MINORITY CLERKSHIPS

Minority Clerkships

 

The Grand Rapids Bar Association's Clerkship Committee, in conjunction with the Floyd Skinner Bar Association (FSBA), is striving to increase the diversity of attorneys in the Grand Rapids area. The program is designed to offer minority law students an opportunity to participate in summer clerkship/associate programs with Grand Rapids law firms and other legal employers.

Law students who have completed their first and who have an interest in practicing in Grand Rapids are invited to apply for the program.

In order to apply for the Minority Clerkship Program, applicants must meet the following criteria:

  1. Be a first-year student in good standing at his or her law school J.D. program. A first-year law student is one who is applying for the summer immediately following their first opportunity to take legal writing;
  1. Be a minority group member as defined below;
  2. Display a desire to practice in Western Michigan after completing law school; and
  3. Complete a legal writing course before the clerkship begins. 

For more information on minority clerkships, contact Kim Coleman at 616-454-5550 or kimc@grbar.org.

  

 

The application materials consist of the following:

  1. Completed Application
  2. Resume
  3. Official law school transcripts*
  4. A cover letter not exceeding one-page in length, single-spaced, explaining (i) the applicant’s career goals and how he or she believes participating in the Program will further those objectives; and (ii) the applicant’s interest in practicing law in Western Michigan.
  5. An introductory video three minutes to five minutes in length

* When emailing the application, a scanned copy of your law school transcript is acceptable if a hard copy is mailed in, as well.

 

Ethnic designations as defined by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission:

 

Hispanic or Latino – a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race;

Black or African American – a person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa;

Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander – a person having origins in any of the peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands;

Asian – A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian Subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam;

American Indian or Alaska Native – A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America), and who maintain tribal affiliation or community attachment.

 

Grand Rapids Bar Association
161 Ottawa Ave. NW Ste. 203-B
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Tel: (616) 454-5550
Fax: (616) 454-7707