CHICAGO, May 29, 2025 — Overcoming legal obstacles and adapting justice-focused work in a shifting legal and political environment are among the topics experts will discuss during the 2025 ABA Equity Summit: Navigating the Future June 5-6. The two-day virtual program, hosted by the American Bar Association Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advisory Council, builds on ABA efforts to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in the legal profession.
Attorney Melissa Murray, a constitutional law expert, co-host of Strict Scrutiny podcast and an MSNBC legal analyst and host, will participate in a fireside chat from 1:45-2:35 p.m. EDT on June 5. She is the Frederick I. and Grace Stokes professor of law and faculty director for the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center at the New York University Law School. Her publications have appeared in the California Law Review, Columbia Law Review, Harvard Law Review, Michigan Law Review, Pennsylvania Law Review, Virginia Law Review and Yale Law Journal, among others.
Murray is a 2023 recipient of the ABA Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award, which honors women lawyers who have achieved professional excellence and paved the way for other women in the legal profession.
The summit, which brings together legal professionals, scholars and advocates to explore solutions to today’s most pressing social, legal and ethical challenges, will feature panel presentations on these topics:
- “Adapting Justice-Focused Work in a Shifting Climate”
- “Latinos in the United States: Overcoming Legal Obstacles, Engaging in Civil Life”
- “From Research to Reality: Leveraging Insights from ABA Commission on Women in the Profession’s Resource Library for Inclusive Workplace Practices”
- “Under Attack: Protecting Trans Communities in a Hostile Landscape”
- “Navigating AI’s Challenges: Equity, Ethics and Impact (Ethics)”
- “Revisiting Character and Fitness: Addressing Barriers to Equity in Legal Education and Practice”
- “Maintaining Wellness in These Fraught Times”
- “Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice: Seeking Continued Equity”
- “The Right to Live and Participate in the Community: Ensuring the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities”
- “Rethinking Metrics: How to Measure Success in Pipeline Programs”
The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisory Council is an entity under the ABA Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Center.
The program agenda is here.
For media credentialing and registration, contact Shanda Ivory at [email protected].
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