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Diversity task force has 3-part programThe ISBA Task Force on Diversity has em--barked on a program of three initiatives to promote greater diversity within the association and in the profession throughout the state. Chaired by E. Lynn Grayson, vice chair of the Committee on Women and the Law, the task force was formed by President Joseph G. Bisceglia to expand opportunities for minority attorneys to join the ISBA and to become involved in leadership. The three current studies are underway by separate subcommittees: Diversity Pipeline Project, Illinois Legal Community, and ISBA Membership. The Pipeline Project subcommittee's focus is on support of improved educational opportunities for diversity students, particularly toward entrance into the legal profession. Subcommittee chairs are Alice M. Noble-Allgire of the Southern Illinois University School of Law, past chair of the Committee on Minority and Women Participation; committee chair Andrew P. Fox, committee member Tracy L. Prosser and Venu Gupta. They plan to compile a list of existing educational programs that are best suited for increasing the flow of minority students through the educational pipeline and into the legal profession. The Legal Community subcommittee is completing a statewide survey (see story below) to raise overall awareness of the importance of increasing diversity in the profession. Its chairs are ISBA Assembly member Sonni Choi Williams, secretary of the Committee on Minority and Women Participation, and Gwen Rowan. The ISBA Membership subcommittee will undertake outreach efforts and develop a report card on the status of diversity attorneys within the association, its leadership and its programs. Chairs are ISBA Assembly member Patrice Ball-Reed, a member of the Committee on Public Relations and Illinois Bar Journal Editorial Board, and Deborah B. Cole of the Real Estate Law Section Council. The task force also is a co-host of a Diversity in the Law program for university students that is being conducted Friday, Feb. 15, in the ISBA Chicago Regional Office. About 25 students at Big Ten schools, the University of Chicago, DePaul and Notre Dame were invited to learn what it is like to be a lawyer and to explore opportunities in the legal sector. The presentation involves a partnership with the Hire Big Ten Plus Consortium. It includes the American Bar Association video, "Choose Law: A Profession for All," and an informal panel discussion. Chicago attorney E. Lynn Grayson, vice chair of the ISBA Committee on Women and the Law and member of the Task Force on Diversity, invited interested members to participate in the program. After a question-and-answer session, members of the group travel to a networking lunch and then visit one of the 10 law firms that have volunteered. A closing reception and law school fair were scheduled at McDermott, Will & Emery. Other participating organizations are the AIDS Legal Council of Chicago, the American Civil Liberties Union, Cabrini Green Legal Aid, Equip for Equality and the City of Chicago Law Department.
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