A profession that represents the people should reflect the population it serves. That was the motivation driving Joe McNamara ’08 and his Widener Law classmates to launch a diversity initiative at the School.
“The legal profession is struggling with diversity issues, and we’re committed to making improvements,” McNamara says. “Through our
Diversity Pipeline Program, we’ve attracted attention to the issue by getting students with diverse backgrounds interested in legal careers.”
McNamara and his team designed a program that included a mock trial competition where college students and graduates of all skill levels played the role of lawyers in a staged courtroom trial. Widener Law students coached the participants, and the top competitors were awarded scholarships for Kaplan LSAT prep courses valued at approximately $1,300 each. Meanwhile, all participants got a first-hand look at an exciting and rewarding career and developed the confidence to pursue it.
Widener Law was honored by The American Bar Association Law Student Division with the 2007 Henry Ramsey Jr. Diversity Award for the Diversity Pipeline Program. In 2008 McNamara will earn another great honor—he'll join the ranks of Widener Law’s 11,500
esteemed alumni practicing in 50 states, the District of Columbia, and 15 countries and territories.