A new diversity internship program has been established by the Corporate Counsel Section of the New York State Bar Association and named in honor of a former state bar president noted for his commitment to initiatives aimed at increasing diversity in the legal profession.
The section announced the establishment of The Kenneth G. Standard Internship Program during its recent first Corporate Counsel Institute. The diversity internships will be awarded possibly beginning as soon as the summer of 2006, said Barbara Levi, a past chair of the section and corporate attorney at Unilever U.S. Inc.
The program will be administered by the section's Internship Committee, which consists of Ms. Levi, Section Chair Mitchell F. Borger, Federated Department Stores, Inc., and members Allison Tomlinson, DY Consultants, and Fawn Horvath, Federated Department Stores.
Mr. Standard, a partner at Epstein, Becker & Green, P.C., concentrates his practice in labor and employment law matters. He is the immediate past president of the Association. Before becoming a partner at Epstein, Becker & Green, he was of counsel, and then special counsel at Morgan Lewis & Bockius. Prior to that, he served as assistant general counsel for Labor Relations, Environmental and Benefit Plans at Con Ed; director of the Office of Legal Services for New York City Schools, and vice-president and senior counsel of the Products Division of the Bristol-Myers Company.
"By his words and deeds, he has motivated countless others to bring their best to the profession," said Ms. Levi in announcing the program's establishment.
Corporate Counsel's Internship Committee plans to recruit interns from a diverse group of law school candidates and expects to name two interns for a summer experience when the program is launched. Students who have successfully completed at least one year of law school at an accredited New York State school will be eligible to apply for the program.