What I Learned About Inclusion and Why It Matters

WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT INCLUSION AND WHY IT MATTERS By: Amanda Lynn Morse

Deputy Law Director Knox County Law Director’s Office

GRACE IN DIVERSITY

There is an incident that I am always reminded of when asked about the importance of diversity in the Bar. I was in court a few years ago against a very young male, white attorney. He had recently graduated law school and had been practicing law for just over a year. I found him to be incredibly frustrating (although to be fair, I am sure a great many people find me to be incredibly frustrating) primarily because he was so unaware of what he did not know versus what he did.

We were constantly arguing over motions, continuances, deadlines and the like. Every time, I would have to refer him to the same basic local rules regarding the filing and service of motions. He had some weird habits that stood out to me; for example, he filed pleadings in Calibri font. Over and over, we would be in court and he had filed a new motion without complying with the rules, and the Court would walk him through the steps of what he should have done, or how to correct his filings as if he were a pro se plaintiff rather than an attorney representing a client. In one memorable instance, he filed a partial MSJ, in the middle of the hearing, without filing a statement of facts. He further admitted that he had never read rule 56.03, and once he had read it in court, argued that a “separate concise statement of material facts” was not required. The court opted to allow him to withdraw the motion rather than deny it.

I was so baffled by this that I eventually asked a male colleague of mine why this attorney was allowed so many “bites at the apple,” as it were. He replied, “his father and grandfather were very respected members of the area bar, so he is probably just being given a little grace.”

I do not write this to criticize this young attorney or the court; he was so painfully new even I wanted to help him. It is simply an example of the level of camaraderie and understanding that my colleagues of less diverse backgrounds seem to automatically enjoy. As a society, people instinctively relate to and bond with people who are like them. We are more likely to help someone out, or forgive transgressions of people we feel connected to, people who are like “us.” When I go to court, there is often no one “like me,” in the courtroom much less on the bench. I am a second generation MexicanAmerican. I am not from Knoxville. I do not have the same built-in community that people who were raised in Knoxville or went to school here have. I am the first person in my family to go to college, much less law school. There are no attorneys in my family or background. My father is a mechanic, and my grandfather worked primarily as a seasonal farmhand.

Where’s my grace?

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New Lawyers Section Welcome Reception

The 2022 Welcome Reception for the KBA’s New Lawyers Section was held on January 25 at Barrelhouse by Gipsy Circus Cider. The event was sponsored by of Heath Trentham with Northwestern Mutual and the featured speaker was Barristers President Meagan Collver. Section Chairs Sanjay Raman and Courteney Barnes-Anderson coordinated the event for Section members in their first three years of practice.