Goodwin Procter to Offer Public Interest Fellowships to First-Year Law Students of Color

BOSTON, Feb. 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Goodwin Procter LLP, a national AmLaw 50 firm, is currently seeking applications for its 2011 Public Interest Fellowships for Law Students of Color, which provide awards of $7,500 to law students of color who demonstrate outstanding academic performance, leadership skills and a commitment to community service.  The fellowships are designed to help support students who plan to work in public interest law positions in the summer following their first year of law school. This year, three fellowships will be granted. Application guidelines and forms are available online; the application deadline is February 25, 2011.

Launched in 2005, Goodwin's program was created to contribute to increased diversity in the legal profession, a goal of the firm.  To date, 18 fellowships have been awarded to students from such law schools as Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, Stanford and Georgetown.  Past recipients have worked for a variety of public interest organizations across the country, including the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office in Boston, Sanctuary for Families in New York and the Public International Law & Policy Group in Washington, D.C.  Profiles of the 2010 recipients are available here.

The firm is again partnering with its client MassMutual to offer one of this year's Fellows the MassMutual/Goodwin Procter Public Interest Fellowship for Law Students of Color. This joint fellowship awards $7,500 to a first-year law student of color to help cover expenses while he or she works in a public interest law position during the summer.

"Goodwin Procter's Public Interest Fellowships have allowed us to promote diversity within our firm and the legal profession as a whole, while also supporting high-achieving law students committed to giving back to their communities," said Regina M. Pisa, chairman and managing partner of Goodwin Procter. "We're proud to continue this tradition and look forward to selecting our 2011 Fellows."

To apply, candidates must complete a Goodwin Procter Fellowship application and submit it, with a resume and a current law school transcript, to Goodwin Procter by February 25, 2011. Completed applications may be submitted online, by email (to [email protected]) or by regular mail (to Ashley Nelson, Legal Recruitment Manager, Goodwin Procter LLP, Exchange Place, Boston, MA 02109).

Candidates must be full-time, currently enrolled, first-year students of color pursuing a J.D. at an accredited law school. Candidates may not be the recipient of a similar scholarship award from another law firm for the summer of 2011.  Students who are immediate family members of a Goodwin Procter or MassMutual employee, and/or are a Goodwin Procter client or employee of a Goodwin Procter client, are also not eligible.

About Goodwin Procter

Goodwin Procter LLP is one of the nation's leading law firms with offices in Boston, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Diego, San Francisco, Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C.  The firm's core areas of practice are corporate, litigation and real estate, with specialized areas of focus that include financial services, private equity, technology, REITs and real estate capital markets, intellectual property, products liability and mass torts.  Information may be found at www.goodwinprocter.com.

SOURCE Goodwin Procter LLP