Paul, Weiss Partners with The Appellate Project to Promote Opportunities for Law Students of Color

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP announced today a partnership with The Appellate Project (TAP) to mentor law students of color in the appellate field.

Based in Washington, TAP develops innovative and hands-on appellate training opportunities for attorneys and creates opportunities for law students of color to access appellate networks, qualified mentors, judicial clerkship opportunities and employers. It also convenes programs to raise awareness about the importance of a diverse appellate system.

“We are thrilled to partner with The Appellate Project to help prepare diverse law students for careers in the appellate courts,” said Kannon K. Shanmugam, managing partner of Paul, Weiss’s Washington office and chair of the Supreme Court & Appellate Litigation practice. “As one of the few persons of color to lead a nationally prominent appellate litigation group, I am pleased that we are committing our resources to mentor and support TAP-selected students on their path to become the next generation of advocates in front of the nation’s highest courts.”

The Appellate Project’s Mentorship Program is the first national effort focused on empowering law students of color to pursue appellate work. The program pairs law students of color interested in appellate practice with mentors in the appellate arena, including those who practice before the Supreme Court and the federal circuit courts of appeal.

Paul, Weiss’s Supreme Court & Appellate Litigation practice regularly handles high-profile cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and federal and state appellate courts. Our lawyers have secured victories in some of the most important business and public interest cases of our time. The firm continues to represent parties and amici in pro bono cases involving individual rights, the rights of criminal defendants, and immigration and family law, among others.