LCLD would like to thank the 138 LCLD Member organizations that are hosting internships for more than 520 1L Scholars this summer. Smashing last year’s record of 365 1L Scholars, this group of future attorneys has access to an entire summer of virtual programming that was designed to complement the various new summer internship arrangements that have been implemented by Member organizations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The first meeting of the 2020 1L Scholars took place on June 30, 2020, with a presentation on “Leveraging Your Personality Type to be Effective at Work,” by Carrie Fletcher, Affiliate Instructor at Harvard Law School Executive Education. Scholars examined their TypeCoach assessment results and learned strategies for working across personality types. Then the Scholars heard the much anticipated “Law Firm Mechanics” session, presented by Scott Westfahl, Director of Executive Education and Professor of Practice at Harvard Law School. Westfahl explained how medium-to-large law firms are organized and how their economic and human capital models work.
New this year, the second and third meetings of the program are open to 520 registered guest 1L and 2L interns at LCLD Member organizations.
During the second meeting of the program on July 14, the Scholars and guest 1L and 2L interns heard the entertaining presentations “Which Generation is Your Lens? The Importance of Perceptions in Developing Workplace Behaviors,” by Chris De Santis, and “Advice to My Former Self for Future Success” by Demetra Liggins, 2012 Fellow, Partner at Thompson & Knight LLP, and Co-Founder of Corporate Homie; and her twin sister Bemetra Simmons, Chief Strategy and Operations Officer of United Way Suncoast and Co-Founder of Corporate Homie.
The third meeting, which will take place on July 28, will feature a presentation on “Everyday Wellness” by Jill Long, 2014 Fellow and Partner at Glassman Coaching + Consulting. Attendees will learn practical strategies for reducing stress and incorporating mindfulness into their everyday lives as law students.
Between substantive meetings, two 1L Scholar Social Hours have been planned specifically for 2020 1L Scholars—the first one will take place July 23, and the last will take place on August 13. With evening sessions for both east coast and west coast time zones on each date, these virtual Social Hours will provide small groups of Scholars to network with each other. Additionally between meetings, Scholars have the opportunity to connect with each other in exclusive GroupMe and LinkedIn groups. All together, these informal networking opportunities provide a foundation for building relationships that could last for years to come.
The final meeting of the 1L Scholars Virtual Program is an optional Virtual Mock Interview Day, which will take place on August 4. More than 120 Scholars are scheduled to participate in Virtual Mock Interviews led by more than 90 attorney volunteers from LCLD Member organizations across the country. As virtual work arrangements have become a new normal for the foreseeable future, LCLD is excited to offer this resource to the Scholars.
We’d also like to give a special thanks to Grover Cleveland, author of Swimming Lessons for Baby Sharks: The Essential Guide to Thriving as a New Lawyer, who created an advice video called, “10 Tips for Acing Your Virtual Interview,” to help 1L Scholars prepare for Virtual Mock Interviews and real interviews alike.
Jessica Sabesan is the Senior Communications & Marketing Manager at LCLD. For questions about the 1L Scholars Program or this summer’s virtual programming, please contact Nancy Richardson, Program Manager.
