Lawrence, Kansas (January 15, 2021) – One of the nation’s leaders in implicit bias training in the law will speak to Lawrence area attorneys at a virtual event. The Judge Hugh Means Inn of Court (“Inn”) will host The Honorable Mark W. Bennett (Ret.), the first Director of Drake University Law School’s Institute for Justice Reform and Innovation, at its January 28 virtual Inn of Court meeting conducted via Zoom.
The American Inns of Court is an association of lawyers, judges, and other legal professionals from all levels and backgrounds who share a passion for professional excellence. In addition to its members, the Inn has invited all Douglas County prosecutors and defense attorneys to attend the Zoom event free of charge. “Judge Bennett’s presentation reflects the Inn’s mission and commitment to a culture of diversity and inclusion in the profession. This important topic impacts courtrooms across the country,” said Douglas County District Court Judge Amy Hanley, a member of the Inn’s Executive Committee. “We’re proud to host to a trailblazer in the study of implicit bias and we’re pleased to make the event accessible for the Douglas County Bar.”
Judge Bennett began his current position with Drake Law School after 24 years as a U.S. district judge in the northern district of Iowa and a legal career as attorney and judge beginning in 1975. Judge Bennett has educated more than 4500 state and federal trial and appellate judges on implicit bias in the last 10 years. He was the first judge in the nation to both discuss implicit bias with potential jurors and to give a written instruction on implicit bias. Judge Bennett has authored 28 law review articles on the impact of bias on sentencing, and federal issues intersecting law and cognitive psychology. He was a founding member of the National Implicit Bias Network and has spoken at more than 525 CLE programs in 41 states and several foreign countries. Bennett is featured in the BBC documentary “The House I Live In,” which won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.
