In this episode of Reimagining Law, we talk to Sandra Yamate, Chief Executive Officer of the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession. Sandra discusses the recent Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia decision, the importance of diversity in the legal profession, and how the legal profession can better support underrepresented minorities.

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Timestamps

  • 0:33: How can the legal profession build trust in the justice system?
  • 1:38: Why is diversity in the legal profession important?
  • 2:14: Is the legal profession embracing the LGBTQ+ community? What is the legal profession doing right and what is it doing wrong?
  • 3:26: How might the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia impact the legal profession?
  • 4:47: What are three concrete examples of things the legal profession can do now to improve diversity and inclusion?
  • 5:43: Outside of big law, how can the rest of the profession address a lack of diversity?
  • 6:26: The Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession has started a new initiative called The Empathy Project. Please tell us about it.
  • 8:29: What’s the best way for people to share stories for The Empathy Project?
  • 8:47: How would you like the legal and justice systems to look a year from now?

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Sandra S. Yamate

Sandra S. Yamate is the Chief Executive Officer of the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession (IILP). Sandra is IILP’s subject-matter expert on diversity and inclusion and is responsible for all of its research and programming. After practicing law for 10 years, Sandra served as the Executive Director of the Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firms and as the Director of the American Bar Association’s Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession.

Connect with Sandra Yamate and IILP

About Reimagining Law

The Reimagining Law video series explores how legal and judicial professionals are adapting the delivery of services to meet the unique needs of today’s consumers. The first episodes will focus on the ways that attorneys and judges are continuing to deliver justice amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Reimagining Law is produced by the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism. This episode was recorded on June 15, 2020.