Lack of minorities in the law profession will be the topic of the second annual Midwest Recruitment and Retention Conference to be held at NIU tonight and Saturday.

The conference, which is sponsored by the National Black Law Students Association, kicks off with a welcoming reception at 6 p.m. in the College of Law’s central lobby. It continues Saturday at 8:45 a.m. with another welcome and ends at 5:30 p.m. with a reception.

The conference is being held in order to help find solutions that will get more minorities interested in the legal profession, said Kathleen Patchel, NIU associate law professor.

“Minorities are under-represented in the legal profession,” she said. “We want to increase the diversity of the legal profession.”

The theme of the conference emphasizes the recruitment, retention and placement of minorities in the legal profession.

The retention process is one that must begin before students enter law school, and is not successfully completed until students enter the legal profession, Patchel said.

She said the law class of 1989 had nine minority students out of 120, the class of 1990 had 19 minority students out of 97 and the class of 1991 has 27 minority students out of 107.

In three years, the law school has tripled the amount of minorities entering law school, Patchel said.

The lack of minorities applying to law school also produces a lack of minority teachers and lawyers, she said.

NIU Assistant Law Professor Paula Johnson said it would help minority students to achieve their goals if they would see someone they resemble achieving similar goals, she said, adding if they don’t see a role model it takes much more for them to achieve their goals.

Minorities also have to deal with discrimination and the lack of support they face in law school and later on in their profession.

“There is a substantial disparity in the way attorneys of color are treated versus the way in which white attorneys are treated,” Johnson said.

NIU also sponsors a six-week summer program for minorities interested in pursuing law.

“It is designed to stimulate their interest in law and (it) develops the skills needed to pursue a career in law,” said NIU Associate Law Professor Mark Cordes.

We are trying to create a comprehensive program that is supportive and sensitive to the special placement needs of minorities, Patchel said.