Diversity Pipeline
At Locke Lord, we are all too aware that the number of diverse students entering and remaining in the legal profession is insufficient to appropriately advance the profession. To that end, we are involved in a number of initiatives designed to support diverse students interested in pursuing a legal career. We have established the Rod Sands Diversity Scholarship at the University of Texas School of Law to provide financial aid to minority and economically disadvantaged students in memory of our friend and partner, Rod Sands.
In March 2010, Locke Lord partnered with the Vanguard Leadership Group, an Atlanta-based leadership development academy and honor society for top students at historically black colleges and universities, to host 12 students in our Washington, D.C. office for an afternoon of dialogue and discussion. In September 2009, our Chicago office hosted 65 students as part of the Middle School Law Camp sponsored by the Just the Beginning Foundation, a non-profit organization that aims to increase diversity in the legal profession. The visit featured an interactive panel discussion with five Locke Lord partners.
In the community, Locke Lord’s Dallas office has sponsored Medrano Elementary School, a diverse and multicultural community school, for the last 10 years. Every Thursday at lunchtime, firm lawyers meet with students at the school to tutor them in a variety of subjects. The firm’s efforts were highlighted on WFAA-TV in Dallas/Fort Worth in January 2010. In addition, our Houston office sponsors the first grade classes at Hilliard Elementary School and hosts an annual holiday party in our downtown offices. Our Austin office has partnered with Sanchez Elementary School since 2004 and hosts similar holiday events for the students.
Additional organizations with which we work to diversify the pipeline include the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois, its sister organization, the Hispanic Lawyers Scholarship Fund, and the Houston Bar Association’s Subcommittee on Minority Opportunities Program. We also participate in local high school pipeline initiatives through which we employ diverse students in our Chicago and Houston offices for the entire academic year. Our Dallas office participates in the Summer Law Intern Program (SLIP) through the Dallas Bar Association.