Diversity Fellowships

Through our diversity fellowships, we focus on recruiting, developing and retaining outstanding law students and lawyers who have demonstrated leadership skills, a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and success in overcoming challenges in their path to pursuing a career in the law, helping us to break barriers within the legal profession.

1L DIVERSITY FELLOWSHIPS

Our 1L Diversity Fellowship program provides first-year law students with the opportunity to be a 1L summer associate in Goodwin’s 10-week summer program, following their first year of law school.

  • 1L Diversity Fellows will spend the first six weeks of the summer associate program working in their preferred Goodwin office and have the opportunity to spend the final four weeks of this time working at the direction of a Goodwin client.
  • 1L Diversity Fellows are invited to participate in the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity’s 1L Scholars Summit; and
  • 1L Diversity Fellows are compensated for the full 10-week program at the standard summer associate salary.
  • 1L Diversity Fellows will be considered for a 2L summer associate position at Goodwin, compensated at the standard summer associate salary plus an additional $50,000 scholarship.

To become a Goodwin 1L Diversity Fellow, a candidate must be a 1L or 2E law student enrolled in an ABA-accredited law school, with an expected graduation date of spring 2026. Successful applicants must demonstrate:

  • Exceptional academic performance;
  • Outstanding leadership abilities;
  • A commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion;
  • Success in overcoming challenges in their path to pursuing a legal career; and
  • Strong interpersonal skills.

To remain eligible, a candidate may not participate in a similar program or be an award recipient at another law firm. A candidate must not be an immediate family member of a Goodwin lawyer or employee and may not be a Goodwin client or an employee of a Goodwin client.

Candidates interested in applying must complete the online application, which includes a cover letter, resume, undergraduate transcript and a personal statement of no more than 500 words.

We ask that students follow up by submitting their law school transcript to fellowships@goodwinlaw.com once first semester grades become available.

The personal statement should include examples of the applicant’s leadership qualities, commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and success in overcoming challenges in their path to pursuing a legal career. Engagement with community organizations or involvement with other community activities may assist in demonstrating a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. The personal statement should also demonstrate that the candidate has a desire to practice law in a corporate law firm setting.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and remain open until February 2, 2024.

Please contact us at fellowships@goodwinlaw.com with any questions.

Our focus on DEI is two-pronged: ensuring support and opportunities through our systems and centering the lived experiences of those who have successfully overcome challenges in their pursuit of legal careers. I’m proud that our national hiring efforts amplify this commitment and strategy. Working closely with our CRED, Pride and Women@Goodwin affinity group leaders, we have developed firmwide recruiting priorities to help advance these goals. In the last few years, enhancements to our Diversity Fellowship programs have proven incredibly successful, creating pathways, and mitigating the impact of barriers to enter the legal profession while providing our Fellows exposure to high-growth areas of the firm.
Kevin Lam
National Hiring Partner