By Rosson S.C.R. No. 86 74R3185 JDB-D CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-1 WHEREAS, Discriminatory and disparate treatment of men and 1-2 women by the legal system and in the judicial process affects 1-3 litigants, witnesses, and legal personnel and undermines public 1-4 confidence in our society's commitment to the principle of equal 1-5 justice; and 1-6 WHEREAS, The Supreme Court of Texas established a task force 1-7 to study gender bias in the Texas legal system, to determine the 1-8 nature and extent of such bias, and to propose measures for its 1-9 reduction and ultimate elimination; and 1-10 WHEREAS, The task force determined through surveys of 1-11 attorneys, judges, and members of the State Bar of Texas that 1-12 disparate treatment of men and women exists in the legal community 1-13 and judicial system of Texas; and 1-14 WHEREAS, Gender bias in the legal system includes conduct 1-15 ranging from the subtle to the egregious and is reflected in the 1-16 way the system deals with such subjects as employment 1-17 discrimination, sexual harassment, domestic violence, and sexual 1-18 assault; and 1-19 WHEREAS, The legal community should adhere to the highest 1-20 standards of professional conduct in all respects and should serve 1-21 as a model for all of society in aggressively seeking to eradicate 1-22 gender-based stereotypes and prejudices; and 1-23 WHEREAS, The gender bias task force has adopted a variety of 1-24 recommendations designed to heighten the sensitivity of the legal 2-1 community and Texas judicial system to issues of gender bias; now, 2-2 therefore, be it 2-3 RESOLVED, That the 74th Legislature of the State of Texas 2-4 hereby request the Supreme Court of Texas to promulgate an 2-5 amendment to Rule 8.04 of the Disciplinary Rules of Professional 2-6 Conduct to prohibit sex discrimination by a lawyer in the lawyer's 2-7 professional or employment practices; and, be it further 2-8 RESOLVED, That the legislature hereby request the State Bar 2-9 of Texas to formulate and submit for membership approval a 2-10 requirement that all active members of the bar complete a minimum 2-11 number of hours of continuing legal education concerning the 2-12 existence and consequences of gender bias; and, be it further 2-13 RESOLVED, That the legislature hereby request the State Bar 2-14 of Texas to offer educational programs to familiarize attorneys 2-15 with the characteristics and dynamics of domestic violence and the 2-16 usefulness of expert testimony in domestic violence and sexual 2-17 harassment cases; and, be it further 2-18 RESOLVED, That the legislature hereby request the State Bar 2-19 of Texas to offer educational programs to familiarize prosecuting 2-20 attorneys with the possible impact of gender bias in sexual assault 2-21 cases; and, be it further 2-22 RESOLVED, That the secretary of state forward official copies 2-23 of this resolution to the chief justice of the supreme court and 2-24 the president and executive director of the State Bar of Texas.