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COMMITTEE SPOTLIGHT Minority Opportunities in the Legal ProfessionCommittee By Michelle Cash The Houston Bar Association established the Minority Opportunities in the Legal Profession Committee (MOLP) in the 1990-1991 bar year under the leadership of HBA President Pearson Grimes. The MOLP Committee’s original goal, which remains true today, was to encourage and promote equal opportunities for, as well as active participation and involvement by, minority lawyers in the legal profession and in the HBA. The MOLP Committee’s flagship program is its summer clerkship program for first year law students. Under this program, first-year law students have the opportunity to participate in summer clerkships offered by law firms and corporate law departments. Typically, it is difficult for first-year law students to obtain summer clerkships and gain valued experience, and the summer clerkship program sponsored by the MOLP Committee provides opportunities for law students to spend time in a law firm or corporate legal department. The MOLP Committee administers the program by taking applications and resumes from interested law students, conducting screening interviews, and then submitting the candidates to employers that have agreed to participate in the program. The ultimate selection of a candidate is at the discretion of the employer. In the past few years, over 30 employers have participated in the interview process, placing as many as 28 first-year law students in summer clerkships. Many of those students have gone on to become full-time lawyers with the companies or law firms that first met them during the MOLP clerkship. The MOLP Committee also has taken steps to increase the likelihood of those summer clerkships evolving into full-time employment. The Committee has sponsored programs for law students at each of the three local law schools. The Committee assembles a panel of speakers from law firms, corporate law departments, and other areas of the legal profession to discuss a variety of topics of interest to law students. Some of the topics have included: “Real Advice from Real Attorneys: Success in Law School and Beyond,” an Etiquette Seminar on “How to Survive the Summer Clerkship,” and other related topics. In addition, the Committee has provided a “A Successful Summer Clerkship,” program for all participants in the clerkship program as well as all individuals who applied for clerkships. The first half of the day-long seminar, presented by a noted writing consultant, focuses on strengthening writing skills, which are such a critical component of a successful summer clerkship. The second half of the program provides the students with some “do’s and don’ts” of summer clerkships, delivered by lawyers who have been through the process. For the past ten years, the Committee also has sponsored a luncheon during the summer, in which it strives to present topics of interest to summer associates. Last summer, the Committee hosted a panel discussion on “Our Journey: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow and Your Uninhibited Potential.” This summer, the program will be on June 4, 2009 and a topic will be announced soon. Based on personal experience, this author would encourage law firms and corporate law departments to consider participating in the summer clerkship program or otherwise supporting the MOLP. Michelle Cash is a Deputy General Counsel with ABM Industries Incorporated. She is a member of the editorial board of The Houston Lawyer and a former editor in chief. |
