Law360 Highlights Balch & Bingham’s Susan B. Livingston Boot Camp for Success

Brandi Russell, the firm’s Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer and Director of Talent Management, and John Banks, attorney in the firm’s Birmingham office and member of the firm’s Litigation Practice, interviewed with Law360 about the firm’s 2023 Susan B. Livingston Boot Camp for Success, a program which aims to equip incoming law students with the necessary tools to succeed in law school and throughout their professional careers.

The Boot Camp program focuses on attracting promising students from groups historically underrepresented in the legal profession and from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, as well as students facing other significant barriers to entering the legal profession.

In the article published July 27, 2023, John, who attended the program in 2018 and served as the program's chair this year, said many of the participants are like him: the first in their families to go to law school. 

"Some people have the fortunate background to have what I'll call dinnertime conversations about what law school might look like or what the practice of law might look like," John was quoted saying. "I did not grow up with that."

Those students have the opportunity to gain a better sense of the law school classroom experience during the two-day program, receiving practical tips and advice from judges, in-house counsel and leaders from a variety of backgrounds. They also have the opportunity to network with Balch attorneys and to learn tips to enhance their academic and professional success while maximizing law school opportunities. 

Balch hosted its 12th annual Susan B. Livingston Boot Camp for Success on June 1-2, 2023. More than 500 Boot Camp alumni are now making an impact within the legal profession across the nation.

"Given the success of students who are matriculating through the program, whether they land at Balch, whether they land at another firm, in-house or in the public sector, our ultimate goal is to ensure that they are successful on their journeys throughout their legal careers," Brandi was quoted saying.

Participants in the 2023 program, held in Birmingham, Alabama, came from nine law schools from across the nation.