Setting a New Course for Equity and Justice

Proposed Equity and Justice Plan

Affinity bar representatives, their Board of Governors liaisons, and the DEI Council met on Nov. 6, 2024, to discuss the Equity and Justice Plan.

What's Happened Since the 2013 Diversity and Inclusion Plan?

The 2013 Plan included concrete steps that were largely focused on gathering and sharing demographic data as well as providing education and providing forums for dialogue. The work that has happened since 2013 includes:

• Improving member data by offering an annual opportunity to update demographics and expanding options to better describe one’s social identity.
• Offering regular, free CLEs on diversity, equity, and inclusion to all members through Legal Lunchbox series and other events.
• Hosting regular community networking events throughout the state, offering ways to connect and create mentorship relationships.
• Supporting law school diversity and inclusion efforts through hosting networking events and speaking at discussion panels.
• Supporting affinity bar associations by hosting space for leaders to collaborate, offering trainings and facilitating connections to WSBA leadership.
• Offering and organizing trainings on diversity, equity, and inclusion to volunteers serving on the Board of Governors and other WSBA entities.
• Requesting annual updates on diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts from WSBA entities.
• Applying an equity lens and analysis to proposed actions that come before the Board of Governors.

The 2013 Diversity and Inclusion Plan set out a commitment to do a comprehensive membership demographic study every 10 years. The WSBA began the process to conduct a new study in 2023; it was completed in 2024 by KGR+C, an independent research consulting firm that did a similar study for the Oregon State Bar. This new study has positioned us with renewed, data-driven takeaways to inform the new Equity and Justice Plan.

Key takeaways from the study:

• Our profession does not reflect the diversity of our state population.
• The lack of diversity exacerbates professional barriers and personal issues specific to members from marginalized and underrepresented communities.
• Members from marginalized and underrepresented communities are less likely to report positive, satisfying, or accommodating workplace environments.
• Nearly all members acknowledge a lack of diversity and inclusion in their workplace, but the negative impacts are not distributed equally.
• Members of dominant groups are least likely to face negative consequences for reporting injustice in the workplace and fail to notice the frequent negative workplace experiences of their colleagues from marginalized and underrepresented communities.

Video Presentation: 2024 Member Demography, Identity + Impact Study

The video above is presented for informational purposes only. To view this video for CLE credit please register here. This product will be available for free through Sept. 30, 2025.

Please send feedback on the plan to equityandjustice@wsba.org.