Mainebiz

V O L . X X V I I I N O. X X V I I N OV E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 2 2 20 L AW F O C U S by Jody Armour, on Feb. 9; and "e Whiteness of Wealth," by Dorothy A. Brown, on March 9. While the books aren't required reading, Williams notes that people who have read them prior to the sessions "will be able to participate in a deeper way." Tickets for each session are $49, though a discount code is available to Mainebiz readers. Williams says she prefers raising money for specific programming over aggressive fundraising, saying, "I really want the com- munity to hold me accountable in my leadership of the Alpha Legal Foundation." e foundation also offers a video series called "Asked & Answered: Interviews with BIPOC Legal Professionals," all of which are archived on the founda- tion's website and free to watch. "I love celebrating other people, and I love how well it's been received in the community," Williams says. She has a lot of big plans for the foundation, including submitting an application in 2023 to create a program similar to California's JusticeCorps, which has helped over one million people in that state find access to justice since it began in 2004. If selected, AmeriCorps (an agency of the U.S. government that has already awarded a planning grant to Alpha Legal Foundation) will fund a portion of the program through a grant, Williams says. "We don't yet know what the end product is going to be," she notes, "but we've very excited." Develop Solutions. Gain Experience. Lead Change. HUSSON IS HOW 1 COLLEGE CIRCLE | BANGOR, MAINE 207.941.7000 | husson.edu » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E R E P O R T / C O U R T E S Y O F M A I N E S TAT E B A R Report issued on October 21, 2022 Male Female Prefer Not Transgender Non-Binary to Answer 2.7% (57) 0% (1) 35.7% (757) 61.6% (1305) 0% (1) MSBA Member Demographics Gender Of 2,120 respondents who answered the question: The MSBA collected the following demographic information from its members during the annual dues renewal period. Do you identify as a member of the LGBTQ+ Community? Of 2,021 respondents who answered the question: Race/Ethnicity Of 1981 respondents who answered the question: White: 82.6% (1669) Prefer not to answer: 15.4% (312) Multi-Racial/Other: 0.8% (17) Asian: 0.4% (9) American Indian or Alaska Native:0.2% (5) Black or African American: 0.2% (4) Hispanic or Latino: 0.2% (4) Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (1) None: 82.9% (1680) Prefer Not to Answer: 11.4% (231) Veteran: 5.2% (105) Reserve: 0.2% (4) Retired: 0.2% (4) Active Duty: 0.1% (2) Military Status Of 2,026 respondents who answered the question: No: 82% (1651) Yes: 4% (76) Prefer Not to Answer: 14% (294) Page 4 of 12 Racial & Ethnic Discrimination in Maine's Legal Community: Survey Results The MSBA distributed a survey relating to racial and ethnic discrimination in Maine's legal community by email on Sept. 18, 2020 to approximately 5,500 attorneys licensed to practice law in Maine. The survey closed on Oct. 2, 2020, with a total of 1,376 attorneys responding to the survey. The survey, consisting of 14 ques- tions, followed a simple logic progression based on a respondent's answers. For example, if a respondent an- swered yes in question 2, "Within the context of Maine's legal community, have you experienced or witnessed discrimination, disparate treatment, or problematic comments that you believe were made on account of race or ethnicity?," then the respondent was sent to the next question in the survey. However, a no response skipped the respondent directly to the last two questions of the survey. The survey also included several open-ended questions that elicited several hundred responses. Although we are unable to share all respons- es, as many of them contain names or other identifying information, we have shared sample comments representative of the responses to each of these questions in this report. The MSBA published an article related to this survey in the fall 2021 edition of the Maine Bar Journal. The article, "BIPOC Lawyers in Maine: Past, Present and Future," was authored by BIPOC Lawyers Section Co-Chair Tom Douglas and Diversity Committee members Shamara Bailey and Deborah Ibonwa. The article appears at the end of this report. Page 8 of 12 24% 20% 18% 17% 12% 9% Never (168) Daily (120) Monthly (332) Yearly (238) Weekly (273) Other (237) Question 1: All respondents were asked this question. How often on average do you interact with black, indigenous or people of color within your work as an attorney in Maine? Of 1,368 respondents who answered the question: Question 2: All respondents were asked this question. Those who answered yes moved on to Question 3. Those who answered no skipped to Question 13. Within the context of Maine's legal community, have you experienced or witnessed discrimination disparate treatment, or problematic comments that you believe were made on account of race or ethnicity? Of 1,342 respondents who answered the question: 100% _________________________________________________________ 90% ___________________________________________________________ 80% ___________________________________________________________ 70% ___________________________________________________________ 60% ___________________________________________________________ 50% ___________________________________________________________ 40% ___________________________________________________________ 30% ___________________________________________________________ 20% ___________________________________________________________ 10% ___________________________________________________________ 0% ____________________________________________________________ (380) 28% (962) 72% Yes No For more information, go to alphalegalfoundation.com @ Maine state bar releases first DEI report T wo years ago, the Maine State Bar Association sent a survey relating to racial and ethnic dis- crimination in Maine's legal community to around to around 5,550 licensed attorneys here. A total of 1,376 attorneys responded, and the survey results were shared in a report published on Oct. 21. In response to a question about the frequency of interaction with black, indigenous or people of color (BIPOC) related to their work as an attorney in Maine, only 9% said that happens daily. Some 20% said weekly, 24% said monthly, 18% said yearly and 17% said "other." Respondents were also asked whether they had ever experienced or witnessed racially or ethnically moti- vated discrimination, disparate treatment or problem- atic comments within the legal realm they believe were made on account or race or ethnicity. e vast majority, 72%, said no, while 28% said yes. Among individuals who shared comments or descriptions of their experiences or observations, one reported seeing attorneys doing pro bono work "be dis- missive and rude to clients that are not white or do not speak English as their first language." Another reported "casual use of racial/ethnic epithets by clients" that went unaddressed or uncorrected by attorneys. In her introduction to the 12-page report, Maine State Bar Association Executive Director Angela Armstrong urges members to learn more about the group's early efforts to educate its members, staff and board; identify Maine's diverse populations; and begin to reach out to historically underrepresented popula- tions in the state's legal community.

• Cover