Diversity Attorney Pipeline Program

DAPP aims to diversify the legal profession by expanding opportunities for women of color law students to secure summer positions at law firms and corporations following their first year of law school. Students who work in law firms following their first year of law school are more likely to obtain summer associate positions and secure offers of em... ployment following law school. Therefore, DAPP's primary goal is to infuse the pipeline to the profession with talented, highly qualified women of color in order to combat and increase the dismal statistics surrounding the number of women of color who are hired, retained and promoted at large law firms across the nation. DAPP was founded by two black female attorneys who graduated from law school during the height of the recession and witnessed first-hand, personally and through their leadership positions in minority bar associations and diversity organizations, the barricades to, and rapid decline of, women of color in big law. As such, DAPP is dedicated to providing a strong academic and professional foundation for those populations who have the most barriers to accessing prestigious positions in the legal field. DAPP provides scholars with placement assistance, academic support, coaching, counseling, financial assistance, tutoring, seminars and workshops, professional development, mentorship, and more. DAPP's Board of Directors is comprised of women of color lawyers who work or have worked in law firms or private companies. DAPP scholars undergo a rigorous application process which requires assessment of their undergraduate performance, career goals, plans to positively affect diversity in their law schools and the legal field following graduation, as well as an interview. The program model includes pairing law students with law school and attorney mentors who serve as resources to the scholars. The mentors assist DAPP scholars with the transition to law school, developing time-management skills and understanding substantive content. DAPP scholars attend weekly ...Read More