Total Credits: 1.1 MCLE, 1.1 Ethics, 1.1 Elimination of Bias, 1.0 Kansas Credit, 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, Inclusion Ambassador Award for 2024.
Two of Mr. Altman’s areas of focus and expertise throughout his career have been assistance for children with special needs who qualified for services under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Act and those needing accommodations under Section 504. In 2015, the National School Board Association appointed him to serve on the in-house school counsel committee of the Council of School Attorneys Association. He was honored by the Annie Malone Children and Family Service Center in St. Louis as one of their Advocates of the Year.
Children and clients are not the only ones to benefit from his services. He has worked to help others, as an active mentor in the Missouri Lawyers Assistance Program, where he was awarded the Warren Welliver Award for his efforts, compassion and concern regarding the emotional and mental health needs of those in the profession. In 2014, Mr. Altman was appointed by the Missouri Bar to serve as chairperson for its Joint Task Force on Lawyers Helping Lawyers and as the co-chair Missouri Lawyer’s Assistance Program. In 2015, the American Bar Association appointed him to serve on the Commission on Lawyer Assistance Program’s Senior Lawyer Committee.
Mr. Altman also served on the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Legislative Workgroup for the Prevention of Student Bullying and Suicide, as chair for the committee tasked with developing model policies to prevent student bullying.
Further, Mr. Altman is a Board member for Project Rural Innovation for Mental Health Enhancement (PRIME) The project’s mission is to prepare and increase the number of mental health professionals (e.g., BCBAs, LCSWs and School Counselors) in Oklahoma’s rural schools. The United States Department of Education approved a federal grant for the funding of this project on January 3, 2023.
With over 43 presentations and 20 published articles regarding legal issues to his credit, Mr. Altman continues to write and present on current topics, including assistance and compliance with federal and state laws affecting educational venues. In the fall of 2016, his first book, “From Bullying to Sexual Violence” that he co-authored was published. Mr. Altman’s second book, Bullying Navigator”, was published in June of 2020.
