The 2011 BBA Summer Jobs program came to a close last week after celebrating the most successful year in its 18 year history. With proud family members and mentors applauding as their names were called, 49 inner city high school students came on stage to collect their diplomas. The ceremony began with Superior Court Judge and former BBA Council member Kimberly Budd sharing her own path to a successful legal career.
Thanks to the program’s strong reputation and thorough vetting process — which includes resume and essay submissions plus letters of recommendation from teachers and guidance counselors — law firms, in-house legal departments, and other employers felt confident assigning challenging projects to their students.
To cite just a few examples. . . Aislinn Twohig, placed in Proskauer’s Business Development Group, researched and compiled a spreadsheet of institutional client information and marketing materials. Gregory Stewart, working at Suffolk University Law School, took minutes at confidential meetings of deans. Anthony Betances worked in the Private Client Sector at Mintz Levin.
“I spent much of my time sorting through estate planning documents, scanning them, putting them into the vault and creating estate plan ‘bibles’ for the firm’s clients” said Betances. “I learned about the kinds of documents one should have if they have any sort of estate, such as trusts, health care proxies and durable powers of attorney. This job taught me to take advantage of the opportunity at hand and to never be afraid to ask questions.”
This diversity pipeline initiative, a longstanding collaboration of the BBA, Boston School Department and Boston Private Industry Council, combines real life office experience with enrichment programming. Students attended weekly breakfast seminars taught by lawyer volunteers that covered an array of topics including civics, financial literacy and college admissions.
“My favorite seminar was going to Boston City Hall to reenact a city council meeting,” said Twohig. “Our discussion sparked my interest in being involved in law and politics in the future. I will be able to look back at this internship as a pivotal moment in my journey to an eventual career.”
This year’s record number of participants can be attributed to the commitment of Boston’s law firms, law offices and legal departments to help build a more diverse and inclusive legal community. To see the firms who highlighted their commitment to community by participating in the BBA Summer Jobs program, click here. For more information about the BBA Summer Jobs program, click here or contact Stephanie Lee at slee@bostonbar.org
