CDLP was founded in 2008 to enhance CUNY School of Law’s access mission: to provide a path to the law and the legal profession for historically underserved groups. Initially established under the direction of Professor Emerita Pamela Edwards, the Center for Diversity in the Legal Profession is one of the first centers on a law school campus devoted to studying racial diversity within the legal profession. In its early days, CDLP served as a clearinghouse for data on the participation of people of color in the legal profession and a resource for middle-school and high- school students interested in becoming lawyers. For its inaugural event in March 2008, the Center sponsored the Haywood Burns Conference at CUNY Law, which brought together legal scholars and educators to explore perspectives on multiculturalism in legal education. Under Edwards leadership, the Center hosted a number of conferences, workshops, and panels in partnership with groups such as the Society of American Law Teachers, New York City Bar Association, and Northeast People of Color Conference.
Re-established in 2022, CDLP remains a space for research, collaboration and service as CUNY Law’s faculty, staff, students, alumni, and allies use the law and legal profession to tackle racial and social inequities.