Legal Diversity Pipeline Update (Spring 2018)

This piece originally appeared in the Spring 2018 Bulletin of the National Association for Law Placement (NALP).

Bright eyes. Curious smiles. Backs straight. A group of teenagers enter a large conference room and take their seats. Each one wonders how the day will unfold. A familiar face enters the room, and the smiles grow larger. Greetings and handshakes soon follow.

This is how many Legal Careers Conferences begin. These conferences are the culminating events of the Legal Diversity Pipeline Program, a collaborative program from Street Law, Inc. and NALP. In the weeks leading up to the conferences, over 1,500 volunteer legal professionals from law firms, companies, and law schools across the nation visit these bright-eyed and curious students at their schools and teach law-related lessons selected in conjunction with partner teachers. Many legal professionals, who do not practice law, also participate in the events.

While approximately 30% of the U.S. population is comprised of people of color, the legal profession does not come close to reflecting this. Street Law and NALP believe that diversity pipeline programming is one important tool in changing this reality.

The Legal Diversity Pipeline Program focuses on culturally-diverse high schools where the majority of the students will be the first in their families to attend college or pursue some other type of post-secondary education. Although some students have expressed interest in the legal profession, this is not required. Many participating students do not have anyone in their immediate social or academic circle who works in the legal profession.

Street Law develops engaging and relevant classroom lessons on a variety of topics from contracts to employment discrimination to the First Amendment. The lessons and corresponding Legal Careers Conference workshops contain legal simulations that expose students to the types of skills lawyers use regularly—problem-solving, critical thinking, public speaking and more. Students are coached and guided by the trained volunteers. As they move through the lessons, the students take on more responsibility. Before they know it, they have become “lawyers for a day.”

Each conference includes a career activity that shows students pathways to legal careers. This may be a career fair, a networking session, or small-group discussions with legal professionals from law firms and corporate legal departments. During the business card exchange at her program’s firm, a student remarked, “In the beginning I thought it would be hard to speak to just one person, but I met so many interesting people that I couldn’t stop talking.”

On average, 75% of students surveyed say they are more interested in legal careers than they were before participation in the pipeline program. After a recent conference, one student shared: “Careers are not the same as what you see on television.” Another learned that, “You don’t have to pursue a law major in college to get into law school.”

One legal volunteer who participated in the conference said, “I love welcoming the students each year. I wish there had been more opportunities like this when I was in high school. I was lucky to start working in this profession after school. It’s so important that students know how they can make an impact. There are so many great jobs at a law firm.”

Significant numbers of students are pleasantly surprised by how much they learn and enjoy using legal skills and visiting legal professionals where they work. Some realize that the careers they want to pursue have legal components and that studying law may help them advance their careers—whether they are in science, entertainment, technology, or a whole host of other fulfilling and exciting careers. “At a law firm, you can be many other things than just a lawyer,” is how one student described it.

During one recent conference, students asked their teacher to incorporate more moot courts into her lessons. Now that they have tasted the experience of analyzing case law and making oral arguments before student justices, they are excited to try more. Participating partner teachers have access to additional optional materials to continue these types of legal simulations and more in their own classrooms.

One thing that sets the Legal Diversity Pipeline Program apart is the ability of volunteers to encourage and empower the students they meet. Many students feel that they “know their rights” more after they participate. One student’s sentiments are especially powerful: “I learned that I am capable of becoming an immigration attorney no matter the circumstances I’ve been in.”

One student especially appreciated the “college and education advice as well as insights on legal careers.” Another was impressed by her visit to a law firm. “This place is a family and everyone works as one to come to a common goal.”

For more information on the Legal Diversity Pipeline Program, please contact Joy Dingle.