Our Chief Legal Officer members are a very important constituency in WMACCA.  In order to better serve the needs of those members, WMACCA has established a General Counsel Breakfast Club that meets monthly to provide CLOs with the opportunity to share their knowledge and experience in dealing with specific issues or business challenges.  We have created a CLO listserv to further the dialogue among those members.  If you have ideas for additional resources, please contact Ilene Reid, WMACCA Executive Director, at Ilene.Reid@WMACCA.com.

A message for CLOs from
Manik K. Rath, 2009 WMACCA president

As the lead counsel for our organizations, we play a key role in establishing and implementing diversity programs for our clients, as well as for our departments.  WMACCA, as part of its mission to serve the in-house counsel community, sponsors a diversity initiative aimed at helping its members achieve their diversity goals. 

Our Corporate Scholars summer internship “diversity pipeline” program gives students from our local law schools opportunities to experience corporate practice.  Seed money for this diversity initiative came from grants awarded to WMACCA by the Minority Corporate Counsel Association.  We used the grants – supplemented by a portion of the proceeds from our sponsorships and by donations – to provide monetary scholarship awards to students participating in our WMACCA Corporate Scholars summer internship program.  Since 2004, this competitive program has placed 40 students in summer internships in the legal departments of local businesses.

In 2010, we plan to provide eight (8) to ten (10) summer internships at legal departments in the Washington metropolitan areas and throughout Virginia. The internships should provide the students with substantive experience and meaningful exposure to in-house practice.  WMACCA will invite applications from students at the following law schools:  American University, Catholic University, George Mason University, George Washington University, Georgetown University, Howard University, the University of the District of Columbia, the University of Maryland, the University of Baltimore, the University of Virginia, the University of Richmond and William & Mary.  The program is open to students entering their 2L and 3L years, and both full-time and part-time students. The law schools are publicizing the program to diversity student organizations in order to get applications from populations who may otherwise lack access to these opportunities. Last year the scholarship awards were $9,000 for each participating student.  We hope to offer an equally attractive award in 2010.

We invite you to apply to participate in the Corporate Scholars Program.  Please see the links below for background information about the Program.  If you would like to talk with a colleague who previously participated in the program, please let us know.  If you would like be considered for the Program, please complete the required application form by Friday, January 29, 2010. We are hoping to have internship opportunities from throughout our service area (D.C., Virginia, and suburban Maryland). We greatly appreciate your interest in being a leader in the effort to promote diversity.

• FAQs About The Program
• 2010 Host Agreement