Lightfoot Announces 2024 Diversity Scholarship Recipient
June 17, 2024
Lightfoot, Franklin & White LLC has selected Fady Megaly, a rising 2L student at Vanderbilt Law School, as the firm’s 2024 Diversity Scholarship recipient. Megaly will receive a $10,000 award and a spot in this year’s summer associate program.
“Lightfoot is dedicated to diversifying our team with individuals from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, including our summer associates and Lightfoot Academy participants,” said hiring partner Haley A. Cox. “We take great pride in providing support to exceptional future lawyers, and we are delighted to award this scholarship to Fady this year.”
Coming from a family of Egyptian immigrants, two things have always been important to Megaly: community and education. With a firm belief in higher education as a vehicle to serve others, he has chosen a career in litigation to utilize what he’s learned to give back to the community and support those who have supported him.
“I am deeply involved in the Nashville Catholic Orthodox community and growing up, I realized that there were other people going through the same things I was,” Megaly said. “I want to be able to give back to that community. Law is part of everything – from hospitality to marketing to the medical field, and I want to have as large of a reach and impact as I can.”
Megaly graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration from Lipscomb University in 2023 and is expected to earn his J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School in 2026. He currently participates in mock trial at law school.
He attended Lightfoot Academy in 2023 for its week-long program, gaining an insider’s perspective on working as a lawyer, particularly as a litigator. This summer as one of Lightfoot’s summer clerks, he is most excited to experience a deep dive into the day-to-day work of an attorney and work one-on-one with a mentor.
“The attorneys at Lightfoot are a really tight-knit group and I am excited to gain more legal experience this summer,” Megaly said. “The pre-law program, followed by my summer associate program this year, will equip me with valuable experience for my last year of law school and beyond.”
Lightfoot launched its diversity scholarship in 2021 to further its commitment to promoting 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.
More information on the Lightfoot diversity scholarship and application requirements can be found on the firm’s website.