On Monday November 14th Deputy Director Sufyan Sohel participated in John Marshall Law School’s November Fest panel titled “Distinguishing Through Diversity”. Speakers included Cook County Judge John Lyke Jr., Cook County Associate Judge Mohammed Ghouse, and Mark Javier, past president of the Filipino American Lawyers Association. The attorneys and judges spoke about the variance of diversity in the legal profession and the importance of professionalism, networking, mentorship, and community building in the legal community.

Sohel spoke about the growing number of South Asians and Muslim in the legal profession, but that there was a need for more.  “Given the current American climate filled with hateful rhetoric and action, we need many more attorneys of diverse backgrounds, especially those from our own communities, to understand the law and be ready to protect those whose civil rights are threatened”.

Novemberfest was sponsored by students organizations of the John Marshall Law School including the South Asian Law Student Association, the Asian American Pacific Law Student Association, The Immigration Law Society, and the International Law Society.