Systemic discrimination is alive and well in the justice system, within the Law Society and legal profession as a whole, according to the Law Society of Alberta..In the fall of 2020, lawyers, articling students, law students and internationally trained lawyers were invited by the Law Society to share any experiences related to racial discrimination and stereotyping..“Those who bravely shared their stories were also a voice for some who could not speak,” said the society in a release..“When we use the term systemic discrimination, we mean policies, procedures, and practices within systems and institutions that result in disproportionate opportunities or disadvantages for people with a common set of characteristics such as age, culture, disability, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, and/or socio-economic status.”.The Law Society said discrimination happens due to “some of the inequitable principles historically embedded in our systems and institutions” which will result in “disproportional harmful impacts to those who are marginalized.”.“Acknowledging that systemic discrimination exists within the Law Society, the legal profession and the justice system is a step towards improving how we protect the public interest and fulfill our regulatory objectives,” said the Law Society..“Acknowledging the impact of systemic discrimination allows us to meaningfully continue the work of making the legal profession more equitable, increasing diversity and promoting inclusion.”.The Law Society said it has made efforts to address the issues of “deep-rooted inequities,” but recognizes, through feedback from surveys of those in the legal profession, further steps to address systemic discrimination are needed..Some of those steps include providing training focused on unconscious bias and other complementary workshops on discrete issues and requiring all lawyers to complete Indigenous Cultural Competency Education..“The Law Society will continue to work on a variety of projects around gathering equity, diversity and inclusion data, supporting vulnerable members of the profession, making our conduct proceedings more inclusive and collaborating with stakeholders to tackle systemic barriers to inclusion …” the society said, adding it will “continue to offer resources and updates on new projects.”.“The Law Society remains committed to reducing barriers created by racism, bias and discrimination, in order to affect long-term systems changes within our legal culture,” said the society..“We are committed to continuing our efforts to learn, to listen, to act, and to lead Alberta’s legal profession by example. In collaboration with the legal profession, stakeholders and justice system partners, the Law Society will continue to work diligently towards building a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive legal profession for all.”.Melanie Risdon is a reporter with the Western Standard.,.mrisdon@westernstandard.news.This is what the Western Standard is up againstThe Trudeau government is funding lies and propaganda by directly subsidizing the mainstream media. They do this to entrench the powerful Eastern, woke and corrupt interests that dominate the political, social and economic institutions in Canada. Federal authorities are constantly trying to censor us and stop us from publishing the stories that they don’t want you to read. Ottawa may weaponize our taxes and police against us, but we’ve got a powerful ally on our side.You. Free men, and free women. We need you to stand with us and become a member of the Western Standard. Here’s what you will get for your membership:Unlimited access to all articles from the Western Standard, Alberta Report, West Coast Standard, and Saskatchewan Standard, with no paywall. Our daily newsletter delivered to your inbox. .Access to exclusive Member-only WS events.Keep the West’s leading independent media voice strong and free.If you can, please support us with a monthly or annual membership. It takes just a moment to set up, and you will be making a big impact on keeping one the last independent media outlets in Canada free from Ottawa’s corrupting influence.
Systemic discrimination is alive and well in the justice system, within the Law Society and legal profession as a whole, according to the Law Society of Alberta..In the fall of 2020, lawyers, articling students, law students and internationally trained lawyers were invited by the Law Society to share any experiences related to racial discrimination and stereotyping..“Those who bravely shared their stories were also a voice for some who could not speak,” said the society in a release..“When we use the term systemic discrimination, we mean policies, procedures, and practices within systems and institutions that result in disproportionate opportunities or disadvantages for people with a common set of characteristics such as age, culture, disability, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, and/or socio-economic status.”.The Law Society said discrimination happens due to “some of the inequitable principles historically embedded in our systems and institutions” which will result in “disproportional harmful impacts to those who are marginalized.”.“Acknowledging that systemic discrimination exists within the Law Society, the legal profession and the justice system is a step towards improving how we protect the public interest and fulfill our regulatory objectives,” said the Law Society..“Acknowledging the impact of systemic discrimination allows us to meaningfully continue the work of making the legal profession more equitable, increasing diversity and promoting inclusion.”.The Law Society said it has made efforts to address the issues of “deep-rooted inequities,” but recognizes, through feedback from surveys of those in the legal profession, further steps to address systemic discrimination are needed..Some of those steps include providing training focused on unconscious bias and other complementary workshops on discrete issues and requiring all lawyers to complete Indigenous Cultural Competency Education..“The Law Society will continue to work on a variety of projects around gathering equity, diversity and inclusion data, supporting vulnerable members of the profession, making our conduct proceedings more inclusive and collaborating with stakeholders to tackle systemic barriers to inclusion …” the society said, adding it will “continue to offer resources and updates on new projects.”.“The Law Society remains committed to reducing barriers created by racism, bias and discrimination, in order to affect long-term systems changes within our legal culture,” said the society..“We are committed to continuing our efforts to learn, to listen, to act, and to lead Alberta’s legal profession by example. In collaboration with the legal profession, stakeholders and justice system partners, the Law Society will continue to work diligently towards building a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive legal profession for all.”.Melanie Risdon is a reporter with the Western Standard.,.mrisdon@westernstandard.news.This is what the Western Standard is up againstThe Trudeau government is funding lies and propaganda by directly subsidizing the mainstream media. They do this to entrench the powerful Eastern, woke and corrupt interests that dominate the political, social and economic institutions in Canada. Federal authorities are constantly trying to censor us and stop us from publishing the stories that they don’t want you to read. Ottawa may weaponize our taxes and police against us, but we’ve got a powerful ally on our side.You. Free men, and free women. We need you to stand with us and become a member of the Western Standard. Here’s what you will get for your membership:Unlimited access to all articles from the Western Standard, Alberta Report, West Coast Standard, and Saskatchewan Standard, with no paywall. Our daily newsletter delivered to your inbox. .Access to exclusive Member-only WS events.Keep the West’s leading independent media voice strong and free.If you can, please support us with a monthly or annual membership. It takes just a moment to set up, and you will be making a big impact on keeping one the last independent media outlets in Canada free from Ottawa’s corrupting influence.
