Northwestern Law hosts Pulitzer-winner Nikole Hannah-Jones for keynote address celebrating Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy
NORTWESTERN PRITZKER SCHOOL OF LAW — In late January, Northwestern University hosted DREAM Week, celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The week of events culminated on Monday, January 24, with a keynote address from Nikole Hannah-Jones, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter behind the New York Times’ “1619 Project.” Hannah-Jones led an hour-long discussion, co-moderated…
Read More about Northwestern Law hosts Pulitzer-winner Nikole Hannah-Jones for keynote address celebrating Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacySouthern Illinois University Law and Stillman College sign memorandum creating summer program and path to admission
SIU CARBONDALE — Southern Illinois University Carbondale and Stillman College today (Jan. 26) signed a memorandum of understanding to help students from the historically Black liberal arts college enroll and earn a degree from the SIU School of Law, with the aim of diversifying the legal profession. “We are committed to being an anti-racist and inclusive law…
Read More about Southern Illinois University Law and Stillman College sign memorandum creating summer program and path to admissionColleges add staff focused on the academic needs of Black men
INSIDE HIGHER ED — Compton College created a new position focused on the academic needs of Black and Latino men. Campus leaders believe they’re at the forefront of a new and long overdue trend. Antonio Banks was eager to join a robust Black student community as an undergraduate at California State University, San Bernardino. He was thrilled…
Read More about Colleges add staff focused on the academic needs of Black menAccessLex and Southern Education Foundation announce fellowship program for underrepresented law school professionals
YAHOO!FINANCE — Leading education nonprofits, AccessLex Institute and the Southern Education Foundation, have partnered to create the Professionals in Legal Education Developing Greater Equity (PLEDGE) Fellowship, an 18-month professional development program and problem-based research project, launching in June 2022. Targeting experienced law school administrators, faculty members, and other similarly situated professionals, the fellowship cohort will comprise three…
Read More about AccessLex and Southern Education Foundation announce fellowship program for underrepresented law school professionalsNALP report: 2021 law firm summer associates most diverse on record
REUTERS — Law firms brought on a historically diverse cohort of summer associates in 2021, according to new data from the National Association for Law Placement (NALP), outpacing diversity gains among more senior lawyers. The proportion of summer associates of color climbed to 41% in 2021, up from 36% in 2020. That represents the largest year-over-year increase…
Read More about NALP report: 2021 law firm summer associates most diverse on recordLaw firm expands community partnerships to aid Black and Indigenous law students
BENZINGA — Stikeman Elliott is pleased to announce that the firm has expanded its community partnerships in support of Black and Indigenous students who demonstrate an interest in pursuing a career in law. Earlier this fall, Stikeman Elliott participated in the development of Avenue: Black Undergraduate Internship Program, in collaboration with various Canadian law firms and organizations in…
Read More about Law firm expands community partnerships to aid Black and Indigenous law studentsMinority Corporate Counsel Association study finds diversity gains are mostly in junior ranks
REUTERS — Large law firms collectively increased their hiring of diverse summer associates in recent years but struggled to retain those lawyers over time, according to a new report by the Minority Corporate Counsel Association. Based on lawyer demographic data submitted by 225 large law firms, it found that 36% of 2020’s summer associates – law students…
Read More about Minority Corporate Counsel Association study finds diversity gains are mostly in junior ranksWashington’s law schools work to enroll more Hispanic and Native American students
SPOKANE PUBLIC RADIO — Gonzaga and the two other law schools in Washington hope to attract more Latino and Native American students to be attorneys. They’ve announced plans to market the profession to students at Heritage University in Toppenish. Most of the students there come from underserved communities. The law schools at Gonzaga and the Universities of Washington…
Read More about Washington’s law schools work to enroll more Hispanic and Native American studentsSouthwestern Law professor Meera Deo works to increase diversity and inclusion in the legal academy
SOUTHWESTERN LAW SCHOOL — When Professor Meera E. Deo started teaching law thirteen years ago, she realized, “There was startlingly little diversity among faculty, even less than among the student body.” Investigating further, the statistics she uncovered were shocking – only 7% of law professors were women of color, while roughly 62% were men and at…
Read More about Southwestern Law professor Meera Deo works to increase diversity and inclusion in the legal academyRecognizing partner law firms for furthering diversity in the legal profession
MICROSOFT — In 2008, we launched the Law Firm Diversity Program (LFDP) to reward our law firm partners who make progress in diversifying their workforce. We are committed to accelerating this progress, and in the last 13 years, we’ve seen consistent and steady progress in legal workforce diversification, including an almost 33% increase of hours worked…
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