Miller & Chevalier’s recent efforts to enhance diversity include:
- The Miller & Chevalier Diversity Fellowship is a paid school-year internship for minority students selected from the Washington, D.C. law schools. The firm believes that this school-year program is unique among Washington law firms. The first Fellow, a second-year student at The George Washington University Law School, worked at the firm in the fall of 2006. He received an offer to join the firm's 2007 summer associate program.
- The firm has sponsored a six-week "Introduction to Legal Reasoning" course for rising first-year law students for more than four years. Approximately 40 lawyers and summer associates volunteered their evenings to teach principles of law to students from traditionally disadvantaged backgrounds. In addition to the course itself, the firm has invited back former students for a session on successful “job hunting” techniques, including best practices for resumes, cover letters, and interviews. One recent “graduate” of the course stated:
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“As an alumna of the course before law school, participation in the summer legal reasoning class is one of the most rewarding experiences I've had at Miller & Chevalier. It's important to me that I help new law students look at the myths and challenges of the law as they prepare for the challenges ahead, and it's just as important that I stay in touch with the energy and idealism that sometimes gets lost in the day-to-day life of a practicing attorney. I'm proud that Miller & Chevalier continues to successfully fight for the limited opportunities to host this program.”
Josephine Harriott
Former Legal Reasoning Student
Miller & Chevalier Associate |
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- The firm’s lawyers and staff tutored high school students from the Thurgood Marshall Academy Charter Public High School in Washington, D.C. Through the school’s Adopt-A-School program, 11 students from the school visited the firm each Tuesday evening. More than 40 lawyers and staff volunteered to tutor the students on subjects such as science, social science, and algebra.
- A recent firm lawyer retreat focused on “Bridging Understandings” within the firm and between the firm and its clients. The keynote speaker, Dr. Arin Reeves of The Athens Group, described how generational differences affect communications and perspectives in the workplace. Afterwards, a panel of corporate counsel discussed how their companies cherish and promote diversity among their workforces and service providers.
- To bolster the networking opportunities for its minority lawyers, the firm became a charter sponsor of the D.C. Minority Networking Series, a city-wide program among legal employers. In addition, the firm’s lawyers regularly attend conferences and roundtable discussions sponsored by the Minority Corporate Counsel Association.
- The firm supports the creation of affinity groups of diverse lawyers. For example, women lawyers at the firm have created an informal group that has regular discussions concerning issues relevant to women professionals. This group -- known as the M&C Women Lawyers Group -- often breaks into smaller groups for lunches intended to foster mentoring relationships for women within the firm. Each small group consists of several lawyers of different seniority levels and practices areas within the firm.
For more information about the firm’s activities, diversity program, or commitment to diversity, please contact Andrew Wise, Chair of the Diversity Committee, or Allyson Sparks, Director of Recruiting and Professional Development., |