Sedgwick Creates Public Interest Scholarship at New York’s Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law

Sedgwick, Detert, Moran & Arnold LLP announced it has used attorney fees awarded for the successful representation of pro bono clients to create the Sedgwick Public Interest Scholarship at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law of Yeshiva University in New York. The scholarship will award a $4,000 stipend to a Cardozo student every year for the next five years who pursues a summer internship at a nonprofit organization or a government agency. The recipient must also be a member of a group that is underrepresented in the legal community, committed to promoting diversity in the legal profession, or committed to providing legal services to such communities.

Alisha Williams, a member of Cardozo’s Class of 2009, was notified on May 10 that she will be the first student to receive the award. Williams serves on the National Advisory Board of the Student Hurricane Network, and during her school breaks works along the Gulf Coast providing pro bono assistance to victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. She is also an active member of the Black Law Students Association. She will be interning this summer at the Sylvia Rivera Law Project (SRLP), which was founded in 2002 on the principle that gender self-determination is inextricably intertwined with racial, social and economic justice. The organization strives to protect those who wish to determine their own gender identity from violence and harassment.

“The lack of diversity is a problem for the entire legal community. It is up to all of us to address this imbalance and do what we can to change it,” said Eric Kraus, New York partner and member of Sedgwick’s Pro Bono committee. “We hope this scholarship will serve to promote diversity within the legal community and support more law students in their work with underrepresented communities.”

Kraus was the driving force behind the scholarship. After he came up with the idea of using pro bono attorney fees to create a scholarship, Caryn Silverman, a Sedgwick partner and 1993 Cardozo graduate, suggested establishing the scholarship at Cardozo School of Law. Ten Sedgwick attorneys, including Silverman, have attended Cardozo, whose commitment to students interested in pursuing careers in the public sector is manifested in its robust Center for Public Service Law.