Heartland Diversity Legal Job Fair
Attracts Diverse Students to Kansas City Area
K
ansas City played host to 100 stu- won $500 gift certificates to Office Depot.
dents from 36 Law Schools through- Peter Kerr from Baylor Law School and
out the United States at the Fifth Annual Rupa Baskaran from Chicago-Kent Col-
Heartland Diversity Legal Job Fair lege of Law, Illinois Institute of Technolo-
(HDLJF) on August 7-8, 2009. The job gy each won IPod Touches. Brandie Iovi-
fair, held at the Hyatt Regency Crown no from the University Of Nebraska Col-
Center, is the first-of-its-kind diversity lege Of Law was the lucky winner of a
legal job fair in the Kansas City area. The home office paper shredder.
job fair focuses on the city and encourages
diverse law students to make their careers Another unique aspect of the HDLJF is
in Kansas City. Recent graduates, 2Ls and the opportunity for students to receive
3Ls from across the nation were invited, travel stipends to help offset the cost of
and a weekend full of opportunity and fun travel to and from Kansas City. This year,
for everyone was had. over half of the student participants
After a morning of interviews, the atten- received a stipend following the job fair.
The HDLJF was created for one particular dees were treated to a luncheon featuring The only requirement for eligibility is that
purpose—attracting more diverse lawyers KCMBA President Rebbecca Lake Wood, students must be further than 50 miles
in Kansas City. The job fair was designed who provided the welcome and inspira- from Kansas City.
to expose law students of diverse back- tional words of wisdom; Sylvester “Sly”
grounds to internships, summer associate James, who introduced the keynote speak- Each student also received a welcome bag
positions and full-time employment in er, and Missouri Supreme Court Justice when arriving to the job fair that included
both the traditional and non-traditional Laura Denvir Stith, who did a marvelous sponsor gifts and Kansas City merchan-
fields. After a welcome reception and job as the keynote speaker. Judge Stith’s dise. The welcome bags were organized
diversity panel discussion at KCMBA remarks not only detailed why they should by the Kansas City Association for Legal
Headquarters on Friday evening, students take the opportunity to pursue employ- Administrators, the planning committee
spent most of the day Saturday interview- ment in Kansas City, but also why this and sponsoring organizations.
ing with 25 law firms and legal-related community embraces diversity.
organizations. Perhaps the most impres- “Our job fair committee worked very hard
sive statistic on pulling this off: the aver- “In light of the challenges facing law stu- to make this job fair successful. We are
age student each had approximately four dents and graduates in today’s changing excited by the positive responses from the
interviews—which makes for a grueling market, we can expect greater interest in students and employers and look forward
day, but definitely worth a long trip for the HDLJF and in the Kansas City legal to making the next Heartland Diversity
some of those students who don’t live in community as a whole,” said Leah Mason, Legal Job Fair even better,” said KCMBA
the Kansas City area. 2009 HDLJF Chairperson. “The current Executive Director Rae Jean McCall.
support of area firms and employers “KCMBA’s Diversity Initiative committee
In addition, a resource room was available demonstrate a sincere interest in attracting continues to promote diversity in the
for the students during the day. The this diverse legal talent from across the Kansas City legal community.”
resource room offered students the possi- nation.”
bility of securing one or two more inter- The HDLJF planning committee will be
views from employers that had unexpect- Five lucky students won some great prizes collecting information from employers on
ed or last minute openings. The resource at the end of the luncheon. Ben Lambert the number of job offers extended at this
room also allowed students to network from the University of Tulsa College of year’s event and the number of jobs
informally with other job fair participants, Law and Dan Johns from Indiana Univer- accepted. This information will be avail-
HDLJF volunteers and attorneys. sity School of Law-Bloomington each able in late November.
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