Date: September 9
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm EDT
Program chairs: Caryn A. Stevens & Eddie Stephens
This CLE is designed to help the Family Law Professional to increase their DEI acumen by orienting them to what diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) are all about. You’ll learn about common language and explore key concepts that can help you begin to see how you can take meaningful action to support DEI. There will also be a discussion of potential legislative changes.
CREDITS
1.5 Bias Elimination
1.5 CLE
1.5 Marital & Family Law
This CLE is brought to you by the Family Law Section of the Florida Bar. 1.5 hours of CLE for $135!
Eddie Stephens will moderate a discussion concerning Diversity, Equity and Inclusion with the following panelists:
Michael Riordan, MEDL, Compass Community Center, Lake Worth
Richardo Jackson, Monarch Health Services, West Palm Beach
Kimberly Rommel-Enright, Esq, Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County, Inc., West Palm Beach
Kara Schickowski, Esq., Legal Aid Service of Broward County, Plantation
In addition, Kimberly Rommel-Enright, Esq with discuss the Need for Legislative Changes.
Topics:
Knowing What Language to Use or Not Use
Intersectionality Microaggressions
What Does it Mean to be an Ally Creating a Safe Workplace?
Recognizing and Addressing Societal Privilege
Richardo Jackson began working in community and public health over 20 years ago. He has experience working and collaborating with healthcare systems, community and faith-based organizations across the US and the State Departments of Health in New York State and Florida.
He has a wealth of knowledge, experience, and passion for his work in HIV prevention, care, treatment and research. Currently, he is the manager of health promotion and community Engagements with Monarch Health Services and serves on the Palm Beach County CARE Council utilizing his expertise to reframe, refocus and help organizations, communities and individuals to transform their lives, programs, services, and the communities they serve.
Richardo holds dual B.S. degrees in Community Health and Human Services, and Organizational Management from Saint Joseph’s College New York and an M.B.A from Northwood University. He is married to his husband (Matthew) and they reside in Palm Beach County with their two beautiful boys (Michael and Rylan), and dogs (Jackson and Graham).
Michael Riordan: From an early age, Michael knew that she had feelings that were not “normal”. In the 1980’s there were few resources for transgender people; in many cases, no one knew that transgender people existed. At the age of ten she tried to express feelings of gender dysphoria to a family member and the reaction she received convinced her to hide how she felt for 27 years.
Today, Michael happily works at Compass Community Center and is in the process of transitioning from male to female. Unlike many transgender individuals, she goes by any pronoun and is keeping her birth name. She has a BS in Communications and a Masters in Educational Leadership. Michael is a firm believer that transgender people should live openly and proudly when it is healthy for them to do so and advocates for equal rights and better mental health services for transgender people.
Kimberly Rommel-Enright, Esquire is a supervising attorney at the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County, Inc. Ms. Rommel-Enright has been an attorney with the Legal Aid Society since 1992. In addition to her supervisory duties, Ms. Rommel-Enright handles select adoption, custody, paternity and guardianship cases, as well as a range of cases for members of the LGBTQ community including but not limited to name changes, family law issues and contracts. Ms. Rommel-Enright has been the supervising attorney for the Pro Bono Project, Project Permanent Placement and the Ryan White Project where she handled many types of family cases including dissolution, adoption, custody, paternity and guardianship. In addition, she has handled Temporary Restraining Order hearings involving sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and/or stalking for the Domestic Violence Project for over 20 years.
Ms. Rommel-Enright was born in Lewes, Delaware and raised in Palm Beach County, Florida. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts with honors at Florida Atlantic University and her Juris Doctorate, Cum Laude, from Nova Southeastern School of Law.
Ms. Rommel-Enright has been a frequent lecturer on HIV/AIDS issues, permanency planning, family law and pro bono work. She is also the co-editor of the publication “Someone to Watch Over Me: A Parent’s Planning Guide”. She has also provided name change clinics for Transgender Individuals.
In addition to her duties at the Legal Aid Society, Ms. Rommel-Enright is involved in the following legal and community organizations: Maplewood Playhouse; The Palm Beach County Bar Association; the Florida Association of Women Lawyers (Past President of the PBC Chapter); The Family Law Section of the Florida Bar (Member of the Executive Council, Legislation Committee, and Children’s Issues Committee, Chair of the Ad Hoc Probate Jurisdictional Committee and the Ad Hoc Name and Gender Marker Change Committee); the Florida Pro Bono Coordinators Association and the Palm Beach County HIV CARE Council (20+ year member, current Co-Chair and Chair of the LGBTQ Health Equity Committee). Ms. Rommel-Enright resides in Jupiter with her husband and two daughters.
Kara Schickowski, Esquire is the supervising attorney and program manager for HIV Law projects and LGBTQ+ advocacy programs at Legal Aid Service of Broward County, Inc. For over 16 years with the non-profit law firm, she has provided direct legal services to clients with their advance directives and estate plans, served on various local and regional HIV and LGBTQ+ committees, and presented to the community on a variety of legal and social justice topics. She most recently created an AIDS Educational Training Center program: “Legal Services in the HIV Care Continuum: How Incorporating Legal Services into a client’s care plan may improve health outcomes” and presented at the 2021 Florida Conference on Aging on special legal topics and barriers to care for Florida’s LGBTQ+ senior community and those aging with HIV.
Eddie Stephens, Esquire author of Stephens’ Squibs – Florida Family Law Updates, is a partner at Ward Damon and leads the Family and Marital Law department and is also the Director of Legal Education at the Center for Child Counseling, Inc. You can register for his monthly CLE here. Eddie is a Board Certified Family Law attorney who specializes in high-conflict divorces.
Stephens & Stevens - Marital & Family Law 
Such a valuable read!