Trial Magazine

Scholarships & Service

AAJ’s Minority Caucus is dedicated to giving back—both to future minority trial lawyers and to those in need. Every year, the Caucus awards a minority law student who has demonstrated an interest in trial advocacy and a desire to represent plaintiffs the Richard D. Hailey Scholarship—named in honor of AAJ’s first minority president. The scholarship provides a $5,000 stipend along with travel and accommodations to attend AAJ’s Annual Convention. Over the years, the Caucus has seen several recipients return to AAJ as voting members and continue the process of giving back to minority law students.

To raise money for the scholarship, the Caucus has teamed up with the Women Trial Lawyers Caucus for its annual “Pay It Forward” virtual auction. Members donate items, vacation home stays, and experiences to the auction, which takes place every March.

The Caucus also participates in service projects at AAJ’s Winter and Annual Conventions—supporting a local charity or nonprofit to provide both in-person aid and donations. During the 2023 Winter Convention in Phoenix, volunteers worked two shifts at Nourish PHX—an organization that serves more than 180 families per day, providing them with food, clothing, and career and social services. And the Caucus’s service is not limited to convention—other recent initiatives have supported victims of the mass shooting in Buffalo, N.Y., as well as residents of Puerto Rico who were impacted by Hurricane Fiona.

Education & Professional Development

The Minority Caucus’s Education Committee has long provided programming to meet the specific needs of its members. From the signature civil rights program in Houston to webinars that encourage members to become speakers for AAJ Education, the committee helps members excel and grow their practices.

The Caucus plans CLE programs at Annual Convention with topics ranging from practical legal skills such as using witnesses to build damages, to voir dire issues involving race and language barriers, to more nuanced skills such as communicating with victims of trauma and helping clients advocate for legislative change. Most recently, the Caucus partnered with the LGBT Caucus for a CLE program on navigating juror biases at the Winter Convention in Phoenix. A CLE program focusing on the business of law is planned for July’s Annual Convention in Philadelphia.

The Caucus’s Education Committee also runs the MC Roundtable series. Through this initiative, Caucus members submit a case or point of law, and the committee then recruits Caucus members who are experts in that area and holds a virtual roundtable to discuss the case and how to proceed. Many members have benefitted from this series—to submit a request, email jennifer.rafter@justice.org.

Caucus Chair Erv Nevitt said, “One of the most important goals of the Minority Caucus is training young minority attorneys to be successful. We do this first through our scholarship program by identifying law students who will be an asset to the plaintiff bar and encouraging them to join us at convention so they can learn and see the benefits of representing people as opposed to companies. Then, through the Education Committee, we provide CLE on all aspects of our practice that is specifically tailored to Caucus members.”

All self-identifying minority voting members are automatically members of the Minority Caucus. To get involved, email membership@justice.org or visit https://www.justice.org/community/caucuses/minority-caucus.