Posted by on Friday, May 16, 2014
Welcome to this week’s Diversity Dish and Happy Friday! This week the National Law Journal had a special section on diversity within the legal profession and we’re going to highlight a few of those stories. We encourage you to read the entire series, which you can find here. As you move into the weekend, don’t forget to register for the NALP / ALFDP Diversity and Inclusion Summit in Chicago on June 6! You can complete your registration here. Enjoy this week’s Diversity Dish, Happy Friday and if you aren’t already, follow us on Twitter @CourtneyDredden.
5.12.14 Karen Sloan writes about two clerkship placement programs that are aiming to help increase the number of minority federal judiciary clerks. The Just the Beginning Program places minority law students in judicial internships and clerkships and gives them tips about what judges are looking for and how to compete for a judicial clerkship. “Of the 150 students who have gone through the program since its 2011 start, 10 have landed postgraduate federal clerkships. That might not sound like a high return to people unfamiliar with the competitive federal clerkship application process, but a nearly 7 percent success rate is far higher than for the general applicant pool.” The second program, Share the Wealth, was created by Judge Gerald Bruce Lee in 2001 and directly places minority law graduates into clerkships between six and eight federal judges each year. After students apply, each of the participating judges chooses which students they’d like to receive one of the 12 interview spots. If three judges choose a candidate, they are offered one of the interview spots – students then interview with all judges. If after the interviews, the student is not offered a clerkship, they are often referred to judges outside of the Share the Wealth program. These programs are innovative, and we are looking forward to continuing to follow their success.
5.12.14 Karen Sloan writes about the Crump Law Camp – a two week program sponsored by the National Bar Association. The camp is held at Howard University and introduces minority high school students to the legal profession. National Bar Association President Patricia Rosier estimates that more than half of the 400 students who have completed the camp have enrolled in law school. Students spend about half of their time learning some basics of common first year law school classes. However, one of the most interesting things about the program is that it spends a good bit of time on things outside of the classroom – such as a four course dinner to help teach the students etiquette, networking and being comfortable in a formal atmosphere. Rosier said, “our goal is to help them be a well-rounded and take the next step in their academic career. Hopefully, it will be legal, but it gives them the opportunity to network with one another and the people they meet. Hopefully, they maintain lifelong relationships with other campers as well as the mentors and professors.”
