Last summer, 17 law firms, corporate legal departments, and government agencies provided summer employment and valuable legal experience to 19 minority first-year law students.
Inside the Bar
Clerkship program promotes diversity
Last summer, 17 law firms, corporate legal departments, and
government agencies provided summer employment and valuable legal
experience to 19 minority first-year law students.
The State Bar Committee to Encourage Placement of Minority Lawyers
sponsors the Minority Summer Clerkship Program to promote minority
placements in settings where they traditionally have been
under-represented. Now in its 10th year, the program has provided
first-hand experience to more than 140 students.
"The program's primary focus is to provide first-year law students
with an educational and 'real-world' exper-ience," says Committee Chair
Jamila Covington. "Students can develop legal skills and acquire
substantive knowledge while being exposed to a myriad of legal issues,
and employers are able to work with talented individuals from diverse
backgrounds with unique perspectives."
Applicants include Marquette and U.W. law school minority students
who have successfully completed their first year. After a rigorous
application, interview, and selection process, the committee matches
participants with employers. Participating employers agree to accept a
student match and to hire a program student on the same terms as
first-year summer associates - providing the same salary, work
experience, and social opportunities.
Enrollment as a participating employer is open until Jan. 27. For
more information, contact Jamila
Covington at (414) 277-5765; or State Bar project coordinator Patricia Morgan at (800) 444-9404
ext. 6107.
Inside the Bar