The Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) House of Delegates passed a resolution at its annual meeting held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on May 12, 2017 addressing required diversity training for attorneys.
The Resolution urges the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania to modify the Pennsylvania mandatory continuing legal education (MCLE) rules and regulations to include as a separate credit MCLE programs that address diversity and inclusion and the elimination of bias and/or discrimination in the legal profession and society with respect to all persons regardless of race, sex, religion, national origin, ethnicity, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status or socioeconomic status.
Currently, the annual requirement for attorneys is twelve (12) total credit hours. Of this total, a minimum of two (2) hours must be in ethics. If the Supreme Court acts favorably on this Resolution attorneys will be required to obtain a diversity and inclusion credit every other year. The diversity credit would qualify as either a substantive or ethics credit.
