Diversity in our profession can’t change unless we increase the diversity in our talent pipeline. To that end, we are proud to sponsor the following scholarships and programs aimed at increasing diversity in our firm and the legal profession.
George V. Powell Diversity Scholarship
The George V. Powell Diversity Scholar is a Summer Associate in our Seattle or Portland office, who receives a $7,500 scholarship toward tuition and expenses during the student’s third year of law school. Established in 2005, the scholarship seeks candidates who will contribute meaningfully to the diversity of the legal community and who have a demonstrated desire to work, live, and eventually practice law in Seattle or Portland. The candidates’ academic achievements and record of leadership abilities, community service, and involvement in community issues are taken into consideration during the selection process. We are proud that many of our George V. Powell scholars joined the firm after law school and have continued on to be partners.
We are honored to have our George V. Powell scholars, such as Angélica González, with us. Angélica was profiled by the
King County Bar Association celebrating her dedication to law school and incredible story of overcoming challenging odds and raising five children while going to school full time. Angélica, named a Law Student of the Year by
The National Jurist, graduated from Seattle University School of Law in 2019 before joining Lane Powell.
Ron Beard Scholarship
In addition to the George V. Powell Diversity Scholarship, we have partnered with the University of Washington School of Law to create an endowed scholarship in the name of our late partner, Ron Beard. Ron was a beloved colleague, excellent lawyer, and an acknowledged leader in the minority community. The Beard Scholarship is presented to a law student of color each year, providing financial assistance and mentoring to encourage success in law school and the profession.
“Given Ron’s love of the University of Washington, the scholarship allowed us to honor him and at the same time support a wonderful institution. Ron worked as a crab fisher in the Bering Sea for seven years to put himself through college and law school. We know that it would have been deeply meaningful to Ron that this scholarship fund will help other promising young students of color pursue a career in law without having to put off their studies to work.”
– Barbara J. Duffy, President of Lane Powell
Gregoire Fellows Program
We are proud to be a founding sponsor of the Gregoire Fellows Program, established in 2015. Named for former Governor Christine Gregoire, the program attracts diverse, talented students to attend law school at the University of Washington or Seattle University and enhance diversity in the legal community. The program provides wrap-around support through financial aid, mentoring, networking opportunities, and a 1L summer internship split between law firm, corporate, and public service sponsors in the Seattle area. We host Fellows each year in our Seattle office, and we have renewed our commitment to the program for 2022.
Multnomah County Bar Fellows Program
We proudly support the Multnomah Bar Fellows Program, which provides financial support, mentoring, and summer internship opportunities in Portland to diverse law students attending Lewis & Clark Law School and the University of Oregon School of Law with the goal of fostering a new generation of excellent lawyers who will enhance the diversity of Multnomah County’s legal community. We have sponsored this program since 2018 by hosting Fellows each summer in our Portland office. We will continue to sponsor this program in 2022.
NW Minority Job Fair
Our commitment to supporting opportunities for underrepresented individuals dates back decades, including our founding co-sponsorship of the Northwest Minority Job Fair in 1987. The purpose of the job fair is to provide a forum for minority law students and attorneys to interview with a variety of legal employers.
Leadership Council for Legal Diversity
Through our active involvement, we help support LCLD’s mission to increase diversity in the legal profession, to eliminate impediments, and provide diverse attorneys and women with a full and fair opportunity to perform, to succeed, and to lead. As a result, we have been recognized by LCLD as a “Top Performer,” identifying the firm as being one of LCLD's most active members who supports its mission in many ways.
Mansfield Rule
We are proud to have been awarded Diversity Lab’s Mansfield Rule 4.0 and 5.0 Certification Plus. The program requires that we affirmatively consider at least 30% attorneys of color, LGBTQ+ lawyers, women lawyers, and lawyers with disabilities for leadership roles, partner promotions, client pitch opportunities, and senior lateral positions. The “Mansfield Plus” certification designation demonstrates that we also ensured 30% of the lawyers staffed on matters resulting from formal pitch meetings were from historically underrepresented groups, in addition to the requirement these lawyers make up 30% of firm leadership roles.
Bloomberg Law Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Framework
We are proud to have been included as a member in the Bloomberg Law Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Framework for the past three years running. Since its inception in 2021, the Framework recognizes firms for their diversity efforts and distinguished performance against six core pillars: demographics, leadership and talent pipeline, recruitment and retention, business innovation and strategy, marketing, and diversity and inclusion in the community.