Articles

DIVERSITY IN LAW 2023: Hon. Doris L. Pryor

(IL photo/Eric Learned) 7th Circuit Court of Appeals Indiana University Maurer School of Law, 2003 Why did you decide to enter the legal profession? Before the era of social media and its impact on how we shape norms and develop opinions, I was influenced and guided by those in my local community — those the […]

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DIVERSITY IN LAW 2023: Pablo A. Svirsky

Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP Harvard Law School, 2010 Why did you decide to enter the legal profession? I took a few legal classes in undergrad and it just matched the way my brain works. It felt natural. It also seemed like a useful degree, both for a career but also to help people. […]

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DIVERSITY IN LAW 2023: Alan K. Mills

Barnes & Thornburg LLP Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, 1982 Why did you decide to enter the legal profession? I was always an admirer of Thurgood Marshall and his work with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit and the Supreme Court of […]

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DIVERSITY IN LAW 2023: Angka E. Hinshaw

Amundsen Davis LLC Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, 2009 Why did you decide to enter the legal profession? I decided to enter the legal profession because I had an experience in high school in which I needed a lawyer. My parents advocated the best they could, but more power was needed. My family couldn’t […]

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DIVERSITY IN LAW 2023: Charise R. Frazier

Hall Render Killian Heath & Lyman P.C. Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, 2001 Why did you decide to enter the legal profession? As a child, I was introduced to concept of being a lawyer watching “Perry Mason” with my father. In elementary school I decided I was going to be a lawyer, […]

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DIVERSITY IN LAW 2023: Alfredo Estrada

Burke Costanza & Carberry LLP Valparaiso University School of Law, 2015 Why did you decide to enter the legal profession? I worked at U.S. Steel prior to going to law school. I attended Purdue University Northwest during the day and worked the midnight shift at U.S. Steel as a craneman. During that time, I developed […]

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DIVERSITY IN LAW 2023: Tonya Vachirasomboon

Dentons Bingham Greenebaum Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, 2008 Why did you decide to enter the legal profession? With a major in business and a minor in dance, at the beginning of college, I thought I would open a dance studio. Then I took a business law class and it changed all […]

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DIVERSITY IN LAW 2023: Reginald D. Cloyd III

Barnes & Thornburg LLP University of Illinois College of Law, 2015 Why did you decide to enter the legal profession? My initial goal was to be a sports/entertainment agent. However, I found my calling in defending class actions across the country. I’m also a competitor and love to talk. Litigation fits my personality. I also […]

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DIVERSITY IN LAW 2023: Norris Cunningham

Stoll Keenon Ogden PLLC Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, 1996 Why did you decide to enter the legal profession? I decided I wanted to be a lawyer when I was 6 years old. Growing up, my bedroom was next to my parents’ room and my bed was next to the common wall […]

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DIVERSITY IN LAW 2023: Shelice R. Tolbert

Tolbert & Tolbert LLC Valparaiso University School of Law, 2000 Why did you decide to enter the legal profession? Because I wanted to help people, and being a lawyer allows me to help many different people in many different aspects of their lives, whether it’s personal or business. What does “diversity, equity and inclusion” mean […]

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DIVERSITY IN LAW 2023: Doneisha L. Posey

Black Onyx Management Inc. Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, 2014 Why did you decide to enter the legal profession? I chose the legal profession because it was deeply rooted in my personal experiences and values. Growing up in a multicultural family, I had a front row seat to witness the disparities and […]

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DIVERSITY IN LAW 2023: Lacy M. Johnson

Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, 1981 Why did you decide to enter the legal profession? Mine was not a typical path. At the age of 7, I witnessed my father being detained by the police following an incident in our neighborhood. We found ourselves in need of […]

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DIVERSITY IN LAW 2023: Lahny R. Silva

Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law University of Wisconsin Law School, 2011 Why did you decide to enter the legal profession? Injustice and inequality. What does “diversity, equity and inclusion” mean to you? It means that opportunity is not provided or limited by immutable characteristics. How did you get involved in DEI work, […]

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DIVERSITY IN LAW 2023: David H. K. Nguyen

Nguyen Law LLC, IUPUI Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, 2006 Why did you decide to enter the legal profession? I became interested in the law while taking an undergraduate course at IU Bloomington on education and society. I decided to enter the legal profession because I wanted to influence policy to help […]

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DIVERSITY IN LAW 2023: Roderick E. Bohannan

Indiana Legal Services Inc. Seton Hall Law School, 1975 Why did you decide to enter the legal profession? Actually, it was the president of Seton Hall University, Monsignor John Fleming, who encouraged me to apply to Seton Hall Law School. Growing up in Newark, New Jersey, Central Ward, the predominate African American ward, the only […]

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DIVERSITY IN LAW 2023: Charlotte F. Westerhaus-Renfrow

IU Kelley School of Business – IUPUI Indiana University Maurer School of Law, 1991 Why did you decide to enter the legal profession? Back when I was a child, my parents made me aware of the importance of legal and civil rights, which emerged from the civil rights movement. In their minds, the law was […]

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DIVERSITY IN LAW 2023: Danitza Valerie Loya

Hensley Legal Group P.C. University of Iowa College of Law, 2016 Why did you decide to enter the legal profession? The history of law has always fascinated me. As a Catholic school kid, class lessons were intertwined with parables and the prevailing legal principles of their times. Central to these parables was a stark sense […]

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DIVERSITY IN LAW 2023: Hon. G. Michael Witte

Senior judge Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, 1982 Why did you decide to enter the legal profession? I have always had a concern for victims of bullying, oppression and cheating. It originated with my scouting experience of Native American lore. Learning the history of the Trail of Tears, the Sand Creek Massacre, […]

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DIVERSITY IN LAW 2023: Hon. Steven H. David

Church Church Hittle + Antrim Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, 1982 Why did you decide to enter the legal profession? I wanted to help people. No more complicated than that. I was the first person in my family to go to college. I grew up watching lawyer TV shows: Perry Mason and […]

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DIVERSITY IN LAW 2023: Joseph L. Smith Jr.

Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP Indiana University Maurer School of Law, 1995 Why did you decide to enter the legal profession? I decided to enter the legal profession because a close friend who always wanted to be a lawyer and I spent an afternoon talking about what being a lawyer would mean and what […]

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