Implicit Bias & Lawyers

Are you biased? Nobody thinks they are biased – but every person has hidden, unconscious bias wired into our brains. Implicit bias is a subtle cognitive process that starts in the amygdala and affects the way we process information and formulate decisions.

California Implicit Bias CLE 

For California MCLE Compliance Group 3 (N-Z) for the period ending on January 31, 2023, California attorneys must complete at least two hours dealing with elimination of bias. Of the two hours, at least one hour must focus on implicit bias and the promotion of bias-reducing strategies via The State Bar of California.

Will Implicit Bias Cost You Your Next Case?

Mike Wakshull will introduce you to the neuroscience of unconscious, implicit bias and how this cognitive bias leads to errors during trial. The CLE course will focus on attorney & judge decision-making and implicit bias in forensic sciences and expert witnesses. Mike will conclude by providing potential solutions for attorneys to overcome these hidden biases. After this course you will be able to recognize & reduce your biases, know how to counter the opposition’s biases, determine if the forensic examiner’s report is biased, recognize the effects of bias on forensic examiners’ opinions and learn how biases impacts juries. To access the course please click here: Implicit Bias in the Courtroom: Will It Cost You Your Next Case.

Topics in this Implicit Bias CLE:

* Stereotypes

* Confirmation bias

* Sources of bias

* How implicit bias leads to false results

* Personal appearance & bias

* Contextual bias

* Confirmation bias

* Juries & heuristics

* Telling stories

* Familiarity & human error

* Expert methodology

Michael N. Wakshull – Forensic Document Examiner

Michael N. Wakshull is a court-qualified forensic document examiner and has been involved in the Forensic Document Examination arena since 2010. He belongs to a number of Document Examination Associations.

This CLE course is offered in the following states:

* Alaska (AK)

* Alabama (AL)

* Arizona (AZ)

* California (CA)

* Connecticut (CT)

* District of Columbia (DC)

* Illinois (IL)

* Maryland (MD)

* Massachusetts (MA)

* Michigan (MI)

* Missouri (MO)

* New Hampshire (NH)

* New Jersey (NJ)

* New York (NY)

* North Dakota (ND)

* Pennsylvania (PA)

* South Dakota (SD)

* Vermont (VT)

California CLE

Attorney Credits offers CLE for attorneys in California and around the country. For more information about CLE in California please click the following link: CA CLE.