Sponsorships and Initiatives

Turning words into actions.

A policy of diversity and equal access to justice is important. But policies are only as good as the actions they inspire. Goodwin Procter sponsors programs and events that are catalysts in the legal community. Our goal is to make the practice of law and the justice system more accessible and accountable.

The following is a representative list of recent sponsorships and initiatives:

• American Bar Association 2007 National Conference for the Minority Lawyer
  Goodwin Procter was a Gold Level Sponsor of this event which offers a combination of practical training sessions and cutting-edge, substantive CLE programs designed specifically for minority lawyers. The firm also sponsored a lunch session entitled "On Becoming a Leader: Minority Lawyers and their Vision for the Future."
  
• Boston College Undergraduate Students of Color Law Career Panel
  Goodwin Procter Senior Counsel Wayne Budd moderated an all-Goodwin Procter panel of diverse associates for BC undergraduate students of color interested in a legal career.
  
• Asian Pacific American Bar Association of the Greater Washington, D.C. Area (APABA-DC)
  Goodwin Procter sponsors APABA, the oldest and largest association of Asian Pacific American attorneys in the Washington, DC area.
  
• Harvard NASALSA in San Francisco
  The firm was a Gold Level Sponsor of the Harvard North American South Asian Law Students Association (NASALSA) conference in San Francisco. Goodwin partner Tuan Pham spoke at this event. The conference focused on ways that South Asians in the legal community can increase the influence of the larger South Asian community in North America.

Click here to view a detailed list of Goodwin Procter Sponsorships

Key Initiatives

Goodwin Diversity Fellowships
To promote diversity in the legal profession, and to help leading minority law students defray the high costs of their legal education, Goodwin Procter has created the Goodwin Diversity Fellowships. We award stipends of $15,000 to minority law students who demonstrate exceptional academic performance, outstanding leadership, commitment to community service, interest in the private practice of law and other special achievements and honors.

Professional Development Retreats
Our Committee for Racial and Ethnic Diversity (CRED) organizes a variety of programs, including a special day-long seminar for our attorneys and summer associates of color. The program includes seminars for associates and summer associates, and small group dinners for associates, summer associates and partners of color and additional CRED members.

Boston Lawyers Group Mentor Program
Goodwin attorneys have enthusiastically participated in the Boston Lawyers Group mentor program for first-year law students of color in the Boston area for several years. Goodwin is a founding member of the Boston Lawyers Group, an organization dedicated to fostering inclusiveness at Boston-area legal employers. The program is designed to provide first year law students of color with the opportunity to develop a one-on-one relationship with a practicing attorney from one of the member organizations.

Legal Outreach
Goodwin Procter’s New York office has partnered with Legal Outreach, Inc., a nonprofit organization that prepares youth from underserved communities in New York City to compete at high academic levels by using intensive legal and educational programs. Goodwin participates in the Summer Law Internship Program, through which Goodwin hosts minority high school students as interns and provides them with training programs and mentoring to introduce them to life as a lawyer and to encourage them to pursue higher education.

Click here to view a detailed list of Goodwin Procter Initiatives