In a recent petition put forth to the American Bar Association, Olga Mack and a collective of like-minded individuals called for a substantial shift in language employed within the legal profession. Principally, they advocated for the discontinuation of the usage of the term “nonlawyer.” This movement intends to prompt an imperative discussion about inclusivity and professional identity within the legal landscape.
Sarah Glassmeyer, a law librarian and director of data curation at Legaltech Hub, provided her perspective on this issue. Glassmeyer emphasized the powerful effect language choices can have on the perception and treatment of individuals or groups.
By using the term “nonlawyer,” this promotes a stark separation in the legal profession – with the implication that only “legal work” is undertaken by lawyers. However, there is a myriad of tasks that can be defined as “legal work” that do not fall under the traditional “practice of law.” People like law librarians, paralegals, legal operations departments, legal project managers, and legal technologists also carry out these types of activities. Changing our language and terminology could offer a more inclusive, accurate portrayal of the diversity of roles within the legal profession.
To address fears that this change might inadvertently alter proxy ownership rules, Glassmeyer assures this is far from the truth. Instead, the objective is to shift our language in such a way that fully acknowledges the qualifications and abilities of numerous groups of people within the legal industry.
Given that there’s agreement to move away from the term “nonlawyer,” Glassmeyer believes that everyone can play a part in pushing this change by influencing their firms, organizations, and local regulatory bodies. They can start by checking internal documentation, policies, and the potential inhibiters in existing terminologies.
You can read the full discussion at Above The Law.