Justia Connect Webinars The Internship Blueprint: Designing Inclusive Programs That Deliver Results

The Internship Blueprint: Designing Inclusive Programs That Deliver Results

Internships are integral to the legal profession, providing opportunities for students to gain practical experience while in law school, and developing talent to support the firm’s work. This program will guide you through best practices for recruiting, hiring, and working with interns. Gain insights into creating accessible interview processes, fostering a supportive environment, and providing meaningful feedback to ensure a valuable experience for both your law firm and interns.

Topics covered include:

Law Firm DEI Law Firm Management Law Practice Legal Ethics

Agenda:

Introductory Overview
- Brief introduction of the presenter
- Icebreaker poll of attendees
- Review of agenda, topics to be covered, and anticipated takeaways
Recruiting Interns

Promoting your internship program
Law school recruiting timelines
Building diverse internship cohorts

Inclusive Interviews and Hiring
- Addressing implicit bias as an internship coordinator
- Techniques for inclusive interviewing
- Flexibility in interviewing
- Inclusive interview environment
Creating a Supportive Work Environment
- Before the internship begins
- Intern orientation
- Training opportunities for interns
- Guidance for intern work assignments
- Providing diverse internship opportunities
- Checking in with interns
- 3 essentials of effective feedback
- Critical conversations with interns
- Following up on interns’ feedback
Navigating Hybrid Work
- Understanding remote and hybrid work
- Pros and cons of remote work for interns
- Tools for hybrid success
- Connection and socialization
Mentorship and Networking
- Legal mentorship
- Finishing the internship strong
- Staying connected
- Big picture goals of mentorship and networking
Questions & Answers (as time permits)

Duration of this webinar: 60 minutes

Originally broadcast: April 10, 2025 10:00 AM PT

Webinar Highlights

This webinar is divided into section summaries, which you can scan for key points and then dive into the sections that interest you the most.

00:00 Introduction

Keisha outlines the presentation's focus on creating effective internship programs that benefit both firms and interns. She emphasizes the importance of practical skills training and the growing significance of such training in legal education. Keisha conducts a poll to gauge the audience's experience with interns, which will help tailor the presentation. The agenda includes recruiting interns, inclusive interviews, creating supportive environments, and navigating hybrid work.

05:36 Recruiting and Diversity Strategies

Keisha begins by discussing strategies for recruiting interns, emphasizing the importance of making internship programs stand out. She suggests posting internship opportunities on firm websites and circulating them to law schools, including those not previously engaged. Keisha highlights the role of law school career services and public interest offices in connecting students with opportunities. She advises participating in career fairs and using social media to reach potential interns. Keisha stresses the importance of broadening outreach to diverse law schools and connecting with affinity programs and minority bar associations. She discusses the significance of diversity in improving client outcomes and workplace well-being.

17:03 Inclusive Interviewing Practices

Keisha discusses inclusive interviewing practices, emphasizing the need to expand the candidate pool. She recommends blind resume reviews to eliminate bias based on school or name, focusing on the substance of the resume. Keisha advises having a diverse panel review applications to avoid bias in hiring decisions. Standard interview questions should be used to ensure fairness and consistency across candidates. She highlights the importance of flexibility in scheduling interviews, accommodating candidates' needs and preferences. Keisha suggests using technology to facilitate interviews, making them more convenient and cost-effective.

26:50 Creating a Supportive Work Environment

Keisha discusses creating a supportive work environment for interns, starting with pre-internship communication. She emphasizes the importance of preparing staff to welcome interns and providing them with necessary information before their first day. Intern orientation should include an overview of the firm, work expectations, and opportunities for interns to connect with colleagues. Training on office technology and practical skills is crucial for interns' success and integration into the firm. Keisha suggests including interns in training opportunities and practical experiences like court appearances and client interactions. She highlights the value of providing diverse experiences and regular check-ins to support interns' development.

34:50 Internship Assignments and Feedback

Keisha provides guidance on assigning work to interns, stressing the importance of clear, written instructions and due dates. She advises involving interns in case team meetings to provide context and encourage questions. Keisha emphasizes the need for diverse internship experiences beyond legal research and writing. Regular check-ins with interns are crucial for feedback and relationship building. Feedback should be timely, fair, and reciprocal, allowing interns to improve and supervisors to support them. Keisha discusses handling critical conversations with interns, focusing on understanding and resolution.

48:20 Hybrid Work and Mentorship

Keisha addresses the challenges and benefits of hybrid work arrangements for interns. She highlights the flexibility and cost savings of remote work but notes potential isolation and communication challenges. Keisha suggests using technology to facilitate remote collaboration and regular check-ins. She emphasizes the importance of mentorship and networking, encouraging connections beyond the internship. Keisha advises maintaining relationships with former interns to sustain the internship program.

56:00 Q&A and Closing Remarks

Keisha answers audience questions, providing insights on assessing interns beyond academic metrics and offering constructive feedback. She suggests expanding recruitment to diverse law schools and connecting with minority bar associations. Keisha advises busy attorneys to schedule dedicated mentorship time for interns. She encourages interns to communicate their interests and feedback to tailor their experience. Keisha discusses strategies for transitioning interns to full-time roles and balancing challenging experiences with support.

Please note this AI-generated summary provides a general overview of the webinar but may not capture all details, nuances, or the exact words of the speaker. For complete accuracy, please refer to the original webinar recording.

Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Credits

*CLE credit is only available to Justia Connect Pros. Not a Pro? Upgrade today>>

California CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.00 Recognition and Elimination of Bias

Earn Credit Until: June 30, 2026

South Carolina CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.00 Legal Ethics/Professional Responsibility

Difficulty: All Levels

Earn Credit Until: December 31, 2025

North Carolina CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.00 Ethics

Earn Credit Until: February 28, 2026

This presentation is approved for one hour of Recognition and Elimination of Bias CLE credit in California, one hour of Legal Ethics/Professional Responsibility CLE credit in South Carolina (all levels), and one hour of Ethics CLE credit in North Carolina.

Justia only reports attendance in jurisdictions in which a particular Justia CLE Webinar is officially accredited. Lawyers may need to self-submit their certificates for CLE credit in jurisdictions not listed above.

Note that CLE credit, including partial credit, cannot be earned outside of the relevant accreditation period. To earn credit for a course, a lawyer must watch the entire course within the relevant accreditation period. Lawyers who have viewed a presentation multiple times may not be able to claim credit in their jurisdiction more than once. Justia reserves the right, at its discretion, to grant an attendee partial or no credit, in accordance with viewing duration and other methods of verifying course completion.

At this time, Justia only offers CLE courses officially accredited in certain states. Lawyers may generate a generic attendance certificate to self-submit credit in their own jurisdiction, but Justia does not guarantee that lawyers will receive their desired CLE credit through the self-submission or reciprocity process.

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Speaker

Keisha Stokes-Hough Deputy Director of Legal Management
Southern Poverty Law Center

Keisha Stokes-Hough is the Southern Poverty Law Center’s deputy director of legal management, where she assists with overseeing the operations of the SPLC’s legal department, and coordinates programming for attorneys and law students. Her experience includes a range of legal and advocacy work seeking economic justice, as well as habeas litigation on behalf of indigent petitioners.

Keisha received a bachelor’s degree from Jackson State University and a law degree from Harvard Law School, where she was a member of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau.

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