A Framework for Recognizing and Overcoming Implicit Bias in the Legal Profession
whitepaper
Summary
If you’re human, you have biases. There’s no way to change this—the human brain is evolutionarily wired to take shortcuts in our decision-making. In the modern world, these shortcuts cause all of us to have implicit or unconscious biases around race, gender, and other inherent characteristics of our fellow humans.
The important question, then, isn’t whether you’re biased; it’s what you’re doing about it. That applies equally to individuals and to the organizations in which they work. This paper explores how implicit bias affects the legal profession and what law firms and corporate legal departments can do about it.
In this White Paper
- What implicit or unconscious bias is
- The impacts it has in the legal industry
- Systemic responses to implicit bias
Key Insights
- The importance of bias interrupters
- The value of objective criteria
- The potential impact of the Mansfield Rule
Practice Guide Download
About the Author
Maureen O’Neill
Senior Vice President, Strategic Engagement
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