In 2000, a group of lawyers from Philadelphia area law firms and corporations began brainstorming about ways to improve the diversity of the Philadelphia bar. The result, in 2001, was the creation of the Philadelphia Diversity Law Group (the PDLG), a nonprofit corporation consisting of area law firms and law departments. Since its inception, the PDLG has created programs focusing on attracting and retaining diverse lawyers at its member organizations.
According to PDLG Chairman Nolan Atkinson, a Duane Morris LLP partner, "A critical component of any PDLG program is to interest diverse law students in practicing law in Philadelphia—targeting both Philadelphia area natives attending law school here as well as Philadelphia law school students originally from out of town. For that to happen, these new lawyers have to believe in the interest of the Philadelphia legal community in having them, to understand the sophistication of the practice, and to feel connected to a network of supportive lawyers and students."
In 2003, after working with law school career counselors, law firm recruiting directors, lawyers in charge of hiring, as well as consulting with young lawyers and law students, and with lawyers involved in a similar program sponsored by the Bar of the City of New York, the PDLG rolled out its Summer 1L program (the program) to help talented diverse law students obtain jobs with PDLG member organizations during their first law school summer (1L).
How It Works
The students sought by the PDLG are those who have overcome substantial obstacles in pursuing a legal career, come from disadvantaged backgrounds or from backgrounds that are underrepresented in the Philadelphia legal community, and who have the ability to succeed in summer programs at member organizations. Students at eight law schools—University of Pennsylvania, Villanova University School of Law, Temple University School of Law, Rutgers-Camden School of Law, Rutgers-Newark School of Law, Penn State Dickinson School of Law, Widener School of Law, and Howard University School of Law—are eligible to apply. Over the past four years, there have been more than 70 students in the program—23 this year alone.
In 2006, the participating employers are ACE USA; AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP; Buchanan Ingersoll PC; Cozen O'Connor; Dechert LLP; DLA Piper Rudnick, Gray Cary US LLP; Drinker Biddle & Reath, LLP; Duane Morris LLP; Fox Rothschild LLP; GlaxoSmithKline; IKON Office Solutions; Montgomery, McCracken, Walker & Rhoads, LLP; Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, LLP; Pepper Hamilton LLP; Reed Smith LLP; Saul Ewing, LLP; Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP; Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP; Sunoco, Inc.; Temple University; and Wolf, Block, Schorr & Solis-Cohen LLP.
The application process is rigorous. It involves selection committees at most participating law schools, initial interviews with PDLG representatives and, eventually, interviews with potential employers. Participating PDLG members agree to hire at least one first-year law student from the three they interview. The assignment to law firms or corporations is completely random—neither the employer nor the student has a choice.
1L students hired through the PDLG are treated like other summer associates in terms of assignments, evaluations, training, mentoring, and future employment opportunities. Those in law departments often are the only summer law students—and none of the law departments hires 2Ls or directly out of law school—so each student is adopted by a law firm and participates in that firm's summer program. This treatment gives the students insight into law firm summer programs and the chance to meet those who will make hiring decisions for the 2L summer and after law school.
While students are often concerned that working in-house (rather than at law firms) may prove less challenging, once work starts, they discover, says Jessica Suh of Villanova who was at SUNOCO during the summer break, that they are "learning about the legal profession through hands-on experience and daily interactions with experienced attorneys." Leslie Carter, a Penn student who was working at IKON during the summer break, says, "PDLG has given me the chance to know what it is like to work in-house, an opportunity usually reserved only for experienced attorneys. The program has truly opened doors that would otherwise have been closed to me."
And Diana Mark, a Villanova student at AstraZeneca during the summer break, agrees that in an in-house position, she is able to get hands-on experience in various practice areas.
One other element of the PDLG program is a series of seminars-including one before work starts—aimed at increasing the students' understanding of life in the practice of law. The seminars cover what is expected of them as summer associates, how to network or choose mentors, interviewing skills, and legal writing in the real world.
Eugenia Oh, a Temple student who was working at ACE USA during the summer break, notes that, "PDLG not only provided me with a great summer job after my first year of law school, but it is also equipping me with all the tools—the 'intangibles'—that I'll need to survive and hopefully excel this summer. The program is truly invested in my success."
How It Helps
Because even law firm employers have few or no 1L summer associates, these are jobs that students would not have without the PDLG program.
Laura Navarro, a Villanova student in the program during the summer break, confirms, "The greatest thing about this program is that it has given me an opportunity that I most definitely would not have had otherwise. I can say with certainty that I would not have been at Schnader this summer but for the PDLG program."
Craig Smith and Carolyn Feeney, co-chairs of hiring at Dechert LLP in Philadelphia, which has been part of the program from the beginning, confirm that although Dechert does hire 1Ls, without the PDLG, the firm might not have met the students it hired later through the program—and that the firm has been delighted with them.
Many of these students were not raised around lawyers, and many are unsure about their ability to succeed. Having the opportunity to work in a law firm or law department their first summer is a great confidence booster. Deone Powell, a Temple Law student who worked at Fox Rothschild through the program last summer, says, "Participating in the PDLG as a 1L gave me the invaluable opportunity to develop a sense of 'professional worth.' Through the PDLG, I gained confidence, independence, and professional survival skills."
Jennifer Pao of Temple also agrees that her summer at Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP and "all the PDLG tips on how to handle my summer job" gave her more confidence both last year and this than her friends who are summer associates for the first time this year.
The program also helps students begin to develop their own networks in the Philadelphia legal community. Those contacts and their experiences in Philadelphia helped several of the PDLG students decide to return to Philadelphia when they received offers here and from firms in other cities where they have spent part of their 2L summers.
Amy Fernandez, a Penn State Dickinson law graduate, worked in-house her 1L summer, and at Cozen O'Connor her 2L summer. Fernandez, who is now starting as an associate at Wolf Block, explains: "Before I applied to law school, one of my mentors said that it would be a serious challenge for me to succeed in Philadelphia because of my lack of connections. PDLG became my connection. The program gave me the opportunity to develop relationships."
Monica Sethi of Widener, who is at ACE USA this summer, says that meeting other diverse law students with similar goals was another important aspect of the program.
Having worked at a firm their 1L summer really opens doors for the students' 2L summers. Azubike Anyaoku, a Rutgers-Newark student who was at Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP last summer and will be at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius this year, comments, "The opportunities provided in the fall when I returned to school simply because I had experience at a respected law firm were infinite. I was confident on interviews because I knew I had done the work and knew I could do it again. I was more aware of law firm culture and I saw how what I was learning in school could be put into perspective regarding providing solutions for clients. All this translated into offers from firms I previously thought would never give me a second look."
Jennifer Pao has a slightly different take on how her 1L summer made a difference, and credits it not just with opening doors but also with giving her the flexibility to do something different this summer: "Unlike most of my peers who felt obligated to work at the 'big firm' their 2L summer, I decided to try something different. I don't believe I would have worked at the DOJ this summer if I hadn't participated in the PDLG program."
There is a ripple effect that multiplies the impact of the PDLG program beyond the students working at a particular firm their 1L summer. For example, Wolf Block has three starting associates whom the lawyers met through the PDLG program—only one of whom was a 1L at the firm.
Eileen McMahon, director of legal personnel and recruitment at Wolf Block, attributes the success of the students to the good job PDLG has done in selecting its applicants and the time it spends training them to be good lawyers. She also notes that PDLG has given the students opportunities to get to know each other and become friends: "As you know, friends can rely on friends—they talk to each other about their experience the first summer and use this information to make their interviewing decisions for the future." This information exchange has led students not in the program to choose firms based on information they got from friends who were in the program.
Harrison Lee, a Villanova student at Saul Ewing LLP this summer, sums it up: "PDLG has given me an opportunity that very few of my classmates can experience after their first year in law school. By giving me the opportunity to work at a law firm and by providing training on how to succeed as a future lawyer, PDLG has provided me a foundation to build on as I begin my legal career."
Lois Kimbol is a retired partner at Dechert LLP and has been co-chair of the PDLG Summer 1L program since its inception. Detailed information about the program and the PDLG can be found at www.philadiversitylaw.org.
From the September/October 2006 issue of Diversity & The Bar®