The Bridge
PLDIC News and Resources
September 21, 2022
Moving Pittsburgh's Legal Community Forward, Together
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Welcome to our Two New Member Organizations! |
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Edgar Snyder & Associates is a plaintiff’s personal injury law firm representing people hurt in all types of accidents since 1982. The firm also represents injured workers as well as the victims of workplace discrimination and harassment. Edgar Snyder & Associates’ office locations include Pittsburgh, Altoona, Harrisburg, and Johnstown, Pennsylvania. For more information, visit www.EdgarSnyder.com.
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“Edgar Snyder and Associates is eager and honored to be a member of the Pittsburgh Legal Diversity and Inclusion Coalition. ESA is committed to pursuing an open, diverse, and inclusive culture for our employees and clients. We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with PLDIC and its members to create a more diverse legal community.”
– Kori E. Amos, HR Director, Edgar Snyder & Associates LLC
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Zimmer Kunz is a nationally recognized civil litigation firm with offices in Pittsburgh, Greensburg and West Virginia. They specialize in both commercial and personal matters and their clients range from Fortune 500 companies to small, family-owned businesses, yet all benefit from their commitment to service and a focus on delivering the best possible legal solution.
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“Zimmer Kunz is pleased to join the Coalition as we have always placed a strong emphasis on creating a diverse work environment. We understand that having a diverse and inclusive workplace helps us become better professionals and better people.”
– Joni M. Mangino, Shareholder, Zimmer Kunz
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Also, Welcome to Two New Affiliate Members! |
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Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network, Inc. is the corporate entity that provides funding, leadership, and support to nine regional and six specialty legal aid programs that comprise the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network. Its nine regional programs provide free legal services in every county of the state and our six specialty programs address specific legal issues like housing, health, utilities, workers' rights, and the rights of institutionalized individuals. PLAN, Inc. administers the funding, which comes from a variety of federal, state, and local sources, and contracts with its member programs for the provision of services. PLAN, Inc. also monitors performance, coordinates training, and supports the development of new resources for the Network. PLAN, Inc. and its affiliated legal aid programs have provided vital civil legal services to Pennsylvanians since 1973.
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“The Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network is honored to join the Coalition and stand among other organizations that appreciate the value of working together to achieve a more diverse and inclusive legal community. At PLAN, we understand that equity is a core component of justice. Therefore, we are making concrete commitments to foster diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging within our organization and striving to integrate these principles into all aspects of our work. We believe embracing these core values strengthens our hiring practices, positively impacts our ability to support our Network’s programs and staff, and bolsters our capacity to provide effective and holistic legal services to low-income, marginalized people in Pittsburgh and throughout the Commonwealth.”
— Arlene Marshall-Hockensmith, Esq., Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
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The Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County is a 250-member organization comprised of both plaintiff and defendant trial lawyers in diverse fields of practice. The Academy pursues serious and sustained discourse among its members and judges to promote professionalism and the highest quality of advocacy before our Courts. Members are dedicated to social justice, innovation in response to changes in our trial practice, the responsibilities of freedom and the importance of trial by jury. The Academy encourages and promotes its members to be responsible and active participants in this association and the legal community and to share generously in service to each other, to our Courts, to the citizens of Allegheny County and beyond. The Academy encourages a close and appropriate relationship between its members and the judges of our Courts, promoting mutual respect, an independent judiciary, and integrity in judicial administration.
“For as long as I can recall, the Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County has undertaken great efforts to increase the diversity among our membership. While we continue to make strides, we recognize that much more needs to be done. As part of these ongoing efforts, I am very pleased that the Academy has become an affiliate member of the Pittsburgh Legal, Diversity & Inclusion Coalition to expand our energies and work together to improve DEI throughout Allegheny County.”
— Stanley J. Parker, President, Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County
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Annual Members Meeting: Mark Your Calendar for November 17! |
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Employees of our member organizations are invited to join the PLDIC for its largest member gathering of the year on November 17 from 4-6 p.m. at K&L Gates Center.
The keynote speaker for this year’s meeting will be Sandra Yamate, CEO of the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession (IILP), an organization dedicated to creating a more diverse and inclusive legal profession through its research and programs. As IILP’s subject matter expert on diversity and inclusion, Sandra is responsible for all its research and programming. Sandra will discuss her professional journey, experience working with law firms and legal departments on their DEI efforts, and the IILP’s latest reports on diversity in the profession.
Member organizations will also hear from Executive Director Ena Lebel about the PLDIC's 2022 accomplishments and 2023 goals and objectives, vote on Board members, and hear updates from our three committees. New this year, we'll also present the first "PLDIC Volunteer of the Year" award. After the meeting, join your fellow PLDIC members for a networking reception.
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PLDIC CLE: Implementing a Successful Stay Interview Program |
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October 24, 4:30-6 p.m. at Dentons |
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Stay interviews have gotten a lot of buzz in diversity, equity, and inclusion circles for their potential to improve recruitment and retention, but what are they? How do they work? Who does them?
The PLDIC Retention Committee invites you to join us on October 24 from 4:30-6 p.m. (with happy hour to follow) at Dentons to learn from attorneys who have integrated stay interviews into their employee development programs. They’ll share information about different types of stay interview programs and tell us how they developed and implemented theirs. We’ll also learn some of the benefits of stay interviews and some of the lessons our panelists have learned along the way. After that, we’ll build our own experience with a small-group exercise, then round out the event with a happy hour.
A stay interview is essentially the opposite of an exit interview. Rather than asking an employee why they’re leaving on the way out, a stay interview asks why they decide to stay. Used well, a stay interview can be a powerful tool in professional development; leaders can learn what engages developing attorneys and dig into the challenges they face, then use that information to foster performance, inclusion, and connection.
Attendees will also receive a how-to guide with tips on implementing a stay interview program in their own organizations. One hour of substantive PA CLE credit pending. A big thank you to member organization Dentons for hosting this program.
Please register by Wednesday, October 19.
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Susan Yohe PLDIC Scholarship Meet & Greet |
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The Coalition recently hosted a meet and greet event for the first two recipients of the Susan Yohe PLDIC Scholarship, Dominique Rodriguez (University of Pittsburgh School of Law) and Tiffeny Ayoola (Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University). The event, held at K&L Gates on September 7, provided an opportunity for the scholars to meet with Susan Yohe, the PLDIC Board, and other leadership from the Coalition and Duquesne University. |
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Meet the First Susan Yohe PLDIC Scholars |
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TIffeny Ayoola, Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University recipient |
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Dominique Rodriguez, University of Pittsburgh School of Law recipient |
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2L/3L Mentoring Program Kickoff Event |
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The PLDIC, in partnership with the Allegheny County Bar Association, University of Pittsburgh School of Law, the Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University, and the Pittsburgh Black Lawyers Alliance, officially kicked off its new 2L/3L Mentoring Program with an event at City of Asylum on the evening of September 1. Mentors and mentees learned what to expect from the program, met the planning committee, got a sneak peak of the messaging platform, and learned about all upcoming events, all while they enjoyed cocktails and small bites. Thank you to all who attended, and to member firm K&L Gates for so generously sponsoring this event.
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Legal Career Exploration Program |
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For three days in July 2022, the PLDIC held its inaugural Legal Career Exploration Program. This program, which was planned with and hosted by PLDIC members Dickie McCamey and Wabtec, brought together 12 high school students from nine area schools to participate in the three-day event. Each day was focused on a different aspect of the legal profession. The feedback from the students and the practitioners has been tremendous. All of the students who completed the post-program evaluation said they are interested in pursuing a career in the legal profession. A huge thank you goes to the working group who helped plan every detail of this program: Barb Strnad, Devon Ferris, Michael Watson, and Joanna Rodriguez.The PLDIC hopes to do a second iteration of the Legal Career Exploration Program and more programing with high school students in the coming year. If you’d like to get involved in the planning of these events, please contact Ena Lebel.
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The Coalition's Recruitment Committee is looking for feedback from PLDIC members on their experience with the Best Practices Recruitment Guide. Please take a minute to click the survey below and let us know your thoughts on the Guide. Thank you!
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NATIONAL HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH |
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September 15 - October 15 |
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Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs annually from September 15 to October 15, celebrates the contributions of 60 million Hispanic and Latine Americans to American culture and society. We encourage our member organizations to take time to educate themselves, below, and share these resources with their colleagues! |
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Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latine – Which One Should I Use? |
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Call me Latine.
Call me Latine is a resource dedicated to addressing gender and heteronormative bias in Hispanic and Latino culture.
Read more
callmelatine.com
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Hispanic Heritage Month and the Terms that Bind Us
Paloma Celis Carbajal, Curator for Latin American, Iberian, and U.S. Latino Collections in collaboration with Alfredo Gutierrez, Coordinator of Outreach Services, discuss how the history of the USA is deeply and complexly related to many cultures.
Read more
www.nypl.org
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"Latinx" is growing in popularity.
The gender-neutral term that's supposed to be for everyone, well, isn't.
Read more
www.vox.com
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Let's Nix Latinx: Latine is the Word You Were Looking For
Watch a conversation with Evan Crochet and Roxanne Bellamy on this topic. Over the last decade, 'Latinx' has become a blanket term of reference for all people of Latin American heritage.
Read more
thediversitymovement.com
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The Bridge is a monthly e-newsletter from the Pittsburgh Legal Diversity & Inclusion Coalition (PLDIC). Catch up here if you've missed any issues. Know someone who may be interested in receiving this publication and other PLDIC communications?
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Pittsburgh Legal Diversity & Inclusion Coalition
Union Trust Building, 501 Grant Street, Suite 200, Pittsburgh, PA 15219
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