Archer, Temple Law School & the City of Philadelphia Team Up for Innovative Diversity Scholarship Program

Click play button above to watch video of news conference with Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter.

Two students at the Temple University Beasley School of Law will receive Diversity Scholarships from Archer P.C., along with the opportunity to work as paid summer associates at the law firm and within the City of Philadelphia Law Department, under a groundbreaking initiative announced today by the law school, the City and the firm.

The Archer-Temple Law School-City of Philadelphia Diversity Scholarship Program provides $7,500 to each recipient. The initiative supports diversity in Temple’s student body, promotes Archer’s commitment to fostering diversity at the firm, and supplies the City Law Department with needed assistance at no cost while providing the aspiring attorneys valuable, hands-on experience at a major public sector agency. Archer will pay the summer associates’ salaries for their work both at the firm and at the City Law Department.

“Philadelphia is a majority minority city. It is critical that our minority children are involved in all fields of education and employment,” Mayor Michael A. Nutter said today during a City Hall news conference to announce the scholarship program. “Diversity is the key to a competitive 21st century-ready workforce; programs like this offer scholarship opportunities and real-world work experience for our young people.”

Mayor Nutter thanked the City’s top lawyer, City Solicitor Shelley R. Smith, along with leaders at Archer and Temple Law, for their vision, hard work and skill in bringing the program to fruition.

The City Solicitor’s Office itself is a model of diversity, with its staff of more than 160 attorneys made up of 53% female and 25% diverse lawyers. Expanding the pool of diverse attorneys with experience in work the office cannot do in-house, because of conflicts or staffing constraints, has been more of a challenge.

“This scholarship/internship program will encourage the development of diverse attorneys in private practice who will be able to serve the legal community’s largest public client,” said City Solicitor Smith, “and they will learn to do the work efficiently, practicing alongside our own attorneys as well as attorneys at Archer who have a combined 50-plus years of experience representing the City.”

“We intend to send a clear and important message to the legal community that this program can be a model for achieving progress in an important area,” Archer President Christopher R. Gibson said. “Much has been said and written about increasing diversity in the legal profession, but we need to do more. This initiative is a team effort with a concrete commitment backed by dollars, a well-conceived plan and the will to implement it.”

The scholarship program supports Temple Law School’s commitment to diversity and excellence, as set forth in the school’s mission statement.

“We are delighted that Archer has created these scholarships. The firm’s partnership with the City of Philadelphia Law Department offers a unique opportunity for students to receive financial support as well as work experience in both a private and a public setting,” said Temple Law School Dean JoAnne A. Epps, who also serves as a Professor at the school. “This effort confirms Archer’s deep commitment to providing tangible support to foster increased diversity of the bar.”

The Temple scholarships are but one facet of Archer’s commitment to enhancing diversity at the firm and within the legal community. These initiatives include a minority and diverse scholarship program at Rutgers School of Law-Camden as well as leadership and participation in the Philadelphia Diversity Law Group’s First-Year Summer Program, the New Jersey Law Firm Group’s Mentor Program, and recruitment of diverse candidates through job fairs and campus visits. Additionally, Archer’s Diversity Committee, under the leadership of Committee Chair Robert T. Lehman, a senior Partner at the firm, actively promotes diversity at the firm. The Committee includes the President of the firm as well as members of both the Personnel and Hiring Committees.

“Diversity enriches our relationships within and outside the firm, creates an environment where cultural differences are embraced, and enhances our understanding of the needs of our clients and community,” Archer Chairman James H. Carll said. “The Diversity Scholarship Program is an investment in the future: of the individual recipients, Temple Law School as whole, the City, the firm, the legal community, and the community at large.”

Mr. Gibson and Mr. Carll thanked Archer Partner Carlton L. Johnson, former Chief Deputy Solicitor of the Philadelphia Law Department’s Civil Rights Unit, for serving as the firm’s point person for designing and implementing the program.

“I am honored to be among the first participants of this groundbreaking program,” scholarship recipient Jose Sabalbaro said. “I look forward to representing Temple Law’s diverse student body as a Summer Associate with Archer and the City of Philadelphia.”

Recipient Joel Clymer added, “I am both honored and excited that I was selected for the Scholarship Program. As the President of the Temple Black Law Students Association I am an avid supporter of diversity and inclusion in the legal profession. And so, I am very grateful to Archer, Temple Law School, and the City of Philadelphia for undertaking this ambitious and groundbreaking diversity initiative. I eagerly look forward to working with the City of Philadelphia and Archer this summer.”

“The Philadelphia Bar Association applauds the collaboration between Archer, Temple Law and the City of Philadelphia Law Department to increase diversity in the legal profession,” said John E. Savoth, Philadelphia Bar Association Chancellor. “It is initiatives of this kind that make a meaningful difference.”

Archer PC is a full-service regional law firm with more than 200 lawyers and eight offices in Philadelphia, Pa.; Haddonfield, Hackensack, Princeton and Flemington, N.J.; New York, N.Y.; and Wilmington and Georgetown, Del. The Firm has been serving Fortune 100 clients, small to medium-sized businesses and individuals for more than 80 years. Each office provides full-service litigation and transactional capabilities in nearly every area of law including corporate, estate & trust, family & matrimonial, labor & employment, litigation, medical & personal injury and real estate services. For more information, visit www.archerlaw.com.

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