Thank you for attending the Black Hair Big Law Symposium
A symposium that discussed:
Is natural black hair compatible with working in big law?
October 27, 2022
Our Speakers
Deborah Enix-Ross, President American Bar Association
Wendy Greene, Law Professor, Drexel, Legal Expert and Advisor for the C.R.O.W.N. Act
Wendy Greene, Law Professor, Drexel, Legal Expert and Advisor for the C.R.O.W.N. Act
Enix-Ross, a distinguished attorney, is only the second African-American woman to head the ABA, the national voice of the legal profession,.
Wendy Greene, Law Professor, Drexel, Legal Expert and Advisor for the C.R.O.W.N. Act
Wendy Greene, Law Professor, Drexel, Legal Expert and Advisor for the C.R.O.W.N. Act
Wendy Greene, Law Professor, Drexel, Legal Expert and Advisor for the C.R.O.W.N. Act
Professor D. Wendy Greene, Director of the Center for Law, Policy & Social Action at Drexel University Kline School of Law, Founder of #FreeTheHair movement, and legal architect for the federal CROWN Act and parallel civil rights legislation
Leslie Thomas, KC Barrister, Author and Professor Gresham College
Wendy Greene, Law Professor, Drexel, Legal Expert and Advisor for the C.R.O.W.N. Act
Leslie Thomas, KC Barrister, Author and Professor Gresham College
Thomas, a civil liberties expert who has voiced opposition to the English legal tradition of wearing a barrister’s wig in court, will speak on the topic, “Why my barrister’s wig is culturally insensitive.”
The Honorable Turkessa B. Rollins General District Court
The Honorable Turkessa B. Rollins General District Court
Leslie Thomas, KC Barrister, Author and Professor Gresham College
Judge Rollins sits as a General District Court Judge in Prince William County, Virginia. Prior to that she was a Partner at Fullerton & Knowles where she practiced in civil litigation.
Patricia Broussard, Law Professor FAMU
The Honorable Turkessa B. Rollins General District Court
Shelly Page, Law Professor Southern Illinois University
Policing our bodies: The Expectations and Professionalism of Black Hair in Law: A Conversation with Professors Patricia Broussard and Shelly Page
Shelly Page, Law Professor Southern Illinois University
The Honorable Turkessa B. Rollins General District Court
Shelly Page, Law Professor Southern Illinois University
Policing our bodies: The Expectations and Professionalism of Black Hair in Law: A Conversation with Professors Patricia Broussard and Shelly Page
Binta P. Mamadou, Associate Allen & Overy LLP, Founder Visions Braid Bar
Binta P. Mamadou, Associate Allen & Overy LLP, Founder Visions Braid Bar
Binta P. Mamadou, Associate Allen & Overy LLP, Founder Visions Braid Bar
Binta, an associate in the Washington, DC office of Allen & Overy LLP, learned to braid hair as a child, enjoys discussing and learning about all things "natural hair", and is the founder of Visions Braid Bar -- a braid bar in Maryland which offers a variety of hair services to Black women.
Umar Kankiya, Solicitor United Kingdom
Binta P. Mamadou, Associate Allen & Overy LLP, Founder Visions Braid Bar
Binta P. Mamadou, Associate Allen & Overy LLP, Founder Visions Braid Bar
Can you really be your authentic self at the law firm? Solicitor Umar Kankiya shares his experiences in English law and on the mental health aspects of not being your true self at work.
Desireé H. Langley, Associate Jackson Lewis, P.C.
Binta P. Mamadou, Associate Allen & Overy LLP, Founder Visions Braid Bar
Desireé H. Langley, Associate Jackson Lewis, P.C.
BLSA and Scalia Law School welcomes back Class of 2017 BLSA President Desiree H. Langley; as she shares her experience and decision points on how she wore her hair when entering the workforce.
Rachel Antoinette Boyce, Associate, Cooley, LLP
Karis Stephen, 3L University of Pennsylvania
Desireé H. Langley, Associate Jackson Lewis, P.C.
Rachel Boyce is a member of the firm's Business Group. She focuses her practice on all stages of real estate transactions including financing, acquisitions, joint ventures, purchases and sales, corporate reorganizations, and leasing.
Karis Stephen, 3L University of Pennsylvania
Karis Stephen, 3L University of Pennsylvania
Karis Stephen, 3L University of Pennsylvania
This accomplished third-year J.D. candidate and Fullbright scholar will start as an associate at Latham & Watkins. She speaks on, "Why I Choose to Wear Braids to the Workplace Every Day Despite the Fear of Criticism"
Angela Mackie-Rutledge LLM Candidate, GMU
Karis Stephen, 3L University of Pennsylvania
Karis Stephen, 3L University of Pennsylvania
Angela is the Programming Chair of George Mason’s BLSA and responsible for bringing this event together. She speaks on her original research from the Black Hair Legal Professionals Survey.
More about our Speakers
Deborah Enix-Ross
Enix-Ross is a senior adviser to the International Dispute Resolution Group of Debevoise & Plimpton in New York City and the President of the American Bar Association; the national voice of the legal profession, responsible for establishing academic standards for law schools and setting the code of ethics.
Wendy Greene
Professor D. Wendy Greene, Director of the Center for Law, Policy & Social Action at Drexel University Kline School of Law, Founder of #FreeTheHair movement, and legal architect for the federal CROWN Act and parallel civil rights legislation
Lesley Thomas, KC
British law professor Leslie Thomas, KC, who recently authored his autobiography, “Do Right and Fear No One” has voiced opposition to the English legal tradition of wearing a barrister’s wig in court, will speak on the topic, “Why my barrister’s wig is culturally insensitive.”
Patricia Broussard and Shelly Page
Attendees will also enjoy a conversation with law professors Patricia Broussard of FAMU and Shelly Page of Southern Illinois University on “Policing our bodies: The expectations and Professionalism of Black Hair in Law.”
The Honorable Turkessa B. Rollins
The Honorable Turkessa B. Rollins, General District Court, Prince William County, Virginia presents a guided Q&A session about black hair and the judiciary.
Umar Kankiya
Umar Kankiya, Solicitor (United Kingdom) Can you really be your authentic self at the law firm? Solicitor Umar Kankiya shares his experiences in English law and on the mental health aspects of not being your true self at work.
Desiree H. Langley
Desiree H. Langley, Associate Jackson Lewis, P.C.
The Black Law Student Association and Scalia Law School welcomes back Class of 2017 BLSA President Desiree H. Langley; as she shares her experience and decision points on how she wore her hair when entering the workforce.
Karis Stephen
Karis Stephen, 3L, University of Pennsylvania, Carey Law School
Karis is an accomplished third-year J.D. candidate and Fullbright scholar who will start as an associate at the firm Latham & Watkins after graduation. She speaks on the topic, "Why I Choose to Wear Braids to the Workplace Every Day Despite the Fear of Criticism?"
Binta P. Mamadou
Binta, an associate in the Washington, DC office of Allen & Overy LLP, learned to braid hair as a child, enjoys discussing and learning about all things "natural hair", and is the founder of Visions Braid Bar -- a braid bar in Maryland which offers a variety of hair services to Black women.
Rachel Antoinette Boyce
Rachel, who was featured in the Law 360 documentary, “Wearing Natural Hair in Big Law,” speaks on her natural hair experience in big law.
Angela Mackie-Rutledge
Angela is the Programming Chair of George Mason’s BLSA and responsible for bringing this event together. She speaks on her original research from the Black Hair Legal Professionals Survey.
Symposium Highlights
The symposium kicks off on Thursday October 27th at 11AM and includes:
- A distinguished panel of knowledgeable, relatable, and trailblazing speakers
- Compelling original quantitative graduate research black attorneys and their hair
- Poignant, thought-provoking videos about attorneys and judges wearing their hair natural
- Representation matters: 100 Black TV and Film Lawyers from the controversial “Amos & Andy” to the new CBS legal drama, “All Rise.”
Black Hair Big Law Program Guide Anthology
Attendees will complete the day’s events by receiving the Black Hair Big Law Program Guide Anthology chronicling nearly 100 first-hand experiences from black attorneys, paralegals and law students. Many of these individuals had faced, or had anticipated facing, discrimination at work because of their hair. Read, relate and understand their experiences:
Black Hair Big Law
Symposium Overview
Hosted by the Black Law Students Association (BLSA) at Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University. BLSA have organized this symposium to create a space to discuss: Is natural black hair compatible with working in big law?
Discussion points the symposium intends to cover:
· Who decides what’s professional?
· The “professionalism” or natural or ethnic hair
· Being your authentic self at the law firm
· Can you wear an Afro or dreadlocks to your big law firm?
· Is it time to change attitudes or hairstyles?
· Is it better to be solo practitioner with Natural hair?
· Do paralegals have more hair options?
· Is big law affected by the CROWN act?
What’s the big deal with black hair?
There is a common and profoundly racist belief that African American hairstyles are unprofessional, unhygienic, untidy, unruly and unkempt.
Many, though not all, black people have kinky coily hair. There is no one set curl pattern for an individual. Within a community of African Americans there will be many different types of curl patterns – sometimes even arising from a single head.
Paralegals, law students and attorneys with kinky coily hair experience substantial socio-economic pressure to relax or straighten their hair in order to conform to “business norms” which are most often aligned to white European beauty standards.
For the black attorney having to continually alter their natural appearance to in order to fit into their law firm can cause emotional distress and be offensive to their own sense of dignity.
These experiences underline the distinct and hefty burden involved in the decision-making process regarding what to do one’s hair. Should the black attorney style their hair according to white European beauty standards? Or will they be stigmatized for wearing their hair in a natural style? The hope of this symposium is that we bring these issues to the forefront and assist law students and professionals in being their authentic selves.
What’s the big deal with big law?
The term “big law” describes a sector of the legal industry comprised of the biggest and most successful law firms. Jobs are highly coveted with starting salaries for first year associates at $215,000 per year.
How many African Americans are working in big law? According to the ABA Journal, black attorneys make up rough 4.7% of all lawyers. For big law, that number is even smaller.
With fierce competition for these jobs can you truly bring your authentic self to work in order to succeed? Again, this begs the question: Should the attorney their hair according to white European beauty standards? Or will they stigmatized for wearing their hair in a natural style? Or is there possibly a happy medium that exists?
A morning of learning and sharing experiences
Sponsored by BLSA, the Black Law Students Association
This event is sponsored by the Black Law Students Association at Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University. Arlington Virginia.
Contact Us
Presented by the Black Law Students Association
Antonin Scalia Law School
George Mason University
Arlington, Virginia
Donate to BLSA
Black Hair, Big Law Symposium, Oct 27
George Mason University School of Law, 3301 Fairfax Dr, Arlington, Virginia 22201, United States
