Phoenix School of Law Diversity Law Day To Celebrate Differences of Individuals in the Legal Profession

Online, March 17, 2011 (Newswire.com) - During its six-year history, the Phoenix School of Law has been committed to increasing the number of attorneys from underrepresented minority groups by making law school accessible to qualified individuals from all walks of life. Diversity Law Day was created to celebrate the differences among individuals in the legal profession and the communities in which they reside through speakers, discussion panels and mock law classes.

Only 1 in 25 lawyers is African American, Latino, Asian American or Native American - an alarmingly low rate for our diverse communities. Ethnic groups have been historically under represented within the legal community as a whole. The Phoenix School of Law wants the legal community to properly reflect the diversity of the citizens it represents and encourages individuals with multicultural backgrounds to pursue a career in law. In 2010, PhoenixLaw was honored as one of the top three law schools in the country for its diversity efforts with the Law School Admissions Council's Diversity Matters Award.

The featured speaker at Diversity Law Day is Darryl Burton, who will relate his unique experience with the legal system. Burton was wrongfully accused of a murder that he did not commit. He spent 24 years in prison before being exonerated of the crime. Actor Danny Glover was one of his tireless advocates who helped him to get released from prison. For years, Darryl studied the law and received a Paralegal Certificate, while trying to prove his innocence. While incarcerated, Darryl was a youth counselor, mentored youths from juvenile detention centers, churches, youth groups, elementary and high schools; served as an Assistant to the Substance Abuse Counselor; worked with Restorative Justice and Victim/Offender Impact Panels; narrated and was a Braille Specialist II for Rehabilitation Services for the Blind; worked as a Video/Broadcast Technician, editing and recording broadcast productions; and pursued his undergraduate studies at Lincoln University - taking courses in English Composition I & II, Paralegal and Computers and the Law at Platte Northwestern Community College St. Joseph, Mo.