High Schoolers Explore Law Firm Careers at Haynes and Boone
April, 2018 - Dallas, Texas
To show high school sophomores the many facets of working at a law firm, Haynes and Boone, LLP lawyers and staff members hosted scholars from Uplift Grand Preparatory School on March 29.
Uplift Grand, a public college-preparatory charter school in Grand Prairie, is a new partner with Haynes and Boone's pipeline initiatives to raise awareness about careers in law with diverse groups of scholars and help them explore what the path to a legal career might look like.
While at the firm, the scholars heard from Haynes and Boone lawyers about "a day in the life" of a lawyer and took part in a simulated negotiation exercise. Students also visited with junior associates over lunch.
Then came a specialized "job fair." The scholars rotated through various stations, learning about attorney development, recruiting, accounting and finance, human relations and marketing communications � and got to quiz staffers about their jobs.
Among the questions asked by the Uplift scholars: How do you handle your workload? Why did you want to work for a law firm, and why this law firm? What's your favorite project that you've gotten to work on?
The full day event, held at the firm's Dallas office, was designed to give scholars who might not otherwise have exposure to lawyers or law firms a better sense of the profession and to spark their interest in the legal field.
Associate Lucy Liu, a member of the firm's Attorney Diversity and Inclusion Committee, said the job fair "was designed to demystify law firms and help students understand that, as a business with multiple support departments, a law firm offers a variety of job opportunities."
Haynes and Boone's ongoing pipeline initiatives to promote diversity, inclusion and community outreach include summer workshops at which high schoolers explore life as a lawyer; firm visits for middle school students; and mentoring sessions with University of Texas at Arlington undergraduates.
"Our partnership with Uplift Grand is a perfect fit with the firm's Pipeline Initiative," said Haynes and Boone Partner Autumn Highsmith, a subcommittee leader on the Attorney Diversity and Inclusion Committee. "It allows us to educate these bright young scholars about opportunities in the law and to provide support and resources for those who decide to pursue a legal career."
