College partnerships look to diversify the state’s law profession
By Victoria Baker
According to the 2018 Bureau of Labor Statistics, women and racial/ethnic minorities are severely underrepresented in the legal profession. In Nebraska, roughly 95% of lawyers are white, while 88% of Nebraska’s population is white. To Richard Moberly, dean of the College of Law, this disparity is problematic.
“I think there are probably communities that aren’t being served because of that disparity,” Moberly said. “Nebraska should have lawyers that reflect the population of the state, which will help ensure that communities have legal representation from people who understand their particular issues and perspectives..”
A few years ago, Moberly invited Robert Grey, executive director of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, and numerous stakeholders to the College of Law to convene about diversity in the legal profession. At the time, Moberly knew of individual efforts to increase diversity in the Nebraska legal system. He also knew that an organized effort would create concrete steps. “I thought if we could work more cohesively, we would be able to make more of an impact,” Moberly said.
So, in partnership with the Creighton School of Law, the Nebraska State Bar Association and local organizations, the law college is forming the Nebraska Legal Diversity Council.
Inspired by the diversity efforts in Minnesota’s Twin Cities, they ultimately decided to focus on “moving the needle” here in Nebraska — starting with the Council.
“We (looked) for people who are committed to diversity and inclusion work. Maybe they’re from a different profession, or a different industry to help us kind of build and implement this plan,” said Liz Neely, executive director of the Nebraska State Bar Association. “We know that we need more diverse voices at the table to make this work.”
After years of deliberate planning, in March 2020, the group set out to fundraise. But COVID-19 paused those plans until October 2020.
For most, those months were spent in isolation, a return to normalcy nowhere in sight. However, this project saw a new light, a rejection of “normalcy” in efforts of racial justice.
In those seven months, not only were organizations’ finances more secure, Moberly noted, but the entire country was paying attention to racial strife “in a way they had not for a generation or more.”
With a newfound momentum, 13 law firms, three companies, the Nebraska State Bar Association, Creighton School of Law, and University of Nebraska College of Law all agreed to contribute for the next three years. In three months, the Nebraska Legal Diversity Council raised $570,000. “The reaction was better than I’d even hoped,” Moberly said. “And I had high expectations.”
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Interest? Check. Commitment? Check. Funding? Check. So what happens next?
There are several intricacies. According to Neely, increasing diversity in the legal profession requires collective work. And according to Moberly, “it’s a funnel” that starts in education.
The idea is to increase the number of diverse applicants to both UNL College of Law and the Creighton School of Law, then attract, hire, retain and promote those individuals at local firms.
However, there are potential obstacles in recruiting diverse applicants. In 2008, Nebraskan voters passed a referendum that states “The state shall not discriminate against, or grant preferential treatment to any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education or public contracting.”
Since UNL is a public university, the College of Law cannot award scholarships based on race. For applicants, this puts UNL at a competitive disadvantage as they may get rewarded these scholarships from other institutions.
As an alternative, early engagement with students could establish UNL as a viable option.
“I foresee outreach programs with public school systems for students in high school at the very least. This comes at a great time to work with Omaha Public Schools, in particular, due to the new career track programming being offered,” said Yvonne Sosa, Creighton adjunct professor and an assistant federal public defender.
However, these programs are currently in progress as the Nebraska Legal Diversity Council is still in the early stages as they look for an executive director.
Sosa, who also serves as the interim executive director, is confident in the council’s future to bring about change. “(The) Nebraska Legal Diversity Council has the potential to break through historic barriers,” Sosa said, “and develop new long-standing traditions better reflective of a successful legal community for years to come.”