Page 16 - Delaware Lawyer - Summer 2022
P. 16

FEATURE
  of Rigor
Aaron N. Taylor
The Definition
Increased diversity on bar and bench doesn’t equal lowered standards
On May 13, 2021, the Delaware Supreme Court issue an administrative order establishing the Delaware Bench and Bar Diversity Project. The project’s purpose was to develop a strategic plan to address the dearth of racial and ethnic representativeness among lawyers and judges in Delaware.
14 DELAWARE LAWYER SUMMER 2022
Iwas privileged to contribute to this important effort through my role as Executive Director of the AccessLex
Center for Legal Education Excellence. AccessLex is a nonprofit organization that works to increase access, affordabil- ity and value in legal education. One of our core goals is to help foster a legal profession that reflects the demograph- ics of the people it serves. Therefore, the Diversity Project aligned very close- ly with our priorities and our expertise.
The project culminated with the publication of a report, Improving Diversity in the Delaware Bench and Bar: Strategic Plan Report and Recommendations. Presented in the
report are 50 recommendations for help- ing make the Delaware legal profession more reflective of the racial and ethnic de- mographics of the state. The recommen- dations span the educational continuum that takes a student from layperson to law- yer or judge, starting with initiatives target- ing school-aged Delawareans and extend- ing to the judicial selection process.
My team and I worked closely with two of the five working groups that de- vised the recommendations: the Colleg- es and Law Schools Working Group and the Bar Exam and Licensing Working Group. The working groups were com- prised of Delaware lawyers and judges.
 






















































































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