rethinking otherness
educate. equip. empower
Testimonials
Have you noticed…
Diversity trainings
that remind the marginalized that they are marginalized, don’t work.
or
handing White people (particularly men) a reading list to “get woke” also doesn’t work.
Simply creating
DEI committees
or drafting an
anti-racist statement
is NOT changing your culture.
That’s where I (Leslie) come in…
Not Your “Normal” Diversity Talk
As a legal scholar I spent years immersed in interdisciplinary research and scholarship on cultural awareness and identity performance. Impassioned toward practical and meaningful application of my work, I created an upper-level law school seminar on this topic, and was later encouraged to share my insights within the broader legal academy and profession.
Founded in 2020, the ReO Institute is an initiative to equip the legal profession with inter-cultural awareness and identity performance tools to help: Recognize and confront harmful bias; Empower conscious identity choice; and Enable attorneys to better understand the complexities of representing clients within marginalized communities.
ReO Institute | Project 81/62
81%
Of the legal profession is comprised of White people
62%
Of the legal profession is comprised of males
The Story of ReO®
Recent Workshops
Orrick Law Firm
UPenn Carey Law School
Oregon School of Law
UGA School of Law
Husch-Blackwell Law Firm
Speaking Topics
Identity performance for traditionally underrepresented and dominant groups.
Cultural awareness in legal education & profession.
Strategies to engage in difficult dialogues and increase inclusive actions in organizations and universities.
Equipping law students, faculty, and firms with inter-cultural communication tools.
LAW JOURNALS & LAW ADMISSION.
Role of implicit and confirmation bias in the anonymous and solicited author submission process, and evaluation process.
STUDENT LEADERS.
Understanding identity formation through effective dialogue as part of professionalism and leadership.
LAW FACULTY.
Providing faculty with tools toward cultural awareness and skills to partner with students to foster difficult dialogue.
LAW FIRMS & LEGAL ORGS.
Empowering Conversation on Conscious Identity Performance for Traditionally Marginalized Attorneys & Staff; Professional empowerment, and avoiding self sidelining via conscious identity performance;
Personal brand identity.
Presentation and Workshop Formats
Virtual and In-Person
Keynote Speaker
Consultations
Continuing Legal Education (CLE)
Orientations
Faculty & Admin Training
Large group presentations
Small group facilitated dialogues
Half-day Workshops
Let’s Talk!
ReO® Institute Values
Empower
Others to Need Others
The goal of ReO is to provide individuals with tools and language to engage bravely in difficult dialogues. It is time that both critical thought and brave engagement become the norm. It is further time that we learn from others what we cannot learn on our own.
Educate
On Cultural Awareness
ReO exists to equip the legal profession with inter-cultural awareness and identity performance tools to confront harmful bias, empower conscious identity choices, and enable all attorneys to better understand the complexities of representing clients within marginalized communities.
Teach
Self-Accountability
Much of the institutional work done under the banner of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), while well-intentioned, results in shallow virtue signaling, or tries to enforce a new mindset and culture from the top down. ReO, however, takes a grassroots approach, asking us to acknowledge a scarred American history founded on division, and grapple with how that history has benefited or injured our own identity journey.
Honor
Fear and be courageous
“The natural resistance we feel in connection with fear is a signal that we’ve encountered an opportunity to grow past limitations to our current mindset, abilities, or beliefs.” https://www.drewamoroso.com/blog/honor-your-fear Through the work of ReO, I have been challenged, and I challenge others to rest in that fear to move us toward courage; that is, to act even though we are afraid.
Walk
By faith, not fragility
With every conversation, class, and training I am humbly reminded that we, as broken humans, have created divisions that so deeply divide. As a Christian, I take seriously the charge to use ReO as a platform to remind us of the responsibility we bear in how we govern our own actions.
Acts 17:27