Bias and Minority Lawyers

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/19/opinion/bias-and-minority-lawyers.html

Version 0 of 1.

To the Editor:

As a Latino lawyer, I am accustomed to the indignities described in “Black Doctor Says Delta Flight Attendant Rejected Her; Sought ‘Actual Physician’ ” (nytimes.com, Oct. 14).

In upstate New York, a white judge required me to attest to my professional credentials on the record under penalty of perjury. In multiple courts, I have been asked to produce my bar membership card even though my white peers are not subjected to this practice.

These experiences illustrate the racial isolation and exclusion in one of the least diverse professions. As lawyers of color, we are unduly scrutinized.

Judges, bar associations, law firms and law schools should commit to tackling unconscious bias. They can begin by publicly calling for greater diversity and inclusion in our profession.

IVÁN ESPINOZA-MADRIGAL

Exec. Director, Lawyers’ Committee

for Civil Rights and Economic Justice

Boston