Diversity Pipeline Initiatives

Southwestern is involved in various Diversity Pipeline initiatives in California and beyond to encourage youth from underrepresented communities to pursue careers in the law. These include the Legal Education Action Program (LEAP) with the Hispanic National Bar Association's Legal Education Fund, the Southern California Legal Diversity Pipeline Coalition, the Los Angeles County Bar Association Diversity Summit, Wingspread, and the California State Bar efforts to ensure that those at each level within the pipeline are being sufficiently identified, trained and mentored.

The law school has also developed Pipeline programs in partnership with the Los Angeles Public Defender's Office, Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and the Constitutional Rights Foundation, among other entities.

Southwestern also works with DiscoverLaw.org, a Law School Admissions Council initiative, to organize events geared toward high-school, community-college, and undergraduate students, introducing them to the legal profession.

Recent DiscoverLaw.org events:

Posse Foundation's Academic Immersion Day

High school students from across Los Angeles attend a day-long pre-Collegiate Training (PCT) program comprised of workshops and lectures previewing collegiate life, and the skills relevant to success in higher education. Session topics include, but are not limited to: Note-taking; Transitioning from high school to college; Time management; and Resources for diverse students thinking about law school. This event is presented by the Posse Foundation of Los Angeles, hosted and co-sponsored by Southwestern Law School's Dean of Students and Diversity Affairs office; in conjunction with the Law School Admission Council's DiscoverLaw.org Months initiatives.

From Law School to the Bench

Law school is just one of many steps along a future jurist’s path toward an impactful career within the legal profession. Becoming an attorney is perhaps the most common of career objectives, but what about becoming a judge? How does a law student maximize their opportunities in and out of the classroom to better prepare themselves for life as a member of the bench? To answer this question, Southwestern Law School hosts high school and undergraduate students for a round-table discussion about the path from law school to the bench, the challenges judges face, and the critical role they and their decisions serve in our legal system.

Future Jurists Project: Breaking Down Inchoate Crimes

Southwestern Law School visited USC Hybrid High College Prep in Los Angeles, CA, to discuss the relevance of inchoate crimes in the lives of today’s youth. Members of the Black Law Students Association reviewed solicitation, conspiracy, and attempt, with the objective of provoking a deeper understanding of how the commission of a crime can occur before completion of the target offense. Through a mock law class format, high school students got a unique glimpse into the issues, rules, and intellectual exchanges that define the law school classroom experience.