Lightfoot Announces 2022 Diversity Scholarship Winner
June 16, 2022
Lightfoot, Franklin & White LLC is proud to announce that it has selected Meghan Marks, a rising 2L student at Emory University School of Law, as its 2022 Diversity Scholarship recipient. Marks will receive a $10,000 award and a spot in this year’s summer associate program.
Marks grew up in Birmingham, where she developed her rich appreciation for civil rights history and later used that foundation in her diversity, equality and inclusion work. She is a graduate of Spelman College, a historically-black liberal arts college in Atlanta, and Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College, where she received her M.A. in education.
Marks decided to pursue her legal degree after finding common ground between education and the law. While she is still figuring out her practice specialty, Marks wants to work with a firm that celebrates diversity and inclusion, offers pro bono opportunities and features a supportive environment that will help her establish herself and her career.
“I am passionate about increasing the representation of Black attorneys in the legal field,” Marks said. “I will utilize my voice and platform as an attorney to advocate for others with marginalized identities and seek to increase conversation among attorneys about the issues individuals with marginalized identities face to promote equity, diversity and inclusion in the legal field.”
Marks expressed gratitude for Lightfoot’s scholarship award, which she said will help establish herself financially as she grows in the profession. She added that she is excited to return to her hometown and immerse herself in Lightfoot’s summer clerkship program, which represents her first foray into litigation.
“I’m excited for the mentoring aspect of Lightfoot’s summer clerkship, and look forward to learning from the firm’s attorneys about their practice and journey at Lightfoot,” Marks said. “I’m also excited to meet and make connections with other law students in the program.”
Lightfoot launched its diversity scholarship in 2021 to further its commitment to promote diversity and inclusion in the legal industry. In pairing the scholarship with a summer clerkship position, Lightfoot hopes to provide recipients with an understanding of what it’s like to work at a leading litigation boutique. The firm’s unique, hands-on program allows participants to engage in the day-to-day experience of life at the firm, including the opportunity to work on client matters and learn from some of the most experienced trial lawyers in the country.
“As a firm, we are committed to ensuring our firm hires and develops the most talented lawyers from all manner of diverse backgrounds,” said hiring partner Haley Cox. “This is a core principle at Lightfoot and a crucial task for our profession. We see the scholarship as one of a number of tangible ways in which our firm can move the needle.”
More information on the Lightfoot diversity scholarship and application requirements can be found on the firm’s website.
