“In these tough economic times, students across the city are struggling to find good summer jobs. That is why it’s so important to have partners like the Boston Bar Association and their Summer Jobs Program available for these students. The BBA has always been a strong partner and this year the BBA is placing a record 49 Boston Public School students in law firms and legal agencies throughout Boston. Although that number is great, there are still hundreds of qualified students that we won’t be able to place this year. The BBA Summer Jobs Program provides an incredible opportunity for Boston Public School students, and should be replicated across the country.” – Josh Bruno, School-to-Career and Employer Engagement Director, Boston Private Industry Council
Highlighting a commitment to introduce a diverse population of high school students to the legal profession, financial literacy, and civics education, the Boston Bar Association today reported that the BBA Summer Jobs Program will be placing 49 inner city juniors and seniors at paid jobs for July and August. This is the highest number of jobs the program has ever provided, and is made possible only by the participation of law firms, law offices, and corporate and government legal departments who value a professional workforce reflecting Boston’s rich multiculturalism.
The BBA Summer Jobs Program was established in 1993, by the Hon. Sandra L. Lynch, the BBA President who went on to become the first woman judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, and then Chief Judge. Having represented the state Department of Education in the landmark school desegregation case before U.S. District Judge W. Arthur Garrity, she envisioned a summer jobs program providing unique opportunities for Boston’s public high school students to learn about the legal profession.
The BBA Summer Jobs Program operates as a partnership including the BBA, the Boston Private Industry Council, and the Boston Public Schools. Knowing that the program began with just 16 students the first year, the BBA credits the Summer Jobs Program Steering Committee, co-chaired by David Rosenblatt, Managing Partner of Burns & Levinson, and Paula K. Andrews, a Partner at Hinckley Allen & Snyder with expanding the number of jobs to be offered.
In addition to working at law firms, law offices, and legal departments, the students will attend weekly breakfast seminars at the BBA. Taught by lawyer volunteers, the students will experience an interactive civics enrichment program emphasizing the unique roles played by all three branches of government (executive, legislative, and judiciary), and also learn to make wise choices regarding money and credit via the M. Ellen Carpenter Financial Literacy Program, a joint venture of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Massachusetts and the BBA.
As part of a long-standing tradition, the students will participate in a breakfast/news conference with Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino on July 5th and then head off to their jobs.
The BBA applauds its 2011 Summer Jobs Employers:
Anderson & Kreiger LLP
Bingham McCutchen LLP
Boston Bar Association*
Burns & Levinson LLP*
Choate Hall & Stewart LLP
Chu, Ring & Hazel LLP
Collora LLP
Committee for Public Counsel Services
Davis, Malm & D’Agostine, P.C.
DLA Piper LLP
Donovan Hatem, LLP
Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge LLP*
Foley Hoag LLP
Ferriter Scobbo & Rodophele PC
Fidelity Investments*
Goodwin Procter LLP
Hinckley, Allen & Snyder LLP
Holland & Knight, LLP
Margolis & Bloom
Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services
Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo P.C.
Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP
City of Boston, Office of the Corporation Counsel*
Partners HealthCare
Pierce Atwood LLP
Posternak Blankstein & Lund LLP
Prince Lobel & Tye LLP
Proskauer Rose LLP
Putnam Investments
Ropes & Gray LLP*
Seyfarth Shaw LLP
Shaevel & Krems
Sherin and Lodgen LLP
Sovereign Bank
Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office
Suffolk University Law School
Sugarman, Rogers, Barshak & Cohen, P.C.
Sunstein Kann Murphy & Timbers LLP
Todd & Weld LLP
United States Bankruptcy Court
United States District Court
Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP
*Hiring multiple students for the summer of 2011.
Meanwhile, the BBA Summer Jobs Program reports that the Boston Private Industry Council has sent over 100 pre-screened applications for the 49 jobs. What that means is that the BBA would welcome additional employers with open arms. To learn more, please contact Stephanie Lee at slee@bostonbar.org or (617) 778-1914.
