Noteworthy > VSB NEWS 2019 Diversity Forum Attracts Capacity Crowd Over 100 lawyers and judges attended the second Annual Forum on Diversity in the Legal Profession at William & Mary School of Law in Williamsburg on September 20. Attendees heard from speakers on topics like implicit bias, Title VII, and employment best practices. The event, hosted by the Bar’s Diversity Conference, featured a keynote address by the Honorable S. Bernard Goodwyn of the Supreme Court of Virginia. “I am going to be brief for as long as it takes,” joked Justice Goodwyn, quoting Yogi Berra, at the beginning of his remarks. Goodwyn said that diversity re-mains integral to a fair judicial process, noting that in the legal system, as in most things, “You get a better product when you get better input, and you get better input when you get a diverse input.” He concluded by remembering the actions of former Supreme Court of Virginia Chief Justice Leroy R. Hassell Sr., the fi rst African American chief justice of the court. Hassell endured racism and segregation in his lifetime, and he created an annual seminar that continues today, assisting and educating defense lawyers who represent under-served Virginians throughout the state. 1. A panel discusses the ramifi cations of implicit bias. 2. Justice S. Bernard Goodwyn of the Supreme Court of Virginia addresses the forum. 3. Luis A. Perez of the law offi ces of Luis A. Perez, VSB President Marni E. Byrum of McQuade Byrum, Justice Bernard Goodwyn, and Diversity Conference Chair Chidi I. James of Blankingship & Keith at William & Mary Law School. 1 2 3 36 VIRGINIA LAWYER | October 2019 | Vol. 68 www.vsb.org