Bilzin Sumberg Celebrates over 10 Years of Partnering with Street Law Legal Diversity Pipeline Program

Miami, FL – In keeping with the firm’s long-standing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the legal profession and beyond, Bilzin Sumberg is proud to join the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) as it marks 20 years since the establishment of its Street Law Legal Diversity Pipeline Program. Since 2001, Street Law has introduced students from underrepresented communities to the legal profession by connecting them to practitioners from law firms. The program serves as an important component in the movement to increase participation by underrepresented communities in the legal industry. By providing students the opportunity to participate in real-world legal situations and learn about the law from local legal professionals, the program opens young people to the possibility of a legal career and provides resources to pursue that path.

For 14 years, Bilzin Sumberg employees have proudly volunteered to educate students about the practice of law and cultivate interest in the field, thereby strengthening the diversity of the legal profession's recruitment pipeline. The firm's volunteers participate in every aspect of the program, which includes teaching lessons in substantive areas of law, introducing students to the many professional roles that support a law firm, and growing awareness of how the law impacts ordinary people in their daily lives.

Since the firm’s involvement, Bilzin Sumberg has worked closely with Coral Gables Senior High School, where the overwhelming majority of students come from minority communities, and many hail from disadvantaged backgrounds. Illuminating the practice of law for Coral Gables Senior High School students has been a tremendously rewarding experience for the firm’s attorneys, who return year after year to introduce young minds to the multifaceted and dynamic field of law through their deep knowledge and extensive experience.

“Bilzin Sumberg Cares is the platform we created to bring the Bilzin Sumberg community together in a way to benefit the South Florida community. Our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts fall under the Bilzin Sumberg Cares umbrella, and although we are honored to be recognized for our past and on-going involvement in the Street Law Diversity Pipeline Program, we view it as our responsibility to do so,” says Marshall R. Pasternak, Partner in Bilzin Sumberg’s Corporate Group and member of the firm’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee,  “We are lucky enough to live in one of the most diverse communities in the country and it is our goal that our firm—and all area firms—have an employee base that represents that diversity.  Our involvement with the Street Law program is a step in that direction.”

Bilzin Sumberg looks forward to many more years of participating in the Street Law program to play its part in ushering in a more diverse and inclusive legal profession.

About the National Association for Law Placement
The National Association for Law Placement (NALP) is an association of more than 2,500 legal career professionals who advise law students, lawyers, law offices, and law schools in North America and beyond. What brings NALP members together is a common belief in three fundamental things. First, all law students and lawyers should benefit from a fair and ethical hiring process. Second, law students and lawyers are more successful when supported by professional development and legal career professionals. Third, a diverse and inclusive legal profession best serves clients and our communities. That’s why NALP members work together every day to collect and publish accurate legal employment data and information, and champion education and ethical principles for recruiting, professional and career development, and diversity and inclusion. For 50 years, NALP has played an essential role in the success of our members and the lawyers and law students they serve. For additional information, contact NALP at info@nalp.org.

About Bilzin Sumberg
Bilzin Sumberg counsels clients whose business and legal opportunities and challenges span the United States, Canada, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia. The firm’s growth has paralleled that of its Miami home base, a region known for its rich cultural, social, and professional diversity. Bilzin Sumberg stands at the center of virtually every major transaction shaping Florida and is at the forefront of the state’s most pressing economic issues – from infrastructure, transit and mobility, to affordability and the diversification of the state’s economy. Bilzin Sumberg lawyers concentrate on services at the heart of both regional and international commerce, including real estate, land development and government relations, environmental, construction, corporate and securities, finance, joint ventures, domestic and international tax and private wealth planning, antitrust, business litigation, and public-private partnerships. For more information, please visit bilzin.com.