Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and How Attorneys can Combat Bias
In 1920s Oklahoma, Native Americans were treated as second class citizens. In the book and movie, Killers of the Flower Moon, we learn the true story about how members of the Osage Tribe were cheated out of their wealth and murdered for their oil rights. In this presentation we will watch film clips of the movie and discuss laws that discriminated against the Osage tribe. Further, we will examine how William Hale schemed to murder members of the tribe and steal their wealth. Finally, we will examine the work of several attorneys who led the fight against this racial persecution and helped to convict Mr. Hale of murder. The goal of the presentation is for attorneys to understand that as members of the legal profession we are in a unique position to prevent bias and discrimination.
Why Women Attorneys Get Paid Less What’s Gender Bias Got to Do With it
Female lawyers’ median weekly pay is 26.5% less than male lawyers and the pay gap is larger for partners and only getting worse. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has commented that the gender pay gap is “an embarrassing reality of our economy.” In this presentation we review the history of the gender pay gap and determine if there has been any progress in the last 50 years. We will examine the causes of the gender pay gap and suggestions on how to eliminate it. Further, we will discuss a law in the United Kingdom that requires all companies with over 250 employees to file a yearly gender pay gap report with the difference between the average pay of men and women in an organization. We will review gender pay gap reports of legal firms in the United Kingdom and determine if this reporting requirement has helped bridge the gender pay gap. Attorneys have described this presentation as concise, informative and a great comprehensive program.
Battling Gender Bias: How Bill Cosby and Other Sexual Predators Escape Punishment
Bill Cosby victimized nearly sixty women and was convicted of sexually assaulting Andrea Constand and sentenced to prison. However, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court reversed his convictions indicating he could not be tried again. In 2006 the FBI did an extensive investigation of Jeffrey Epstein and found that he had sexually assaulted 37 girls, some as young as 14, and prepared a 53-page indictment. However, Epstein was never charged in federal court and pleaded guilty to state charges where he served only 13 months in jail with work release. In this presentation we will discuss the Epstein and Cosby prosecutions and other cases where the legal system protects the predator and not the victims. Further, we will discuss why this occurs, how to prevent these miscarriages of justice and what steps we can take as lawyers to ensure that the legal system treats victims of sexual assault with dignity and respect.
Identifying & Combating Gender Bias:
Examining the Roles of Women Attorneys in Movies and TV
Every attorney regardless of gender must have an equal opportunity to advance their career in the legal profession. However, the legal profession has a history of gender bias against women and recent surveys and statistical studies indicate there is still gender bias in our profession.
In this presentation, attorneys will learn to identify both implicit and explicit gender bias in the legal profession by reviewing how Hollywood depicts women attorneys on television and at the movies. The presentation will also offer attendees suggestions to recognize and combat implicit biases.
To learn to recognize implicit gender bias, we will review film clips of award-winning movies selected by lawyers in two "best lawyer movie" polls conducted by the American Bar Association in 2008 and 2018.
Please join us for this unique and entertaining presentation.
"When There are Nine"
Gender Bias in the Legal Profession
When the late Justice Ginsburg was asked when will we have enough woman on the United State Supreme Court, she famously said, “When there are nine.” In 1981, when I started practicing law as an Assistant Summit County prosecutor in Akron, Ohio every one of our seven Common Pleas judges was male. In 2020, every one of these judges is female. Because of this change, does this lead to the conclusion that sexual bias in the legal profession is gone, a relic of the past? Unfortunately, sexual bias is still alive and well in the legal profession. In a 2018 American Bar Association survey of 3000 professionals in the legal profession, 68% of female respondents indicated that they had been the victim of sexual bias or sexual misconduct. According to the National Association of Women Judges, approximately one third of judges nationwide are female although over half the attorneys are female. Today, women still make up only 27 percent of all federal judges. Currently, there are only a handful of female managing partners in the larger law firms. In this presentation, attendees will learn about sexual bias in the legal profession, why attorneys are hesitant to report this bias and how Summit County Ohio overcame that bias to elect an all-female bench.