The City Bar Nurtures a New Generation of Lawyers

Future lawyers representing a new generation convened at the New York City Bar Association’s Tenth Annual LSAT Prep/Law School Conference on January 3. Organized by the City Bar’s Office for Diversity & Inclusion and the Diversity Pipeline Initiatives Committee, the full-day conference ranged from the practical – LSAT prep classes and panel discussions – to more personal face-to-face networking with admissions representatives from over 70 law schools, LSAT prep companies, and pipeline organizations

With almost 300 aspiring lawyers in attendance, many attendees expressed a variety of reasons for wanting to attend law school, but the refrain of the day included a passion for and commitment to justice.

Asmaa Hamdan, a rising junior at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, expressed an interest in becoming a prosecutor, to help crime victims, but also to be in a position to help defendants who may be victims of the system themselves. Asmaa is an alumnus of the City Bar’s Thurgood Marshall Summer Law Internship Program.

Kathleen Quinn, a junior and member of the law society at the University of Connecticut, was inspired to pursue a legal career by hearing guest speakers describe their experiences as lawyers.

Since he was twelve years old, Welinton S. Vargas has known that he wanted to practice law, after having the opportunity to witness firsthand a lawyer’s passionate defense of a 16-year-old defendant, who was found innocent. A graduate of Roger Williams University and now a paralegal, Welinton attended the conference to get more information on various law schools.

The Office’s LSAT Prep/Law School Conference is the first of the year’s programs for students who are pursuing legal careers or just beginning to explore the possibility of a career in law. What’s next? The Office is gearing up for the spring’s Launching Your Career Series, a five week professional development program for college students and recent graduates. In the summer, the Office will welcome the next class of Thurgood Marshall Summer Law Interns, who will spend the summer learning and gaining skills at law firms and legal departments. Legal employers who are interested in hosting a high school student intern through this program are encouraged to contact Deborah Martin Owens at dmartinowens@nycbar.org. The deadline for employer commitments is April 1, 2019.