Tuesday, November 1, 2022
Via Zoom at 12:00pm
Description: Implicit bias refers to the unconscious attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions. These biases—which can encompass both favorable and unfavorable assessments—manifest involuntarily without an individual’s awareness or intentional control. Though shorthand schemas of people may be helpful in some situations, they also can lead to discriminatory behaviors if we are not careful. Unconscious biases in the workplace can hinder diversity, recruiting, and retention efforts and can shape an organization’s culture in detrimental ways. Unconscious bias can skew talent and performance reviews. They can affect whom an organization hires, promotes, and develops—which unintentionally reinforces barriers to opportunity. The focus of this event is to describe how implicit bias affects the legal profession and to offer recommendations on addressing implicit bias.
Speaker: With a deep-rooted passion for helping those who have suffered wrongdoing, Sandra Ribera Speed is the founder of Ribera Law Firm in San Francisco where she advocates for people in sexual abuse, personal injury, and racial discrimination cases. Both inside and outside of the courtroom, Ms. Speed remains steadfast in her pursuit of justice for her clients.
Early in her career, Ms. Speed was the youngest member of the team responsible for representing the heirs of Christopher Wallace, also known as The Notorious B.I.G., in a $360 million wrongful death claim filed against the Los Angeles Police Department. Ms. Speed has also represented Michael Jackson’s mother, Katherine Jackson, in a number of issues, including a wrongful death action arising out of her son, Michael’s, untimely death.
Active in the legal community, Ms. Speed has been co-chair of the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association’s Implicit Bias Task Force since its inception in 2020. She also currently serves as Secretary of SFTLA’s Board of Directors and is on the Board of Governors for the Consumer Attorneys of California where she has been recognized with its Champions of Justice Award.
Cost: Free for SMCBA members, $15 for non-members. Cost includes 1.0 hour of Implicit Bias MCLE credit.
Registration and Information: Please click on the button below to register for this event. If you wish to pay by check, please still register online first and send your check payable to SMCBA, to: 333 Bradford St., Ste. 150, Redwood City, CA 94063. Attn: Events. *Please note for which event you are paying and the name of the attendee.
Logistics: Your Zoom credentials will automatically be emailed to you shortly after you register online, as well as the day and hour before the event. Please note that you’ll need to be logged into a Zoom account to join the webinar. The written materials for the webinar will be emailed to attendees the morning of the event.
Contact Info for this Event: For questions about this event, please email Ahide Rodriguez at events@smcgov.org.
Cancellations must be received at least 48 hours prior to the event for a full refund of the registration fee. If you do not cancel within 48 hours or do not show up to the event, you will be charged the full amount.