Biglaw, Law Schools

Biglaw Firms Coming Up With Exciting New Programs To Recruit Women And Minority Law Students

Will this work to resolve the legal profession's difficult diversity dilemma?

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Biglaw firms have seem to have a bit problem when it comes to recruiting women and people of color, and an even bigger problem when it comes to keeping them at the firm once they’re associates. The National Association of Law Placement’s latest diversity survey showed just how big of a problem this was, to the point of embarrassment where we’re yet again forced to celebrate fractional progress for diversity and inclusion within large law firms.

So, what’s being done to resolve the legal profession’s difficult diversity dilemma?

Two firms have been inspired to try their hardest to create meaningful and lasting connections with women and minorities to make them feel welcome within their hallowed halls from the day they first set foot inside their law schools. Karen Sloan of Law.com has more information on the programs that Skadden and Proskauer are offering for first-year law students:

Proskauer’s new boot camp for women aims to help them develop the skills they need to succeed in law school before they ever set foot on campus, [Joanne Ollman, chief professional resources officer at the firm] said. The firm plans to bring 30 women who have committed to attending law school in the fall to New York for a week—the firm will put them up in a nearby hotel, pay for meals, and give them a $1,000 stipend—while partners and new associates who are fresh out of law school will cover how to approach their upcoming studies. …

Skadden is taking a different tack by bolstering its already successful 1L Scholars Program in hopes of bringing more participants back as summer associates. The 1L Scholars Program is an 11-week paid summer internship for diverse students who have just completed their first year of law school. About 25 participants spend seven weeks at the firm and another four weeks with a client. It debuted in 2012 and has proven to be popular. Skadden received about 950 applications last year, according to director of talent acquisition Carol Sprague, and participants are chosen through several rounds of interviews.

Each of Proskauer’s boot camp participants will be guaranteed a callback for a summer associate position. “We want to keep women at the firm for as long as we can,” Ollman said. Skadden is slightly tweaking its program to include rotations in international offices, more client introductions, and exposure to public interest work so it can increase the number of 1L scholars who join the firm as summer associates, which is usually between 60 and 70 percent each year. “I’m hoping we’re giving them enough variety to pique their interest, that they don’t feel they need to look elsewhere,” Sprague said.

Congratulations to both Proskauer and Skadden on their plans to diversify their summer classes. Hopefully this will pan out and both firms will be able to increase the number of women and people of color who eventually join them as associates.

Skadden, Proskauer Get Creative to Recruit Women and Minority Law Students [Law.com]

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Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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