NALP report: 2021 law firm summer associates most diverse on record

January 19, 2022

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

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Law firm expands community partnerships to aid Black and Indigenous law students

January 19, 2022

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

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Minority Corporate Counsel Association study finds diversity gains are mostly in junior ranks

January 19, 2022

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

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Washington’s law schools work to enroll more Hispanic and Native American students

December 22, 2021

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

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Southwestern Law professor Meera Deo works to increase diversity and inclusion in the legal academy

December 21, 2021

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

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Recognizing partner law firms for furthering diversity in the legal profession

December 16, 2021

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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Opinion: How college graduate programs can improve diversity efforts

December 16, 2021

DIVERSE ISSUES IN HIGHER EDUCATION — Diversity in graduate programs doesn’t just happen, and it certainly can’t be achieved in one admissions cycle with a few quick fixes to your recruitment efforts and admissions policies. It requires a conscious effort to build a strong base of undergraduate students from underrepresented communities, often from backgrounds that are different

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Penn State Dickinson Law associate dean Jeffrey Dodge’s essay on teaching equity and inclusion included in new book

December 14, 2021

PENN STATE — Jeffrey A. Dodge, associate dean for academic and student services, assistant professor, and Joseph H. Goldstein Faculty Scholar at , had his essay proposal, “Teaching Family Law Through the Lens of Minoritized Identities” accepted for publication with Carolina Academic Press in the book titled, “Integrating Doctrine & Diversity: Inclusion and Equity Beyond the

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Distinguished Attorney Gives Back to His Law School Alma Mater, Donating $3 Million to Establish The Benny Agosto, Jr. Diversity Center at South Texas College of Law Houston

December 9, 2021

CISION PRESS NEWSWIRE — Houston trial attorney Benny Agosto, Jr.’s recent gift to establish a diversity center at his alma mater, South Texas College of Law Houston, combined two of his life passions: giving back to the community and encouraging more diversity in the legal field. In grateful recognition of the $3 million gift from Nikki and

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ABA legal education section again seeks comment on law school diversity standard revisions

December 9, 2021

ABA JOURNAL — Following criticism on proposed changes to a law school diversity standard, additional suggested revisions—and clarifications—will be sent out for notice and comment. The action was approved Friday by the council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, which met in San Francisco. “Based on the notice and comment process, we

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