Spring Corporate Legal Diversity Pipeline Program: Another Season of Success

Street Law’s Corporate Legal Diversity Pipeline Program pairs corporate legal departments with students from local and diverse high schools from across the United States. Each semester, the program culminates with a field trip to corporate headquarters where students participate in workshops and career fair activities. In spring 2014, 55 corporate program sites hosted conferences for Pipeline students:

Highlights from our new corporate programs:

• AIG hosted 60 students from the Urban Assembly School of Business for Young Women at their headquarters in New York City. AIG coached students through simulations of a sexual harassment investigation, contract negotiation, and cyberbullying trial. The students also listened to presentations by the company’s general counsel and other senior lawyers, and participated in a workshop about elevator pitches and creating an individual brand. The presentations and workshops were hosted by the university relations team of the human resources department.  Students obtained a greater appreciation of the law and what it is like to be a lawyer, and the volunteers from AIG had a very rewarding experience and look forward to future conferences.
• Allstate and Thompson Coe held their capstone event at the firm’s Houston office with 50 students from John H. Reagan High School. The students practiced the skills they honed in the classroom during torts, contracts, and sexual harassment workshops. Lawyer volunteers came all the way from Dallas to participate; the students were engaged academically and seemed delighted with the day.
• GE Healthcare and Quarles & Brady LLP held an event at their Milwaukee office for 60 students from Carmen High School. The students participated in workshops pertaining to a legislative hearing, contract law, and employment discrimination law. Speaking on the importance of the Corporate Legal Diversity Pipeline Program, Jennifer Zerm, a senior counsel at GE Healthcare, said, “Promising young students often start to dream and plan for future careers early in life, and we want to be sure that they are exposed to the possibility of a legal career at this transformational age. Those who develop a passion for the law early often go on to become truly exceptional lawyers.”
• Harley Davidson and Foley & Lardner LLP teamed up with the Wisconsin Conservatory of Lifelong Learning. At Foley’s Milwaukee office, students took part in a labor and employment workshop and negotiated contracts together. The students were wild about their opportunity to don Harley Davidson leather jackets and get their pictures taken on Harley Davidson’s new motorcycle. Still, one student mentioned, “The best part of the conference was negotiating contracts.”
• Wawa hosted a dozen students from Chester High School who simulated contract negotiations and harassment investigations at Wawa University in Media, PA. Students reported enjoying the sessions, believing them to be simultaneously educational and fun. When asked what aspect of the program could be improved for next year, one student replied, “Harder cases, so that we can become better.”