The Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession ("IILP")

A Year of Change, and Where We Go from Here

Looking back on the turmoil of the past year and uncertainty over the legal status of DEI, where exactly do diversity efforts stand now? How can diversity and inclusion efforts survive and evolve in the face of continuing legal, political, and existential threats? In January, Faculty Director and Constitutional Law Professor Kenji Yoshino and Executive Director David Glasgow of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging at the NYU School of Law presented the virtual program “...

A Year of Change, and Where We Go from Here Looking back on the turmoil of the past year and uncertainty over the legal status of DEI, where exactly do diversity efforts stand now? How can diversity and inclusion efforts survive and evolve i…

2026

By Sandra Yamate and the IILP Team At the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession (“IILP”), some of us have been working to make the legal profession more diverse and inclusive longer than many others in the IILP community have been alive. But we never doubt our mutual commitment to making the legal profession the best it can possibly be: one where everyone with the requisite talent, aptitude, drive, discipline, commitment to justice, and integrity can enter it and rise as high within it as those abilities will allow....

#TalkIntoAction 2026 By Sandra Yamate and the IILP Team At the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession (“IILP”), some of us have been working to make the legal profession more diverse and inclusive longer than …

Off the Grid

By Sandra Yamate Republished with permission from Chicago Lawyer. People keep asking me how I’m doing. Not in the fun way like when “Friends” character Joey Tribbiani famously proclaimed “How you doin’?” or Eliza Doolittle from “My Fair Lady” genteelly inquired “How do you do?” It’s a stark acknowledgement that I have devoted most of my career, in one form or another, to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) or the“D word.” It’s a sympathetic recognition that my life’s work, my vocation, avocation and…...

Off the Grid By Sandra Yamate Republished with permission from Chicago Lawyer. People keep asking me how I’m doing. Not in the fun way like when “Friends” character Joey Tribbiani famously proclaimed “How you d…

By Jenny Lee Opponents of DEI tend to forget a critical point—like it or not, there’s no “getting rid of” diversity, since diversity is rooted in our very DNA. Whether we talk about our nation’s histories, cultures, and viewpoints through the lens of collective progress or rancorous division, diversity is the foundation of what America is, and who we are. …...

Former Dreams and Future Directions By Jenny Lee Opponents of DEI tend to forget a critical point—like it or not, there’s no “getting rid of” diversity, since diversity is rooted in our very DNA. Whether we talk about our nation’s hi…

By Jenny Lee As the U.S. Supreme Court’s latest term came to a close, coinciding with the end of Pride Month, the 10-year anniversary of Obergefell and the 5-year anniversary of Bostock, it was hard not to think back on those landmark decisions, where the Court held that state bans on same-sex marriages were unconstitutional and that firing workers based on their sexual orientation and gender identity violated Title VII....

Is “Leveling the Playing Field” an Illusion? By Jenny Lee As the U.S. Supreme Court’s latest term came to a close, coinciding with the end of Pride Month, the 10-year anniversary of Obergefell and the 5-year anniversary of Bostock, it was har…

By Jenny Lee On February 20, 2025, in celebration of Black History Month and part of its History and Heritage Month Series, the IILP hosted a virtual fireside chat with sociologist and law professor Kevin Woodson from the University of Richmond School of Law. The book talk, moderated by Lorraine McGowen (Partner, Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe), was followed by a lively roundtable discussion where Professor Woodson and McGowen were joined by Michael L....

The Black Ceiling and Racial Discomfort, and What That Means for the Legal Profession By Jenny Lee On February 20, 2025, in celebration of Black History Month and part of its History and Heritage Month Series, the IILP hosted a virtual fireside chat with sociologist and law professo…

By Sandra Yamate I am an unapologetic Baby Boomer. If looks, energy, and physical prowess are the standards by which we measure quality of life, then I accept that my best days may be behind me. Way behind. I rely upon my Gen X, Millennial, and Gen Z friends and mentees for advice on anything that smacks of technology or current pop culture....

Boomers: There’s Still Time for Good Trouble By Sandra Yamate I am an unapologetic Baby Boomer. If looks, energy, and physical prowess are the standards by which we measure quality of life, then I accept that my best days may be behind me. Wa…

By Sandra Yamate Republished with permission from Chicago Lawyer. When I screw up, I try to take responsibility. I’ve apologized, tried to understand why and how I messed up to avoid repeating the error, and frequently berated myself for my stupidity, insensitivity or plain old unkindness. That, I was taught, is what grown-ups do. Sometimes there is a decided difference of opinion about who should take responsibility for mistakes....

Raging against “DEI hires” disheartening By Sandra Yamate Republished with permission from Chicago Lawyer. When I screw up, I try to take responsibility. I’ve apologized, tried to understand why and how I messed up to avoid repeating the …

By Jenny Lee The last few months have undoubtedly been some of the most challenging that DEI advocates and practitioners have faced in recent memory. From the first days of the new federal administration, we have witnessed incessant attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion across the spectrum—including, but not limited to: Executive orders, memos, and directives aimed at eliminating programs, initiatives and staff positions related to “sex-based, race-based, or ethnicity-based goals,” critical race theory, “gender ideology,” “illegal DEI,” and non-English languages throughout the federal government, including its agencies, contractors, and grant recipients;...

Maintaining Focus and Hope By Jenny Lee The last few months have undoubtedly been some of the most challenging that DEI advocates and practitioners have faced in recent memory. From the first days of the new federal administ…

By Sandra Yamate An interesting DEI challenge for the legal profession and one that rarely gets much attention is the way so many of our DEI efforts are siloed. Those siloes lump DEI categories into separate streams as if to suggest that there is little or no overlap. For example, we put Blacks into one silo, and LGBTQ+ in another. Sometimes we remember to include other smaller or more newly recognized groups, but when we do, we allot them their own siloes....

Breaking Down the Siloes: The Collective Power of Women in the Legal Profession By Sandra Yamate An interesting DEI challenge for the legal profession and one that rarely gets much attention is the way so many of our DEI efforts are siloed. Those siloes lump DEI categories int…

By Sandra Yamate There’s been a lot of conversation about the DEI lexicon. For the legal profession that’s understandable. As lawyers, words are our stock in trade. And we like our words to help us achieve precision of thought, meaning, and meetings of minds. But words and language reflect usage by the living and, so, they evolve. Consider the acceptable terms that have been used at different points in time for different racial/ethnic groups....

I Before E? Except After D? And What About B? By Sandra Yamate There’s been a lot of conversation about the DEI lexicon. For the legal profession that’s understandable. As lawyers, words are our stock in trade. And we like our words to help us…