May 22, 2018 — Participants in Barclay Damon's pioneering Diversity 1L Summer Associate Program will start their internships in the Syracuse, Buffalo, and"”for the first time"”Albany offices after Memorial Day, with students coming from the Syracuse University College of Law, University at Buffalo Law School, and now Albany Law School.
"Students are very excited to receive their offers and participate," hiring partner David G. Burch said. "They get real world experience in a fast-paced law firm environment working on active client matters; they participate in meaningful training and other summer programming as part of an eight-person summer associate class managed firm-wide; and they are compensated at the salary level of our incoming first year associates. It is a powerful experience for a talented individual after just one year of law school."
Founded in 2012, the program was largely inspired by the Rochester office's previous six years of involvement with the Monroe County Bar Association's Diversity Clerkship Program. Barclay Damon's Diversity 1L Summer Associate Program offers a paid summer associate position to a first-year law student from a historically underrepresented group within the legal profession.
The initiative presents the unique opportunity for law students to gain professional experience typically not offered by firms until their second year of study. Over the course of their internship, students work with different attorneys across the firm's multitude of practice areas to not only acquire an immersive sense of the firm's services, culture, and business operations, but to gain substantial insight into legal areas where they can see themselves thriving. The program also allows future lawyers to establish an initial relationship with a potential employer and to make beneficial contacts in the local legal community and in other communities across the firm's platform.
"We are delighted to grow this one-of-a-kind initiative that supports our earnest commitment to diversity and inclusion," diversity partner Sheila A. Gaddis said. "By developing a work culture that emphasizes acceptance, respect, and valuing our differences, we create an environment allowing people to feel truly supported and excel."
The program has led to several permanent hires, including most recently associate Forrest T. Young, who received his job offer as a result of his prior participation as a first- and second-year summer associate at Barclay Damon.
John P. Langan, Barclay Damon's managing partner, said, "We are proud of this statewide initiative that positions us as a model for other firms to emulate as they think critically about implementing lasting changes to develop a more diverse and inclusive workforce and culture. It also provides our firm the opportunity to meet and help train the next generation of outstanding attorneys."
A leading Northeast firm made up of 275 attorneys, Barclay Damon LLP is the largest law firm based in Upstate New York. As a full-service law firm with experience in virtually every legal area clients may require, our attorneys team across practices to provide customized, targeted solutions informed by deep industry understanding. Barclay Damon has offices with 30 to 105 attorneys in Albany, Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse. The firm also has growing offices in Boston, New Jersey, New York City, New York State's Southern Tier, Toronto, and Washington DC. For more information, visit barclaydamon.com.