Event Focuses on the Legal Profession's Commitment to Inclusivity
Co-sponsored by Loyola Law School, LACBA’s 2025 conference aims to foster inclusion and celebrate diversity within the legal community, providing a platform for discussion, collaboration, and networking among professionals dedicated to these values.
“At a time when DEI initiatives and the rule of law are under siege, LACBA remains committed to the goal of a diverse, representative, and inclusive legal profession,” states Ann I. Park, 2022-2023 LACBA President and conference organizer.
This year’s event features a keynote address from California Attorney General Rob Bonta, as well as presentations from California Judicial Appointments Secretary Luis Céspedes and Loyola Law School Professor Kimberly-West Faulcon, a nationally known speaker on civil rights law. Other prominent speakers include Los Angeles Superior Court Presiding Judge Sergio C. Tapia II, and California Courts of Appeal Second District Associate Justices Helen Zukin and Audra Mori, and California Lawyers Association Chair Terrance J. Evans.
Breakout session topics include Doubling Down on Inclusion in the Legal Workforce, Workplace, and Marketplace, Women Leadership in the Law, The History of Segregation and Discrimination in the Law: Avoiding Recurrences in the Present Day, and Diversity in the Judiciary. California attorneys can earn five hours of Recognition and Elimination of Bias in the Legal Profession and Society continuing legal education credits.
Other notable speakers represent esteemed institutions such as:
• ACLU of Southern California
• Association of Southern California Defense Counsel
• Bet Tzedek Legal Services
• California Court of Appeals
• California Lawyers Association
• California Minority Counsel Program
• California Supreme Court Historical Society
• Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles
• Diversity Lab
• LGBTQ Lawyers Association of Los Angeles
• Los Angeles County LGBTQ+ Commission
• Los Angeles Superior Court
• Loyola Law School
• UC Davis School of Law
Diversity in the Legal Profession Data
While the California legal profession is becoming more diverse, particularly among newly admitted attorneys, significant disparities remain compared to the state’s population. Based on the State Bar of California’s 2023 Report Card on the Diversity of California’s Legal Profession, 65% of the state’s active licensed attorneys are white, while whites comprise only 38% of its population. In contrast, people of color constitute 62% of the state’s population but only 35% of its attorneys. Latinos are underrepresented among California attorneys: they consist of only 6% of licensed attorneys, while comprising 37% of California’s population.
The National Association for Law Placement’s 2024 Report on Diversity in Law Firms found that only 13% of law firm partners are persons of color. Although women comprise the majority of law firm associates, only 29% of law firm partners are women, and only 5% are women of color.
About LACBA
LACBA was founded in 1878 and is one of the largest voluntary metropolitan bar associations in the country. LACBA serves legal professionals through its many sections, committees, networking events, live and on-demand CLE programs, and pro bono opportunities. This year marks the third Diversity and Inclusion event organized biennially by LACBA.
Catherine Jackson
Los Angeles County Bar Association
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