Around the water cooler: Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione sponsors legal institute

Each week Chicago Lawyer will highlight a different case or legal happening, and solicit your thoughts on the impact of it in the legal community.

Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione, a sponsor of Just the Beginning Foundation’s 2008 Summer Legal Institute, hosted a panel discussion June 20 for more than 40 high school juniors and seniors.

The panelists, which consisted of Brinks president Gary Ropkski; shareholder Nick de la Torre; and associates Julie Leichtman, Michelle Miller, and Rashad Morgan, introduced students to the field of intellectual property, shared memorable cases and answered students’ questions.

Morgan said the students were not afraid to ask questions and talk to the lawyers. They were very impressive, Morgan said. They even came with business cards that they handed out to lawyers they met.

Just the Beginning Foundation is a non-profit organization supporting students of color and traditionally underrepresented groups by providing free educational and mentoring programs to inspire at-risk students and increase diversity in the judiciary and legal profession.

The foundation was built on the contributions of African-Americans in the federal judiciary, and offers a series of pipeline programs aimed at keeping underrepresented students of all ages on a path towards a legal career.

Morgan said, “It’s a great program to explain to kids what kind of law our firm is involved in, open them to areas of law beyond those exposed on TV, and show these kids we do care about them.”

– Danielle Feinstein