Nineteen
first-year University of Wisconsin and Marquette Law School students with
diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds – with some coming from as far
away as China, Puerto Rico and Jamaica – are being recognized by the State Bar
of Wisconsin for completing the organization’s 10-weeks paid Diversity
Clerkship Program. The program matches students with
private law firms, corporate legal departments, and governmental agencies to
give them practical legal experience.
The
students’ accomplishments will be celebrated at a reception on Thursday, July
18, 5:30-7:30 p.m., at the State Bar Center, 5302 Eastpark Blvd. in Madison. NOTE
TO MEDIA: There will be opportunity
to interview the employers and students about their clerkship experiences.
Diversity varies greatly among this year’s group of students: One
student hails from
the Menominee Indian Reservation; another served in the United States Air
Force. Students of color come from urban centers like Milwaukee, Chicago, and
Washington D.C., while others grew up in rural areas including Dubuque, Iowa -
where lawyers are sorely needed.
Supporting
diversity and inclusion efforts in Wisconsin’s legal community is a strategic priority
for the State Bar. A diverse and inclusive legal profession ensures access to
underserved populations and advances the principal of equal justice for all.
The
program, in its 27th year, has placed nearly 500 students into paid
internships since its inception in 1992.
Stafford Rosenbaum LLP, a Madison-based law firm with an office in Milwaukee, is also
being recognized by the State Bar of Wisconsin as a Champion of Diversity for its 20-year commitment to the program.
