Members of the legal community came together on March 7 to celebrate the success of the 2018 1L Open Doors Job Shadow Program. The reception marked the conclusion of yet another successful year of opening doors of opportunity for diverse law students. This year, more than 50 students had the opportunity to job shadow legal professionals and jump-start their professional development through early immersion in the day-to-day operations inside dynamic legal organizations.

This year’s program took place from March 5-7 and participating 1L law students were hosted by a variety of employers from the private, public, corporate and nonprofit sectors, including the Golden State Warriors and seven different appellate and superior court rooms. The program, now in its fourth year, launched in 2015 as a partnership between the Justice & Diversity Center (JDC) of the Bar Association of San Francisco and the University of San Francisco (USF) School of Law. The vision for the Open Doors 1L Job Shadow Program came to life through the combined efforts of McDermott Will & Emery partner A. Marisa Chun and Johanna Hartwig, USF Assistant Dean of Career Planning & Legal Community Engagement. Due to the outstanding success of the program, it was expanded to include UC Hastings College of the Law and Golden Gate University School of Law in 2016.

Thank you to Schiff Hardin for hosting the reception, and thank you to the following individuals who made this year’s program another successful and enriching experience for everyone involved: A. Marisa Chun, JDC board member and co-chair of the Open Doors 1L Committee; Tammy Dawson, Johanna Hartwig and Traci Sharpe, University of San Francisco School of Law; Amy Kimmel, UC Hastings College of the Law; and Neva Lyn Tassan, Golden Gate University School of Law.

Thank you also to all participating employers for opening their doors – you made a difference in the lives of students who were able to get exclusive, behind-the-scenes insights into the types of careers they are pursuing, and make contacts that may benefit them for years to come.

To find out more about the program, visit www.sfbar.org/open-doors.