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New Pre-Law Diversity Fellowship Building the Pipeline for Young Lawyers Our Pre-Law Diversity Fellowship was launched in 2020 by the firm’s Pro Bono and Social Impact (PB&SI) team in direct partnership with our Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I). The fellowship provides a select cohort of college sophomores and juniors in Washington State with financial support and valuable experiences to allow them to explore a career in the law. The fellowship is open to BIPOC applicants and those from diverse or underrepresented backgrounds. Five fellows were chosen to participate in 2020, and the firm is doubling the cohort size in 2021. The fellowship is one of the winning proposals that emerged from the 2019 “Imagine the Impact” competition, created by our Seattle partner-in-charge, Pete Johnson. Teams of lawyers and staff were challenged to create and propose high-value, social impact ideas that would be funded by the firm to benefit the community, a constituency, or a cause. Four esteemed local judges presided over a pitch session and selected two winning teams. This program is just one of the many ways our PB&SI and DE&I departments work together to effectuate meaningful change and mobilize resources for good.
