While in theory, "justice is blind," we know in practice it often isn't. We all are subject to unconscious or implicit biases that may affect how we perceive a person or situation. Unlike explicit bias (which reflects the attitudes or beliefs that one endorses at a conscious level), implicit bias is the bias in judgment and/or behavior that results from subtle cognitive processes (e.g., implicit attitudes and implicit stereotypes) that often operate at a level below conscious awareness and without intentional control. The underlying implicit attitudes and stereotypes responsible for implicit bias are those beliefs or simple associations that a person makes between an object and its evaluation that "...are automatically activated by the mere presence (actual or symbolic) of the attitude object."

• Is implicit bias something lawyers should be concerned about?
• Describe a situation in which implicit bias was at play, or where implicit bias affected your experience, your behavior, or what you observed in others.
• How do you think implicit bias affects the administration of justice in the American legal system?
• Given that you have a responsibility to zealously advocate on behalf of your client, do you think it is appropriate to use other's biases to benefit your client?
• And what can you, as future lawyers, do to counter implicit bias in the American legal system?