Come for the conversation and ­continuing legal education credits, then stay for the party when the New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA) Diversity Committee hosts a unique town hall-style program on Jan. 15 that examines experiences attorneys may face due to their race, ethnicity, gender identity, religion and other identifiers.

NJSBA Trustee Ayesha Hamilton will moderate a discussion examining the impact of bias and microaggression in the legal profession, resources available to individuals who have been targeted as a result of bias, and how witnesses to such behaviors can act as upstanders.

"While we are starting to see greater diversity in hiring and retention in our profession, we still have a long way to go in ensuring that our lawyers do not face subtle and overt discrimination in their workplaces and in the courtroom," Hamilton said.

"This program arose from an honest discussion by the NJSBA's Diversity Committee, and we felt that it is important to have an open, honest and public discussion about what we are still facing in the practice of law and how we can better support each other—whether it be in the office or court, or while networking and taking professional development programs," she said.

Join prominent attorneys, representatives from the Judiciary, and experts in the field as the NJSBA takes a closer look at this issue.

Speakers include Paulette Brown, senior partner and chief diversity and inclusion officer at Locke Lorde and past president of the American Bar Association; Shawn LaTourette, chair of the NJSBA LGBT Rights Section and chief of staff at the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection; Isabel McGinty, statewide ethics coordinator of the Office of Attorney Ethics at the New Jersey State Judiciary; NJSBA Trustee Susan Nardone, of Gibbons PC; and Garden State Bar Association President William Rogers, of Hoagland, Longo, Moran, Dunst & Doukas.

The program is open to NJSBA members and members of co-sponsoring affinity bar associations, including the Asian Pacific American Lawyers Association of New Jersey, Association of Black Women Lawyers of New Jersey, Garden State Bar Association, Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey, New Jersey Muslim Lawyers Association, New Jersey Women Lawyers Association and South Asian Bar Association of New Jersey. The program is also presented with the NJSBA Minorities in the Profession, LGBT Rights, and Women in the Profession sections.

After the program, attendees, members of the NJSBA and affinity bar organizations are welcome to join the Diversity Committee's celebration of the new year at a free reception at the New Jersey Law Center. The event will include food, networking, free professional profile photos and a performance of the Newark Boys Chorus.