Total Credits: 1.1 MCLE, 1.1 Ethics, 1.1 Elimination of Bias, 1.0 Kansas Credit-General, 1.0 Kansas Ethics
Interviews were conducted of members of society who are not lawyers but have interacted with lawyers. These people were asked how they believe lawyers and law schools could improve diversity in law firms so that all would feel welcomed as clients. A summation of those interviews will be discussed during this presentation.
What you will learn:
• How non-lawyers feel about the need for law firms and law school to diversify.
• Why potential clients might feel more welcomed in a diversified law firm.
• What steps law firms can take to inform the public how they support diversity in the law firms and the steps they have taken to diversify.
Speaker: Lawrence J. Altman, Attorney at Law, Overland Park, KS
Moderator:
JUN 15 | Diarra Cross-Davis, CD Law Group, LLC, St. Louis
| Diversity - A View From Non-Attorneys (246.3 KB) | Available after Purchase | ||
| MOLAP Information (210.1 KB) | Available after Purchase | ||
| Important Information for Attorneys Seeking Kansas Credit (102.8 KB) | Available after Purchase | ||
Lawrence J. Altman is an adjunct professor at Avila University in Kansas City, Missouri. Until he retired in January of 2016, Mr. Altman was the Special Education Lead Attorney and Compliance Officer for Kansas City Public Schools and the Title IX Coordinator for the Kansas City School District. Prior to that position, he was a practicing attorney in St. Louis County for 34 years. In addition to membership in the Missouri Bar, he is a member of the Kansas City Bar Association and the National School Board Association’s Counsel of School Attorneys. What’s more, he is a distinguished member of the American Law Society. In April of 2019, Mr. Altman was recognized as a Pinnacle Top Professor of 2019 for his work as Adjunct Professor with Avila University. Also, on February 6, 2023, Mr. Altman has been appointed as a member of the Advisory Board of Project Innovation for Mental Health Enhancement (PRIME) a project funded by the United States Department of Education. In addition, on May 24, 2024, Avila University, located in Kansas City, Missouri, awarded Mr. Altman its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Ambassador Award for 2024. What’s more, on June 24, 2025, Mr. Altman was informed by the Missouri Bar Foundation that he was awarded the W. Oliver Rasch Award for the article he wrote and published in the Journal of the Missouri Bar entitled, “US Supreme Court’s June 23, 2023 ruling concludes Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 is constitutional”.
