Member Representatives: Please share this email with your organization!




November 30: Building Diverse Teams: How to Deliver Effective Informal Feedback

Join us for Part 1 of our three-part series on effective feedback with Dr. Arin Reeves! Informal feedback processes in law firms aren’t always effective in providing people the information they need to develop, grow, and thrive. This ineffectiveness, due to implicit biases and other behavior patterns, can create both unwanted attrition and inefficient retention. Awareness of how feedback works and simple strategies to break these biases can result in higher retention rates and stronger relationships between feedback providers and feedback receivers. This program is open to attorneys and legal professionals at TCDIP Member Organizations.




December 8: General Members Meeting

Join us on December 8 for our final General Members Meeting of 2021. With support from our Members, TCDIP’s mission and work continued to evolve over the course this past year, especially with the creation of WILD.

Anti-racism work requires forward-thinking about how attorneys can provide legal services and support to our communities at large. On December 8, you will hear directly from Jazz Hampton, founder of TurnSignl, an award-winning and innovative app that connects drivers to attorneys during traffic stops. Jazz was a part of TCDIP’s Emerging Leaders Group and an alum of the TCDIP 1L Clerkship program, and we are excited to invite him to share more about his new endeavor.

Our new WILD Program Manager, LaLinda Xiong, will also highlight what’s next for WILD and how we can leverage the collective legal resources of the Twin Cities to combat anti-Black racism and all forms of racism. As we consider how far we’ve come in 2021, we will also look ahead to 2022 and the goals we want to set for the coming year.

Join us for an engaging General Members Meeting!

We encourage all Board Members, Member Representatives, and Emerging Leaders Group Representatives to attend our General Members Meetings. 



November 19: Unworkable: Responding When Employment Issues Impact Low-Income Minnesotans

While the spotlight has been on labor shortages in Minnesota (and throughout the country) there is more to the story than #Striketober and #TheGreatResignation. This one-hour virtual CLE will dig into worker issues–such as work authorization, labor trafficking, discrimination, unlawful terminations, and others–that unduly impact low-income Minnesotans. And how lawyers are helping.

Join Loan Repayment Assistance Program of Minnesota recipients Sarah Brenes (The Advocates for Human Rights), Dan Morris (Central Minnesota Legal Services), and Tracy Roy (Mid Minnesota Legal Aid) for this timely and relevant panel. The discussion will be moderated by Summra Shariff (Twin Cities Diversity in Practice) and includes time for audience Q&A.




Upcoming Community Webinars and Events



Volunteer for UPLIFT Legal Institute for Teens’ Mock Trial Program

UPLIFT is a pipeline organization that focuses on creating opportunities for BIPOC students to learn about the law, and to develop long term academic vision. UPLIFT is entirely staffed by volunteers, and we need volunteer mock trial coaches for 2022. Coaches meet with their teams after school once each week and attend an intramural mock trial competition. The total commitment is approximately 10 weeks. UPLIFT assigns 3-5 volunteer coaches to each mock trial team, so that when professional conflicts arise for a coach, their coaching team can cover for them. Check out this flyer for upcoming volunteer opportunities and more information!




November 18: Federal Bar Association Minnesota Chapter’s 46th Annual Federal Practice Seminar

The Federal Practice Seminar will feature topics of interest to every federal practitioner. FBA Minnesota Chapter has assembled a slate of outstanding presenters, including judges and experts in a variety of fields, who will speak on vital issues facing civil and criminal practice today. Hear from keynote speaker Professor Christopher Lehman, a professor of ethnic studies at St. Cloud State University. Professor Lehman’s keynote address is titled “How Free is Free” and will discuss Southern slave owners’ contributions to Minnesota’s growth through the end of the Civil War and Minnesota’s complicit role in the history of slavery. Professor Lehman is the author of Slavery in the Upper Mississippi Valley, 1787-1865 and Slavery’s Reach: Southern Slaveholders in the North Star State, which won the 2020 Minnesota Book Award for Minnesota Nonfiction. Register today!




December 3: Justice Alan Page Elimination of Bias Virtual CLE Seminar

Join Justice Alan Page, Jerry Blackwell, Lola Velazquez-Aguilu for a discussion on reimagining progress in diversity, equity, and inclusion. Additionally, an interactive panel discussion with questions from the audience, moderated by Dr. Artika T­­yner, will follow. Ticket purchases support the Page Scholar program. Register today!




December 16: 2021 MABL Scholarship Gala, The Time Is Always Right To Do What Is Right

Join the Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers to honor their 2021 scholarship recipients. Keynote speakers include Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and State Attorney for the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court for the State of Florida Monique Worrell.

Register today!


TCDIP is a professional association of legal employers with the vision to create a vibrant and inclusive legal community. Our mission is to strengthen the efforts of Member Organizations to attract, recruit, advance, and retain attorneys of color.

TCDIP facilitates connections between community organizations and volunteer lawyers. As with any volunteer opportunities circulated by TCDIP, please consult with your organization’s policies on pro bono and volunteer work prior to participation as needed.



Contact Info:

Twin Cities Diversity in Practice

80 S 8th Street, #2200, Minneapolis MN, 55402

612-440-3346

info@diversityinpractice.org