Diversity Committee
The Diversity Committee has served as an historically important role in the promotion of opportunities for racial minorities in the Nashville Bar Association and the community. The work towards that purpose is ongoing and remains the primary focus of the committee. The Diversity Committee’s efforts have expanded to include diversity and inclusion based on other characteristics within the Nashville legal community by continuing to implement programs that provide employment opportunities, assist with career development and professional advancement, and increase the number of diverse students attending and successfully completing law school.
2017 PHOTO GALLERY
The Damali Booker Project involves recruitment and screening of applicants for the first year minority clerkship project, which places first year diverse law students with majority firms and organizations as summer clerks. This program creates opportunities for candidates to gain experience during the summer after their first year of law school and improves their marketability, making it easier for them to gain employment during their second year and after graduation. Several students are placed each summer as a result of this project. Beginning in 2003, the job fair was named for Damali Booker, who passed away unexpectedly in September 2002 while in her third year of law school. Ms. Booker was a participant in the Job Fair in 2001 and had accepted a permanent position with an employer she first met at the job fair.
The High School Summer Intern Program of the Nashville Bar Association offers qualified high school seniors personal experience in the daily legal workplace of private law firms, corporate law divisions, or governmental law offices as paid summer interns. The program features a formal educational component with weekly assemblies to expose interns to the wide diversity of legal employment opportunities, such as attorney, paralegal, librarian, or administrative support personnel.
This social summer event includes the minority summer associates working in Nashville Law firms. The Mixer is a great way for the associates to be introduced to the Nashville legal community and its leaders. Typically held at a high profile venue in the downtown Nashville area in late June or early July, this event includes as many associates as possible.
The Nashville Bar Association recognizes firms and government entities that have supported the NBA Diveristy Commitee each year at its Law Day Luncheon. Recognition is given for participation in the above projects, for hiring and/or retaining minority attorneys, and for financial support of the committee.
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