The Association for Corporate Counsel of St. Louis Kicks Off 2022 Diversity and Inclusion Summer Internship Program
St. Louis (Aug. 2, 2022) – The Association of Corporate Counsel, St. Louis Chapter (ACC STL), the pre-eminent professional development organization serving in-house counsel, kicked off its 2022 Diversity and Inclusion Summer Internship Program last month with 10 law school students participating.
The ACC STL Diversity Internship Program, which started in 2012, provides participants with meaningful exposure to in-house practice. Law school students who participate in the program will learn about the various areas of legal advocacy and general corporate practice that in-house counsel handle, as well as the relationship between providing business and legal advice to clients in a variety of substantive areas.
“The Diversity and Inclusion Summer Internship Program has been an initiative the ACC St. Louis chapter has been very dedicated to in the last several years. Diversity and inclusion efforts must be continuous and thoughtful to enact systemic change. This program allows for one immediate way for our chapter to make steps towards that change, as it gives us the opportunity to do the important work of mentoring and supporting law students who are typically underrepresented in the legal profession,” said Vikas M. Sunkari, ACC STL 2022 Diversity and Inclusion Summer Internship Program Chairperson, and Senior Managing Counsel, SSM Health.
The 2022 ACC STL Summer interns include:
- Dorothy Alcinord, who attends Saint Louis University School of Law, is interning at Ameren.
- Kati Austin, who attends Saint Louis University School of Law, is interning at Charter Communications / Spectrum.
- Madison Beckham, who attends the University of Missouri School of Law, is interning at Emerson Electric.
- Harry Bell III, who attends the University of Missouri School of Law, is interning at Bunzl Distribution, USA, LLC.
- Alexandra Griffin, who attends the University of Missouri School of Law, is interning at Rabobank Diversified Services.
- Jeffrey Lin, who attends Saint Louis University School of Law, is interning at Bayer.
- Nandi Person, who attends Saint Louis University School of Law, is interning at Washington University’s Office of General Counsel.
- Dontay (Don) Phillips, who attends Washington University School of Law, is interning at Wells Fargo.
- LaTrese Robinson, who attends Saint Louis University School of Law, is interning at MiTek, Inc.
- Melanie Villarino, who attends Washington University School of Law, is interning at Ameren.
Each Diversity Summer Intern is also matched with an in-house attorney mentor, who is an ACC STL member.
“Through the internship program, we hope to increase diversity and inclusion in the St. Louis legal community as these students continue forward in their careers and join law firms and corporate legal departments in the region. We seek to give these students meaningful and immersive experiences in their summer internships and to provide additional educational and networking opportunities throughout the summer and sometimes beyond,” added Sunkari.
Contact:
Ann Marie Mayuga, AMM Communications
314.485.9499
About the ACC STL:
The Association for Corporate Counsel of St. Louis (ACC STL), the pre-eminent professional development organization serving in-house counsel, was founded in 1987. The St. Louis chapter has more than 600 members who represent more than 100 organizations. During its 35-year-history, the ACC STL has been recognized as one of the leading chapters in the world by the Association of Corporate Counsel. The St. Louis Chapter has received the Gold Chapter of Distinction Awards in 2019, 2020 and 2021. To learn more, please visit, https://www.acc.com/chapters/stlouis/.