HCBA Lawyer Magazine Vol. 28, No. 6 | Page 18

S P E C I A L F E A T U R E - D I V E R S I T Y C O M M I T T E E Judge Claudia Rickert Isom and Dean Laura Rosenbury Continued from page 15 has done; rather, this is a long-standing systemic problem that requires sustained attention. Finally, I have urged all students to report any instances of harassment or discrimination to our Center for Career Development or to a trusted professor or staff member, so that we may alert the employer or externship supervisor (or his or her supervisor). No student should feel pressured to engage in sexual conduct during a summer job or externship, and no student should be subject to discrimination. Isom: What advice would you give to the law firms and courts who benefit from having law clerks or participation in an externship program? Rosenbury: I know the vast majority of law firms, courts, and other externship and employment sites are committed to equal opportunity and to providing students with experiences free of sexual harassment and discrimination. I ask all of them to make that commitment explicit to their student employees and externs and to remind students of that commitment on a regular basis. I also ask that employers think about that commitment when structuring mentoring programs and monitoring mentoring and other supervisory relationships. I am happy to talk with employers who would like to strengthen their anti-discrimination policies and practices. Isom: What did you learn from serving on the The Florida Bar Special Committee on Gender Bias? Rosenbury: Serving on the committee highlighted the many ways that sexual harassment and gender discrimination are the product of implicit bias rather than explicit bias or animus. The problem goes way beyond sexual advances to encompass a wide range of differential treatment of male and female lawyers, calling for a range of solutions and strategies. Because this differential treatment is often not intentional, we need to move beyond a focus on diversity training or better mentoring in order to focus on structural changes that might check implicit bias in hiring, promotion, and compensation decisions and in mentoring and sponsorship relationships. These structural changes are crucial because gender bias is often unconscious and automatic. Even if we are aware of gender bias and want to fix it, unless we consciously put in place structures to stop it, gender bias may still infect the workplace. 1 See also In re Sexual Harassment Policy and Procedures for Complaint Against Justices and Judges, Fla. Admin. Order. No. AOSC18-6 (February 16, 2018). Authors: Judge Claudia Rickert Isom – Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court & Laura Rosenbury – Dean and Levin, Mabie & Levin Professor of Law at University of Florida Levin College of Law Professionalism and Ethics Committee Luncheon the Hillsborough County Bar professionalism and ethics Committee hosted a seminar on april 9 entitled “Communicating you, influencing others: an introduction to impression management for Lawyers” with guest speaker kirsten k. davis, a professor of law from Stetson university College of Law. thank to the members that attended and learned about this important topic. 16 SUMMER 2018 | HCBA LAWYER