Here’s the press release …
O’Melveny & Myers (OMM) has committed to select one intern per year from a pool of law students volunteering for the Increasing Diversity by Increasing Access (IDIA) initiative.
As a incentive to assist IDIA in recruiting volunteers, OMM has announced it would offer an expenses- and stipend-paid four- to six-week long internship in its Singapore office to an IDIA team leader selected jointly by IDIA and the firm.
IDIA trustees will forward the applications of two or three of its best team leaders, with OMM selecting one in the final stage of interviews.
IDIA currently has more than 400 law school volunteers, who help students from backgrounds not traditionally entering law, to study for the Common Law Admissions Test (CLAT) and win a place at a national law school.
In a statement, IDIA wrote: “Volunteers, particularly the team leaders, often go beyond the call of duty putting in more than four hours a day volunteering, and doing so while juggling their normal coursework and other commitments.”
IDIA founder and managing trustee Shamnad Basheer added: “The IDIA-OMM internship award is a way to reward and engage IDIA’s top volunteers. This is a terrific opportunity for our volunteers to gain cutting-edge legal exposure from a leading global law firm.”
“O’Melveny has a longstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion, and we hope to continue this legacy by fostering talent in India,” said O’Melveny counsel and India practice co-ordinator Pooja Sinha in a press release.
Criteria that will be used are:
i) their past record of work in any IDIA team in a leadership capacity
ii) their CV and their application outlining why they think they are best suited for the O’Melveny internship award
iii) diversity
iv) their ability to work in a team, commitment, career motivation and excellence.
