In 2011, the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation established the Research Group on Legal Diversity and began a campaign to endow a Research Chair in Diversity and Law through a $1.5 million fundraising campaign. In December 2012, the Research Chair was named the William H. Neukom Fellows Research Chair in Diversity and Law in recognition of William Neukom’s major contribution to the campaign.
As the campaign to endow the Research Chair nears completion, the American Bar Foundation is beginning to envision a Research Center on Diversity and Law to investigate urgent questions surrounding diversity in the legal profession, as well as equal justice and opportunity. A Research Center on Diversity and Law would build on the Research Group in Legal Diversity’s work to pursue broader research, build a stronger community of scholars, and engage legal employers more fully.
In this section, you will find materials that outline the goals of the ABF’s diversity initiatives and our vision for a Research Center on Diversity and Law. We hope these materials will help you understand why the ABF is uniquely poised to pursue these opportunities and demonstrate how to become involved in these important efforts.
Diversity in Practice: Race, Gender, and Class in Legal and Professional Careers
Diversity in Practice, co-edited by ABF scholars Robert L. Nelson and Ronit Dinovitzer, and ABF-affiliated scholars Spencer Headworth and David Wilkins, is the broadest study of diversity in professional careers to date. The takeaways from the first three conferences of the Research Group on Legal Diversity informed parts of Diversity in Practice, and produced new collaborations between researchers and practitioners to advance diversity and equality. Learn more about the book>