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OBABL Links & Resources
Announcements
Jun
4
News Updates: Jim Crow Juries, Wrestling Attorneys, Supreme Actors
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The Birmingham, Ala.-based nonprofit released “Illegal Race Discrimination in Jury Selection: A Continuing Legacy,” which revealed the systematic exclusion of black jurors from Southern juries. TheRoot
In ‘Thurgood,’ Laurence Fishburne approaches the bench mark. Catch the act at Washington’s Kennedy Center. WaPo
This defense attorney really is kick-ass! ATL
Groundbreaking retired judge, Damon Keith, gets facility groundbreaking with AG on hand. FreePress
Pa. court: Black lawyer rejected by Pa. bar in 1847 because of race admitted posthumously. GeaTimes
N.J. Senate president blasts Christie for not reappointing Supreme Court Justice Wallace, only Af Am judge. NJ.com
Jul
2
Elie Mystal Makes Anti-Affirmative Action Arguments Crumble
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Elie Mystal has some harsh logical things to say to those who wring their hands over Affirmative Action. Read the full article and the comments over at TrueSlant:
Most people can wrap their minds around the first concept. Trust me, I’d rather have had a family that was allowed to own property, vote in elections, build wealth, not get lynched, and rise or fall on their merits for the past four centuries than whatever piddling, token opportunity somebody thinks they are giving me thanks to affirmative action. There is nothing that can be done to “make up” for centuries of oppression, just like there is nothing that can make up for the systematic extermination of millions of Jews, the forced removal of Native Americans from their land, or the final season of Battlestar Galactica. All we can do is to move on and try to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. Affirmative action doesn’t redress the wrongs of squat.
As for his spot at Harvard, here’s what he has to say:
There were three people from my high school that got into Harvard. One (white girl) had excellent grades and scores and was one of the best athletes in our school. Another (white guy) had excellent grades and scores and was an amazing pianist. I was the third one. I had excellent grades and scores and had the “I’m involved in 15 different clubs and organizations because I have no life,” douchebag resume. Did being black help my application?
I don’t know and I don’t particularly care. Because what I do know is that I didn’t “take” a spot that should have gone to a “more deserving white man.” Harvard, like most institutions, starts with a list of what it deems to be “qualified” candidates and then has to pare that list down. Anybody who has ever hired somebody for a job knows that you generally deal with a number of people that could complete the assigned task, from there you have to make a decision based on arbitrary factors and nonobjective criteria like “fit” or “feel.”
May
16
In-House Counsel Diversity Conference: Position Yourself to Obtain New Clients
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Please plan to join the General Counsel of major Boston area companies and the Managing Partners of major Boston law firms for an important conference on promoting diversity and enhancing career development for minority lawyers. A more detailed program agenda will be sent to you within the next few weeks.
Monday June 22, 2009
2:00 to 5:00 PM
Reception to follow
Host: Fidelity Investments
Seaport Hotel
One Seaport Lane
Boston, MA 02210
At the conference, we will discuss:
- Strategies for hiring, retaining, and promoting lawyers of color.
- Senior in-house counsel responsible for engaging outside lawyers for major matters will discuss what qualities they seek and how minority lawyers can best position themselves to obtain new business and new clients.
- Conference attendees will have ample opportunities to interact with general counsels and members of their senior leadership teams both during the panel discussions and at the reception following the program.
- Please mark your calendar, and encourage the minority lawyers in your legal department to attend as well. During these challenging times, it is more important than ever that we redouble our efforts to advance diversity and inclusion in the Boston legal community.
Sponsored by the: Diversity & Inclusion Section of the Boston Bar Association
Co-Chairs: Marc Gary, Fidelity Investments and Ralph C Martin, II, Bingham McCutchen LLP
Mar
2
Sunday’s New York Times featured a delightful story on the courtship and wedding of Christie Love and J. Lee Hill Jr. The two jumped the broom Valentine’s Day Weekend.
About their first encounter:
“I’m thinking to myself, ‘Lord, I hope she comes over and says something to me, because I don’t have the nerve to say anything to her,’ ” he said.
He would later learn that Ms. Love, a Columbia-educated staff lawyer at Advocates for Children of New York, was steps ahead of him. Before inviting him to the event, she had checked out Mr. Hill’s biography on the Web site for Riverside Church in New York, where he is the youth pastor for the 3,000-member congregation. Based on his smiling online photo, she deemed him to be “goofy.” But in person, “he was a lot cuter,” she said.
With a preacher and a lawyer for parents, those kids should have some killer oratory skills. A slideshow of the couple’s ceremony at Riverside Church’s Gothic cathedral and their reception at the River Room in Harlem.
Dec
10
The Boston Bar Association’s 1st Annual Welcome Back to School Reception
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The Boston Bar Association Cordially Invites you and your Friends to
The 1st Annual Welcome Back to School Reception
Leading the Way to Your Career: Running out of Law School
Thursday, January 15th, 2009 - 4:30-7:00 p.m.
John Adams Court House: 1 Pemberton Square, Boston, MA
A Short Presentation by Leaders of the law followed by a Reception and Networking Opportunities
- Whether 1st year or last semester make Law School Count
- How to Meet the Right People in the Community
- Know if you have the Right Job
Speakers:
Peter Dziedzic, Jr., Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP
Nicole Murati Ferrer, Office of the Corporation Counsel
John J. Hightower, Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P.
Renee Inomata, Burns & Levinson LLP
Moderated by: Brent L. Henry, Vice President and General Counsel
Partners HealthCare System
Sponsored by: Diversity and Inclusion Section
For Questions or Comments Please Contact: sections@bostonbar.org
Nov
20
NBA YLD 6th Annual Retreat - Barbados
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For those of you who can’t attend, they promise pictures… General details below. Complete info on NBA YLD website.
National Bar Association
Young Lawyers Division
6th Annual Retreat
Barbados Bougainsvilleas Beach Resort
May 14 - 18, 2009
