-THE VERDICT- T HE NEWSLETTER OF LEGAL OUTREACH

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Sharleen Lynch
5 years ago
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but also professionals. In this issue, we highlight Tianna Jackson, who entered our program at the tender age of 13 and is now an associate at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP.

Alongside Tianna s story is one written by Kramer Levin attorney and LO advisory board member Jeremy Cohen, who, as a Columbia law student, coached the 8 th grade mock-trial team on which Tianna and

1 -THE VERDICT- T HE NEWSLETTER OF LEGAL OUTREACH Pipeline Diversity in Action A Note From The Executive Director L ongevity has its rewards. Serving as the executive director of Legal Outreach since its inception has given me the opportunity to see many of our program participants become not only accomplished college and graduate students but also professionals. In this issue, we highlight Tianna Jackson, who entered our program at the tender age of 13 and is now an associate at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP. A classmate of hers, DeVoia Stewart, is a second-year law student and editor of the Law Review at Rutgers. Alongside Tianna s story is one written by Kramer Levin attorney and LO advisory board member Jeremy Cohen, who, as a Columbia law student, coached the 8 th grade mock-trial team on which Tianna and Devoia served. His perspective on pipeline diversity is truly thought-provoking. Also in this issue, we salute our seniors, all of whom have been admitted to college and most of whom are the first in their families to achieve this milestone. I ask you to join me in celebrating their accomplishments by donating to the Legal Outreach College Scholarship Fund. Every dollar contributed will be distributed in full to our seniors to help offset the ever increasing cost of a college education. I want to thank all our supporters for your generous contributions, which fuel our College Bound and Pipeline Diversity efforts. Your donations are producing extraordinary results. Tianna Jackson, Legal Outreach Class of 2002 F or as long as I can remember, I ve always wanted to be a lawyer; what I was unsure of, however, was how I was going to achieve this goal. Let me clarify. I believed I had all of the attributes necessary to become a lawyer: I was smart, hard working, focused, and passionate (or as my parents would say argumentative ). But there was much more I needed to know to which I had not yet been exposed. Participating in Legal Outreach s mock trial was the first step for me. I recall reading a newsletter in my 8 th grade history class describing a mock trial competition organized by Legal Outreach between schools in Harlem. I leapt at the opportunity to meet and work with lawyers and law students and encouraged (see p. 4) Jeremy Cohen, Advisory Board Member F rom the moment Tianna Jackson, Devoia Stewart, and their Harlem teammates walked in the door, the kids on the first Legal Outreach mock trial team I coached in 1997 amazed me with their intelligence, creativity, and energy. Fourteen years later, they still do. They were eighth graders then, and while their potential was immediately apparent, a huge question loomed: With all the obstacles and distractions facing New York City s youth, would they be able to harness their talents and put them to good use? Thanks to Legal Outreach, the answer is a resounding yes. The mock trial was a first step that provided the students with a vision for their futures and proof of what they could achieve. (see p.4) Senior Honors Edition - May

2 We ve Got Next! College Choices of the Class of 2011 The Verdict, Page 2 Jamaal Adams Morehouse College Cree Alexander SUNY Oswego Carol Antunez Hamilton College Randy Arthur Wesleyan University Youness Azzamok Eckerd College Hina Babar Baruch College Shabnam Bista Mount Holyoke College Jessica Bramble Mount Holyoke College Gabriela Campoverde Swarthmore College Yogeeta Chatoredussy Williams College Jeremy Cooper Sabrina Davis Johnson & Wales University Ginika Ezeude Barnard College Cole Francis Nathan Fraser Zion Bible College Shueanna Harrinandan Howard University Mark Hendrax Gerard Henry Columbia University Kevin Hernandez Alfred University Devin Hobdy Taniqua Huguley Trinity College Fadeelah Islam Virginia Union University Quantasia Islam College of the Holy Cross Leslie-Paul Jamerson Allegheny College Alicia Johnson SUNY Binghamton Aaron Jordan Williams College Jonathan Jordan Amherst College Shaquille Leach Pennsylvania State University Judy Ling Syracuse University Juliana Manrique Wesleyan University Dondre McFarland Johnson & Wales University Isaac Mims Philadelphia University Ricardo Mullings Brown University Kwasi Nyantakyi Simiola Ojo Pennsylvania State University Derek Oxford Joanne Perez Moravian College Alexandra Phillip Marymount College Javon Pierre Long Island University Edward Radzivilovskiy New York University Rosmery Rodriguez Hamilton College Melissa Romain Georgetown University Rawlin Rosario Monil Shah Hunter College Kadeshia Shirley Long Island University Fabien Smallwood Cornell University Arely Sosa Wheaton College MA Jhanezia Stevens Brandeis University Angelica Villafana Franklin & Marshall College Tenitayo White Hanover College Alex Williams Skidmore College Neil Williams Connecticut College Shaheeda Zahir Hunter College Kerry Zhao Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Help Our Seniors Realize Their Dreams! Having put in over 2,300 extra hours of additional academic preparation at Legal Outreach, they are now heading to some of the country s most selective colleges. Every donation we receive in response to this newsletter will help provide deserving seniors with a $1,000 scholarship to help defray their first-year expenses. Everyone who contributes will be acknowledged in the Senior Honors program, and those who contribute $1,000 or more will be recognized on our Web site. To donate online, please visit the Legal Outreach page on Did You Know? Legal Outreach was selected by Root Cause ( as one of NYC s Highest Performing College Access and Success Organizations.

3 Senior Honors Edition, Page 3 Legal Outreach Thanks Its Funders and Partners for Making Our Programs Possible Altman Foundation Best Buy Children s Foundation Blue Ridge Foundation Bullitt Foundation Charles Evans Hughes Memorial Fdn. Charles Hayden Foundation Citi Foundation Clark Foundation Columbia Community Service, Inc Edwin Gould Foundation Pipeline Diversity Champions $20,000 and above Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP Pipeline Diversity Leaders $10,000-$19,999 Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP Ropes & Gray LLP Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP Sullivan & Cromwell LLP Juan Arteaga Melvin Rosa Major Funders JE & ZB Butler Foundation Jenesis Group The Kronman Family Law School Admissions Council Pinkerton Foundation Rona Jaffe Foundation Shippy Foundation Steven & May Cavin Leeman Fdn. Theodore Luce Charitable Trust Tiger Foundation Pipeline Diversity Benefactors $5,000-$9,999 Arnold & Porter LLP Freshfields Bruckhaus & Deringer LLP Linklaters LLP Morrison & Foerster LLP Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz LLP Legal Outreach Parent Council John MacMurray James O Neal Kevin and Alexandra Tagami Pipeline Diversity Partners $2,500-$4,999 American Express Arent Fox LLP Ariel Property Advisors/Shimon Shkury and Ruby Gelman Blackrock, Inc. Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP Citigroup Hahn & Hessen LLP Holland & Knight LLP Hunterdon BMW Morgan Stanley Morvillo, Abramowitz, Grand, Iason & Bohrer, P.C. Sidley Austin LLP Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP Anonymous Peter Dopsch David and Peggy Levin Anne Robinson Howard and Jill Sharfstein Major Supporters (In-Kind) Brooklyn Law School Columbia Law School Fordham Law School New York University School of Law St. John s Law School Pipeline Diversity Supporters $1,000-$2,499 Anderson Kill & Olick, P.C. Deloitte Financial Advisory Services Deloitte LLP Dickstein Shapiro LLP Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP O Melveny & Myers LLP Proskauer Rose LLP Reed Smith LLP Sabin, Bermant & Gould LLP Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP Shearman & Sterling LLP Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP Anonymous John Bingaman Jeremy Cohen Eric Feder Martin Elias John Hartje Christelette Hoey Erika Munro-Kennerly William Russell Saul Shapiro Nicky Sheats Sintelle Taylor Evan Williams Public Interest and Governmental Partners Bronx Defenders Children s Law Center Legal Aid Society Juvenile Rights Division Manhattan Legal Services New York City Economic Development Corporation New York City Law Department Queens County District Attorney s Office United States District Court Judges

4 Senior Honors Edition, Page 4 Tianna s Reflection, Cont. several of my friends to do so as well. I thought it would be a fun experience with the added benefit of developing my critical thinking and oral advocacy skills. The experience was so much more as we were challenged to prepare and perform as actual lawyers, and although my team did not take home the trophy, we were winners because we exceeded everyone s expectations. After that experience, I applied to Legal Outreach s four-year College Bound program because I knew I needed a head-start. Despite my stellar grades, I realized I was at a disadvantage I grew up in an impoverished, drug-engulfed section of the Bronx and no one in my family had ever graduated from college. I needed to sharpen my hard skills and develop the soft skills that are so crucial to success. The College Bound program helped me do both. The comprehensive, four-year writing program and the twelve constitutional law debate competitions ensured that I would be a strong writer and a confident oral advocate. Moreover, the internship and mentoring programs exposed me to the professional world at an early age and taught me how to network and interview effectively. The skills I acquired served me well as an undergraduate at Yale, a law student at U. Penn, and even now as an associate at Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP. Starting early is the key. Programs like College Bound are essential for students like me who despite having the basic tools and the drive still need the additional support - support that will equip us to defy the odds and achieve at a level that our circumstances would lead others to believe is impossible. Jeremy s Reflection, Cont. Subsequent steps taken under the aegis of Legal Outreach have helped bring them success in high school, college, and beyond. A rigorous regimen of academic preparation, including a four-year writing course and a three-year constitutional law debate program, not only helped build confidence but equipped them with the skills necessary to succeed on each leg of the journey. Many programs expose minority students to the legal profession, but few actually equip them with the skills to close the achievement gap. It has been uniquely gratifying to watch my first group of eighth graders emerge as the next generation of legal and business superstars. Tianna, a leader of that 1997 team, is an associate at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP. DeVoia, another outstanding performer from that first team, is on Law Review at Rutgers and will be a summer associate at White & Case LLP this summer. Other teammates have gone on to academic and entrepreneurial careers. In fact, one of them enlisted me recently to consult on legal issues for his new venture. Our team may not have won the mock trial competition in 1997, but that s a small disappointment when measured against the bigger wins the team has achieved, and continues to achieve, since then. Legal Outreach is a true pipeline program, one that has already provided tangible benefits for New York City firms and the legal profession. Diversity is an increasingly important goal in our profession, which makes the expansion and replication of the Legal Outreach model well worth our consideration. Did You Know? Legal Outreach was recognized as the nation s outstanding pipeline diversity program by the American Bar Association s Council on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in 2010.

5 th Street Long Island City, NY

RAISING THE BAR LEGAL OUTREACH

RAISING THE BAR LEGAL OUTREACH 30TH ANNIVERSARY GALA PIPELINE DIVERSITY CHAMPIONS American Express Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP Jeffrey Lewis, Esq. Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP Morrison