membership in the College Club, located in a brownstone in Boston’s historic Back Bay.

Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts

The Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts (AALAM) is a non-partisan, non-profit organization devoted to serving the Asian American legal community and improving and facilitating the administration of law and justice. Founded in 1984 by a small group of Asian-American lawyers, AALAM has now grown to a network of over 250 lawyers, judges, law professors, and law students in Massachusetts and New England.

Massachusetts Association of Hispanic Attorneys

Founded in 1985, the Massachusetts Association of Hispanic Attorneys was organized to:

  1. Enhance the professional development and careers of Hispanic attorneys;
  2. Counsel and assist the Hispanic community;
  3. Advocate for greater representation of Hispanics in the legal profession and in public office;
  4. Facilitate communication between Massachusetts attorneys and others concerned with the law.

Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts

The Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts (AALAM) is a non-partisan, non-profit organization devoted to serving the Asian American legal community and improving and facilitating the administration of law and justice. Founded in 1984 by a small group of Asian-American lawyers, AALAM has now grown to a network of over 250 lawyers, judges, law professors, and law students in Massachusetts and New England.

Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association

Since 1973, the Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association (MBLA) has provided a valuable network and visible presence for attorneys of color within the Massachusetts legal community.

The MBLA is responsible for providing its membership with professional development and career advancement through training, continued education and mentorship programs.

The MBLA also sponsors forums on current topics of interest to persons in the legal community, and seeks collaborations with other bar associations and professional organizations, particularly those interested in providing services to communities of color.

Massachusetts Black Women Attorneys

The Massachusetts Black Women Attorneys (MBWA) is a not-for-profit professional bar association founded in 1981 by a group of Black women attorneys from all areas of practice in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The MBWA represents every sector of the legal community including judges, in-house counsel, law firm partners and associates, Fortune 500 and 100 company employees, solo practitioners, government attorneys, law professors, and legal experts. The MBWA membership includes government officials, humanitarians, community leaders, and trailblazers.

MBWA members promote legal education by leading educational seminars, lecture series, and panel discussions on a multitude of legal subjects. The MBWA helps Black women attorneys become more effective advocates to their clients and communities. Our bar association is a dedicated avenue for Black women attorneys of the Commonwealth to build meaningful connections and to serve as a resource for each another.

South Asian Bar Association of Greater Boston

SABA GB is a local chapter of the South Asian Bar Association of North America (SABA NA), which is the umbrella organization for local SABA groups throughout the United States and Canada.

  • We serve as the regional voice for the concerns and opinions of South Asians in the community generally, and in the legal profession in particular
  • We provide a forum for professional networking and development, legal scholarship and education, and advocacy and community involvement
  • We promote the advancement of attorneys and law students of South Asian heritage
  • We support the provision of legal services to the South Asian community
  • We work with other bar associations, governmental agencies and community groups to achieve greater involvement in and understanding of the American legal system by the South Asian community

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Section, Boston Bar Association

The Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Section develops activities and programs to promote education, outreach, mentoring and networking for historically underrepresented attorneys and communities, as well as opportunities for allies to engage meaningfully to foster equity and inclusion.

Women’s Leadership and Advancement Forum, Boston Bar Association

The Women’s Leadership and Advancement Forum is dedicated to promoting and generating fundamental change across areas of gender inequality within the legal profession. Led by an advisory committee, the forum brings together leaders in the legal community to discuss issues they face within their firms, corporations and other legal departments and seeks to identify resources and best practices to empower women lawyers and bridge the opportunity gap. In addition, the Women’s Forum provides a series of programs to equip young women with the skills needed to advance in the profession and provide strategies for law firm and corporate leaders to implement within their organizations.