2023 1L Washington, D.C. Diversity Scholarship

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Washington, District of Columbia, United States

Job description

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP is accepting applications for our 1L Diversity Scholarship in the Washington, D.C. office. Our 1L Diversity Scholarship Program is one significant way to help us advance diversity in the legal profession. The 1L Diversity Scholarship recipient will receive a paid position in our Summer Associate Program and $15,000 scholarship for their second year tuition and expenses.

Your Journey Starts Here
Where and how you spend your law school summers can have a big impact on your legal career. If you are looking for a firm that values academic excellence, leadership, curiosity, and innovation consider DWT. As a summer associate, youll experience diversity in your work and engage in stimulating assignments. Your mentors will be industry leaders who are invested in your growth and success. The Summer Associates Program is rich with activities and trainings designed to integrate you into the fabric of the firm. To learn more, review our FAQs below.

Our Diversity Scholarships are open to first-year law students who are:

Committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive legal profession; and
Committed to practicing law after graduating law school in the location in which they are applying.

Students with backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in the practice of law are highly encouraged to apply.

Please have the following documents ready to upload for your application:

Current Resume*
Cover letter (please indicate your connection to the city of the office you are applying to in the letter and address to Sandra Morriss, Manager, Law Student Talent Acquisition)
Personal Statement**
Legal writing sample, not heavily edited by a third party (generally 5-10 pages)
List of three references (one of whom is qualified to comment on your law school work)
Complete undergraduate transcripts (unofficial copies are acceptable)
Law school transcript for fall term (unofficial copy is acceptable)***

* Please upload your resume in Word format so our application system may extract your information accurately when creating your submission. On the following page, you edit any information extracted and add additional documents before finally submitting your application.

**Your personal statement should help us learn more about you. Topics can vary widely and may include: how diversity is a driving factor for you, how you currently contribute to a diverse community and how you hope to do so in the future, what you would like us to know about you that is not in your resume and cover letter, or how your personal experience shaped your perspective on diversity. Your personal statement should be no more than one page, single-spaced, and 12-point font. Please include your name in the header but do not address your personal statement to anyone.

***If your transcript is not currently available, please submit your application without it. You will receive a follow-up email by mid-January with a link and instructions for submitting it online.

The deadline to submit your application via our online listing is January 8, 2023, 11:59 p.m. PST. Emailed applications cannot be accepted. Application review and interviews may be conducted on a rolling basis.

DWT 1L Diversity Scholarship & Summer Associate Program FAQs
When and how do I apply for a summer associate position?
1Ls: We accept applications for our 1L Diversity Scholarships beginning in early December. The application deadline is usually in early January and applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. The offices hiring 1Ls vary by year. Check the position listings in early December for availability.
2Ls: We accept applications for 2L Summer Associate positions during June and July 1L summer through our website or via On-Campus Interview programs. We are not able to visit every law school for OCI so, if DWT seems to be a good fit for you, we encourage you to apply online (please do not email us your application). Typically half of our summer class is made up of students who have sought us out directly.

Which offices participate in the summer associate programs?
We will have summer associates in most of our offices: Los Angeles, CA; New York, NY; Portland, OR; San Francisco, CA; Seattle, WA; and Washington, D.C. All of these offices will have 2L Summer Associates, but only the Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, and Washington DC offices will hire a 1L Diversity Scholar this season.

How long will it be before I hear from DWT?
It depends on the opportunity, but we strive to notify students about application status changes as soon as possible. 1L Diversity Scholarship applications are reviewed as we receive them in December and early January but candidates may not be contacted for interviews immediately given holiday schedules. For 1L Diversity Scholarship applicants, we anticipate most interviews will take place in January though some initial interviews could be conducted earlier. 2L Summer Associate applications are reviewed in June and July, and we typically begin initial interviews in July with second round "callback" interviews beginning in August. The Hiring Committee makes every effort to contact candidates soon after the callback interview. This committee meets on a regular basis during the recruitment season, but because we have a high volume of applicants, the wait time can be a couple of weeks during interview season. If you have completed the second round of interviews, we welcome periodic check-ins on the status of your candidacy. We strongly encourage you to keep us informed of any timelines for offer you may receive while you are being considered by us.

How does the interview process work?
Initial: A candidate will meet with one or two people via video and the meeting will take up to an hour.
Callbacks/Second round: Pre-COVID, these took place in our office and usually involved meeting 6-8 people. Currently, we will conduct second round interviews by video and they may last up to 3 hours with a few breaks in between.

What should I wear?
The dress code for interviews is business professional though attorneys with whom you meet may be dressed more casually. Once you are a summer associate, we adhere to business casual

What is the length of the summer program?
The summer program is typically 10 weeks and runs from June to August. Exact start and end dates will be shared with the summer class in the spring.

Can I split my summer with another firm?
In order to give you the best possible chance at an offer, we do not recommend splitting your summer with another firm.

What kind of work will I get?
If the work is available and you want to try it, its yours! We do not have a rotation so you are able to take any work that is available from any group practicing in the office in which you are working. We pride ourselves on offering you with opportunities that give you a real glimpse of what it is like to practice at DWT. Some summer associates have assisted with trial prep, attended client meetings, worked directly with partners, attended depositions, etc. We also encourage summer associates to work on pro bono projects, which often results in direct client contact and courtroom experience.

What kind of training will there be?
The training you will receive through the Summer Associate Program will be impactful! You will gain exposure to each practice group, attend litigation writing and transactional drafting seminars in addition to having access to a writing advisor and your mentors. Additionally, summer associates are invited to attend various training programs delivered by our Professional Development department as well as training and meetings hosted by practice groups. And of course, you will also learn a great deal of on-the-job training by collaborating in small client teams doing real work and getting real feedback.

Will I have a mentor, secretary and an office?
We will assign an associate and a partner mentor for you over the summer as well as an assistant. You will also be assigned an office, though some of our locations are nearing capacity, so we ask for your flexibility as we may need to reserve temporary office space for you during the summer in some cases. Growth is a good problem to have!

What kind of summer associate events do you offer?
Social events vary by office and whether the program is in-person or virtual, but a few events from years past include: riddle trivia night, sailing, baseball games, group dinners, Puzzle Escape, karaoke, concerts, happy hours, a cooking party, and lots of coffee dates!

Who are we looking for?
We value great writing skills and academic excellence, but know that true success is determined by personal characteristics that cannot be taught. We want the right person. Someone who contributes to our increasingly diverse, friendly and hard-working culture - someone who doesnt take themselves too seriously, but who will do what it takes to put forth their best work. Someone who can get back up again and who will accept the help of a colleague and offer help in return. We want people who will be active in our communities, both inside and outside of the firm. Our culture is special, and we think its worth finding the right person for.

We are an AmLaw 100 law firm with ten offices nationwide. We are relentlessly committed to client service and look for candidates who share that commitment. At DWT, client service means having empathy for each clients and each lawyers work and personal pressures, business objectives, and legal needs; anticipating their needs; and having the capabilities and commitment to deliver what matters most to them.

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP embraces diversity, equity and inclusion. It brings out the best of what each individual has to offer and inspires us to build strong and lasting connections with each other, our clients, and our communities.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are part of the fabric of Davis Wright Tremaine-central to who we are and what we do. Our vision is to foster a culture where all talented individuals-including those who are traditionally underrepresented in the legal profession-can have, and can see, a path to success. In order to support this vision, we request that you voluntarily provide the following demographic data: gender, racial and ethnic category, LGBTQ+ status, veteran status, and disability status. All self-reported demographic information is stored securely in a manner that is compliant with DWTs privacy and security policies and is only accessible by authorized members of the Talent Acquisition and HR Departments; it is not shared with any of the hiring decision-makers.

Davis Wright Tremaine provides reasonable accommodations for those who need them to complete the application or recruiting process and for employees who need reasonable accommodations to perform the essential functions of their positions due to a disability or for religious reasons. If you need to request accommodation during the application or recruiting process, please email [email protected].

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