MARCH 21, 2014
Hilton New Orleans Riverside Hotel
2 Poydras Street, New Orleans, LA 70130
The conclave will encourage discussion among judges and attorneys, primarily hiring and managing attorneys within law firms and law departments, about the importance of diversity within the legal profession and how to improve diversity within the profession in Louisiana.
Earn up to 7.50 CLE hours. (Including 1.50 Ethics hours and 5.25 Professionalism hours)
Registration
Online Registration is now closed.
Please click here to print your form and bring it to the Registration Desk on Friday morning. Registration on the day of is $100.
Cancellation Policy
All cancellations must be received in writing before March 16 in order to receive a refund. Please send cancellation requests to Sonjanita Jordan at sonjanita.jordan@lsba.org. Refund requests will be paid in full, minus a $30 cancellation fee.
Satellite Location
For the first time ever, the MCLE has approved CLE credits for those attending in person at a satellite location to view a live video feed of the Conclave. The satellite viewing will occur at the Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge, LA. You must attend in person at Southern to earn the CLE credit. Please note: No lunch will be served. Registration fee is $65 and will not increase after February 28. Register online by clicking the button in the upper right hand corner. Click on "Satellite Viewing". For more information, please contact Michelle Neal at michelle.neal@lsba.org or (504) 619-0151.
(Please click here to print agenda)
AGENDA
7:45 - 8:15 - Registration at Hilton Riverside New Orleans Hotel
8:15 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. – Conclave Breakout Sessions
Breakout Session 1- BLIND JUSTICE? Lessons Learned from the Trayvon Martin & Jordan Graham Cases
(PROFESSIONALISM CLE)
Co-hosted by the Louisiana District Judges Association, Louisiana Judicial Council & the Louisiana Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
This discussion is designed especially for those practicing primarily in the area of criminal law. The panelists will discuss strategies to identify bias and minimize the impact of unconscious bias within the criminal justice system. Panelists will dissect the biases demonstrated by George Zimmerman, the investigating police, the prosecuting attorneys, and jurors in the Trayvon Martin case, Jordan Linn Graham case, and other high profiled cases.
Panelists:
Hillar Moore, District Attorney, East Baton Rouge District Attorney's Office
Harry L. Daniels, III, Partner, Daniels & Washington, LLC
Kevin V. Boshea, Attorney at Law
Leslie Ricard,19th JDC Assistant District Attorney
Hon. Laurie A. White, Judge, Criminal District Court, Parish of Orleans
Moderators:
James E. Boren, Attorney At Law
Derwyn D. Bunton, Chief Defender, Orleans Parish Public Defender
Breakout Session 2 - Leadership with Intention: Institutionalizing Diversity & Inclusion in Your Organization
(PROFESSIONALISM CLE)
Presenters will address strategies to implement successful diversity and inclusion initiatives for your office or organization. The discussion will include real examples and strategies for developing a diversity mission statement, action plan, diversity committee/council and other initiatives to help incorporate diversity and inclusion into the institutional fabric of your organization.
Presenters:
Pamela Washington Carter, Partner, Carter Law Group, LLC
Gary M. Carter, Jr. – Entergy Services, Inc.
Mark A. Cunningham, Partner, Jones Walker LLP
Sharon E. Jones, President & CEO, Jones Diversity Group
Breakout Session 3 - Navigating Recent Supreme Court Precedent Regarding Same-Sex Marriage & Benefits
Sponsored by The Williams Institute
Professor Todd Brower will address the ramifications for judges, lawyers and others in Louisiana of the United States Supreme Court’s rulings in Hollingsworth v. Perry (challenging California’s constitutional amendment prohibiting same-sex marriages) and United States v. Windsor (concerning the federal Defense of Marriage Act and entitlement of same-sex married couples to federal benefits). While discussing several practical scenarios in an interactive format, attendees will have the opportunity in an open forum to voice their thoughts, ask questions, and engage in a lively discussion on these dynamic and potentially far reaching issues.
Presenter:
Professor Todd G. Brower
Judicial Education Director, The Williams Institute at UCLA Law School, the leading national think tank conducting independent research on sexual orientation and gender identity law and public policy
Breakout Session 4 - The Louisiana Call to Action: Sponsorship -- The New Normal for Mentoring
(PROFESSIONALISM CLE) (invitation only)
Co-hosted by the Minority Corporate Counsel Association
And
Association of Corporate Counsel Louisiana Chapter
This invitation-only discussion is designed especially for managing and hiring partners within firms. This session will foster an atmosphere for law firm partners to have a candid conversation with in house counsel on diversity/inclusion issues, the distinction between sponsorship and mentoring, the impact of sponsorship on recruitment and retention, and the importance of effective sponsorship initiatives to create a more inclusive law office environment.
Discussion Leaders:
Jennifer Borum Bechet, Associate General Counsel, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Dominique Bright-Wheeler, Assistant General Counsel, Capital One
Jade A. Brown-Russell, Counsel of Regional Operations, Caesars Entertainment Corp.
Lacrecia G. Cade, General Counsel, Morehouse University
Paul C. Kitziger, Hiring Partner, Liskow & Lewis
Monica B. Mason, Senior Attorney, Global Trade and Worldwide Logistics, Deere & Company
Alyssa Maurice-Anderson, Entergy Services, Inc.
Courtney Nicholson, Entergy Services, Inc.
Sherry D. Williams, former Senior Vice President-Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer of Halliburton Corporation
9:50 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. – Welcome Remarks
Richard K. Leefe, President, Louisiana State Bar Association
10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. – Breaking Barriers to Inclusion: Identifying and Minimizing Unconscious Bias
(PROFESSIONALISM CLE)
This interactive presentation will enlighten participants on the prevalence of unconscious bias. The presenter will facilitate discussions and activities to develop an awareness of the impact of unconscious bias on the legal profession.
Kelly McNeil Legier, Director of Member Outreach & Diversity
Louisiana State Bar Association
10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – What If I Say the Wrong Thing? (Interactive Workshop)
(PROFESSIONALISM CLE)
The language of inclusion takes practice and courage. In this interactive workshop, nationally recognized expert on diversity, Verna Myers, who joined us last year, will expand on the concepts of diversity, inclusion, bias and privilege by challenging participants to interrupt bias and exclusion when they experience it. Once we have heightened our awareness of inclusion, what is our responsibility to confront and resolve circumstances where others are being excluded, mistreated or unfairly denied opportunities? Ms. Myers will introduce the audience to the skills that work to interrupt bias and keep the conversation of inclusion moving forward.
Facilitated by:
Verna Myers
Verna Myers Consulting Group, LLC
12:30 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. Networking Luncheon
Presentations to Former Diversity Committee Members
Chauntis T. Jenkins and Luis A. Leitzelar
Co-Chairs, Committee on Diversity
Louisiana State Bar Association
Presentations to Sponsors and Co-Hosts
Luis A. Leitzela and Barbara Bourgeois Ormsby
Co-Chairs, Conclave Subcommittee, Committee on Diversity
Louisiana State Bar Association
1:15 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Keynote Speaker
Introduction: Hon. Bernette Joshua Johnson, Chief Justice, Louisiana Supreme Court
Keynote Speaker: Arin Reeves, Ph.D.
Nextions
2:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. – Networking Break
2:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. – Tools for Conquering Bias in the Courts
(PROFESSIONALISM CLE)
This panel of judges will discuss best practices for alleviating unconscious bias in the administration of justice, such as witness identification, jury selection, deliberations, and sentencing. Panelists also will offer practical tools to assist participants in addressing these important issues in daily practice and within the courts.
Panelists:
John H. Craft, Attorney At Law
Hon. Brian A. Jackson, Chief Judge, United States District Court, Middle District of Louisiana
Hon. Keva Landrum-Johnson, Judge, Criminal District Court, Parish of Orleans
Arthur A.”Buddy” Lemann III, The Law Offices of Arthur A Lemann III & Associates
Hon. Ulysses Gene Thibodeaux, Chief Judge, Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeal
3:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. – Networking Break
3:45 p.m. – 5:15 p.m. – Navigating Cognitive Biases, Blind Spots, and Cultural Impairments When Balancing Ethical Decision-Making
(ETHICS CLE)
During this panel discussion, participants will explore the role of inherent human cognitive processes on ethical decision making and the interplay among cognitive processes, blind spots, and cultural impairments.
Presenter:
Tigran W. Eldred, Associate Professor of Law, New England Law (Boston)
Panelists:
Elizabeth A. “Beth” Alston, Partner, Alston Law Firm, LLC
David Douglass, Advisory Board Member, Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession
Elizabeth J. “Lisa” Futrell, Partner, Jones Walker , LLC
L. Victor Gregoire, Jr., Partner, Kean Miller, LLC
5:15 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. -- Networking Reception