Philadelphia Diversity Law Group Summer 1L Program

The PDLG First-Year Summer Program (the “Summer 1L Program”) offers first-year students an additional route to summer employment in outstanding law firms and corporate law departments. Application through this program will not preclude a student from otherwise seeking or accepting a job at any participating firm or organization or preclude the firm or organization hiring the student outside of the Summer 1L Program.

The goal of the Summer 1L Program is to increase the number of lawyers of diverse backgrounds working at Philadelphia area law firms and corporate law departments. Thus, the Summer 1L Program is designed to identify first year law students who have overcome significant obstacles in pursuing a legal career, come from disadvantaged backgrounds or from backgrounds that are underrepresented in the Philadelphia legal community and who have demonstrated the ability – based on academic achievement, writing ability and other accomplishments – to succeed in the summer programs run by our member organizations. The PDLG hopes this program will enable a group of those students to get summer clerkships in Philadelphia, whether as part of formal summer programs or not, and thus allow them to experience the law firm or corporate law environment in Philadelphia and, perhaps, help them “kick-start” their legal careers.