Lawyers for Justice, PC x Pepperdine University Networking Mixer

Article originally published on Pepperdine’s Caruso School of Law website here.

Even the Coronavirus cannot dampen the power of networking, especially in the legal profession. On May 14, Lawyers for Justice, PC, in partnership with She Is Inc., presented a networking happy hour via Zoom titled How Sponsors, Mentors, and Advocates Can Help Boost Your Career. The event was made possible by a collaboration brought forth by alumna Mary Essuman (JD ’11).

Essuman shared, “I’m grateful to have a supportive law firm that sponsored this event and partnered with my networking organization, She Is, Inc. There was an alignment in values–mentorship, providing opportunities, and a belief in promoting diversity and inclusion–and we ran with it!”

Chalak Richards, Director of the Parris Institute for Professional Excellence and Assistant Dean of the Career Development Office, also presented at the event. Richards spoke about the values of formal and informal mentoring, the power of being audacious in your requests and goals, and the importance of doing excellent work so that your mentors, advocates, and sponsors have evidence to back up their support of you and your development. “This was an exceptional event,” Richards said, “and I look forward to being involved with more in the future. Mary and I have spoken about partnering with her organization to conduct a similar event at Caruso Law.”

Due to the social distancing measures that are part of a new reality for students and professionals, it is more important than ever to foster genuine relationships. Essuman said, “I know a lot of people are stuck at home and severely lacking in human connection, and the event was geared at bringing a little bit of that human connection back. The insight from the guest speakers was really helpful, and I received a lot of texts from participants who were really excited to hear such great tips.”

Participants , including several current Caruso Law students, called the event “exceptional”. As Pepperdine looks for ways to boost diversity in the law, the school will continue to seek partnerships with organizations like She Is, Inc. and Lawyers for Justice, PC, to empower and ignite a student and alumni community rich in political, racial, and spiritual diversity. For additional resources on diversity and inclusion, please visit our website.