Get The Scitech Edge: Membership and Diversity Committee News

Over the last year, we have welcomed new members to our Section who are also involved in many other parts of the ABA, including the Intellectual Property Section and Business Law Section. The demographics of the SciTech membership is rapidly changing and reflects a wide diversity of thought throughout the ABA. But we want to do better. As the ABA writ large continues to reflect on its diversity, we in SciTech must grapple with a stark reality: even as the profession as a whole struggles with diversity, there is a particular problem in the science and technology space. Numerous articles discuss the underrepresentation of women and people of color and STEM fields, including a recent Pew Research study that confirmed the underrepresentation of women and minorities in these fields. For example, women and people of color make up only 13.6 percent and 26.5 percent of legal tech company founders, respectively. See https://www.abajournal.com/news/article/legal_tech_has_a_diversity_problem_says_new_report The same challenges exist in law firms and corporate legal departments, as we have all observed firsthand.

It is important that we remain laser-focused on addressing this issue as a Section. Studies show that diverse teams and perspectives add value from a business perspective. In books such as The Diversity Bonus, we learn that diverse teams lead to greater productivity. Diversity across teams and within the Section also improves the richness of ABA members’ experiences, the policies we generate, and the programs and activities we pursue as an organization. When we embrace diversity of all kinds, everyone wins, and we make our society and the legal profession better. We also ensure improved access to justice and a fairer justice system. As we kick off 2022, the SciTech Membership and Diversity Committee plans to engage across the ABA and other bar associations to strengthen the diversity of our membership, foster collaborations, and organize both virtual and in-person gatherings to engage our membership. If you have any ideas, or are interested in being involved in any way, please reach out to us.