Family Focus

First Fourth Circuit Hispanic judge talks diversity in legal profession

The Mecklenburg County Bar is hosting the 14th annual Increasing Diversity in the Legal Profession Conference on Saturday, March 20, 2021, from 10 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

The conference is free for registrants and provides diverse high school and undergraduate students who may be interested in the law with an opportunity to be exposed to law school representatives, law students, attorneys and local judges.

The first 80 students to register will receive a book bag full of school supplies, and the first 100 students to register will receive a $20 gift card.

The one-day conference is designed to encourage diverse students to explore a career in the legal profession.

The conference will include panels with North and South Carolina law school admissions counselors, law students and local attorneys.

Students will learn about the various stages on the path to becoming a lawyer through discussion panels on getting into law school, getting through law school and the role legal professionals play in society.

In addition, students will be able to speak to representatives from minority bar associations such as the John S. Leary Association for Black Attorneys and the Charlotte Asian Pacific Bar Association.

Representatives from all North and South Carolina law schools will be in attendance to provide admissions materials and information to the students. Educational services and scholarship program information will also be discussed during the conference.

This year’s keynote speaker is the Honorable Albert Diaz, United States Circuit Judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

Judge Diaz is the first Hispanic judge to serve on the Fourth Circuit and was appointed by President Barack Obama in 2009. Prior to his appointment to the Court of Appeals, Diaz was a North Carolina state superior court judge and an appellate judge for the Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE FREE EVENT

If you have an inspiring story to share, email Kevin Campbell, WSOC-TV/WAXN-TV/Telemundo Charlotte public affairs manager, at Kevin.Campbell@wsoctv.com.