The HCBA Diversity and Inclusion Committee works to improve diversity in the legal profession. The committee focuses its work on retaining lawyers with diverse backgrounds, building a diversity pipeline to the legal profession, and informing the broader legal community about issues surrounding diversity and inclusion.
The Committee typically meets the first Wednesday of the month at 12:00 p.m. at the HCBA office. Below are some of the initiatives the committee is currently working on:
Diversity Pipeline: The Diversity Pipeline work group is a subcommittee of the HCBA Diversity Committee. The group works with community partners, such as Achieve Minneapolis and the Minnesota Urban Debate League, to proactively create the next generation of attorneys. By collaborating with local firms, nonprofits, and law schools, we look forward to building a coordinated, collective approach to educating youth from underrepresented backgrounds about legal careers. The group also advises Achieve Minneapolis on creating law-related youth programming. To get involved in the Diversity Pipeline efforts, please attend an upcoming meeting or contact Dana Miner at
dminer@mnbars.org or 612-752-6627.
Lawyer Statistics: The Lawyer Statistics subcommittee has worked with the Humphrey school to study where the diversity pipeline breaks down in the Twin Cities legal market. The group is also working with the state bar to support mandated reporting of ethnicity at time of bar licensing and has developed recommendations for law schools to collect ethnicity data consistently
CLE/Diversity Programming: The CLE/Diversity Programming subcommittee develops continuing legal education courses on diversity-related topics that range from elimination of bias courses to diversity topics in specific practice areas.
HCBA Members: Join the Diversity Committee today