Achieving Meaningful Diversity & Inclusion for Lawyers & Law Students w/ Disabilities CLE(EDI180907)

Friday, September 7, 2018

8:30 AM to 1:00 PM (Eastern Daylight Time)

University of Connecticut School of Law

William F. Starr Hall Reading Room, 55 Elizabeth St, Hartford, Connecticut, United States

Access Recording

Presented by the Connecticut Bar Association Diversity and Inclusion Committee and the Connecticut Bar Foundation James W. Cooper Fellows

About the Program

The Second Diversity and Inclusion Symposium will focus on challenges and strategies for effective diversity and inclusion for members of the Connecticut legal community with disabilities.

Panel discussions will cover the obligation to accommodate under state and federal law, strategies for improving accessibility and removing barriers to and within the profession, and resources to help ensure that your organization maintains an inclusive environment for lawyers and law students with disabilities.

Cost

Free, but registration is required.

Speakers

Agenda
8:00 a.m.	Registration
8:30 a.m.	Welcome Remarks Jonathan M. Shapiro President, Connecticut Bar Association Andrea Barton Reeves President, Connecticut Bar Foundation
8:40 a.m.	Opening Plenary Michelle Duprey Executive Director, City of New Haven Department of Disability Services
9:00 a.m.	Law School, the Gateway to the Profession Panelists will provide an overview of the Americans with Disabilities Act and its application to the law school admissions process and experience. Panelists will also discuss the increased awareness and response to the mental health and wellness challenges facing law students, historical and current context for accommodations in law school, and the role of the Law School Admissions Council and litigation in challenging obstacles experienced by law students with disabilities. Jennifer Cerny, Director of Student Services, University of Connecticut School of Law Michael Johnson, Assistant Dean, Western New England University School of Law Ndidi Moses, Assistant United States Attorney Alix Simonetti, Attorney, Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities Dallis Vargas, JD, Quinnipiac University School of Law


10:00 a.m.	Break

10:10 a.m.	Barriers to Entry: Navigating the Bar Admission Process Panelists will discuss barriers facing law students with disabilities when they take the bar examination and seek admission to the legal profession, the historical and current perspectives of the Connecticut Bar Examining Committee in assessing applicants with disabilities, and the challenges facing lawyers with disabilities as they transition into practice. Panelists will particularly focus on challenges facing applicants with a history of mental health and substance abuse disorders. Kathleen M. Flaherty, Executive Director, Connecticut Legal Rights Project Hon. Anne C. Dranginis (Ret.), Connecticut Bar Examining Committee Beth D. Griffin, Executive Director, Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers Ensuring Meaningful Inclusion for Lawyers with Disabilities Panelists will share the experiences of lawyers practicing with disabilities, the legal obligations at issue, and recommendations for best practices in the recruitment, retention, and promotion of lawyers with disabilities. Panelists will also discuss new initiatives to address some of the stigmas and barriers facing lawyers with disabilities, and towards promoting lawyer wellness. Hon. John Danaher III, CBA Lawyer Well-being Taskforce Luke E. Debevec, Partner, Reed Smith LLP Anna Curry Gualano, Littler Mendelson PC Matan A. Koch, CapitalizAbility LLC
11:10 a.m.



12:10 p.m.	Break - Lunch

12:30 p.m.	Keynote Address Ted Kennedy Jr., Partner, Epstein Becker Green

CLE Credit

CT: 3.25 CLE credits (General)

Contact

Member Service Center

Email: MSC@ctbar.org

Phone: (844)469-2221