Pipeline Into the Profession
Skadden is dedicated not only to promoting diversity within our own firm but also within the greater legal profession, beginning with the pipeline of students entering law school.
Our distinctive 1L Scholars Program is a paid internship that is funded by Skadden and provides students with the ultimate 1L summer associate experience comprised of law firm, corporate in-house and public interest exposure. The program is currently available in all of our U.S. offices.
Additionally, our New York, Washington, D.C. and Wilmington offices participate in the Sponsors for Educational Opportunity’s (SEO) Corporate Law Program that prepares high-achieving college graduates from underrepresented groups for legal careers. Our participation in SEO provides a pipeline of diverse talent into our summer and incoming associate classes throughout the firm.
Skadden, Arps Honors Program in Legal Studies at the City College of New York
In 2008, the firm established the Skadden, Arps Honors Program in Legal Studies at the City College of New York, which provides talented students from diverse backgrounds with law school preparatory coursework, mentoring, tuition assistance, intensive writing instruction and comprehensive LSAT preparation.
Skadden received Chambers USA’s Outstanding Contribution to Diversity in the Law Award in 2008 for establishing the program.
Skadden participates in several additional programs that help to expand the diversity of the pipeline into law schools and the legal profession, including:
- the Legal Outreach program in New York, which teaches youth from underserved urban communities to compete at high academic levels by using legal and educational programs to foster vision, develop skills, enhance confidence and facilitate the pursuit of higher education;
- the American Bar Association’s Judicial Intern Opportunity Program for second-year law students in Houston, an internship program with state and federal judges for diverse and economically disadvantaged law students;
- the Boston Lawyers Group, a program that prepares diverse law school students for recruitment, advancement and retention in the greater Boston legal community; and
- Howard High School of Technology’s Legal Administrative Assistant Career Program, which places selected junior and/or senior high school students interested in the legal profession in administrative positions in the firm’s Wilmington office.