PATHWAYS & PIPELINES TO SUCCESS
PROGRAM & AGENDA
Panel 1 – The Learning Curve: It’s Okay Not to Know
This panel surveys discourse on the transition from law students to legal professional and reframes “not knowing” as a normal developmental stage, not a deficiency.
Many students-without prior firm experience or clear career direction- struggle with the pressure to feel competent before they feel ready. By exploring diverse career trajectories, the session helps students see that success isn’t linear and that their path doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s.
The goal is for students to walk away feeling uniquely equipped to take ownership of their professional agency.
Panel 2 – Lawyer Legos: Building and Constructing the Advocate You Want to Be
Determining your legal career path can be challenging. This panel has been designed to help attorneys transition from fulfilling basic compliance to strategically developing a professional identity and leadership presence such that new attorneys are in control of their own career paths – “the commander of their own ship.”
Law students may often feel they are “selling out” by taking certain internships that are incongruent to their values and identities, whereas other students lack the knowledge to create their own values. Featuring highly credentialed, diverse speakers, this panel aims to explore how integration of personal values and professional boundaries builds sustainability in the legal profession. Students will learn how to maintain their personal values while evaluating job opportunities, and determining which risks to take to carve out their own path as an advocate.
Panel 3 – The Social Lawyer: Should I Post on “Close Friends”?
In an era where a Google search often serves as a first impression, young lawyers face an unprecedented challenge: how to exist authentically online without compromising their professional standing. The traditional “suit and tie” wall of the legal profession is crumbling, replaced by a digital landscape that demands transparency and personality. But where is the line drawn?
This panel brings together young accomplished attorneys and social media savvy practitioners to discuss the high-stakes balancing act of being a “real person” in your 20s/30s while upholding the decorum of the bar. We will move beyond basic “privacy setting” advice to tackle the nuanced realities of living out loud in a digital age.
Fireside Chat with Kim Boyle and Cory Vidal
Join Mr. Cory Vidal, past President of the Martinet Society and prominent legal leader, alongside the nationally respected and revered civic leader, Ms. Kim Boyle, for a powerful conversation.
Together, they will explore community barriers, critical intersections between race and perception, and provide essential insights into the complexities of today’s digital age within the context of a legal framework.
Panel 4 – Secure the Bag: How to Get and Keep a Job
Success in the current legal market where diversity is stated priority but equity remains a challenge, underrepresented law students must move beyond standard applications to master a strategic, career model. Law firms and law schools contain resources to advise law students on landing a great job, but students need concrete, practical advice about how to excel in the law firm environment, such as understanding aggressive hiring cycles and navigating the nuances of professional identity as a black applicant.
Legal employers see a disconnect between what students learn in law school and the day-to-day challenges of legal practice. Students will armed with practical tips to help bridge that learning gap.
Panel 5 – Pathways to AI: AI as an Assistant, Not Your Author
There’s a lot of anxiety about AI replacing the ‘grunt work’ that junior lawyers usually do. If legal education does not adapt, we risk creating a lost generation of law students taught with pre-AI methods for a post-AI world. Just as literacy became foundational to participating in legal society, AI literacy is becoming essential to participating in law, public life, and democratic decision-making. When almost everyone has access to systems that can write a brief, summarize a case, or sketch an argument, the essential questions change.
Panelists will explore how AI is reshaping legal practice: research, drafting, client services, and litigation support. Panelists will discuss regulatory challenges and personal stories regarding AI and provide insights on how to curating their own AI literacy curriculum internally.
The panel seeks to encourage discourse reframing the AI conversation from “threat” to “tool”, acknowledging the fear of a shrinking job market while highlighting the unique value they still bring.