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Office of Minority Affairs
The State Bar of Texas reaffirmed its commitment to the inclusion of all
in the legal profession with the creation of the Office of Minority Affairs
in 1991. Under the direction of the Minority Affairs Director, this office
has three primary goals:
- To serve minority and women attorneys and organizations in Texas
- To enhance employment and economic opportunities for
minority and women attorneys in the legal profession
- To increase involvement by minorities and women in the State
Bar
The Office of Minority Affairs works together with several State Bar
committees and sections dedicated to working on minority and women's issues
in the legal profession. In addition to establishing goals and objectives,
the Office of Minority Affairs' work includes the development of outreach
programs specifically related to minority and women lawyers in Texas.
Programs
Texas
Minority Counsel Program
The Texas Minority Counsel Program (TMCP) was created in 1993 as
an effort to bolster the amount and significance of legal work obtained
by minority and women attorneys. Goals of the annual conference include
(1) providing interviewing opportunities to minority and women lawyers for
outside counsel retention by corporations and government agencies; (2) offering
an informal environment for participants to meet and network; and (3) presenting
a comprehensive dual-track CLE program designed specifically for minority
and women law firm members and corporate and government counsel. Since its
inception, the TMCP has been instrumental in enhancing the employment and
economic opportunities for minority and women attorneys throughout the state
of Texas.
Texas
Minority Attorney Program
The Texas Minority Attorney Program (TMAP) is a one-day
CLE seminar and networking event geared towards minority, women and small
firm practitioners. Participants will have the opportunity to learn more
about the issues facing solos and small firms and discuss various client
development strategies.
MAP (Minority Attorneys at the Podium) Project - PDF
Brochure
The purpose of the MAP Project is to 1) identify ethnically diverse
and women attorneys who are qualified and available to write articles for
and present topics at the State Bar’s continuing legal education
courses; 2) assist course directors and course planning committees in diversifying
their faculty; and 3) increase the visibility of attorneys through their
participation in the speakers circuit.
Minority Leadership Summit
The Minority Leadership Summit gives minority and women local bar
presidents, section chairs and committee chairs the opportunity to discuss
issues that are of interest to our community and learn about the State Bar
resources that are available to local bar associations and to minority and
women lawyers.
Diversity Forum (at the State Bar Annual Meeting)
The Diversity Forum is a two hour CLE presentation where participants
can gain valuable knowledge about diversity in the legal profession from
those at the top and those in the trenches.
Diversity Summit (at the Bar Leaders Conference)
The Diversity Summit gives local bar leaders the opportunity to
discover opportunities to increase diversity in the profession and learn
about programs already in place that can be utilized in their bar association.
Pipeline Program
The Pipeline Project involves an attorney visiting a fourth or
fifth grade classroom at least four times per school year to encourage students
to achieve educational success as well as introduce them to our legal system
and the law. Often times the lack of mentors compounded by a lack of resources
keeps children from finishing school, attending college, and seeking a higher
level education including a law degree. In particular, at-risk and poor
students fail to achieve educational success. The Office of Minority Affairs
works in conjunction with Law Related Education to reach out to minority
and women attorneys to encourage their involvement in the Pipeline Project.
Publications and Outreach
Directory of Minority and Women's Bar Associations
This directory lists local, state and national minority and women's
bar associations and their current president. The minority sections and
State Bar staff contacts are also included.
Texas
Spectrum Newsletter
Published bi-annually, the Texas Spectrum is the official newsletter of
the Office of Minority Affairs. Articles included in the publication
deal with issues that affect minorities and women in the legal profession. The
publication's mailing list includes, but is not limited to: all minority
and women attorneys, leaders of minority and women bar associations, State
Bar leaders, law schools, and the Supreme Court justices.
Committees & Sections
Racial
Diversity in the Profession Committee
This committee examines the historical and current status of minorities
in the profession and makes recommendations on how the Bar can take action
to enhance opportunities for minorities in the profession, and increase
involvement by minorities in the Bar.
Women
in the Profession Committee
This committee assesses the status of women in the legal profession and
identifies barriers that prevent women lawyers from advancing in the profession.
Minority Sections
Sections are voluntary groups within the State Bar organized by interest
or specialized field of law. The six minority sections are:
• African-American
Lawyers
• American Indian Law
• Asian Pacific
Interest
• Hispanic Issues
• Sexual Orientation
and Gender Identification Issues
• Women
and the Law
Demographics
There are approximately 85,813 lawyers licensed to practice in Texas (as
of December 31, 2009, the mid-point of the Bar's fiscal year). Minorities
represent approximately 16 percent of the lawyers in Texas, with 8 percent
being Hispanic, 4 percent African American, 2 percent Asian American, less
than 1 percent Native American, less than 1 percent two or more races and
1 percent other races/ethnicities. The breakdown by gender shows that 32
percent of the attorneys in Texas are female, while 68 percent are male.
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