Invictus

The Diversity Conference sponsored its Third Annual Mentor/Mentee Initiative at the 2017 Annual Meeting.  Under this Initiative, the Diversity Conference invites Deans of each of the Virginia law schools to select two of their outstanding 2L or 3L students whom they feel would be deserving to attend the Virginia State Bar Annual Meeting, and who reflect their schools’ diversity goals and excellence in studies.  As in years past, we paired each law student with a practicing attorney member of the Diversity Conference who served as mentors to the students at the June 2017 Annual Meeting.  The students were invited to participate in all Annual Meeting events, including the CLE sessions sponsored by the Diversity Conference.  This year, the Diversity Conference co-sponsored 3 CLE sessions, “Grace and Justice on Death Row,” “How Attorneys Can Promote and Advance Access to Justice,” and “Autism and the Practice of Law”.  They also attended the plenary programming including the Attorney General debate on Saturday morning and the President’s Installation Banquet on Friday evening.  On Thursday evening, the mentors and mentees enjoyed a private dinner at a local pub.  There, Justice McClanahan joined us and chatted with each one of the students.  There were so many rich mentoring and networking opportunities, from law school alumni breakfasts to private meet and greets with attending justices of the Virginia Supreme Court, including Justices McClanahan and Powell.  

We would like to express our appreciation for the time, enthusiasm and dedication of each of our volunteer mentors, Todd Pilot, Debra Powers, Kimberly Scott, Rachel Wolfe, Chidi James, Sheila Costin, Carole’ Krogmann, David Masterman, Marcus Scriven, Lorrie Sinclair, Antoinette Young, Kathryn Dickerson, Eva Juncker, Latoya Asia, Melissa Little, Chris Fortier, Jane Reynolds, Charles Lollar, Hon. Gina Marine, Polly Chong, Luis Perez, Hon. David Eugene Cheeks, Carole Capsalis, and special thanks to board member Maura Weiner, who chaired the Law Student Committee and attended to every last detail of the Mentor.Mentee Initiative to bring each of the law student mentees an unforgettable experience.  Please consider becoming a mentor for the 2018 Annual Meeting.  It will be hard to judge for whom it is more rewarding, the mentor or the mentee!

Mentors, mentees, and Diversity Conference Board members with Virginia State Bar President Doris Causey and President Elect Len Heath