The WSBA’s mission is to serve the public and the members of the Bar, to ensure the integrity of the legal profession, and to champion justice.

The Washington State Bar Association operates under the delegated authority of the Washington Supreme Court and exercises a governmental function authorized by the Washington Supreme Court to license and regulate the state’s nearly 40,000 legal professionals, including lawyers, limited practice officers, and limited license legal technicians. The WSBA both regulates legal professionals under the authority of the Court and serves its members as a professional association — all without public funding.  The WSBA administers the bar admission process, including the bar exam; provides record-keeping and licensing functions; administers the lawyer discipline system. and provides continuing legal education for legal professionals, in addition to numerous other educational and member-service activities.

Purpose and Position

The Equity and Justice Lead – DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) (Accessibility, Data, Training) is a member of the Equity and Justice Team (EJT) within the Office of the Executive Director. This role helps expand and deepen the team’s external reach to the legal community including underrepresented and marginalized members as well as create data-driven programming that helps people from marginalized communities enter and thrive in the legal profession. This position will also collaborate with the other Equity and Justice Lead-DEI to create and curate resources that empower current and prospective legal professionals to work towards inclusion, equity, and justice in the legal system, as well as work to advance accessibility to and within the WSBA.

Primary Job Duties and Responsibilities 

DEI Training, Resources, and CLE Development and Delivery and DEI Consultations

• Develop and deliver DEI educational programs and resources for WSBA members through collaboration with WSBA colleagues (e.g., Continuing Legal Education Team and the Communications Department) and partners in the legal community.
• Recruit and coordinate speakers/trainers on DEI topics for WSBA members.
• Serve as a resource for DEI consultations members, volunteers, and staff liaisons through collaboration with the other Equity and Justice Lead-DEI and the Volunteer Engagement Advisor to
• Conduct equity analyses for proposed actions presented to the Board of Governors through collaboration with the other Equity and Justice Lead-DEI, EJT and the Executive Director
• Create content for newsletters and publications through collaboration with the other Equity and Justice Lead- DEI and the Communications Department

Diversifying the Legal Profession and Building Inclusion

• Develop, deliver, support and project manage programs, initiatives and efforts to diversify the legal profession.
• Develop, deliver, support and project manage programs, initiatives and efforts to support members from marginalized and underrepresented groups and advance inclusion in the legal profession.

DEI Data Management

Improving Accessibility

• Convene an interdepartmental staff workgroup (e.g., Office of General Counsel, Regulatory Services Department, Human Resource Department) to coordinate and work collaboratively to research, develop and institute best practices for accessibility (e.g., disability justice, language access) for bar member applicants, WSBA members and the public.
• Liaise with community and legal organizations (e.g., disability rights organizations, language access) to connect WSBA to current developments and best practices on accessibility and disability justice.
• Lead efforts to create an organizational language access plan.

DEI Events and Partnerships

• Develop equity and justice-focused events for members such as affinity spaces, dialogue series, and professional mixers.
• Partner with the DEI Council and other community members like the Minority Bar Associations and Alliance for Equal Justice Members to organize, coordinate, and support events that advance DEI goals (e.g., Welcome Reception for the law students from underrepresented communities, networking event to facilitate connections among underrepresented members)
• Partner with other entities and coalitions working on DEI in the legal profession in WA state and nationally to organize joint events or programs, learn from or support each other, and/or collaborate on joint projects or initiatives (e.g., JustLead Washington, Race Equity Justice Initiative, Washington Leadership Initiative, Initiative for Diversity, firm DEI committees, Access to Justice Board, Supreme Court Commissions, local bar associations)

Team Collaboration to Advance Equity and Justice

• Work collaboratively with the Equity and Justice Team and other WSBA departments and teams to develop and implement WSBA’s internal diversity, equity and inclusion objectives and goals.
• Contribute to Equity and Justice Team’s work like equity analyses for proposed BOG actions, promoting DEI values within the team (e.g., advancing community agreements).

Other duties