In a recent episode of the LawNext podcast, Erika Harold, the newly appointed executive director of the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism, was interviewed live. The commission, under Harold, is dedicated to enhancing civility, professionalism, and eliminating bias within the legal profession.
A seasoned litigator, Harold took over the reins of the commission in April 2022 succeeding the retiring executive director Jayne Reardon, a previous guest on the podcast. Among many initiatives, Harold has presided over the commission’s state-wide effort this summer aimed at measuring the prevalence and far-reaching effects of bullying within the legal profession and formulating recommended practices to prevent it.
Harold heralds from a diverse past: a former Miss America – the sixth Black woman to claim the title. Notably, she entered the pageant to help finance her studies at Harvard Law School, an institution she graduated from debt-free. In addition, she has a political past, previously having run for the Republican nominee in Illinois’ 13th Congressional District in 2014 and subsequently for the post of Illinois attorney general in 2018 as the Republican candidate.
Harold and the LawNext host engaged in this insightful discussion during the Clio Cloud Conference held in Nashville in October.
The LawNext podcast, generously funded by a range of sponsors including Paradigm, DocReviewPad, and CARET, continues to deliver key insights and conversations relevant to the modern legal profession. Reviews for this series are always welcome and can be left wherever one listens to podcasts.