Kansas Women Attorneys Association
Statement on Member Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
The Kansas Women Attorneys Association (KWAA) is committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Consistent with these ideals, KWAA previously adopted the Pillars of Professionalism.
We embrace and encourage our members’ differences in age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics that distinguish our members.
Your Kansas Women Attorneys Association is off to another great year! We would like to introduce you to the Public Policy and Gender Committee chairs, Betsey Lasister and Danielle Atchison. This year, the committee will be focusing its attention on a single public policy and gender initiative—retaining and advancing women in the legal profession.
A Tampa Bay-based bar association recently worked on this issue, identifying major reasons and potential solutions to the devastating numbers of women departing the profession in their program called “Staying in the Game.” The committee chairs plan to connect with the Tampa bar association to identify how the groundwork can be laid to look into the same issues in our own state. We anticipate the project to require efforts of all KWAA members and affiliate bar associations. We are hopeful the initiative will identify some solutions for ensuring our amazing women lawyers “Stay in the Game.”
Additionally, our membership may have other public policy and gender issues that they would like to address along the way. This committee will be available to work with members to identify the best resources for action. Our goal, as always, is to serve our members, so please feel free to email them directly.
We are the leaders of the Kansas Women Attorneys Association, Kansas Women Attorneys for Freedom, Kansas Bar Association, Kansas Trial Lawyers Association, and the Kansas Association of Defense Counsel which represent over 5,000 practicing lawyers in the State of Kansas.
Six of seven justices on the Kansas Supreme Court and half of the judges on the Kansas Court of Appeals will be on the retention ballot in this year’s general election. These judges were appointed by five Kansas governors, both Republicans and Democrats, over the past 30 years.
Kind regards,
Whitney L. Casement, President
Kansas Women Attorneys Association*
Linda S. Parks, President
Kansas Women Attorneys for Freedom*
Laura Ice, President-Elect
Kansas Bar Association*
Michael J. Fleming, President
Kansas Trial Lawyers Association*
Brooks G. Severson, President-Elect
Kansas Association of Defense Counsel*
*Members of these organizations with judicial and other governmental positions did not participate in the issuance of this statement.
Click here to view a signed version of the above statement.