News
Latham & Watkins Names Four Diversity Scholars for 2009
Annual scholarships promote diversity and equal opportunity in the global law firm environment
February 19, 2009… Latham & Watkins LLP1 is pleased to announce the recipients of the Latham & Watkins Diversity Scholars Program for 2009. The program awards four $10,000 scholarships to second-year students in the United States. The award is not contingent on employment at Latham & Watkins.
The 2009 Latham & Watkins Diversity Scholars are:
- Tyler Hagenbuch of Vanderbilt University Law School
- Alvaro Moises Huerta of Stanford Law School
- Jason Temple of University of California, Berkeley School of Law
- Alexander White of Georgetown University Law Center
See below for biographical sketches of the four recipients.
The firm received nearly 250 applications representing 90 US law schools2. Factors considered in choosing the Latham & Watkins Diversity Scholars include academic and leadership achievements, life experiences and challenges that have shaped values, and a desire to practice at a global law firm and contribute to its diversity objectives. Candidates for the Diversity Scholars Program submitted written applications, and several short-listed finalists met with a selection panel consisting of partners and associates. The applicants were required to be enrolled in an ABA-accredited law school, with intent to practice in a global law firm.
“The selection process this year proved very challenging again due to the overwhelming response to the program, with applications from so many deserving students. This year's Diversity Scholars, as in past years, are inspiring individuals who have shown strong conviction, courage and leadership despite facing tough odds. Their personal stories of accomplishment are case studies of determination and integrity. The Diversity Scholars, representing diverse race and sexual orientation, personify our firm's values of leadership, and a commitment to excellence,” said Sharon Bowen, Co-Chair of Latham's Diversity Committee, who served on the scholarship selection panel.
“Latham & Watkins continues to be a leader in conceiving, promoting and implementing programs that foster the goals of equal opportunity and diversity in the practice of law. The Diversity Scholars program is one of many initiatives that reflect our firm's long-standing commitment to advancing diversity within the global law firm environment,” said Robert M. Dell, Chairman and Managing Partner of Latham & Watkins.
Michele Penzer, Co-Chair of Latham & Watkins' Diversity Committee and member of the firm's Executive Committee, stated: “We are proud of Latham's tradition of supporting initiatives that serve to ingrain diversity as an integral part of our business. We take great encouragement from previous recipients of the scholarship who have told us they have been pleased to see that there are global law firms who understand the importance of supporting and nurturing diversity. Our Diversity Scholars are great ambassadors and this year's recipients will serve the legal community with equal distinction, helping foster a stronger sense of inclusiveness and equal opportunity in the profession.”
The Latham & Watkins Diversity Scholars Program is among a range of firm initiatives designed to promote diversity in the legal profession. The firm's commitment to equal opportunity is reflected both in the firm's attorney population and in the firm's management. Lawyers of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds as well as sexual orientations have long been represented on the firm's management committees responsible for promotions to partnership, recruiting and training, among others. This diversity extends to the firm's leadership at both the practice and committee levels.
Biographical Sketches of the Scholarship Recipients
Tyler Hagenbuch – Currently enrolled in Vanderbilt University Law School, Hagenbuch serves as Co-President of OUTlaw and as a member of various organizations including the Vanderbilt Journal of Transaction Law, Vanderbilt Legal Aid Society, and the American Constitution Society. Drawing on his atypical experience of growing up gay on a family-owned and operated pig farm in rural Illinois, Hagenbuch is motivated to unite diverse groups in an effort to make people see their commonalities despite their differences. He recently demonstrated his commitment to public service as an intern for Obama for America, where he helped research and respond to legal questions on a variety of intellectual property and employment law issues, and also focused on election law and voter protection issues. Hagenbuch graduated with highest honors and as a Ledger & Quill Scholar from DePaul University in 2003 with a Bachelor of Science in Commerce.
Alvaro Moises Huerta – As a member of the Latino community, Huerta is actively engaged in giving back, as evidenced from his undergraduate years at Yale University where he was an active leader in Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán de Yale and the East Coast Chicana/o Student Forum. While at Yale, from which he graduated in 2003, Huerta was selected as one of twelve students to serve as an Ethnic Counselor through which he mentored 36 Latino freshmen. At Stanford Law School, Huerta has used his own experiences as a student of color to help foster a more diverse and inclusive environment within the law school community. Huerta views diversity not only as a goal, but as a process in which he sees a critical need for diverse role models to serve as mentors in the legal profession.
Jason Temple – At the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, Temple is active in the Ecology Law Quarterly, the Berkeley Energy Resource Collaborative, and the California Asylum Representation Clinic, among other activities. He was drawn to law by the belief that it provides a unique opportunity to challenge society's notions of identity and reform people's views of diversity. As a gay African-American man, Temple wishes to use his legal career to refute stereotypes and set an example for others to follow. Temple received his Bachelor of Fine Arts, cum laude, from New York University in 2005.
Alexander White – White has a strong commitment to taking a leadership role in activities that help himself and others achieve new heights. White graduated in 2007 from Washington & Lee University as a member of the Omicron Delta Kappa Leadership Honor Society, where he was committed to many extracurricular activities including captaining athletic teams and participating in extensive community volunteering. Upon realizing that he was one of few African-American males on Georgetown University Law Center's Law Journal, White saw the need to improve diversity in the legal community and has dedicated himself to being a leader with plans to focus on improving diversity networking and mentorship within the legal profession.
About Latham & Watkins
Latham & Watkins is a global law firm with more than 2,300 attorneys in 28 offices, including Abu Dhabi, Barcelona, Brussels, Chicago, Doha, Dubai, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Milan, Moscow, Munich, New Jersey, New York, Northern Virginia, Orange County, Paris, Rome, San Diego, San Francisco, Shanghai, Silicon Valley, Singapore, Tokyo and Washington, D.C. For more information on Latham & Watkins, please visit the Web site at www.lw.com.
Notes to Editor
1 Latham & Watkins operates as a limited liability partnership worldwide with an affiliated limited liability partnership conducting the practice in the United Kingdom, France and Italy.
2 The Latham & Watkins Diversity Scholars Program is open to second-year law students for use of the awarded scholarships during their third year of law school.
Contacts
Sharon Bowen, Co-Chair of Latham & Watkins' Diversity Committee, 212.906.1332
Michele Penzer, Co-Chair of Latham & Watkins' Diversity Committee, 212.906.1245
Skip Horne, Global Recruiting Manager - Diversity and Law School Outreach, 858.523.5459