ALWD Virtual Front Porch
Russell McClain
Professor and Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Maryland Carey Law School
on
Inclusive Leadership and Community Building, Stereotype Threat, and Implicit Bias
Thursday, May 6, 2021
(Click here to watch the video recording)
The Association of Legal Writing Directors (ALWD) was honored to host Russell McClain, J.D., Professor and Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Maryland Carey Law School, for a Virtual Front Porch presentation. Professor McClain’s presentation spoke to the concepts of inclusive leadership and community building, stereotype threat, and implicit bias. The session gave concrete strategies related to how ALWD members can lead and facilitate challenging conversations in our communities.
Associate Dean McClain graduated from the University of Maryland School of Law. After practicing law for several years, Dean McClain began teaching legal writing at the University of Maryland School of Law, where he now serves as the Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion as well as the Director of the Academic Achievement Program. Dean McClain’s scholarly interest is in the psychological factors that affect academic performance, including stereotype threat and implicit bias. His research explores whether stereotype threat (the fear of confirming negative group stereotypes) and implicit bias (subconscious categorizations that are biased against racial/ethnic minorities and women) work together to suppress the performance of these groups in higher education, including in law school. Dean McClain recently published The Guide to Belonging in Law School. It was a privilege to partner with Dean McClain for this event.
