Montgomery Bar Launches Internship Program

Norristown, PA - On June 4, 2012, the Montgomery Bar Association’s Diversity Committee will launch its fourth annual Summer 1L Internship Program, which provides paid internships to first year law students of diverse backgrounds.

Participation and interest in the program has grown steadily from year to year.  This summer, ten highly qualified students will be placed with law offices throughout Montgomery County.  The program runs for eight weeks with each student receiving a stipend of $500 per week, paid for by the respective law office.  In 2011, the MBA awarded a $1,000 scholarship to each of the participating interns.

Throughout the internship, the Diversity Committee sponsors a weekly event with a speaker. This year’s speakers will be: MBA President Donald J. Martin, Esq., Superior Court Judge Susan Peikes Gantman, Court of Common Pleas Judges Cheryl Austin and Garrett Page, District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman and Public Defender Keir Bradford-Grey.

The Summer 1L Internship Program sprang from an effort from the MBA to increase diversity throughout the Montgomery County legal community.  The MBA partners with the Philadelphia Diversity Law Group in locating students to participate in the program. This year, the following firms will be participating in the Program:  Flamm Walton, PC, Fox Rothschild, LLP, High Swartz LLP, Kane, Pugh, Knoell, Troy & Kramer LLP, Miller, Turetsky, Rule & Mclennan, Nelson Levine de Luca & Hamilton, Portnoff Law Associates, Ltd., Snyder & Verbeke, Weber Gallagher Simpson Stapleton Fires & Newby LLP and Wisler Pearlstine LLP.

The Diversity Committee is currently chaired by Mohammad Ghiasuddin, Esq. with Carolyn R. Mirabile, Esq. serving as Vice Chair and Wendy G. Rothstein, Esq. serving as Chair of the 1L Summer Program.

For additional information regarding the summer 1L Program contact Wendy Rothstein at 610-397-6510 or Jim Mathias at the Montgomery County Bar Association at 610-279-9660.

About the Montgomery Bar Association

Established in 1885 to professionalize the county’s practice of law, the Montgomery Bar Association is one of our nation’s oldest and most respected bar associations, representing over 2,100 legal professionals in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Now, as then, the MBA exists to uphold legal and ethical standards in our legal community. 

As the 3rd largest Bar in Pennsylvania, the MBA has a longstanding tradition of service to its membership and the community.  

For members, the MBA offers an important arena for networking, professional development and education. For the community, the MBA serves as a legal resource offering education, legal assistance and funds and resources for individuals and agencies in need. 

The Association is actively engaged in public service through community outreach, free educational events offered throughout the year, programs like the Montgomery Child Advocacy Project, the Mock Trial Competitions for high-school students, and more.  For more information on the Montgomery Bar Association, visit www.montgomerybar.org.

- submitted by Jack Costello, Marketing Manager, Montgomery Bar Association

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