Diversity Committee-Sponsored Events

As part of our commitment to educate our lawyers and staff on the importance of unique differences in all of us, the firm hosted a number of events. 

Diversity Training for Lawyers. Kramer Levin conducted diversity training sessions for all lawyers on Nov. 29, with a focus on unconscious bias — attitudes and stereotypes that we are unaware of but that still affect our behavior — and the impact of “working identity," which is the idea that people employ their identities to manage the impressions others have of them. The program, led by Jerry Kang, professor of law and UCLA’s inaugural vice chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion; Devon Carbado, associate vice chancellor of BruinX for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, included a robust discussion on individual and firm-level mechanisms to counteract the ways in which bias operates. 

DAG Fund Fellow. Harvard Law School’s 2017-2018 David A. Grossman Fund Fellow Rebecca Donaldson conducted a presentation on rights of victims of sexual crimes on Sept. 14. Rebecca focused on the right to access information about the case from the prosecutor; not to be compelled to submit to a pretrial examination by the defendant; to a speedy disposition of the case; and to have input in the defendant’s sentencing.

Kramer Levin is a major supporter of the DAG Fund, which is named after former Kramer Levin litigation lawyer David A. Grossman, who was the director of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau for many years. Rebecca spent her fellowship leading a pilot project focused on representing victims of violent sexual crimes in partnership with Legal Action of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.

Know Your Rights. On Nov. 2, the Legal Aid Society’s Community Justice Project conducted a “Know Your Rights” training session on how to educate youths about interacting with police. Training focused on safety tips for de-escalation during a police encounter and how to hold the police accountable for an unlawful stop. Kramer Levin lawyers who have completed the training have the opportunity to partner with the Legal Aid Society to provide “Know Your Rights” presentations to local schools and community groups.

   
_{Left to right: Jasmina Chuck, Victor Dempsey and Anthony Posada}

Mindfulness at Work. On July 12, Judy Banks conducted a lunch presentation about mindfulness and how to use the concept to cope successfully with fast-paced lives and overwhelming responsibilities. Judy discussed how mindfulness can be used as an important tool to perform optimally both professionally and personally while increasing emotional resilience and reducing stress.

Judy, who worked on Wall Street early in her career, studied under the guidance of Deepak Chopra and other teachers at the Chopra Center. She is a Chopra Certified Master Educator and has completed training programs in Primordial Sound Meditation, Perfect Health and Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga.

2018 Diversity in Law Hackathon Series. Kramer Levin participated in Diversity Lab’s Fall 2018 Diversity in Law Hackathon. In partnership with Bloomberg Law, Northwestern Law and UC Hastings, Diversity Lab worked with more than 100 law firms and legal departments from top companies across the country to hack the legal industry’s toughest diversity and inclusion challenges. Two “Shark Tank”-style events brought together law students, high-level law firm partners and legal department leaders in small teams, from July through November, to develop and pitch solutions to boost diversity and inclusion in law. Diversity Lab plans to further develop and pilot the winning idea in partnership with the participating Hackathon organizations.