For the month of December, we are joined by Dr. Amanda Parker, Director of Equity in Justice Program at SBNM, and Gavin Alexander, the Wellness Director of Jackson Lewis P.C., and a member of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Standing Committee on Lawyer Well-Being. This episode will explore how important it is to recognize the specific lived experiences of legal professionals from underrepresented and historically excluded populations, and how the factors affecting their well-being can differ dramatically. Our speakers also note the importance of acknowledging persistent racial and ethnic disparities in our communities. This episode will cover: • The presenters’ lived experiences and perspectives on the intersection of well-being and DEI in the legal profession • The biggest challenges in DEI work in the legal profession. • What are legal employers getting right or wrong when it comes to DEI? • How can people get more involved in communities outside their own? • How do we have these conversations while mitigating the harm we cause?
Amanda Parker, PhD. Dr. Amanda Parker is a writer, researcher, and educator from Albuquerque, New Mexico. She has a PhD focused on critical race studies in education and society and speaks regularly at national and international conferences where she presents her work on the intersection of race and gender, building solidarity, and raising critically conscious children.
Dr. Parker is the Director of the Equity in Justice Program at the State Bar of New Mexico. In this role she is fostering community relationships, leading educational efforts, and building programs to address equity and inclusion for judges, lawyers, and law students. She collaborates with the Equity in Justice Commission and other entities that are working together on reform. She lives in Albuquerque with her daughters.
Gavin Alexander, is an experienced and passionate advocate and thought leader in the areas of mental health, well-being, and diversity, equity and inclusion in the legal profession and beyond. He is an attorney and Certified Corporate Wellness Specialist, and he currently serves as the Wellness Director of Jackson Lewis P.C., a law firm with over 950 attorneys and over 60 offices across the United States.
Before joining the firm, Gavin served as the firstever Fellow of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Standing Committee on Lawyer Well- Being. Gavin shared his own personal experiences with depression and near-suicide in Depressionto Dedication: How Chief Justice Gants Saved My Life and Catalyzed Ongoing Advocacy forMental Health in the Legal Profession, 62 B.C. L. Rev. 2759 (2021), and “Trailblazing TowardBetter Mental Health & Well-Being in Law: Q&A with Gavin Alexander, Well-Being Advocate,”
Thomson Reuters Practical Law (Apr. 26, 2022), and he regularly speaks at law firms, law schools, conferences, courts, bar associations, and other legal institutions. Gavin studied Theater and Mathematics at Wesleyan University, and he graduated from Harvard Law School magna cum laude in 2012. After law school, Gavin clerked for Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants at the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. From 2013-2020, Gavin was an associate in the corporate department of Ropes & Gray LLP’s Boston office.
Gavin has served as a Co-Chair of the Massachusetts LGBTQ Bar Association and as a board member of the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association. Presently, he serves as a member of the Mass. Supreme Judicial Court Standing Committee on Lawyer Well-Being, as a board member and the DEI Chair of Lawyers Depression Project, and as a board member of Leadership Brainery. He also serves on the ABA Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs’ DEI Committee, ABA Legal Opportunity Scholarship Fund Committee, Institute for Well-Being in Law DEI Committee, Boston Bar Association DEI Section Steering Committee, and the Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants Access to Justice Fund Advisory Committee.
Gavin was named one of the Best LGBT Attorneys Under 40 by the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association in 2017, selected as one of Mass. Lawyers Weekly’s 25 “Up & Coming Lawyers” for 2019, featured on the Mass. Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” list for 2018-2020, and inducted as a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation in 2020. In 2021, he received the Mass. Association of Hispanic Attorneys’ Leadership Award, where he was described as “by far one of the most committed allies in the areas of inclusion, equity and social and racial justice,” and in 2022, he received the Kevin Larkin Memorial Award for Public Service from the Mass. LGBTQ Bar Association.
Disclaimer:
Thank you for listening! This episode was produced by the State Bar of New Mexico’s Well-Being Committee and the New Mexico Lawyer Assistance Program. All editing and sound mixing was done by BlueSky eLearn. Intro music is by Gil Flores. The views of the presenters are their own and are not endorsed by the State Bar of New Mexico, Jackson Lewis P.C., the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, or any other group or organization with which any of the presenters may be affiliated. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment or legal advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.