In the last eight years, 80 law students have taken advantage of the diversity internship program in Mont-gomery County that connected at least one LGBT student to a full-time job after graduation.
“The fact that we’re at least impacting some students is great,” said Judge Dan Clifford, the first openly gay official in the county.
He considers the diversity internship for first-year law students as one of his crowning achievements. He started it while serving as one of the founding chairs of the Diversity Committee of the Montgomery Bar Association in 2008. The other founding chair was Judge Cheryl Austin.
This month, Clifford was honored by the local bar association for his leadership on diversity initiatives within Montgomery County.
Clifford said he hoped his election and diversity work would serve as a path that other LGBT people could follow to run for public office or work in the legal field.
While researching ways to increase diversity in legal jobs, Clifford and the Diversity Committee found that a strong internship program would increase retention of qualified professionals in Montgomery County.
“The object of the program is to open [officials’] eyes a little to hiring from this diverse pool of talent, and it’s happening,” Clifford said.
The application process for the paid internship starts in January. People who apply for the Philadelphia Diversity Law Group summer program are automatically considered for the Montgomery County diversity internship as well.
For more information, visit www.pdlg.net.