Kirkland & Ellis LLP Announces Recipients of 2009 Diversity Fellowship Program
As part of our ongoing commitment to diversity, Kirkland & Ellis LLP is honored to announce the 15 recipients of its 2009 Diversity Fellowship Program. Our Diversity Fellows, selected after an application process from among diverse second year law students holding offers to join our Summer Associate Program, are each awarded a $15,000 stipend.
The 2009 Kirkland Diversity Fellowship Program recipients are:
Dmitriy Tishyevich, Harvard Law School
Lauren C. Chamblee, Yale Law School
Martin R. Martos, II, Yale Law School
David J. Lee, George Washington University Law School
Rosanna S. Platzer, New York University School of Law
Scott H. Lerner, Northwestern University School of Law
Ashley G. James, Howard University School of Law
Melanie A. MacLean, Georgetown University Law Center
Lauren E. Morse, Yale Law School
Paloma A. Zepeda, Harvard Law School
Eric B. Cheng, University of Southern California Law School
Monique V. Robinson, New York University School of Law
Polina Liberman, Northwestern University School of Law
Joshua L. Simmons, Columbia University Law School
Amir Q. Amiri, University of California, Berkeley, School of Law
Kirkland & Ellis established the Diversity Fellowship Program in 2004 with the goal of attracting more minority attorneys to the Firm and, more broadly, the practice of law. Since its inception, Kirkland has awarded 68 fellowship grants totaling $1,020,000.
This year, Kirkland expanded the criteria for the Fellowship and asked applicants to submit a personal statement about the contributions he or she would make to Kirkland's diversity mission as a whole. This new criteria has resulted in a class of Fellows that more closely reflects the diverse and unique community of attorneys at Kirkland.
"The Fellowship Program is just one of the many ongoing diversity initiatives that Kirkland supports," said Eunu Chun, co-chair of the Firm's Diversity Committee and a partner in Kirkland's New York office. "Our Diversity Committee strives to better understand the unique issues facing specific communities within the Firm and enhance the recruitment and retention of diverse attorneys by making sure they have the essential mentoring, networking and business development opportunities they need to succeed."
The Firm's 50-member Diversity Committee focuses on the recruitment, retention, and promotion of attorneys in a manner that promotes diversity at all levels within the Firm. The Committee supports initiatives ranging from the Diversity Fellowship, to diversity-related programming and training, to pipeline programs for minority undergraduates, to pro bono efforts that benefit under-served, diversity-related organizations.
Kirkland & Ellis LLP is a 1,500-attorney law firm representing global clients in complex litigation and dispute resolution/arbitration, corporate and tax, restructuring, real estate, and intellectual property and technology matters. The Firm has offices in Chicago, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Munich, New York, Palo Alto, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
