Setting a New Course for Equity and Justice

 

The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council will present the first draft of the new Diversity Plan to the WSBA Board of Governors at their meeting Jan. 17–18, 2025. Please help the draft by providing feedback by Nov. 29.

 

An Evolving Diversity Plan

The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) recognizes the crucial role that diversity and inclusion play in advancing equity in our legal profession and justice in our legal system. We believe that a legal profession that reflects the rich diversity of the communities we serve and fosters inclusion and belonging among its members will improve public trust and confidence in the profession. We are charting a new course and have drafted an Equity and Justice Plan and are seeking your input.

The WSBA’s first Diversity and Inclusion Plan was born from the WSBA’s unique role as a unified bar, best positioned in Washington to create and help nurture the conditions to encourage diverse lawyers to enter, remain, thrive, and lead the profession. The plan was informed by a comprehensive membership demographic study in 2012 and was approved by the Board of Governors in 2013. Following the 2013 Plan, the WSBA conducted a Diversity, Intersectionality and WSBA Membership Study in 2014. In 2023, the WSBA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Council began a process to conduct a new membership demographic study and draft a new plan.  


Equity and Justice Plan team

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.


Draft Equity and Justice Plan

Read the entire draft plan. As an overview, the plan focuses on three goals:


What's Next and How to Submit Your Feedback

Feedback deadline: Nov. 29, 2024

The DEI Council drafted the new Equity and Justice Plan based on the 2024 membership demographic study and input from a broad spectrum of members on how WSBA can improve its DEI efforts. The DEI Council is soliciting feedback now through Nov. 29 to inform the draft that will be presented to the Board of Governors for a first reading in January.

Send your feedback in any of the following ways:

Email: Send your comments to diversity@wsba.org.

Survey: Share your input in a short survey here.

Virtual Sessions: The DEI Council is hosting virtual sessions to listen to input on:

Board of Governors meeting: There will also be opportunity for feedback during the Board of Governors meeting on Jan. 17–18, 2025, when the draft is presented. We will post more information here as the plan progresses to a second draft and final presentation to the Board of Governors.