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Taylor Porter is a proud sponsor of the 2017 Louisiana State Bar Association's 10th Anniversary of the Conclave on Diversity in the Legal Profession, to be held Friday, March 24, at the New Orleans Marriott Hotel. This year’s theme is “Diversity is Good for Everyone," and the luncheon keynote speaker will be Samuel Reeves, SVP and senior counsel at Walmart Stores, Inc., a nationally recognized advocate for diversity in the legal industry.

The Excellence in Diversity Jazz Brunch reception honoring signatories of the LSBA Statement of Diversity Principles will kick off the event on Friday morning at the Marriott New Orleans from 7:45 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. 

Other conclave events include a Diversity and Inclusion Workshop Presentation by Shawn C. Marsh, Ph.D., Director of Judicial Studies and an Associate Professor of Communication Studies and Social Psychology, University of Nevada, Reno. He is the former Chief Program Officer for Juvenile Law at the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges where he taught extensively on topics such as implicit bias and trauma-responsive justice, and oversaw a myriad of national projects focused on child welfare, juvenile justice, school engagement, and trauma/victimization. There will be two breakout sessions: Immigration and Best Practices, facilitated by highly credentialed speakers that will provoke discussions regarding the scope and meaning of inclusion, the state of the profession, and the case for  a diverse and inclusive legal profession.

Taylor Porter’s 104-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 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.