Corporate legal departments don’t have the best reputation for diversity. Some might argue that the makeup of these departments reflects who is graduating from law school, but that’s not the case. Today’s law students are an incredibly diverse group that brings a wealth of unique experiences to the legal field.
Paragon Legal recognizes and celebrates this diversity. That’s why we created the Paragon Legal Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) Career Connect program.
The program began in 2022 as a partnership between Paragon Legal, Affirm, Dropbox, and UC Hastings College of the Law (now University of California College of the Law, San Francisco). It aims to increase the talent and diversity of in-house legal teams by offering recent law school graduates an in-house position with a Bay Area tech company.
The program expanded nationwide in its second year, including the Santa Clara University School of Law, William & Mary Law School, and additional leading industry partners.
The Paragon Career Connect program matches law school graduates with in-house legal departments to support their entry into the workplace while further developing their legal skills and gaining industry experience. Here are the basics:
The program has benefits for law schools, law graduates,and legal departments.
Legal graduates receive ongoing training and experience in how an in-house legal department works. In addition, they have the opportunity to build connections within the legal industry.
Law schools are able to offer a specialized experience for students that they might not otherwise have available. If potential students are interested in working in-house, this can help law schools with recruiting efforts.
Companies have the opportunity to work with new law school graduates and help shape their understanding of what it means to work in-house. In addition, the Career Connect program will give in-house departments access to students who are both promising and diverse. If they’re looking to expand their department, these hand-picked candidates are an attractive hiring pool.
Here’s how the Paragon Career Connect program is making a difference for our participants.
Born in Iran, Famy Chavosh and her family moved to California when she was young. After graduating from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings College of the Law), Famy was a member of the inaugural class of the Paragon Career Connect program. Her undergraduate degree in business gave her an entrepreneurial mindset. She set her sights on an in-house position while she was still in law school, but she found that her education focused more on traditional career paths like private practice.
Famy immediately saw the opportunity offered by the Career Connect program. She applied, thinking “it was too good to be true.” After her acceptance to what she called a “rare opportunity,” Famy realized that the program delivered on its promises. She was placed at financial tech company Affirm, and her education continued.
Famy appreciated the opportunity to get hands-on experience in a legal department and enjoyed the chance to work on a team that was cross-functional. “There is no such thing as being “specialized” and sticking to that specialty when working in-house,” she said. Everyone in Legal touches every aspect of the legal review process.”
When asked whether this is an opportunity other law school graduates should pursue, Famy said, “I would definitely recommend this route to graduating 3Ls who are looking to enter straight into the in-house realm. The support Paragon offered throughout the process helped me feel prepared to pursue my goals.”
Fellow UC Law SF graduate Maryam Quasto was another member of the inaugural class of the Career Connect program. She was drawn to the program’s goal of diversity and inclusion, saying, “Career Connect’s focus on diversity matters to me. As an Iraqi immigrant and first-generation lawyer in the United States, it is important to me to see more representation in the legal field. I believe that my background and culture provide me with a distinctive legal perspective.”
Maryam was matched with tech company Dropbox, where she worked with senior attorneys on tasks like data privacy negotiations. “One of the most surprising aspects of starting my career in-house has been the ability to really take a hands-on approach to learning the profession. Early on, I was assigned my own workload and clients to manage, and that in and of itself created a unique opportunity to practice the law,” she said.
Dropbox was clearly impressed with Maryam: at the end of the program, they offered her a full-time job in their legal department. When asked what advice she had for law school students, Maryam said, “I advise any law student curious about corporate law and in-house life to be open-minded and willing to learn!”
In its second year, the Paragon Career Connect Program expanded to more law schools. For Debbie Snyder, Assistant Dean of Career Management at Santa Clara University School of Law, working with Paragon “made sense.” She points to the diversity of SCUSL as one reason this collaboration works so well. “Your first legal career opportunity lays the foundation for your professional journey, shapes your growth as a legal professional, and sets the trajectory for your future success. It has the power to shape the impact you can make in the world, and we are thrilled to bring this opportunity to students alongside Paragon,” Ms. Snyder said.
Law school graduates are a diverse bunch. One of the best ways to ensure this diversity is integrated into the legal field in general is by supporting these graduates in making connections with in-house legal departments.
If your law school has a commitment to diversity and inclusion, we’d love to talk with you about a partnership with Paragon Legal’s Career Connect program. We are committed to expanding this program so other law school graduates can benefit. If you think this program may be a good fit for your school, please contact our team at Daphne@paragonlegal.com. We’re here to answer your questions and provide any additional information you might need.
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