“They like our idea!” exclaimed a young man whose team of “attorneys” had their patent and trademark accepted by a panel of judges. This joyful expression is one of the many I hear throughout the year. This is what I love about my job. What makes this scenario unique is that I am not looking at law firm veterans. I am observing high school classmates role-playing attorneys as part of a legal simulation. Through the NALP/Street Law Legal Diversity Pipeline Program, I train and support volunteer legal professionals so they can get young people of color excited about our profession and inspire these young people to be their best. By collaboratin...
Within the large group that makes up millennial lawyers — lawyers born between the years 1980-2000 — there are unique nuances we should be aware of to help us in our efforts to recruit and retain diverse millennial lawyers.
One of the most important steps in building a legal career is passing the bar exam. Increased focus on outcomes, along with the ABA’s increased focus on calculating bar success among first time takers, comes at a time of decreasing bar passage rates. While more students today are looking at JD Advantage careers, bar passage still matters, given that a significant majority of all JD graduates land in positions that require bar passage. Law schools are increasingly taking an active role in bar preparation. Three types of programs are becoming common.
The NALP/Street Law Legal Diversity Pipeline Program teaches high school students about the law and legal careers, while offering law firms an opportunity to participate in a diversity pipeline program.
NALP’s Executive Director Nikia Gray examines the potential fallout from the Supreme Court’s Students for Fair Admissions decision on the racial and ethnic diversity of our profession.
One firm reflects on its experience as a participant in the NALP/Street Law Legal Diversity Pipeline Program.
2022-2023 Vice President of Member Services and Education Gwendolyn L. Ferrell explains why active participation of its members is critical to accomplishing the mission and initiatives of NALP.
As recruitment methods shift, firms are realizing that building the legal workforce of the future requires looking beyond conventional talent pipelines and recognizing that the earliest spark of professional identity often begins in high school.
Fringe Professional Development’s Rachael Bosch and Janelle Christian explain the importance of being an accomplice instead of an ally or bystander in the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) space.
Penn State Dickinson Law’s Tom Lee and Laura Williams address the lack of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the legal profession.
In this new Bulletin+ column, Executive Insights had the opportunity to speak with Ashok Regmi, who became Street Law’s CEO in 2022.
In-depth look at words of diversity and inclusion, and how they impact law firms.
Wake Forest University School of Law’s Alison Ashe-Card, a member of the NALP Board of Directors, reflects on how the legal community must continue to do more to dismantle the systemic racism that plagues our criminal justice system and every facet of our lives.
Thompson Hine LLP’s Nirvana Dove explains why it is so important to attend this year’s NALP/ALFDP Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Summit, to be held virtually Oct. 7.
With help from NALP survey data and anecdotal evidence from their colleagues at law schools and law firms, Nirvana Dove, Tonya Gaskins, and Sonya Wilson provide a snapshot of some DEI initiatives that are working at law firms and law schools.
This second of a three-part NALP Bulletin series addresses the personal and systemic steps involved with dismantling racism and white supremacy to attain a legal profession that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive.
University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law’s Leah Adams explores how the developments of 2020 will impact diversity fellowships this year and beyond.
We must break the obvious link between law school environments that lack inclusion and law firm environments that do the same.
To increase diversity in the legal profession, we must create more pipeline programs that recruit, prepare, and support students of color. Building skills-based programs is cost-effective, can be targeted, yields observable results and allows firms to ultimately build a more diverse profession, while minimizing legal risks.
Who law students are and why they decided to enroll in law school are important for understanding how future generations will shape the legal profession. On a more concrete level, a deeper understanding of what current students are feeling, thinking, and considering – starting at the enrollment point of prelaw to practice journey – is essential for informing effective recruitment, outreach, and advising strategies for law schools and legal employers alike.
Examining NALP’s impact on diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts at law firms and across the profession as the association nears its 50th Anniversary in 2021.
NALP President Traci Mundy Jenkins explains how NALP is keeping the foot on the pedal by supporting and creating new diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and programs in the legal profession.
On average, over two-thirds of students participating in the NALP/Street Law Legal Diversity Pipeline Program say they are more interested in legal careers after the program.
The Bulletin+ spoke with President of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, Robert Grey about the impact of LCLD’s programs and why these opportunities for students are more important than ever.
