| Bar Bulletin |
July,
2003 |
| MSBA News |
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Archer Addresses MSBA Membership
~ABA President-Elect Speaks on Diversity~
By Janet Stidman Eveleth
 “How
far we have come,” mused Dennis W. Archer, ABA President-Elect, as he
congratulated Harry S. Johnson as the first African-American President of
the Maryland State Bar Association. “I am proud to share this historic
moment with you.” On June 14, as Johnson was installed as MSBA’s new
President in Ocean City, Maryland, Archer, who will become the first
African-American President of the American Bar Association in August,
celebrated the significance of this MSBA milestone.
“As lawyers, we
must acknowledge we have one calling but many voices because of the
diversity of our cultures and our backgrounds,” stated Archer. “In this
way, we affirm that we have not yet reached the point of complete unity
and equality within our profession and within the justice system. Our
challenge is to admit that barriers to the advancement of lawyers of color
that have been consciously or unconsciously erected in the past remain.”
“We must embrace
the fact that in today’s world, public confidence in our profession and in
the justice system as a whole is largely tied to whether law firms and
practicing lawyers reflect the full diversity of our society,” Archer
said. He believes we need to be sensitive to the collective culture in our
society.
While Archer
acknowledges that the legal profession has come far in the context of
diversity, he is quick to add that it has a long way to go, and he
believes minorities are still woefully unrepresented in today’s legal
world. “Lawyers of color represent only just over 10 percent of the
profession. They include only 19 percent of recent graduates but not quite
4 percent of partners in the nation’s major law firms.”
The ABA
President-Elect would like to see more diversity in the legal profession,
and will work toward this goal during his year as ABA President. “Any
profession that intends to do business in this century must reflect the
diversity of our society. Our client base demands it. We need more
diversity in the legal profession to promote the rule of law and interact
with people.”
Archer went on to
praise some of the strides the legal profession has made in the area of
diversity, applauding MSBA for its “commitment to diversity.” The ABA
President-Elect recognized MSBA’s Leadership Academy as an outstanding
program which promotes a diverse group of young lawyers into leadership
positions in the State Bar. “You have some fine talent poised to take the
reins of your organization,” he said, calling the Academy an “invaluable
effort that should go nationwide.”
“The voices of
lawyers have never been more important in society than they are today,”
Archer concluded. He urged the audience of lawyers to work toward racial
and ethnic diversity in the profession.
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