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An Actual Program Designed To Increase Diversity In Federal Clerkships

Because we need clerks to be diverse.

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Federal clerkships are a stepping stone to an elite legal career, but the ranks of federal clerks still remain fairly homogenous.

In this week’s episode of The Jabot, I speak with folks dedicated with diversifying clerkships: Danielle Barondess, a federal law clerk in Hawaii, and Steven Arango, a federal law clerk in Texas, who founded a new program, Law Clerks for Diversity. The organization’s mission is clear — they want more diverse candidates to be able to successfully navigate the clerkship application process:

There are hundreds of law students and lawyers from diverse backgrounds who would make phenomenal federal law clerks, but they do not know how to navigate the process, who to connect with, or how to make their applications stand out. The black-box nature of clerkships and the mindset that clerkships are “exclusive-province” must change. That is where Law Clerks for Diversity comes in. Our vision is to increase the diversity of federal clerks by helping diverse applicants navigate the process and find the right opportunities to maximize their potential to land a clerkship.

We chat about developing this mission, why focusing on federal clerkships is important, what the program entails, and how folks can get involved (spoiler alert: here).

The Jabot podcast is an offshoot of the Above the Law brand focused on the challenges women, people of color, LGBTQIA, and other diverse populations face in the legal industry. Our name comes from none other than the Notorious Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the jabot (decorative collar) she wears when delivering dissents from the bench. It’s a reminder that even when we aren’t winning, we’re still a powerful force to be reckoned with.

Happy listening!

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headshotKathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, and host of The Jabot podcast. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).

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