Palm Beach County Bar Association Diversity Internship Program for law students- Application period now OPEN
It’s that time of year again! As Co-Chairs of the Palm Beach County Bar Association’s Committee on Diversity & Inclusion’s Diversity Internship Program (DIP), we are excited to announce that the Committee is now accepting law student applications for its summer internship program. Please note that in an effort to speed up the hiring process, the deadlines for the program are earlier this year as outlined below.
As you may be aware, the DIP was established in 2010 to provide diverse law students with the opportunity to obtain practical experience in the legal profession and gain exposure to the Palm Beach County legal community while working with local law firms and government agencies. Prior to 2010, the program was known as the Minority Law Clerk Program and focused on providing students with historically disadvantaged backgrounds legal work experience. In expanding the program, the Palm Beach County Bar Association and Committee for Diversity and Inclusion intend for DIP interns to gain valuable work experience, be able to network with local attorneys and members of the judiciary, have opportunities for future employment, and ultimately decide to begin their legal career in Palm Beach County—continuing our broader goal of creating a diverse Bar Association that reflects the diversity of Palm Beach County and the larger South Florida community.
Since its creation, law firms from many different practice areas and many different sizes have participated in DIP as employers. State and local government agencies also have participated and employed DIP interns. Previous DIP interns have been offered opportunities for future, permanent employment due to their participation in the program. And although future employment is not guaranteed, many DIP interns, employed or not, choose to relocate to Palm Beach County upon graduation and are now active members of the Bar Association.
We invite each Florida law school and each out-of-state school with students who desire to practice in Palm Beach County to promote our program and have their students participate in this year’s Diversity Internship Program.
As previously indicated, the deadlines for this year are earlier than previous years. This year’s application deadline for both 1Ls and 2Ls is Friday, December 2, 2022. Applicants can email their application materials to the DIP Co-Chairs, Toni-Ann Brown, Victoria Mesa-Estrada, and Joanne O’Connor at [email protected]. Please note: both 1Ls and 2Ls will have an opportunity to supplement their application materials with their GPA and/or class rank once fall grades are final. We have attached a copy of this year’s DIP student application. In addition, the application and additional information on the Diversity Internship Program is available at https://www.palmbeachbar.org/committee-for-diversity-inclusion. We urge you to encourage your students to apply. The program is a great introduction to a legal career in the best county to practice in the state of Florida.