Wiley Rein Joins NALP/Street Law Legal Diversity Pipeline Program

November 4, 2013

As part of its ongoing effort to promote diversity in the legal profession, Wiley Rein has joined the NALP/Street Law Legal Diversity Pipeline Program, which encourages high school students to pursue careers in the law.

The program, created by the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) and Street Law Inc., pairs law firms with high schools in their communities.  Attorney volunteers work with a diverse group of talented young people, teaching them about legal concepts, offering social support, and introducing them to career paths in the field of law.

“The NALP/Street Law program provides Wiley Rein with a unique opportunity to bridge the gap between the Anacostia River and K Street,” said Wiley Rein’s Managing Partner Peter Shields.

“The message we want to send to the young men and women of Anacostia High is ‘yes,’” said Wiley Rein partner Andrew McBride, who plans to be involved in the program.  “‘Yes you can succeed in school, yes you can go to law school, and yes you can become a member of the bar.’   I can think of no better way for an indigenous Washington, DC firm to give back to the community it was founded in.”

Wiley Rein has been paired with The Academies at Anacostia, a local high school managed jointly by the District of Columbia Public Schools and Friendship Public Charter School.  As many as 10 lawyers from the firm will teach classes at the school in early 2014, and will later host a one-day “law conference” for the students at Wiley Rein’s offices.  The conference will include interactive workshops such as a mock trial, an arbitration or contract negotiation exercise, or a simulated deposition.

This initiative builds upon Wiley Rein’s long history of helping its attorneys share their knowledge and experience with local students who are interested in pursuing legal careers.  In July 2013, the firm hosted its 11th annual Summer Law Day event for students from Thurgood Marshall Academy, a public charter high school in Washington, DC.  Over the past 11 years, more than 1,000 rising ninth graders have participated in the Law Day program, which educates students on basic legal principles and features a case study, a mock trial, and a panel discussion on careers in the law.