Diverse Law Students Attend Second Shook Scholars Institute

More than a dozen law students were selected to participate in the second Shook Scholars Institute in Kansas City, Missouri, April 3-5, 2019. The diverse class, selected from a competitive group of nationwide applicants, received intensive, hands-on training in trial practice and deposition skills, as well as practical advice on interview skills, career planning and what to expect in the first few years of law practice. Shook partners and associates facilitated each session. 

The event included a panel of state and federal judges who shared their experiences, perspectives and advice on diversity in the courtroom, achieving success and projecting presence and credibility. The Hon. Alok Ahuja and the Hon. Lisa White-Hardwick of the Missouri Court of Appeals, and the Hon. Stephen Bough and the Hon. Lajuana Counts of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri were panelists for the session.

“This is an extraordinary opportunity for law students to gain real-world insight from some of the nation’s leading trial lawyers and litigators,” said Shook Partner and retired Jackson County Circuit Judge Jon Gray, who served as a judge on the Sixteenth Judicial Circuit of Missouri for 20 years and led the trial program component of the Institute. 

Partners John Lewis, Jr. and Buffy Mims, Co-Chairs of Shook’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee, presented the closing session of the event. The Scholars Institute is open to self-identified, racially and/or academically diverse and/or LGBTQ law students enrolled full-time in ABA-accredited law schools. Criteria for admission include demonstrated academic performance and leadership achievements, community involvement and a strong commitment to promoting diversity, inclusion and equity in the legal profession.