Contact: Jacky Sabin, Diversity & Inclusion Specialist, 206.757.8426 or jackysabin@dwt.com
FEB. 20, 2020 – Recognizing that new strategies are needed as the legal industry continues to fall short of its goals for diversity and inclusion, Davis Wright Tremaine has launched an innovative program to draw more minority college students into the legal profession.
The Davis Wright Tremaine Pre-Law Diversity Fellowship will provide a select cohort of college sophomores and juniors in Washington state with significant support to allow them to explore a career in the legal field, particularly as an attorney. The fellowship is open to applicants of color and/or those from diverse or underrepresented backgrounds.
"Improving the racial/ethnic diversity of the bar is essential for our firm's success and for the continued success of our clients," said Pete Johnson, Davis Wright Tremaine's Seattle partner-in-charge. "We're determined to find new ways to bring underrepresented communities into the profession and excited to launch this pilot program as one key part of that effort."
Under the fellowship program, attorneys and staff at Davis Wright Tremaine will:
- Partner with Washington state schools to identify promising and diverse undergraduate students;
- Provide the selected fellows with exposure to law school admissions, keys to law school success, and diverse pathways in the legal profession;
- Fully fund an LSAT prep course for each fellow;
- Create a diverse cohort of DWT attorneys to provide long-term mentoring for fellows prior to and during law school;
- Encourage fellows to apply for the firm's 1L Diversity Summer Fellowship, which is available to first-year law students and has frequently led to employment at Davis Wright Tremaine.
The Pre-Law Diversity Fellowship is one of the winning proposals that emerged from Davis Wright Tremaine's recent "Imagine the Impact" competition, held at the firm's Seattle office last October, in which teams of lawyers and staff in Seattle were challenged to come up with high-value, social-impact ideas that would be funded by the firm. Four esteemed local judges presided over a pitch session and selected the winners.
Applications for the Davis Wright Tremaine Pre-Law Diversity Fellowship will be accepted March 1, 2020 through March 31, 2020.
Apply and learn more here: www.dwt.com/diversityfellowship
About Davis Wright Tremaine
Davis Wright Tremaine LLP is a national law firm with more than 550 lawyers representing clients based throughout the United States and around the world. For more information on the firm's diversity and inclusion efforts, visit diversity.dwt.com.