The Caucus Connec on. Chair's Corner. July ABA 2013 Annual Mee ng. For more informa on, visit

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1 The Caucus Connec on Founding editor, Hon. Pamila J. Brown, Caucus Chair Chair's Corner By Myles V. Lynk Dear Members of the House of Delegates Minority Caucus: Greetings and best wishes as we get set for the ABA s 2013 Annual Meeting! As I noted earlier the ABA has welcomed a new Chief Diversity Officer, Valeria Stokes; please join me in welcoming Valeria to the ABA family! In this issue of the Caucus Connection we have timely articles by three members of the Caucus: Mary Torres of New Mexico, outgoing Caucus Secretary and Chair of the Center for Racial and Ethnic Diversity, illuminates the ongoing work and role of the Center; Josephine McNeil of Massachusetts, a member of the Board of Governors and a past Chair of the Commission on Homelessness and Poverty, informs us about the continuing reality and challenge of poverty in America; and Kay Hodge of Massachusetts, a past Chair of the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation, describes the mission of the Foundation and why Caucus Members should consider becoming Foundation Fellows. Also find in this issue an updated listing of the Annual Meeting events and programs related to diversity and inclusion. Our meeting in San Francisco comes at a time of both celebration and concern for diversity in America. We celebrate the Supreme Court s overturning of DOMA and California s Proposition 8, thereby insuring equal protection for marriages between same sex couples, but we are deeply concerned about the Court s decisions that limited the scope of the Indian Child Welfare Act, placed affirmative action on life support and eviscerated Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. Thus, there is much work still to be done to insure the full inclusion of all Americans within the vibrant texture of American life. And as of this writing, immigration reform legislation has yet to be taken up by the House of Representatives, where its passage is far from certain. Looking forward to seeing you in San Francisco at the Caucus meeting on Sunday afternoon, August 11. Safe travels! July 2013 Welcome to the 13 th edition of the Caucus Connection, a newsletter for the members of the American Bar Association Minority Caucus Myles V. Lynk, Caucus Chair Mary T. Torres, Caucus Secretary ABA 2013 Annual Mee ng When: Thursday, August 8 to Tuesday, August 13, 2013 Where: San Francisco, CA Main hotel: Marriott Marquis San Francisco, 55 4th Street For more informa on, visit Minority Caucus Annual Mee ng Sunday, August 11, :00 pm - 5:30 pm Golden Gate Hall, C2, B2 Level Marriott Marquis San Francisco 55 4th Street ABA 2013 Margaret Brent Awards Luncheon The Commission on Women in the Profession invites you to attend its 22 nd Annual Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Awards Luncheon: Sunday, August 11, 2013 Noon - 2:00 pm Moscone West Convention Center, Ballroom Third Floor 800 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 2013 Honorees Hon. Mazie K. Hirono, Chief Senator, U.S. Congress, Honolulu, HI Sara Holtz, Founder & CEO, ClientFocus, San Francisco, CA Hon. Gladys Kessler, Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Washington, DC Marygold Shire Melli, Voss-Bascom Professor Emerita, University of Wisconsin Law School, Madison, WI Therese M. Stewart, Chief Deputy City Attorney, City and County of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA Order tickets/tables at

2 The Caucus Connec on 2 The ABA Center for Racial & Ethnic Diversity! What s Happening with the ABA Diversity Center by Mary T. Torres Since the 2013 Midyear Meeting, the Center for Racial & Ethnic Diversity (Diversity Center) has delivered on several exciting initiatives to support racial and ethnic diversity in the Association. Another new project that the Diversity Center completed in April was the Presidential Appointments Diversity Initiative. In conjunction with the Section Officers Conference (SOC) Diversity Chair, we developed a comprehensive resource that identified diverse Section members with an interest in securing ABA Presidential appointments. President-Elect Silkenat and his Appointments Committee reported extensive use of the resource during their appointments selection process. On June 27-28, 2013, we experienced the successful culmination of a 15-month project: the Collaborative Bar Leadership Academy (CBLA). The Diversity Center, in conjunction with ABA Bar Services, collaborated with the four national bars of color: National Native American Bar Association, National Hispanic Bar Association, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, and National Bar Association to produce the inaugural CBLA. It brought together a select group of nearly 100 diverse developing bar leaders to provide leadership training and a forum for cultivating cross-cultural connections. The 25 CBLA participants who represented the ABA primarily came through ABA Sections. The Diversity Center will continue to work with the respective Sections to nurture these CBLA alumni in their continued development as ABA leaders. For more information, visit the CBLA website: events/barleadershipacademy.html. Hot Off the Presses! The Diversity Center newest book will debut at the Annual Meeting. ABA best-selling author, Verna Myers, has written What If I Say the Wrong Thing: 25 Habits for Culturally Effective People. It s a companion piece to her book Moving Diversity Forward, which the Diversity Center co-published in The Next Steps Challenge For the second consecutive year, the Diversity Center cosponsored with the ABA Young Lawyers Division the Next Steps Challenge, to encourage YLD affiliates across the country to implement or enhance their diversity programming. Congratulations to the Next Steps Challenge 2013 winner, the Minnesota State Bar Association New Lawyers Section, for its GOLaw program. Congratulations are in Order! Minority Caucus member and former ABA President, Dennis Archer was honored by the nation of Japan with the presentation of the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon in a conferment ceremony held in June. This state decoration is one of Japan s highest, and is bestowed by His Majesty, the Emperor of Japan, to foreign individuals who have made significant and notable contributions to the enrichment of bilateral relations with Japan. The commendation was presented by The Honorable Kuninori Matsuda, Consul General of Japan, at the Detroit Athletic Club during the Japan America Society of Michigan and Southwest Ontario Annual Dinner. Seeking Success Stories: Have you or someone you know in the Minority Caucus received an award or been recognized for an achievement? If so, we want to know about it! Please submit notices of Caucus members honors and awards to the Caucus Staff Coordinator, Tonya Johnson at tonya.johnson@americanbar.org. Thank you! Myles V. Lynk, Caucus Chair

3 The Caucus Connec on 3 Lawyers Working to End Poverty By Josephine McNeil, Guest Columnist Although unseen by many Americans, poverty rates in the United States continue to rise. Nearly 40 million Americans face daily struggles with food security, access to health care and housing. In fact, a recent Brookings Institution Report found that poverty has been growing faster in the suburbs than in cities or rural areas, with nearly 16.4 million poor people now living in suburban communities, compared to 13.4 million poor people in big cities and 7.3 million poor people in rural areas. While poor people living in rural and suburban areas often face unique challenges that their counterparts residing in urban areas oftentimes do not -- including limited public-transit options, a largely dispersed population, lack of access to healthcare, and fewer nonprofit service providers -- all people living in poverty experience hardship and adversity. Homelessness, hunger, and general instability can have lingering impacts on children as well as adults. While these challenges are formidable, they are not insurmountable. The ABA Commission on Homelessness and Poverty has as its mandate the development of ABA policy in this area, while in the bar year the ABA s Section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities will be focusing on the impact of poverty on the human and civil rights of the poor. In fact, in addition to the many lawyers across the country that have dedicated their careers to addressing poverty on a variety of important levels, the American Bar Association supports initiatives aimed at removing barriers, implementing legislative initiatives, facilitating holistic and interdisciplinary approaches, and ultimately providing access to justice to people living in poverty. These initiatives provide all lawyers with pro bono and community service opportunities to assist the poor in their communities. Therefore I urge you, as leaders of the bar both nationally and in your communities, to become engaged in these efforts. For further information, please contact the Commission at its website: Together, lawyers can make a difference! ABA House of Delegates 2013 Annual Mee ng ABA House of Delegates Chair Robert M. Carlson will convene the HOD on Monday, August 12, 2013, at 9:00 a.m. The HOD will meet in the Ballroom, 3rd Floor, Moscone Center West. Minority Caucus Resolu ons Commi ee There are several matters before the House that may be of particular interest to Caucus members. The Minority Caucus Resolutions Committee will make their recommendations to the Caucus at approximately 3:00p.m. on August 11, If you have speci ic resolutions you wish to discuss at the Minority Caucus meeting, contact the Chair of the Resolutions Committee, John C. Yang, at jyang@itw.com. Resolu ons Commi ee Members John C. Yang (Chair) Aurora Austriaco Kelly-Ann Clarke Hon. Fernande Duf ly William Ferreira Margaret Masunaga Michael H. Reed Robert Saunooke Charles Vigil

4 The Caucus Connec on 4 Supporting Empirical Research on Diversity, Law and Society: The Fellows of the American Bar Foundation By Kay Hodge, Guest Columnist As a past national Chair of The Fellows of the American Bar Foundation, I urge each member of the Minority Caucus to consider joining The Fellows. The Fellows is a select group of ABA lawyers -- including practitioners, judges and academics limited to no more than one-third of one percent of the lawyers admitted in each jurisdiction in the U.S., who support the work of the Foundation. Invitations to join are based on a candidate s contributions to the legal profession, including leadership in the ABA. The group of Fellows shall reflect American society by being diverse with respect to gender, race, ethnicity, religion, age and sexual identity. The American Bar Foundation is dedicated to advancing justice through research on the role of law in society and the law s impact on our society, including diversity in the profession. Through a generous grant from past ABA President William Neukom, The Fellows recently established in the Foundation the William H. Neukom Fellows Research Chair in Diversity and Law. This endowment will support a scholar who will engage in and encourage others to pursue cutting edge empirical research on the full inclusion of minorities, women, the disabled and LBGT persons in the legal profession. This past May the Foundation s Research Group on Legal Diversity held its Second Annual Conference, entitled, "Pursuing Diverse Talent in Legal and Professional Services: Research With And Across Professions, Organizations, and Societies," which explored the challenges of diversity in both access to educational opportunity and professional employment. Not surprisingly in light of these efforts, The Fellows want to ensure that its membership reflects the full diversity of the legal profession and society at large. If you think you might be interested in joining this select group of lawyers supporting the work of the Foundation s scholars, please contact The Fellows office at fellows@abf.org or Election Announcements As indicated on the Minority Caucus listserv, the following candidates in the 2013 HOD Delegate-at-large election are members of the Minority Caucus: Jose C. Feliciano (OH) Carlos A. Rodriguez-Vidal (PR) Mary L. Smith (IL) MARK YOUR CALENDAR American Bar Associa on 75th MIDYEAR MEETING February 5 11, 2014 in Chicago 2014 Midyear ABA Minority Caucus Mee ng Sunday, February 9, :00 5:30p.m. Chicago, IL

5 The Caucus Connec on ABA Annual Mee ng Diversity & Inclusion Programming I encourage all Caucus members to review the following diversity and inclusion programs and events at the 2013 ABA Annual Meeting. Attend as many as you can and help us promote attendance to others. We want to demonstrate to the sponsoring entities that there is strong interest and participation in these types of programs. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM The Experts Speak: Navigating the Path to the Federal Bench (Reception to Follow) Golden Gate University School of Law, 536 Mission Street - Room 2202, San Francisco, CA Sponsor: Judicial Division THURSDAY, AUGUST 8 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM Watch Mouth! Race, LGBT and Other Four Letter Words and the Difficult Conversations Around Them Moscone Center West, 3rd Floor, Room 3003 Sponsor: Law Practice Management Section 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM Diversity Committee Meeting Hilton San Francisco Union Square, Union Square 1, 4th Floor Sponsor: National Conference of Bar Presidents 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM Diversity Committee Meeting Westin San Francisco Market Street, Civic, 2nd Floor Sponsor: Law Practice Management Section 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM Membership and Diversity Meeting Hotel Nikko, Carmel II, 3rd Floor Sponsor: Section of Science & Technology Law FRIDAY, AUGUST 9 7:30 AM Noon Marriott Marquis San Francisco, Pacific Suite C, 4th Floor Sponsor: Center for Racial and Ethnic Diversity 8:30 AM 11:00 AM Stand Your Ground Hearing Westin San Francisco Market Street, Metropolitan I, 2 nd Floor Sponsor: Coalition on Racial and Ethnic Justice CLE: Professional Responsibility in Representing Persons with Diminished Capacity/Disabilities Moscone Center West, Presidential CLE Centre, 2nd Floor, Room 2002 Sponsors: Commission on Disability Rights, Section of Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Family Business: New Strategies and Tools for the 21st Century Moscone Center West, 2nd Floor, Room 2004 Sponsors: Solo, Small Firm and General Practice Division, Commission on Disability Rights CLE: Women in the Law: Beyond a Seat at the Table Moscone Center West, Presidential CLE Centre, 2nd Floor, Room 2007 Sponsors: Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section, Business Law Section, Commission on Women in the Profession & Asian American Bar Association 10:30 AM Noon Beyond Cultural Boundaries - The Challenge of Cultural Diversity in the Courtroom Marriott Marquis San Francisco, Golden Gate Hall C1, B2 Level Sponsor: Judicial Division As of press time, this is an accurate schedule of Diversity & Inclusion programming at the 2013 ABA Annual Meeting. Please visit the Diversity Happenings page: www ambar.org/diversityhappenings for the most current information. 10:30 AM Noon Brand New Tools That Can Help You Combat Implicit Bias: Jury Instructions, Voire Dire Questions and More! Westin San Francisco Market Street, Franciscan Ballroom II, 3rd Floor Sponsor: Criminal Justice Section

6 The Caucus Connec on ABA Annual Mee ng Diversity & Inclusion Programming FRIDAY, AUGUST 9 (continued) 11:30 AM 1:30 PM Opportunity or Blockage? Fisher v. Texas and the Educational Pipeline to the Legal Profession Westin San Francisco Market Street, Metropolitan I, 2 nd Floor Sponsor: Council for Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Educational Pipeline 12:00 PM 12:30 PM Day of the Woman Rally Moscone Center West, Level 2 Lobby Sponsor: Commission on Women in the Profession More Than an Equal Sign: DOMA, Prop 8, the Supreme Court, and Your Practice CLE Moscone Center West, 3rd Floor, Room 3006 Sponsors: Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, Section of Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Leadership After 25 Years: Solutions for Equality Moscone Center West, Room 2005 Sponsor: Commission on Women in the Profession 2:00 PM 5:00 PM Historical Trial: The Twinkie Defense - The Trial of Dan White for the Murders of Harvey Milk and George Moscone Moscone Center West, 2nd Floor, Room 2006 Sponsors: Solo, Small Firm and General Practice Division, Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity 2:15 PM 3:15 PM Diversity and Outreach Meeting Grand Hyatt San Francisco, Orpheum, Theatre Level Sponsor: Section of State and Local Government Law 3:00 PM 4:00 PM NCBP Forum on Racial and Ethnic Diversity Hilton San Francisco Union Square, Continental Parlor 3, Ballroom Level Sponsor: National Conference of Bar Presidents 3:45 PM 5:15 PM What Effective Law Firm Leaders Need to Know About Diversity & Inclusion Marriott Marquis San Francisco, Golden Gate Hall C3, B2 Level Speakers: Dennis Archer, Linda Klein, and Paula Boggs Sponsor: Law Practice Management Section 3:45 PM 5:15 PM Day of the Woman Need-to-Know Information from the Women of Cybersecurity Moscone Center West, 2nd Floor, Room 2007 Sponsors: Section of Science & Technology Law, Commission on Women in the Profession 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM Law Student Speed Networking Program Fairmont Hotel, Crown Room, 24th Floor 5:00 PM 6:30 PM Diversity Reception - Hosted by the ABA-IPL Diversity Action Group InterContinental San Francisco Hotel, Pacific Terrace Sponsor: Section of Intellectual Property Law 5:30 PM 7:30 PM Diverse Lawyers Reception: Day of the Woman Marriott Marquis San Francisco, Golden Gate Hall C2, B2 Level Sponsor: Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession 5:30 PM 7:30 PM Allies for Justice Award Reception Marriott Marquis San Francisco, Sierra Suite B 5th Floor Sponsors: LGBT Bar Association, Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity 6:00 PM 8:00 PM Pursuit of Justice and Liberty Achievement Award Reception Sedgwick LLP 333 Bush Street, 30 th Floor Sponsor: Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section SATURDAY, AUGUST 10 8:00 AM Noon Marriott Marquis San Francisco, Pacific Suite D, 4 th Floor Sponsor: Coalition on Racial and Ethnic Justice Women & the World of IP InterContinental San Francisco Hotel, Grand Ballroom A Sponsor: Section of Intellectual Property Law

7 The Caucus Connec on ABA Annual Mee ng Diversity & Inclusion Programming SATURDAY, AUGUST 10 (continued) CLE: Finding Your Own Voice Ethical Dilemmas, Race and Gender Challenges and the Pitfalls of the Practice Moscone Center West, Presidential CLE Centre, 3 rd Floor, Room 3020 Sponsors: Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section, Center for Professional Responsibility 9:00 AM 10:00 AM LGBT Subcommittee Meeting 9:00 AM 11:00 AM TIPS Diversity in the Profession Committee Meeting Westin St. Francis, Room TBD Sponsor: Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Diversity in the Profession Committee 9:00 AM Noon Marriott Marquis San Francisco, Foothill B, Atrium Level Sponsor: Council for Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Educational Pipeline 9:00 AM Noon Marriott Marquis San Francisco, Ballroom Salons 5-6, Lower B2 Level Sponsor: Commission on Disability Rights 10:00 AM 11:00 AM Women s Business Law Network Subcommittee Meeting 11:30 AM 12:30 PM Lawyers of Color Involvement Subcommittee Meeting 1:30 PM 5:30 PM Marriott Marquis San Francisco, Pacific Suite C, 4th Floor Sponsor: Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Campus Colors: Race-Conscious Diversity Efforts in Higher Education after Fisher vs. UT Austin Moscone Center West, 3rd Floor, Room 3016 Sponsor: Section of Litigation Ticket Price: $90, Judges: $35, Govt Atty: $35, Young Lawyers: $90, Solo Practitioners: $35, Law Students: $0, Why Traditional Planning Fails Seniors: What you can do to help your clients not fall in the same trap! Moscone Center West, 2nd Floor, Room 2008 Sponsors: Solo, Small Firm and General Practice Division, Commission on Disability Rights Legal and Ethical Consequences of Medicinal Marijuana Representation: A Dope Niche - With State Law Changes, It's Pot That's Hot Moscone Center West, 2nd Floor, Room 2005 Sponsors: Solo, Small Firm and General Practice Division, Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity 2:00 PM 4:00 PM Task Force on Leadership-Diversity Initiative Committee Meeting Westin St. Francis Hotel, Tower Salon B, Lobby Level Sponsors: Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section 2:30 PM 3:30 PM Lawyers with Disabilities Involvement Subcommittee Meeting 4:30 PM 5:30 PM Business Law Section Diversity Committee Meeting Sponsor: Business Law Section 5:00 PM 6:30 PM LGBT Diversity Reception InterContinental San Francisco Hotel, Pacific Terrace Sponsor: Section of Intellectual Property Law 6:00 PM 7:30 PM Diversity Networking Reception Fairmont Hotel, Roof Garden, Lobby Level SUNDAY, AUGUST 11 8:00 AM 11:00 AM Stand Your Ground Task Force Meeting Marriott Marquis San Francisco, Pacific Suite D, 4 th Floor Sponsor: Coalition on Racial and Ethnic Justice 10:30 AM 12:30 PM ABA CLE CENTRE SHOWCASE PROGRAM: Lessons in Leadership from the Civil Rights Movement Moscone Center West, 2nd Floor, Room Sponsor: Section of Litigation, Center for Racial and Ethnic Diversity, Commission on Women in the Profession

8 SUNDAY, AUGUST 11 (continued) 12:00 Noon - 2:00 PM Margaret Brent Awards Luncheon Moscone Center West, 3rd Floor, Ballroom Sponsor: Commission on Women in the Profession The Caucus Connec on ABA Annual Mee ng Diversity & Inclusion Programming 2:30 PM 4:00 PM ABA House of Delegates Women s Caucus Marriott Marquis San Francisco, Golden Gate Hall B, B2 Level Sponsor: Center for Racial and Ethnic Diversity 3:00 PM 5:30 PM ABA House of Delegates Minority Caucus Marriott Marquis San Francisco, Golden Gate Hall, C2, B2 Level Sponsor: Center for Racial and Ethnic Diversity 3:45 PM 5:15 PM Legislative and Other Developments in LGBT Employment Rights Moscone Center West, 3rd Floor, Room 3024 Sponsor: Section of Labor and Employment Law MONDAY, AUGUST 12 6:00-8:00 p.m. Annual Meeting Reception for Lawyers with Disabilities Moscone Center West, 3rd Floor, Room 3016 Sponsor: Commission on Disability Rights CALL FOR NOMINATIONS 2013 ALEXANDER PIPELINE DIVERSITY AWARD SUBMISSION DEADLINE IS TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2013 The ABA Council for Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Educational Pipeline is accepting nominations for the Fourth Annual Raymond Pace and Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander Award for Excellence in Pipeline Diversity. To increase diversity in the legal profession demands work all along the educational pipeline to expand persistence and success of underrepresented students. The Alexander Award is designed to recognize exemplary leadership in pipeline work by an individual or organization. The award honors those demonstrating success working along the educational pipeline in a collaborative approach involving more than one segment of the continuum from preschool to high school to college to law school to the practice. The Award will be presented at the ABA Midyear Meeting on Friday, February 7, ABA best-selling author, Verna Myers, has written What If I Say the Wrong Thing: 25 Habits for Culturally Effective People. It s a companion piece to her book Moving Diversity Forward, which the Diversity Center co-published in Visit the ABA Bookstore to order your copy today! For nomina on forms: