Spurred by continued demonstrations against racism and police violence, Law.com affiliate The Daily Report recently asked readers to share their stories "at the corner of law and humanity," where attorneys' trained logic met the powerful feelings prompted by these turbulent times.

The responses included two from African American lawyers who recalled white people assuming something about them from the color of their skin. In one case, the results were awkward and insulting; the other was more ominous, turning an already difficult situation into a bizarre nightmare.

Below, those stories bookend anecdotes from three white lawyers. One offered her conclusions about race gleaned from a decade of criminal defense practice, while another shared his lesson from a police encounter. The third lawyer observed how "nuanced racism" can affect whether someone gets a law firm job.

If these stories inspire you to share something with us about your experience, from any perspective, please let us know by emailing [email protected].

'Hey girl'

Leah Ward Sears of Smith, Gambrell & Russell was the first woman and second African American to join the Supreme Court of Georgia when Gov. Zell Miller appointed her in 1992.

Leah Ward Sears (Photo: John Disney/ ALM)

She shared a piece she wrote for the Wall Street Journal about several uncomfortable interactions she had with white women over the years. First, fresh out of law school, she was mistaken for a restroom attendant as she attended a function for her law firm at a private club in Atlanta. A decade later, by then a member of the Supreme Court, Sears was approached by an older woman at a cocktail party in Sea Island who said, "The next time I want you to make sure you put more ice in my drink."

Then, Sears wrote that, when she was chief justice, "I was walking with my children at yet another resort on the coast when a lady pulled over and hollered, 'Hey girl, where's the spa?' Stunned, I directed her to the wellness facility, but this time I was seething with anger because my children were embarrassed."

'Black men … [t]housands of them'

Molly Parmer, a criminal defense lawyer in Atlanta, wrote, "I'll defend anyone." In nearly 10 years she has defended police officers, lawyers, corporate executives, accused war criminals and accused members of drug cartels.

Molly Hiland Parmer. (Courtesy photo)

"The vast majority of those I have defended have been black men," wrote Parmer. "Thousands of them were caught up in the system due to discriminatory police practices, unfair prosecutions, limited community resources, and the school-to-prison pipeline. Rather than a presumption of innocence, they had a presumption of guilt. Poverty, not a conviction, kept them in jail."

The system, she added, "functions exactly as designed. It's only broken if you think it's about creating a society of equality and justice and liberty and public safety. But if you actually think its purpose is controlling certain populations, oppressing certain people, conserving the hierarchies of wealth and power, then it's functioning quite well."

'The First Amendment? I don't give a shit'

Troy Hendrick, an Atlanta trial lawyer, recalled when he was a senior in college and a photographer for the school newspaper covering a fire that broke out across the street from his off-campus house.