April 2012 Racial and Ethnic Minorities and the Law Newsletter

By Ebony R. Huddleston

A message from Committee Chair Ebony Huddleston. 

By Angelique Palmer & Yolaine Dauphin

The VLSC trains students and attorneys throughout the State of Illinois through Continuing Legal Education programs and Veteran Advocacy training.  

The Winnebago County Bar Association Diversity Committee and the YMCA of Rock River Valley cosponsored a community outreach night in Rockford on March 28th. Attended by more than 80 high school and middle school students, members of the Winnebago County Bar Association and judiciary from the Illinois 17th Judicial Circuit, the purpose of the event was to educate youth about the legal profession.

By Sharon L. Eiseman

A review of Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers.

The Law & Leadership Institute is an exciting week-long residential program designed to introduce high school students of diverse backgrounds to the legal system, expose them to careers in the law, and provide them with practical tools for achieving their educational goals.  

Law school admissions show a disturbing trend: although students of color have near-parity with white students’ GPAs and LSAT scores, the percentage and number of minority students (especially African-American and Latino students) admitted to law schools has declined significantly since 1993.