June 3, 2020 – This year, BB&L partnered with Legal Employers Advancing Diversity in Washington (“LEAD-WA”). The mission of “LEAD-WA” is to foster inclusion and diversity in the practice of law by offering opportunities to law students from traditionally underrepresented groups to work in a variety of law firm and corporate law environments.
We are pleased to welcome Meghan D. Ricci as a 2020 “Summer 1L Fellow” to our firm. Meghan is a first-year law student at Seattle University School of Law where she is a member of the Health Law Society and past recipient of the Washington State Law Scholars Scholarship. During her application and interview process, she expressed an interest in Healthcare Law, and we look forward to helping her gain experience in this area. Her BB&L Mentor this summer is Shareholder Amy Magnano, who is an Adjunct Professor at Seattle University School of Law and past Lecturer at the University of Washington School of Law.
We are proud to support “LEAD-WA” (https://www.lead-wa.org/) as part of our continued efforts toward diversity and inclusion. Below is an outline of their significant history in Washington. We look forward to working with Meghan this summer as she develops her legal career.
“LEAD-WA” – ITS HISTORY
The Puget Sound Area Minority Clerkship Program (PSAMCP) began in 1991 largely in response to various national surveys showing a deficiency in the level of minority involvement as associates or partners in major Seattle law firms. PSAMCP was founded by representatives from interested law firms, the Loren Miller and Hispanic Bar Associations, the University of Washington Law School, and Seattle University School of Law.
Since its inception, the program has provided summer opportunities for more than 225 diverse Washington law students. In the mid-2000s, as a number of participating large law firms decided to develop their own programs, other firms and corporations took their place.
In 2015, PSAMCP made changes to its structure to ensure its continued longevity and to expand its reach in the Washington legal community. The PSAMCP Committee established a non-profit corporation and Legal Employers Advancing Diversity in Washington (LEAD-WA) was born. LEAD-WA increased the number of employer participants, opened applications to students at Gonzaga University School of Law, and established a scholarship fund for a diverse law student to work as a summer fellow in a legal services agency.