Washington Lawyer - March/April 2021 - 14

FEATURE

Increasing Diversity
& Inclusion
IN THE LEGAL
PROFESSION

By Eric S. Steiner

n 2014, at the age of 36, Associate Judge Zuberi
Bakari Williams became one of the youngest judges
in the history of the state's judiciary. Born in
Washington, D.C., and raised in Maryland, Williams
served as assistant attorney general for the District
of Columbia, and then as administrative law judge at the
Maryland Office of Administrative Hearings.

Shortly after he was appointed to the District Court of Maryland for
Montgomery County, Williams, who is African American, remembers
going into his office wearing a hoodie and being questioned by court
staff about his identity.
Williams, wearing his photo ID lanyard around his neck, recalls being
confused at what was happening in that moment. " I wasn't sure what
was happening. It wasn't until later that I thought about it. I wasn't upset
or angry with the bailiff; I don't think he, she, or they meant any harm.
But these are the types of microaggressions that serve as reminders that
because of who I am, what I look like, some folks think I do not belong in
this space. Even if it's my chambers, " says Williams, a former white collar
criminal defense attorney at Venable.
Gregory Wells, a partner at Shadoan, Michael & Wells, LLP whose career
spans over three decades, can relate. Early in his career, Wells says courtroom deputies would ask him if he was " looking for his lawyer. " Wells is
also African American.
Though gains have been made over the past decade or so, few people
can persuasively argue that the legal profession is adequately diverse
and unbiased. Initiatives may have opened the door for minorities,
including people of color, women, LGBTQ individuals, and those with
disabilities,1 but studies show they remain underrepresented at the
partner level.
For example, a survey conducted by the National Association for Law
Placement, Inc. reported that in 2018 " just one in five equity partners
were women (19.6 percent) and only 6.6 percent were racial/ethnic
minorities. " The study is consistent with the one conducted by the
National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL), which found that
between 2017 and 2019, women remained at about 20 percent of equity
partners in law firms.

Maximilian Franz

JUDGE ZUBERI WILLIAMS

WASHINGTON LAWYER

MARCH/APRIL 2021

It is surprising that lack of diversity continues to pervade the legal profession, not just because correcting it is the right thing to do, but also
because there is a " statistically significant connection between diversity
and financial performance, " 2 and clients are asking their law firms to
" detail how many diverse lawyers they employ and whether those
lawyers are assigned meaningful work. " 3
Psychologists have pinpointed one reason for this lack of progress:
implicit bias. Changing the status quo in the legal profession will require
an understanding of this bias and fostering of inclusive work culture.

Washington Lawyer - March/April 2021

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