FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Torrence Phillips, NBA-CLS Chair
trp@lgplaw.com
The NBA-CLS Black Lawyers Matter Internship Program: Summer 2023
Applications are now being accepted for the NBA-CLS BLM Internship Program creating quality job opportunities and a more inclusive legal profession.
Application date extended until January 31, 2023
November 29, 2022 —The National Bar Association Commercial Law Section (NBA-CLS) announces the fourth installment of its Black Lawyers Matter (BLM) Internship Program, designed to positively impact diversity in the legal profession. The program provides guidance and creates new opportunities for Black law students facing the challenge of securing quality employment.
According to the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) 2021 Diversity Report, racial minorities remain underrepresented in the leadership of legal services organizations. People of color made up about 28% of associates but accounted for less than 9% of equity partners. Black attorneys surpassed 2.2% of partners for the first time since NALP began collecting data, but the representation of Black lawyers in law firms still trails that of Asian and Latinx lawyers, and those gaps have widened over time. In addition, women made up just 25.92% of all partners in 2021, and Black women and Latinx women each continued to represent less than 1% of all partners in U.S. law firms.
The BLM Internship Program aims to change those statistics by creating opportunities for underrepresented and aspiring attorneys. During the internship, interns will gain practical experience in a legal environment, legal training, mentoring, and enhanced employment opportunities.
The NBA CLS will partner with the National Bar Institute in the administration of the BLM Program. The BLM Program will provide opportunities for law students to interview with corporate legal departments or law firms in a range of practice areas, including, but not limited to Commercial, Corporate, Intellectual Property, Litigation, Employment, Regulatory, Compliance, and Governance.
If you are a law student interested in the BLM Program, please submit your resume and cover letter to info@nbacls.com or apply here no later than Friday, December 23, 2022 at 11:59PM EST. Submitting your resume is not a guarantee of an interview or future employment. Applicants are also encouraged to join the “Resume, Interviewing, and Interning Best Practices” session scheduled for December 14, 2022. Additional details will follow.
About NBA-CLS
The NBA-CLS is to bring outside counsel members together with in-house counsel who seek to increase diversity and provide networking and education forums for NBA-CLS members. The NBA-CLS is also committed to serving the community and expanding the pipeline of African Americans entering the legal profession. For more information visit www.nbacls.com.
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