TOLEDO, OH — In keeping with our commitment to foster diversity and inclusion among our lawyers, other professionals, and staff, the full-service business law firm Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP, is currently accepting applications for the 2021 Shumaker Diversity Scholarship. Two scholarships will be awarded in the amount of $7,500 each to first or second year law students who are enrolled at an American Bar Association (ABA) accredited law school and meet eligibility requirements.
The Shumaker Diversity Scholarship is available to students who are members of underrepresented or minority groups. Applicants must have outstanding undergraduate and law school academic credentials, exhibit leadership abilities and community involvement, and demonstrate a commitment to practice law after graduating from law school in the geographic area of one of Shumaker’s offices: Bloomfield Hills, Michigan; Charleston, South Carolina; Charlotte, North Carolina; Columbus, Ohio, Sarasota, Florida; Tampa, Florida; and Toledo, Ohio.
Eligibility for the scholarship requires that the recipient participate in and complete the firm’s summer associate program following their first or second year of law school. The scholarship will be paid upon the student’s successful completion of the firm’s summer associate program.
“Now in its fifth year, the scholarship is just one of several examples of how the firm is investing in the recruitment and retention of lawyers from diverse backgrounds, as well as promoting diversity and inclusion in the legal profession,” said Thomas P. Dillon, Chairman of the firm’s Management Committee.
The application deadline for 2Ls is November 1, 2020; 1L application deadline is February 1, 2021. Eligible students interested in applying can visit our webpage for additional details and application form.
“Receiving the diversity scholarship solidified Shumaker’s commitment to my development as an aspiring minority attorney,” said Timaura Barfield, current Shumaker associate and recipient of the 2018 Shumaker Diversity Scholarship. “During my summer associate experience, I had many opportunities to tackle complex issues and complete substantive projects, while being mentored by attorneys who were considerably invested in my growth. The attorneys at the firm took time to mentor me and shared valuable knowledge necessary to be successful in the legal profession. My summer experience played a major role in my decision to accept an offer with the firm. Now, as an associate, I continue to be mentored and challenged to become a better attorney every day.”
Shumaker’s Diversity Committee recommended and established the Diversity Scholarship in 2016. The current committee, chaired by Partners, Maria del Carmen Ramos and Rebecca Shope, is comprised of firm partners (including at least one member of the firm’s Management Committee), associates, and administrative personnel who are actively dedicated to establishing and implementing diversity and inclusion measures to ensure that the firm meets and exceeds its goals of creating a comfortable working environment that embraces and supports the many differences among us.
* * *
Founded in 1925, Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP is a full-service law firm with more than 260 lawyers and seven offices in Toledo and Columbus, Ohio; Tampa and Sarasota, Florida; Charlotte, North Carolina; Charleston, South Carolina; and Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Shumaker is a premier provider of quality legal services. Whether it's commitment to clients or work in the community, involvement lies at the core of all of Shumaker’s initiatives.