Community Initiatives

Programs and Initiatives

The firm has undertaken several initiatives, key collaborations, and sponsorships to address matters of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Through community and professional engagements, Snell & Wilmer gains the multicultural sensitivities to develop a deeper understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The list below demonstrates the breadth of the firm’s engagement and desire to lead the charge in diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives:

Sponsorships

American Bar Association’s Judicial Intern Opportunity Program (“JIOP”) Sponsor

This nationwide program provides second-year law students who are members of racial and ethnic groups that are traditionally underrepresented in the profession, students with disabilities, students who are economically disadvantaged, students who identify themselves as LGBT, and women, with a judicial internship over the summer.

Arizona

The AAABA aims to promote and advocate for justice, equity, equality, inclusion, and opportunity for Asian Pacific Americans (APA) in the Arizona legal profession and the community-at-large.

Arizona Association of Defense Counsel’s (“AADC”) “Ladder Down” Program Sponsor

Snell & Wilmer is one of a few firms that has partnered with the AADC to create a year-long business development program entitled “Ladder Down: Leadership, Business Development, and Mentoring For Women Lawyers.” The objective of the program is to empower women lawyers by giving them directed training and providing them with practical, tangible tools for getting ahead. This is a unique program—particularly at the state and local level—in that the purpose is not to identify the difficulties women lawyers face, but to instead provide effective solutions for advancing their careers.

Center for Legal Inclusiveness (CLI)

CLI is dedicated to advancing diversity in the legal profession by actively educating and supporting private and public sector legal organizations in their individual campaigns to create cultures of inclusion.

Colorado Pledge to Diversity

The Pledge was founded for the purpose of addressing the inequities faced by Black law students and students of color, and expanded to address the inequities faced by students with disabilities, gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender students, and other individuals who have been traditionally under-represented in the practice of law.

Diversity Legal Writing Internship Program

Snell & Wilmer hosts writing fellows in various offices. We work with second-year law students in the spring semester to improve the students’ writing skills and to expose them to real-world clerking assignments in a firm setting.

Hispanic National Bar Association

HNBA is a national association of attorneys, judges, law students, and other legal professionals whose mission is to educate, engage, and empower practicing and aspiring members of the Hispanic legal community and advocate on issues that impact the broader Hispanic community.

National Asian Pacific American Bar Association

NAPABA is the nation’s largest Asian Pacific American membership organization representing the interests of 80,000 attorneys, judges, law professors, and law students.

State Bar of Arizona

State Bar of Arizona has been a long-time collaborator with Snell & Wilmer. The key programs include the Bar Leadership Institute, which is a selective program designed to train the next generation of Bar members and community leaders; and Convention of Diversity & Inclusion, which includes programming that provides a forum for Arizona’s legal community to address issues that confront diverse attorneys, celebrate the success of diverse attorneys and encourage them to pursue legal careers in Arizona.

Justice Michael L. Douglas PreLaw Fellowship Program

The goal of the Justice Michael L. Douglas PreLaw Fellowship Program is to introduce students from underrepresented communities to the rigors of law school and the benefits of having a legal education, as well as to ensure they have essential information to help them navigate the law school admission process.

Key Collaborations

Arizona State University’s High School Pipeline Initiative

The mission of ASU’s High School Pipeline initiative is to enhance the diversity of the legal profession by developing and fostering a pathway for diverse high school students that encourages an interest in the law, promotes the development of critical thinking and writing skills, and fosters values necessary to succeed academically and professionally.

Law Firm Antiracism Alliance (“LFAA”)

LFAA’s mission is to amplify the voices of communities and individuals oppressed by racism and to promote racial equity in the law.

Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (“LCLD”)

Snell & Wilmer is a member of the LCLD, an organization focused on developing strategies to increase diversity in the legal profession and sharing those strategies with member law firms.

Orange County Coalition for Diversity in the Law (“OCCDL”)

The OCCDL is a collaborative effort of professionals from leading Orange County law firms and other community partners committed to achieving cultural diversity in recruiting and retaining law students and attorneys in Orange County.

Utah Center for Legal Inclusion (“UCLI”)

Snell & Wilmer’s Salt Lake City office is certified with the UCLI, an organization dedicated to advancing the goals of equity and inclusion in Utah’s legal profession.

+50 networking and partnerships with diversity-focused professional organizations

Fellowship for Advancement and Resources

The hallmark of the “Pre-Law” Program was the LSAT Scholarship, which provided selected candidates with a monetary stipend covering the costs of taking and preparing for the law school admission test. Since its introduction, the firm has awarded more than a dozen LSAT Scholarships to aspiring lawyers of diverse backgrounds and experiences across the country.

Understanding the subtle complexities of the challenges faced by law school candidates, Snell & Wilmer expanded the Pre-Law Program to the Fellowship for Advancement and Resources (“FAR”). FAR is a holistic pipeline initiative demonstrating Snell & Wilmer’s persistent and unwavering commitment to inclusion and belonging in the workplace and legal profession. The initiative aims to help students from unique backgrounds and experiences navigate the LSAT and law school application processes. In addition, FAR fellows are assigned mentors, and participate in professional development workshops.

FAR provides selected fellows:

A path for admission
Knowledge to hit the ground running
Tools to compete
Resources to succeed
Empowerment

Apply for the FAR program

SUBMIT APPLICATION

Community Outreach

Serving Our Community

Giving back to the community furthers our impact and outreach to historically underrepresented minorities who may not have access to resources and legal services to fulfill their potential. Snell & Wilmer contributes resources toward nonprofits that serve to address inequality gaps among youth within communities of color, such as Valley of the Sun United Way, Boys and Girls Club in various cities and House of Hope, among others. Highlighted below are a few organizations that Snell & Wilmer has dedicated time, resources, and monetary contributions to.

To find out more about our community and commitment, read Snell & Wilmer’s social responsibility impact or visit our Community + Pro Bono webpage.

500+

Last year, we engaged in over 500 pro bono matters that directly affect minority individuals and communities.

19,000+

In the last year, we contributed over 19,000 hours of pro bono work representing charitable organizations that provide services to low-income communities.