The percentage of women of color lawyers in law firms continues to be a significant area of concern for our profession. The numbers for Black and Latina women lawyers are especially stark, comprising less than 5% of law firm associates and less than 2% of law firm partners. The Diverse Attorney Pipeline Program (DAPP) is working to change that. By expanding opportunities for women of color law students to obtain summer positions at law firms and corporations, DAPP works to infuse the legal pipeline with talented, highly qualified women of color.
DAPP’s most recent project comes in the form of a job fair and career readiness program for 1L women of color law students – DAPP Direct. DAPP Direct is the first national job fair run entirely by women of color in-house counsel and provides women of color law students an opportunity to interview for confirmed placements with legal employers across the US. It allows legal organizations to access a wide range of diverse law students from across the country in one location. A win for law students, employers, and the profession.
Here’s how it works.
DAPP will pair each interested employer with a woman of color in-house counsel. She will then consult with her assigned employer to learn the ins and outs of the organization’s culture and business model as well as their needs and desires in a summer associate, intern, or law clerk. From here, the in-house counsel will attend the DAPP Direct Job Fair on behalf of her assigned employer to interview and select students who would be best fit for the employer.
DAPP Direct’s rigorous application process and professional development workshops and webinars in advance of the job fair insures these young women are the most qualified candidates through an interview process prior to attending the job fair set for March 1-2, 2018 in Chicago.
Currently, 1L female law students can submit an application for a chance to attend the job fair in March.
To be considered, applicants must complete the above application and submit a copy of her resume, official and unofficial undergraduate transcripts, (graduate transcripts if applicable), unofficial law school transcript, and a statement of interest as defined in the application.
Applications must be completed and emailed to admin@dappprogram.com by January 12, 2018 at 11:59pm CST with “DAPP Direct Application” in the subject line.
It’s no secret. The legal profession is not diverse. To make a change that will increase minority representation and retention in the law, more men and women of color need to be able to access the legal profession. Programs like the upcoming DAPP Direct Job Fair can and will change the face of the legal profession.