Background and Mission
The American Bar Association Business Law Section is committed to encouraging diversity in the Section by fostering a welcoming environment for all lawyers and promoting full and equal participation by all lawyers, including lawyers of color, women lawyers, gay and lesbian lawyers, and lawyers with disabilities ("Diverse Lawyers").
To further this mission, the Business Law Section sponsors the Diversity Clerkship Program. This summer program provides business law clerkship placements for four qualified diverse second year law students. Participating clerks will receive support and mentoring in the business law field and exposure to business practices that many of them lack.
The Business Law Section Diversity Clerkship Program focus is on judicial clerkships, where diversity among judicial clerks remains disproportionately low. For law students, serving as a judicial law clerk is a mark of distinction and honor that will advance their future career opportunities in law practice, and academia, in government as high-level appointees, and in securing appointments to the bench. Clerkships in business law courts provide another unique and highly important benefit to law students: the ability to see a microcosm of business practice, and allow the student to become familiar with business issues. Such a background will prove invaluable to a career in business law, whether it be litigation or transactional work.