Elizabeth Burch is the Fuller E. Callaway Chair of Law in the University of Georgia’s School of Law. (Photo by Dorothy Kozlowski/UGA)
Elizabeth Burch, a professor in the School of Law, was recently quoted in a Reuters article about diversity in law and promoting diversity through leadership appointments.
Burch has written much concerning the concentration of power among “repeat players” in multidistrict litigation, or MDLs. She said gender diversity is especially important in cases where the majority of plaintiffs are likely to be women.
“Studies have shown that gender can matter where gender itself is an issue in the proceedings,” Burch said.
Burch generally supports what she calls “cognitive diversity”—the appointment of lawyers with varying skills and experiences—but said that “identity diversity” can offer the same benefits.
The article discussed the controversy of promoting diversity through leadership appointments and potential challenges to judges’ diversity orders.
