“By partnering with SWEL, we are able to introduce minority students to our firm that have been pre-screened. We know the students will have the backdrop of programming, training, mentoring and support that will help them become better writers and prepare them for law school.”
SWEL could not succeed without the generous support of law firms, judges, governmental offices and corporations that provide internships and classroom speakers. This commitment allows SWEL to support students in their goal to secure admission to law school, and gain first hand experience about career options within the legal profession.
Employers hire SWEL scholars for part time or full time paid internships that provide assistance to administrative staff, associates and law clerks. Internship duties can range from filing to delivery of court summons, to data and fact research on actual cases. In addition to administrative support, scholars have the opportunity to develop valuable mentoring relationships with attorneys, judges and law clerks.
Each Friday during the program, SWEL scholars attend academic preparation classes at the Cincinnati Bar Association. Scholars gain insight on the law school preparation process and prepare assignments to improve their grammar, punctuation and essay writing style. Friday classes include visits to local corporations who prepare training sessions on the inherent challenges associated with corporate legal practices. Scholars also visit top law schools in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and elsewhere to meet with admissions representatives and attend law classes.
Connecting SWEL scholars to our legal community lays the foundation for a future career in Cincinnati and Dayton. We invite you to join other local legal organizations and experience the quality of our scholars.
“Given SWEL’s leadership and extraordinary history of excellences, SWEL is the ideal candidate to present a model program for use by additional communities.”
Employer Details
SWEL Internship Requirements
SWEL internships are offered during the summer from June to August.
Internship Guidelines and Selection Process
SWEL is open to primarily African American high school and college students. For more information on the internship guidelines, please click here.
Timeline
SWEL recruitment and selection (February - April)
Student orientation (June)
Summer internships begin (June)
Employer Appreciation luncheon (August)
Friday Forums
Along with working at the internship sites, SWEL scholars are required to attend weekly classes where they gain insight on law school admissions and LSAT preparations, participate in comprehensive writing and issue-spotting diagnostics. Guest speakers present to the scholars topics such as legal practices and professional development. SWEL scholars will also visit some of the nation's top law schools and a number of prestigious work sites.
Day with Giants
Scholars meet with legal icons in the Greater Cincinnati community.
Employer Appreciation Luncheon
SWEL is grateful to the Greater Cincinnati and Dayton legal communities for SWEL summer internships. In appreciation to these employers, the SWEL scholars established the SWEL Employer Appreciation Luncheon. This tradition offers SWEL scholars a vehicle to demonstrate newly acquired networking skills and to provide a forum to express their appreciation to the many SWEL stakeholders.
Employer Obligations
Although some of our employer sites have opted to offer their intern a permanent employment opportunity, the employer is not obligated to the intern beyond the term of the internship and the scholar is not obligated to the employer beyond the term of the internship.
Employer feedback is vital for each scholar. We ask each employer to evaluate the scholar’s performance annually. We ask that you communicate to SWEL team your level of satisfaction with each scholar. SWEL will use this information as part of the overall program evaluation for each scholar.
How to register
Employers interested in hiring a SWEL scholar for the summer can contact SWEL by emailing Elisia Triggs at elisia.swelprogram@gmail.com.
Employer Benefits
Many employers who participate in the SWEL program tell us that through their civic and professional responsibility, they receive many benefits from their participation in SWEL. Below are just a few of the benefits employers should expect:
Investment in Diversity
By investing and re-investing in local minority talent, you help create a diverse pool of qualified law students who often times have a greater loyalty to the city that made the investment in them.
Enhance Recruitment and Retention Outcomes
Organizations that understand the importance of fostering diversity initiatives for a vibrant workforce also understand the importance of committing resources to build such a diverse workforce. When recruiting and retaining diverse talent, potential employees will look for specific evidence of your commitment. Make SWEL part of your commitment.
Enhance Your Reputation in the Community
When you participate in a program such as SWEL that invests in the talent of our community you improve your organization’s reputation with the local business community; the non-profit community; and schools.
Serve as a Pipeline for Future Hires
As an employer that hires SWEL scholars for a summer internship, you are able to assess how the scholar’s work ethic and abilities will adapt to your organization business environment and work standards; thereby, helping you identify budding, future employees.
Increase Diversity in Your Organization
When you hire a SWEL scholar, you will add to the diversity of your organization