Issue link: https://digital.canadianlawyermag.com/i/466000
Blakes is committed to providing legal services in a workplace that is rich in perspectives, backgrounds and cultures, and to extending opportunities for under-represented youth to enter and succeed in the profession. One recent endeavour is the Blakes Diversity Pre-Law Program, a paid internship that the Firm offers each summer to an undergraduate student from York University or the University of Toronto who may not have previous experience in a law firm environment. Participants work on a variety of projects with the Firm's Diversity & Inclusion Committee, observe lawyers and build relationships with potential mentors. Blakes has offered this program for the past five years with great success. Our first student, Temisan Boyo, went on to attend Oxford Law School. Since then, four of the five students who participated in the program have pursued law degrees. Last summer, we joined forces with a client to extend a student's internship by four weeks. In Temisan's words: "This program was the best first exposure to a law firm environment that I could ask for. It was an invaluable opportunity to interact with lawyers, get a sense of the breadth of areas of legal prac- tice, and experience the realities of working on Bay Street – none of which would have been accessible to me otherwise as a first-generation immigrant with no links to the legal profession in Canada. I felt lucky to start law school with a solid understanding of how the profession works in practice." We are proud of the success of this program and the extensive efforts of our Diversity & Inclusion Committee, which continues to ensure that employees feel valued for which they are and celebrated for their contributions to the Firm's goals. BLAKES OPENS DOORS TO DIVERSITY WITH PRE-LAW PROGRAM "Working on issues that are of great importance to me in a legal setting gave me a unique and rewarding opportunity to be exposed to a law firm environment." Naiara Toker, Blakes Diversity Pre-Law Program Participant Sarah Stewart of Blakes with program participant Temisan Boyo 8