Last week’s Masters Conference event in Dallas was terrific! Also terrific is that the conference has added a regular session on creating safe spaces.
After the Legalweek sexual harassment incidents that I reported on here, here and here, the importance of creating safe spaces – not just at conferences, but also in society in general – has moved back to the forefront.
Thankfully, two organizations – The Masters Conference and Women in eDiscovery (WiE) – have taken on initiatives to keep it there.
Starting with the Miami event last month, the Masters Conference has added to its agenda for each event a session on creating safe spaces.
While I wasn’t at the Miami event, I was in Dallas last week and the session there was terrific. Moderated by Marla Mohr, COO of the Masters Conference, the panel also included Khrys McKinney of KL McKinney, Melissa Heidrick, Founder at mmData and Jerry Bui, Managing Director, Digital Insights & Risk Management at FTI Consulting.
Each of the panelists had great insights and important stories to share:
Khrys discussed an incident that she witnessed with a colleague who was sexually harassed who not only chose to skip out on a networking event but actually left the industry altogether.
Jerry’s stories illustrated how creating safe spaces isn’t just about sexual harassment – it’s also about other forms of harassment, including racial harassment. Even someone like Jerry – who has a terrific “larger than life” personality – has skipped out on events because of harassment and insensitive remarks. It can happen to anybody.
Marla did a great job coordinating the discussion and getting the audience involved in sharing their own stories. Given that it was the first session of the day, the discussion was quite interactive. Per Marla, a session on Creating Safe Spaces will be a regular addition to Masters Conference events for the foreseeable future.
Melissa (in addition to sharing her own stories) also discussed a new task force that is in the beginning stages at WiE, called Operation Safe Spaces (OSS).
The mission (per Melissa) of Operation Safe Spaces is: To foster and encourage safe environments and promote a culture of mutual respect spanning the global legal and legal technology industries.
The task force is comprised of a dedicated group of WiE members, leaders, and allies committed to cultivating safe spaces where mutual respect flourishes, guided by education, heightened awareness, and actionable protocols. OSS is setting new standards by developing:
- Educational Programs to enlighten and empower,
- Reporting Infrastructure that ensures voices are heard,
- Resource Allocation to support our mission’s heart,
- Media Press Kits and Initiatives to spread our message,
- Conference Certification Protocols, and
- Guidelines to Ensure Safe Spaces in all professional gatherings.
As I mentioned, OSS is at the beginning stages, so there aren’t any links for more information or contact information for participating just yet. You can follow Women in eDiscovery on LinkedIn for updates.
Regardless, kudos to The Masters Conference and Women in eDiscovery for keeping this issue in the forefront! Speaking of which, keeping this issue in the forefront is the only way I know of to have a chance to stop it. I’ll do my best to do my part. With that in mind, I will plan to post this paragraph before each in-person conference that I cover (feedback welcome):
Important Note: Harassment, including sexual harassment, continues to be a problem at conferences, and in society in general. Here is a recent post I published regarding incidents that occurred at this year’s Legalweek conference that also has resources with more information (suggestions for additional resources welcome). Let’s make conferences and our workplaces safe for everyone.
Disclaimer: The views represented herein are exclusively the views of the author, and do not necessarily represent the views held by my employer, my partners or my clients. eDiscovery Today is made available solely for educational purposes to provide general information about general eDiscovery principles and not to provide specific legal advice applicable to any particular circumstance. eDiscovery Today should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a lawyer you have retained and who has agreed to represent you.