February 07, 2018
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Taylor Porter is a proud sponsor of the 2018 Louisiana State Bar Association's 11th Anniversary of the Conclave on Diversity in the Legal Profession, to be held Friday, March 9, at the New Orleans Marriott Hotel. This year’s theme is “Diversity & Inclusion: From Rhetoric to Reality," and the luncheon keynote speaker will be Locke Lord Partner Paulette Brown, the first African American female to be elected president of the American Bar Association.
The LSBA, the Louisiana Supreme Court, and a host of statewide local and specialty bar associations are hosting the Eleventh Annual Conclave on Diversity in the Legal Profession. Conclave highlights will include:
The Conclave will encourage discussion among judges and attorneys, primarily hiring and managing attorneys with law firms and law departments, about the importance of diversity within the legal profession and how to improve diversity within the profession in Louisiana.
The Conclave is sponsored by the LSBA in cooperation with the Louisiana Supreme Court and co-hosted by: 22nd JDC Bar Association, Baton Rouge Bar Association, Baton Rouge Louis A. Martinet Legal Society, Federal Bar Association - New Orleans Chapter, Federal Bar Association - Lafayette/Acadiana Chapter, Greater New Orleans Louis A. Martinet Legal Society, Hispanic Lawyers Association of Louisiana, Lafayette Bar Association, Louis A. Martinet Legal Society Lake Charles Chapter, Louis A. Martinet Legal Society, Greater Lafayette Chapter, Louisiana Asian Pacific American Bar Association, Louisiana Association for Justice, Louisiana District Judges Association, LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, New Orleans Bar Association, New Orleans Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, Northeast LA Louis A. Martinet Legal Society, Southern University Law Center, Southwest Louisiana Bar Association, and Tulane University Law School.
Sponsors of the Conclave include: Jones Walker LLP; Deutsch Kerrigan LLP; McCranie, Sistrunk, Anzelmo, Hardy, McDaniel & Welch LLC; Barrasso Usdin Kupperman Freeman & Sarver, L.L.C.; Blue Williams, L.L.P.; Forman Watkins & Krutz LLP; Hammonds, Sills, Adkins & Guice, LLP; Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore LLC; Kelly Hart & Pitre; Liskow & Lewis; Louisiana District Attorneys Association; Loyola University New Orleans College of Law; LSBA Civil Law and Litigation Section; LSBA Fidelity, Surety and Construction Law Section; Phelps Dunbar LLP; Pugh Accardo LLC; Stone Pigman Walther Wittmann L.L.C.; Adams and Reese LLP; Christovich & Kearney, LLP; Federal Bar Association - Lafayette/Acadiana Chapter; Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel; Louisiana District Judges Association; Association for Women Attorneys; Baton Rouge Louis A. Martinet Legal Society; Greater New Orleans Louis A. Martinet Legal Society; Louisiana Association for Justice; LSBA Art, Entertainment and Sports Law Section; LSBA Environmental Law Section; LSBA Solo and Small Firms Section; Louisiana Association for Justice; Shields|Mott L.L.P.; Wagar Richard Kutcher Tygier & Luminais, LLP; Garrison, Yount, Forte & Mulcahy, L.L.C.; LSBA Alternative Dispute Resolution Section; LSBA Labor and Employment Law Section; LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center; New Orleans Chapter of the Federal Bar Association; Taylor Porter; and Whitehead Law Firm.
Taylor Porter’s 106-year tradition of excellence in client service and strong, commitment to diversity and inclusion throughout our law firm is evidenced by our internal promotion of diversity awareness, recruitment/retention of diverse professionals, leadership by our women and minority attorneys, and through external outreach and impact on the community. Our Firm’s diversity efforts are led by Diversity Committee Chair Katia Bowman, Partner, Southern University Undergraduate and Law School Alum, Native of Haiti and Multi-Lingual; and also Vice-Chair Vicki Crochet, our Labor and Employment Practice Team Leader, Partner and Executive Committee Member.
In 2017, the Taylor Porter Diversity Committee launched its BUILD (Building Unity, Inclusion, & Legal Diversity) Community Outreach Program. The program was implemented by the Taylor Porter Diversity Committee and designed to further bridge and support the Firm’s diversity efforts, combined with its more than 100 years of traditional community outreach and volunteer work. Following its volunteer work for Habitat for Humanity in Fall 2017, Taylor Porter is planning a service project for Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Baton Rouge in Spring 2018.
In 2016, Taylor Porter, through its Diversity Committee, agreed to host annual "Dialogue on Race" sessions organized by Dialogue on Race Louisiana (DORLA) and moderator Maxine Crump. Dialogue on Race Louisiana is a membership association that brings together organizations, businesses, and individuals that have similar goals of working to end the racial divide. Through this association these groups can be a source of support and inspiration to each other as well as maximize their collective efforts. This community-led process has educated several thousand area residents to understand, identify, and to eliminate institutional racism. In 2016, our diversity committee produced the firm’s Diversity and Inclusion brochure to educate both internally and externally the concentrated efforts by Taylor Porter to demonstrate that our diversity commitment benefits not only the firm and our profession, but also the community in which our members and our families live and work.