Moving Pittsburgh's Legal Community Forward, Together

In this rapidly changing environment, the Pittsburgh Legal Diversity & Inclusion Coalition (PLDIC) offers this interactive resource guide to our members. The guide includes materials on our Member Dashboard, recent data/statistics, and thought leaders to follow during this time. Our work has always been and will continue to be grounded in data and facts. Should you have any additions to this guide or need help accessing any of the resources, please contact us.

McCluan Law, PLLC is one of Pennsylvania’s leading health care law firms. Its founder, Erin McCluan, is a proud Pittsburgh native and an experienced nurse attorney. 

Ms. McCluan joined the PLDIC to foster a more inclusive and accessible legal profession: “The PLDIC is my home base as an attorney with a disability. I’m so excited to continue our work together as an official PLDIC member. The Pittsburgh legal community is stronger when every attorney and law student can equally and meaningfully participate in the profession."

The PLDIC prides itself on being a volunteer-driven organization. There are a variety of ways to get involved in the Coalition’s work and make a direct impact on the Pittsburgh legal community, including leadership opportunities, standing committees, roundtables, law student support, the Legal Career Pathways Program, or sponsorship. Read about these opportunities in detail and new, you can now sign up to be informed when we have a volunteer opportunity that you or your organization may be interested in!

UPCOMING EVENTS

All employees and law students in our member organizations (lawyers and non-lawyers) are invited to join the PLDIC Community Building Committee for its third annual trivia night - join us for a fun, casual evening with food, drink, and prizes for the winning team. PLDIC Board member Aarthi Murti, Giant Eagle, and her husband will once again run trivia with a new set of questions ready to stump you. Please arrive on time so that teams can be formed (you do not need to come with a team; we will help form teams capping at five people). Registrants are encouraged to bring a guest (a partner, friend, or colleague!); indicate if you are bringing a guest by selecting "2" tickets. The big question is... why haven't you registered yet?

PLDIC member organization employees and member school law students are invited to network over cocktails and appetizers, hear from PLDIC leadership, and listen to keynote speaker Prasanna Ranganathan. Ranganathan is a documentary producer, human rights lawyer, diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility and belonging (DEIAB) consultant/advisor, speaker, author, correspondent, writer and arts columnist. His keynote talk will be titled, "I Am Not the Problem: Understanding Disability and Re-Imagining Accessibility and Accommodations in the Workplace and the World." Guests will also have the opportunity to tour the Human Engineering Research Laboratories and see the technological advances happening right here in Pittsburgh.

The PLDIC’s Committee Chairs invite our community to drop in for conversation and camaraderie in a casual, pay-as-you-go setting. We will be holding space for these “Community Conversations” each month, starting March 6 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Fogo de Chao and continuing the first Thursday each month (same time, same location). Stop by if you need a space to just be and where we can provide each other support, take some deep breaths, and share our worries and fears in a safe place. Reach out to Ena with any questions.

MEMBER EVENT INVITATION

The Allegheny County Office of the Public Defender invites fellow Pittsburgh Legal Diversity & Inclusion Coalition members to a free CLE on the ethics of how attorneys may interact with ICE agents, observe ICE agent interactions with community members, and advise clients regarding the presence of ICE agents. 1 CLE ethics credit offered.

The PLDIC’s Young Professionals Advisory Board celebrated Black History Month with lawyers and law students at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center. Guests enjoyed an evening of cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and a tour of the August Wilson African American Cultural Center including its newest exhibit, “August Wilson: The Writer’s Landscape.” This Black History Month event was designed to bring together lawyers and law students to celebrate the contributions of African Americans to the arts and to foster connections within the Pittsburgh legal community.

Legal Career Pathways Program

BGC on February 24 at Carnegie Clubhouse

On February 24, volunteers visited the Boys and Girls Club Carnegie Clubhouse location as part of our Legal Career Pathways Program (LCPP). Thanks to Anthony Williams, Dentons, Cohen & Grigsby; Barb Strnad and Ryan Naumann, Dickie McCamey for participating.

We are ISO of volunteers for the Pittsburgh Promise Career Day on Tuesday, March 4 from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. at Chatham University. This event is designed to spark curiosity, ignite passions, and empower our future leaders. We will meet with students from Pittsburgh Carrick and Pittsburgh UPrep Milliones (grades 9 and 10) where we will discuss our careers and run a mini-debate exercise. If you can help, please specify on the volunteer form or email Ena.

Pitt Law Black History Month Calendar

Pitt Law’s Office of Equity and Inclusive Excellence published its annual Black History Month interactive activity calendar: 28 Days of Cultural Sharing and Celebration in 2025.

Global Voices, Local Impact; Celebrating Women Lawyer's Journey

March 12 at 3 p.m., Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney

Celebrate the incredible journeys of women attorneys and judges who came from different parts of the world and made their mark in the legal profession on Wednesday, March 12 at Buchanan Ingersoll and Rooney beginning at 3 p.m.