James Alexander Lewis V, chair of MIPS and former chair of the Diversity Committee and NJSBA trustee, has been an active participant in those conversations. He is executive director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion for the New York City Bar Association.
For nearly a decade, Lewis litigated civil rights and employment matters, as well as provided employment and diversity and inclusion counseling to clients. He was appointed by the New Jersey Supreme Court to serve on the Civil Practice Committee, the Ethics Committee, and the Committee on Jury Selection in Civil and Criminal Trials. Lewis has been recognized with NJSBA Professional Lawyer of the Year and Young Lawyer of the Year awards. He serves on the advisory board for New Jersey Law and Education Empowerment Project and the board of directors for Kismet of Kings.
The Bar Report reached out to Lewis for an update regarding MIPS’ activities and to discuss the state of diversity, equity and inclusion in the legal profession. This interview was lightly edited for space and clarity.
The Minorities in the Profession Section has some exciting events coming up in the next few months. Can you tell us about them?
I’m very excited about what the Minorities in the Profession Section has been able to accomplish this year on a variety of fronts. This week, we’ll have our annual celebration of Black History Month, which features a keynote address by attorney Raymond M. Brown, award presentations, the Trenton High School Orchestra and a trivia contest with high school essay winners.
We have continued our programming regarding the importance of public service and educating the community about what it means to work in the public sector. Last year, we started with a program, Pathways to the Bench, where we featured representatives from the Judiciary and various judicial and prosecutorial appointment committees. This year, we continue to be an ambassador for public service by bringing diverse perspectives in our discussion titled “So You Want to be a Prosecutor.” The third part of our series, “What it Means to be a Public Defender,” will be March 9 in a virtual “lunch and learn” format. We are extraordinarily proud of this upcoming program, which is during Women’s History Month and will feature a panel of women public defenders, which acknowledges their accomplishments and success in shattering glass ceilings. We are also fortunate to have representatives from across the state, including Warren, Hudson and Camden counties.
Although there’s been some progress, the legal profession remains one of the least diverse of any profession, including in New Jersey, one of the most diverse states. Many firms have created positions for directors of diversity, equity and inclusion to address the problem. What kind of outreach is MIPS doing to address the lack of diversity in the profession?
MIPS has always been intentional about being the voice for concerns of minorities within the profession. We have continued in this tradition and have worked closely with employers to increase diversity and representation within the profession. In my leadership of MIPS, I have been a big advocate for cross-collaboration with affinity bar groups across the state and to share notes in best practices in developing education and policy around more diverse and inclusive working environments. The MIPS board is comprised of leaders in various communities, including the Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey, the Garden State Bar Association, the Association of Black Women Lawyers of New Jersey, and the New Jersey Women Lawyers Association, just to name a few. In this way, we can come to the table and discuss best practices in a collective effort to create and support all of the attorneys of New Jersey, particularly those who have been historically underrepresented and who continue to be.
Lawyers of color are twice as likely to leave U.S. law firms during a typical year as white lawyers, according to the 2020 American Bar Association Model Diversity Survey. The difference in attrition rates is biggest among law firms that have 101 to 400 lawyers, according to the survey. Among those firms, the average attrition for white lawyers is 13%, but it is 33% for Hispanic lawyers, 31% for Black lawyers and 19% for Asian lawyers. What do you think accounts for such attrition rates? How does being a member of MIPS create a sense of community and of being heard, seen and listened to?
Based on frequent conversations with individuals plotting their career course, I think it has to do with people having a sense of belonging, which goes a long way in combatting attrition. Cultivating trust and being in an organization where the employee can both give and receive feedback is necessary for employees to feel as though they can continue within the organization for the long term. A sense of fairness is also critical in how growth opportunities are afforded to more junior attorneys. MIPS provides an arena for organic mentorship, where a cross-section of highly effective and decorated professionals can share and learn from one another to achieve individual and collective success. For example, last fall I spoke on a panel about hairstyle bias, discrimination and the law. Unfortunately, there are not too many venues where individuals can speak openly about discrimination in the workplace and navigating one’s rights and career when it comes to deeply personal aspects of representation and identity. In many ways, MIPS operates to provide a sounding board for professionals to re-energize and continue the good fight as advocates.