Weeks later, someone at the firm desperately needed to 38


get a document to someone at the company of the attorney he’d met at Pathways. “I called her up and explained the situation and apologized for bothering her. She said, ‘No, don’t apologize! Tis is what making contacts is all about!’ As a young attorney, it was huge to be able to make that connection,” McKnight says. Networking opportunities available to Johnson


Scholarship recipients aren’t limited to MCCA events. Tarik Gause, a Georgetown graduate and new attorney for K&L Gates, was a DuPont scholar and was invited to the company’s headquarters in Delaware while he was a law student. “I still feel very much a part of the DuPont family. Tey have gone above and beyond. I’m still going to MCCA’s events and I have a very close relationship with Tom Sager (senior vice president and general counsel for DuPont). He is a really great guy, and also Hinton Lucas (vice president and assistant general counsel), and several of the other people who are in the DuPont legal department,” he says. “If I had to go back and trade the money for knowing the people—I would definitely do that. Having the mentors and networking has been the greatest reward.” Gause’s experience is not unique among Johnson


Scholarship recipients. In her first year as a law student, Aurelien, the Microsoft fellow, spoke with Mary Snapp, Microsoft’s corporate vice president and deputy general counsel for legal and corporate affairs. “And they’ve invited me to interview with them for summer intern- ships,” she adds.


JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011 DIVERSITY & THE BAR®


Te scholarship program began in 2005 with the sup-


port of some of America’s most admired companies and law firms. It is named for MCCA’s founder. Trough the Lloyd M. Johnson, Jr. Scholarship Program,


MCCA has committed more than $270,000 to its sixth class of students, and almost $1.5 million over the life of the schol- arship program. Four fellows will receive $10,000 per year for each of their three years of law school, and 11 students will receive a scholarship award of $10,000 for their first year. All students receive ongoing professional development support, including the opportunity to participate in a paid internship in a leading corporate law department. In addition, depend- ing upon their academic performance, scholars may be eligible for additional monetary awards. Te financial help is a lifesaver for some students. “I’m in law school,” says Aurelien, who is also a single mother. “I have


PEOPLE – I WOULD DEFINITELY DO THAT. HAVING THE MENTORS AND NETWORKING HAS BEEN THE GREATEST REWARD.” –TARIK GAUSE


“IF I HAD TO GO BACK AND TRADE THE MONEY FOR KNOWING THE


bills galore so when I got the scholarship, I mean, as soon as I got the scholarship, the very first thing I did was buy a laptop. I was going to law school without a laptop and I said, ‘Oh my, this is not going to work.’ So, it is a smaller thing, but hugely important. Te scholarship really is a blessing.” Tese students—along with the companies and law firms


that sponsor them—embody the diverse perspectives and experiences that MCCA advocates in the legal profession.


MCCA.COM


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