Fish & Richardson today announced that seven first-year law school students – Kevin Chu, David Lehr, Sherrie Holdman, Alexa Lowman, Matthew Miyamoto, Jeanel Sunga, and Wenqing Zhao – were selected from over 340 applicants as the firm's 2018 1L Diversity Fellows. Fish's 1L Diversity Fellowship Program, which was launched in 2005, provides annual fellowships to diverse first-year law students across the U.S. The program supports Fish's ongoing work to recruit, retain and advance a diverse group of attorneys.
Each Fish Diversity Fellow receives a paid 2018 summer associate position in one of Fish's U.S. offices, mentoring throughout the academic year by members of the firm, and a scholarship reward of up to $10,000. To date, Fish has awarded nearly $300,000 in scholarships through this program.
All of Fish's 2018 Diversity Fellows also are given the opportunity to participate in the 1L Scholars Program of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD), which was created to strengthen the legal pipeline by expanding the number of opportunities for diverse first-year law students. LCLD is a national organization made up of more than 285 general counsel and managing partners of the leading corporations and law firms in the country who have dedicated themselves to creating a truly diverse U.S. legal profession.
"Every year, we look forward to working with this group of talented and diverse future attorneys as they begin their legal careers at Fish through our 1L Diversity Fellowship Program," said Ahmed J. Davis, National Chair of Fish's Diversity Initiative and a Principal in the firm's Washington, D.C. office. "We are steadfast and immovable in our commitment to developing and supporting a more diverse workforce that better reflects the diversity of our clients and the courts across the country. Increasing diversity both at our firm and in the legal profession overall is like a marathon – and while we have a long way to go, this program plays an important role in bringing us much closer to the finish line."
Kevin Chu, a student at Harvard Law School, will work in Fish's New York office. David Lehr, a student at Yale Law School, will join Fish's Boston office. Alexa Lowman, a student at the University of VirginiaSchool of Law, and Wenqing Zhao, a student at Yale Law School, will join the Washington, D.C. office. Sherrie Holdman, a student at University of Minnesota Law School, will work in the Twin Citiesoffice. Matthew Miyamoto, a student at the University of Chicago Law School, will work in the San Diego office. Jeanel Sunga, a student at George Washington University Law School, will join the firm's Silicon Valley office.All the students are members of the class of 2020 at their respective law schools.
Four Diversity Fellows from Fish's 2017 program will return to the firm for a second summer. Adam Pan, a student at Yale Law School, will rejoin Fish's Boston office. Tracea Rice, a student at Wake Forest University School of Law, and James Riddle, a student at Yale Law School, will rejoin the Washington, D.C. office. Veena Tripathi, a student at the University of Minnesota Law School, will rejoin the firm's Twin Cities office. All returning Diversity Fellows are members of the class of 2019 at their respective law schools.
Fish & Richardson is a global intellectual property firm offering patent prosecution, counseling, and litigation; trademark and copyright prosecution, counseling, and litigation; and commercial litigation services. Established in 1878, and now with more than 400 attorneys and technology specialists in the U.S. and Europe, our success is rooted in our creative and inclusive culture, which values the diversity of people, experiences, and perspectives. Fish is the No. 1 ranked U.S. patent litigation firm, handling nearly three times as many cases as our nearest competitor; a powerhouse patent and trademark prosecution firm; a top-tier trademark and copyright litigation firm; and the most-active firm at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Fish continues to win cases worth billions in controversy – often by making new law – for the world's most innovative and influential technology leaders. For more information, visit fr.com or follow us at @FishRichardson.
