Page 5 - Delaware Lawyer - Summer 2022

EDITOR’S NOTE
This issue is comprised of reflec- tions on the Delaware Bench and Bar Diversity Project, initi- ated by the Delaware Supreme Court in May of 2021.
Supported by the National Center for State Courts and the AccessLex Institute, the project brought together an impressive array of lawyers, jurists, educators, community members and experts to examine the challenges facing the Delaware legal system as it labors to more closely reflect the diversity of the state.
As recounted in the opening article by Chief Justice Collins J. Seitz, Jr., the first major work prod- uct of the project was the Steering Committee’s issuance of a compre- hensive report containing some 50
recommendations. The articles here do not attempt to catalogue all those recommendations, but instead are generally more philosophical and policy-oriented, examining the task of diversifying the legal profession through wide-angle lenses.
You will notice certain recurring themes. First, there is a call for open- mindedness. The legal profession in Delaware will not achieve meaningful progress in diversity by doing busi- ness in the same-old-same-old way. You will also note a sense of urgency. The ongoing national reconciliation over matters relating to diversity, equity and inclusion in all their mani- fold meanings presses with unique insistence on our system of justice.
The Delaware Supreme Court’s
commencement of the Diversity Project was a forceful and path-break- ing response to this urgency. Yet it is important that momentum gather, and not dissipate.
And finally, you will see reflected in many of the essays that the focus on the need to diversify the profession raises even larger issues. Such as: how do we, as a society, best educate nov- ice lawyers? How do we ensure their professional competency and ethical compass?
It is my sincere hope that the con- tent of this issue inspires you to pon- derthosequestions.
Rodney A. Smolla
Rodney A. Smolla
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SUMMER 2022 DELAWARE LAWYER 3