Almost six years ago, I wrote in this column about the Philadelphia Diversity Law Group (PDLG) Summer 1L Program for diverse law students. At that point, the program was entering its fifth year. The economy was still in great shape. PDLG member firms almost universally had summer programs for law students. The summer associate groups in those firms were very large, and associate hiring was booming.
As I write this column in 2013, things have changed. The economy went through a recession. Many law firms laid off (by whatever name) associates, canceled summer programs, delayed start dates for incoming associates for up to a year and, even then, hired few entry-level lawyers. Now, as the economy emerges from the recession, not all firms have resumed their summer associate programs. The programs they do have are smaller, and new associate hiring is still far lower than before. Nevertheless, throughout this time, the PDLG Summer 1L Program has remained strong and, in fact, has grown. Even some firms and law departments that did not have summer programs still hired a PDLG Summer 1L Program student to keep the pipeline of diverse lawyers flowing. And those that could not participate for a while are all back. So where are we now?
