Bringing together students, staff, professors, lawyers, organizers and community members, the Center for Diversity in the Legal Profession urges the law and legal profession toward racial justice and social change. We build equity, knowledge, access, and power in partnership with historically marginalized communities.
The Center for Diversity in the Legal Profession is located in the City University of New York School of Law, top ranked for progressive legal education and diversity. CDLP provides research, mentorship, and public education in support of the next generation of people’s lawyers. One of our key initiatives focuses on bringing more system impacted people, those directly affected by the criminal legal system, to law school and the legal profession.
Learn More >“ I want other impacted individuals to know that they can be successful in the legal profession and that we are currently living in an era where involvement with the justice system is no longer a permanent exclusion from participating in the legal profession. So, I urge others not to be fearful about the process of becoming a lawyer. The bar application should not hold you back if you are considering law school. Just do it!”
Learn More >At the Center for Diversity in the Legal Profession, we empower through research, education, and support. We uncover disparities faced by marginalized individuals in the legal system and offer comprehensive training to aspiring law students and attorneys from diverse backgrounds. Together, we drive positive change in the legal profession, making a lasting impact.
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Gayla Jacobson, executive director of admissions at CUNY School of Law in New York City, says that at CUNY and law schools around the country, “you definitely saw the number of applications increase from populations that were historically excluded,” including communities of color and LGBTQ students.
The U.S. Supreme Court upended established equal protection law with its decision in SFFA v. Harvard and SFFA v. UNC, effectively eliminating the use of affirmative action in higher education admissions. Many schools, as well as the courts, recognize that diversity exposes students to new ideas and ways of thinking, prepares them to live and work with one another in a diverse society, and increases understanding and respect across differences. Those findings have not changed, although schools will need to rely more on other means of cultivating a campus where students of all backgrounds can learn together.
Due to recent amendments to the state bar exam’s Character and Fitness questionnaire , law students taking the New York State bar exam no longer have to disclose every interaction they’ve had with the criminal justice system.
