The Summer Associate Diversity Program as a Change Agent in Law Firms

Marc Perry from Post & Schell. Courtesy photo

Summer associate programs have long been a key factor in not only finding and developing future talent for law firms, but also developing attorneys who represent the future of the profession.

However, these programs have often overlooked the ability to accomplish two equally important goals: developing diverse attorneys and increasing the general diversity of the legal profession. Law firms should view their summer associate programs as an important element in creating a sustainable, diverse profession that better reflects our clients and the population at large. This creates a solid foundation for developing the corporate culture and understanding the broader business and legal environment in which we operate.

However, taking advantage of a summer associate program isn’t as straightforward as flipping a switch when more diversity is considered as part of the program. Successful programs with significant effort require companies to step out of their comfort zones and hire summer interns with non-traditional backgrounds from sources they may not have considered in the past.

Diversity Imperative law firm

The legal profession, particularly law firms, are challenged to seek greater diversity. Much has been written about how competitive the recruiting environment is for various lawyers, with large companies having some advantage, as well as significant competition from nonprofit and government career opportunities. But the problem is one that companies have to face directly. According to the National Association for Law Placement, 71% of law firm equity partners are white men, 21% of equity partners are women, and 8% of equity lawyers are color lawyers – statistics that lag many other industries don’t reflect the country’s demographics . For decades, the standard corporate culture has favored white male lawyers who have been recruited and hired from well-known sources to develop legal talent and grow their law firms. However, it is imperative for companies to respond to calls for diversity and inclusion in the job. Aside from the benefits for the law firm of leveraging different perspectives and experiences that are essential to understanding the larger legal and business environment, clients have increasingly adopted diversity initiatives that encourage law firms and vendor firms to demonstrate their commitment to the Explain the hiring and retention of various lawyers. It’s not uncommon for diversity and inclusion to be part of customers’ RFPs / RFIs, and some have surveys that companies are required to complete on diversity and inclusion only – and some ask straightforward questions about how companies address the needs.

Companies that have answered this call for clarification from customers have a competitive advantage in maintaining and expanding their customer relationships. However, concrete steps to answer the call elude many companies where a change in culture and thinking, which may have existed for decades, proves challenging.

Establishing a foundation for diversity

While there are a variety of programs and approaches companies can use to address the diversity challenge, Summer Associate Programs are unique in that they provide the opportunity to find and develop diverse legal talent and contribute to the culture and change a company’s approach to diversity. They also help companies develop a broader sense of community that welcomes women, ethnic and racial minorities, and LGBTQIA + attorneys, and value their unique perspectives and experiences.

In concept, many companies would take the opportunity they have in their summer associate programs but wonder how to get started. Most states and cities have professional groups and associations for various lawyers. For example:

  • The Philadelphia Diversity Law Group (PDLG), a consortium of law firms and legal departments in the Philadelphia area, offers a variety of first-year law students the opportunity to do first-summer legal internships with law firms and corporations. As part of this program, a law firm hires at least one different law student annually from candidates identified by the PDLG. Candidates are any freshman law student who has overcome barriers to pursuing a legal career, or comes from disadvantaged backgrounds, or from backgrounds or groups that are underrepresented in the Philadelphia legal community.
  • The Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) is an organization of more than 350 chief legal officers and executive partners of law firms dedicated to the diversity of the legal profession. LCLD offers a 1L scholarship program that offers summer internships for various first-year law students.
  • The Greater Philadelphia Area Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) also offers a summer internship program for various freshmen. The program focuses on increasing diversity within the legal departments of companies in the greater Philadelphia area.
  • The Montgomery County Bar Association’s Robert E. Slota Jr. Summer 1L Diversity Program offers a variety of students summer internships with law firms in Montgomery County.

The above organizations and others provide valuable resources to help companies identify various law student candidates for their summer programs.

Engagement and involvement in various bar associations also help develop young legal talent and enable companies to expand their network beyond their traditional associations. The Barristers’ Association of Philadelphia, Inc., the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Pennsylvania, and the Philadelphia LGBTQ Bar Association are just three examples of organizations of significant value to all attorneys involved.

All are valuable partners for law firms working to improve diversity and inclusion at the corporate level and in the wider profession.

The summers of today, the employees of tomorrow (and maybe also the partners)

Perhaps the most valuable reason for companies to consider diversity in their summer associate programs is to create a real pipeline of diverse legal talent. For example, our first varied 1-liter summer internship class is returning at Post & Schell in 2020 for 20-liter summer internships in 2021. Since we are exposed to a wide variety of lawyers and practices, our goal is to have a pipeline of diverse associate candidates who will join growing practices, get acquainted with our clients, and most importantly, feel about the company welcomed and supported.

The diverse Summer Associate Program offers law students the opportunity to begin their careers at companies and organizations they would normally not have access to and into a profession that has historically struggled to promote diversity and inclusion. Perhaps more importantly, they serve as catalysts to change the culture of law firms and encourage law firms to look beyond their traditional sources of legal talent.

To make your summer associate program a catalyst for change, make sure your company’s diversity goals are known to summer employees. When they see you make diversity and inclusion a priority, they become part of change – and the future of the company.

The diversity challenge for law firms is real, but so is the need to overcome it. Adopting new approaches to hiring and professional development, and expanding beyond what we’ve always done, is the cornerstone of facing the challenge and creating a diverse, sustainable, and rewarding profession.

Marc H. Perry is a member of the Philadelphia Diversity Law Group (PDLG), principal and co-chair of the Post & Schell Hospitality and Retail Practice Group, member of the firm’s board of directors and chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee. You can reach him at [email protected]

Comments are closed.