On February 12, 2021, a select group of ACTEC Fellows and trust and estate professionals held a webinar with interested students at Howard University Law School and the University of District of Columbia Law School. The presentation to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) was about reducing the racial wealth gap through trust and estate law.
ACTEC Fellow Sarah Moore Johnson moderated the presentation. Panelists included Vanesa Browne, ACTEC Fellow Stephanie Perry, and Kalimah White. The webinar’s topics includes:
- Roles in the Community
- Working with Diverse Clients
- Goals for the Future
- Entry into the Profession
- Growth in the Profession
- Resources for Students
Resources
- J. Franklyn Bourne Bar Association – An association committed to legal excellence, community service, and the advancement of African American minorities in the legal profession. Their membership consists primarily of African American attorneys who live and/or work in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties in Maryland.
- Summer Scholars Pipeline Program of the Montgomery County, MD Bar Foundation for second year law students.
- Association of Black Estate Planning Professionals an organization committed to enhancing diversity in our profession as well as closing the racial wealth gap. (Panelist Kalimah White is on the board of this organization.)
- The ACTEC Foundation Law Student Writing Competition
- American Bar Association (ABA) Student Membership
- ABA Law Student Writing Competition
- ABA Fellows Program
- ABA Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section
- ABA Council for Diversity in the Educational Pipeline
Pipeline directory - Virtual National CLE Conference
- Washington, DC Estate Planning Council
- Sample Diversity Scorecard – A Word document that can be used by firms/organizations to measure and monitor diversity efforts.
- The Maryland State Bar Association (MSBA) connects and empowers the legal profession through ongoing support and advocacy. They help members at every stage of their careers and serve the entire legal profession across Maryland and beyond. The MSBA offers free memberships to law students. Join the MSBA for free and then join the Estate and Trust Section (also free to law students) and register to attend E&T Study Group programs (free to Section members). The E&T Study Group has monthly lunchtime programs that may be of interest to students.
- MSBA Section of Estate and Trust, chaired by ACTEC Fellow Anne W. Coventry, shares a regular newsletter. Anne recommends reading the article (beginning on p.6) written by Portia and Robin Wood, of Wood Legal Group, about “The Role of Estate Planning and the Legal Profession in Closing the Racial Wealth Gap.”
ACTEC Fellows Institutes
ACTEC Fellows Institutes provide professional development for law associates interested in advancing their trust and estate careers. T&E professionals must be nominated by an ACTEC Fellow to attend an Institute serving the state the professional practices in; however, they may be nominated by any ACTEC Fellow practicing in any state or country.
Learn More about the ACTEC Fellows Institutes