Bernadette Gilbert - Managing Attorney, Department of Human Services/Child Support

Managing Attorney, Department of Human Services/Child Support

Bernadetta Gilbert is the Managing Attorney in the Department of Human Services/ Child Support offices in Washington and Osage Counties. A lifelong Tulsan, Bernadetta graduated from the University of Tulsa College of Law in May 1997, and landed at her current position after many years in private practice. She believes very strongly that we as a society, must do anything and everything we can to insure that our children not only survive, but thrive. In her spare time, she loves to read, watch sports, travel, and play tennis with friends.

Q&A

What advice would you share for young persons who want a legal career?

For those persons determined to pursue a legal career, I would strongly advise them to seek at least one mentor. Particularly for minorities and women, a strong mentorship program is crucial for legal success. No one would set out on a road trip they had never taken before without driving directions; nor should they embark on this journey without the advice and guidance of someone who has taken it before. An effective mentor encourages the talents and aspirations of her mentee; if you have a mentor who does not do that for you, you should seek another.

What would you recommend for firms or schools to do in order to promote diversity inclusion in the future?

I would love to see universities make higher education more easily affordable for the entire American middle class, particularly minorities. Removing and/or lessening the economic barriers to college attendance benefits us all in the long run. A more highly educated workforce makes the country more able to compete in the global economy, leading to a stronger national economy. A person must be able to not only afford to get into college, but also afford to graduate. Far too many students either drop out of college because of the cost or graduate drowning in debt. I think the idea of free community college is a very good one, and would love to see law schools make attendance less expensive. I think law firms, like all businesses, benefit from a diverse workplace, one that looks more like the country in which we all live. However, true and long-lived diversity is not possible until everyone in the firm is willing to acknowledge that implicit bias is alive and well, as is racial and gender stereotyping. Until these issues are addressed, workplace diversity is not possible. Anyone interested in learning more about the Black experience in America, I would recommend two books by the same author, Ibram X. Kendi, a professor and director of the Center for Antiracist Research at Boston University. The first is titled How To Be an Anti-Racist and the second, Four Hundred Souls.