BLSA Provides Access and Opportunity for Black Professionals at Black Legal Summit 2024
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“Relax. Relate. Release: The Progression of Black Excellence” was the theme of this year’s Black Legal Summit and provided a safe space for black professionals to connect, network, and have open dialogue about their experiences navigating the legal field.
Hosted by the Glenn T. Johnson Chapter of the Black Law Student Association (BLSA) at UIC Law, the summit featured panel discussions from prominent judges, legal counsels, United States attorneys, alumni, and staff, and included a fireside chat with law school Dean Nicky Boothe discussing the intersection between law and academia.
Recognizing the barriers of entry that can present itself when trying to gain access to a legal education, BLSA also awarded one pre-law student with a scholarship to assist with any legal education fees including those associated with admissions applications or LSAT preparation or testing.
What originally started off as a Black Men’s Summit, created by alumnus Yoshi Haynie in 2020, has blossomed into a more inclusive event to include women and men who are current law students, pre-law, or interested in pursuing a career in the legal industry. Using the question “Why Not Us? Our time is now!” as a guiding principle, the summit emphasized the importance of dreaming and seeing people who look like you in roles of leadership.
“Too many of us dream with limitations. If you have dreams of driving a Lamborghini then start to complain about the gas, you are not dreaming properly!” Haynie said.
The summit was designed to build a sense of community amongst black legal professionals and to instill a sense of confidence and comfort, acknowledging that black people only make up 5% of the legal industry and the journey through legal education and career advancement for people of color is not linear.
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“This Summit is not only for us to connect, but also to celebrate our remarkable accomplishments and unwavering sense of resilience.” – BLSA
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Attendees to the sold-out event were also enlightened by two breakout panel discussions: “The Black Man’s Experience” and “The Black Woman’s Experience,” which allowed current black professionals to detail the highs and lows of their legal journeys and offer advice on how to remain steadfast despite the obstacles that may come your way.
Women’s panelists included:
- Amber Carpenter, In-house Counsel for Ferrara Candy Company
- Ashlee Germany, Associate of Faegre Drinker Biddle and Reath LLP
- Judge Lindsay C. Jenkins, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of IL
- Takenya Nixon, Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender
- Charity Seaborn, Associate of Barnes and Thornburg LLP
Men’s panelists included:
- Dionte Durham, Senior Legal Counsel for Capgemini
- Cameron Jordan, Counsel of the Investment Management Group of Skadden, ARPS, Slate, Meagher and Flom LLP
- Antonio Lee, Assistant United States Attorney, Civil Division
- Judge John Wilson, Circuit Court of Cook County
- Dominique Price, Counsel for Scharf Banks Marmor LLC
The summit received sponsorship from a series of gold, silver, and bronze-level sponsors, including the Cook County Bar Association, Barnes & Thornburg LLP, Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, Jones Day, UIC Law, McDermott Will & Emery, and the Black Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater Chicago. Thanks to BLSA’s member support, BLSA was also able to raffle off two roundtrip tickets from United Airlines, valid for both domestic and international travel.
The 2024 Black Legal Summit was the second annual event to happen in person since the COVID-19 pandemic and promises to grow bigger and better each year.