Arnold & Porter, National Bar Association Announce Inaugural Class of Associate Advancement Academy for Excellence Fellows
WASHINGTON, DC, July 1, 2021 — Arnold & Porter and the National Bar Association (NBA) announced today the inaugural class of the NBA Associate Advancement Academy for Excellence Fellows, who will participate in a tailored career advancement program for Black associates within the first three years of practice at the nation’s largest law firms. With a financial contribution from the Arnold & Porter Foundation, and programmatic support from Arnold & Porter, the NBA has designed and implemented the Academy to support the retention, and accelerate the advancement, of Black attorneys.
The collaboration between Arnold & Porter and the NBA, which was announced on December 17, 2020, addresses three critical areas in pursuit of strengthening the pipeline for Black attorneys: career advancement, business development, and mentoring. The inaugural class of Fellows includes 21 associates who work in a wide array of practice areas including Corporate, Litigation, Environmental, Labor & Employment, Restructuring, and Intellectual Property. The class includes Fellows from 17 participating AmLaw 200 firms.
“Arnold & Porter is committed to driving systemic change both at the firm and across the legal industry,” said Richard Alexander, the firm’s Chairman. “This important collaboration with the NBA reiterates our commitment to the recruitment, retention and promotion of Black attorneys, who remain significantly under-represented in major law firms.”
“The NBA is proud to work with Arnold & Porter on an initiative that embodies our mission of empowering young Black attorneys,” said NBA President CK Hoffler. “As the nation’s oldest and largest national network of predominantly African-American attorneys and judges, the NBA is proud to support and implement this career-shaping program.”
The Academy, which will run annually, includes educational, networking, mentoring, and pro bono/community service components designed to advance the careers of Black attorneys. Fellows will participate in monthly educational and networking sessions, monthly mentoring check-ins with an NBA law firm partner mentor and in-house mentor, and various NBA events throughout the year. The Academy will also cover a range of topics integral to successful advancement in law firm practice.
The Academy was developed with the support of NBA’s Minority Partners in Majority Firms Division, Young Lawyer Division, Commercial Law Section and Corporate Law Section. Each 12-month program will be bookended by the NBA’s Annual Convention. This year’s program will launch on July 24, 2021.
Contact
Issara Baumann, Senior Media Relations Manager
+1 202.942.6682
Issara.Baumann@arnoldporter.com
Wanda J. Flowers, National Bar Association
+1 202.934.3783
wflowers@nationalbar.org
About Arnold & Porter
With nearly 1,000 lawyers practicing in 13 offices around the globe, Arnold & Porter serves clients across 40 distinct practice areas. The firm offers 100 years of renowned regulatory expertise, sophisticated litigation and transactional practices, and leading multidisciplinary offerings in the life sciences and financial services industries.
The Arnold & Porter Foundation was set up to further advance our efforts toward equality and justice, is a tax-exempt private foundation that provides scholarships to minority law students, funds fellowships for recent law school graduates at tax-exempt organizations, and awards grants to other charitable and educational organizations
About The National Bar Association
The National Bar Association was founded in 1925 and is the nation's oldest and largest national network of predominantly African-American attorneys and judges. It represents the interests of approximately 66,000 lawyers, judges, law professors, and law students. The NBA is organized around 24 substantive law sections, 10 divisions, 12 regions, and over 80 affiliate chapters throughout the United States and around the world.
