MISSION
The mission of the CDI is to promote and facilitate the growth of diversity and inclusion in the local legal community through education, community involvement, and social engagement with and between people of varying race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, ethnicity, national origin, age and mental and physical disability.
Chair(s):
- Tania Williams | [email protected]
- Jack Rice | [email protected]
Committees are a great way to get involved with your local bar association, network with your colleagues and become a leader in your legal community.
Thank you to all our DIP Donors and Firm Participants
The Diversity Internship Program (DIP) was established in 2010 to provide diverse law students with the opportunity to obtain practical experience in the legal profession and gain exposure to the Palm Beach County legal community while working with local law firms and government agencies. Prior to 2010, the program was known as the Minority Law Clerk Program and focused on providing students with historically disadvantaged backgrounds legal work experience. In expanding the program, the Palm Beach County Bar Association and Committee for Diversity and Inclusion intend that DIP interns will not only gain valuable work experience, but learn why Palm Beach County is a great place to practice law by visiting our federal and state courts, voluntary bar associations, and law firms; networking with recent law school graduates, more experienced local attorneys, and members of the judiciary, and exploring opportunities for future employment—continuing our broader goal of creating a diverse Bar Association that reflects the diversity of Palm Beach County and the larger community.
Since its creation, law firms from many different practice areas and many different sizes have participated as employers. Federal and state judges and state and local government agencies also have participated and employed DIP interns. While future employment is not guaranteed, some previous DIP interns have secured permanent employment due to their participation in the program. All of our interns finish the program with innumerable contacts in the Palm Beach County legal market. Many DIP interns ultimately choose to relocate to Palm Beach County upon graduation and have become active members of the Bar Association. We invite each Florida law school to promote our program and have their students participate in this year’s Diversity Internship Program.
Student and Employer Applications may be downloaded using the links below. Law firms that want to participate, but are unable to offer an internship position at their own firm, may still support the DIP through other means. This includes making a financial donation that will sponsor a student’s expenses and travel or provide a salary for an intern employed by a judge or government agency. Law students, law firms, and government agencies that are interested in participating in this year’s DIP should contact Co-Chairs:
- Patricia Morales – [email protected]
- Joanne O’Connor – [email protected]
- Schnelle Tonge – [email protected]
You may make a donation to this program by clicking here.
Thanks to our prior employers of DIP interns:
- U.S. Magistrate Judge William Matthewman
- U.S. Magistrate Judge Ryon McCabe
- U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart
- Jones Foster
- Judge Cymonie Rowe, 15th Judicial Circuit
- Magistrate Judges, 15th Judicial Circuit
- Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County
- Office of the Attorney General
- Office of the City Attorney, City of West Palm Beach
- Office of the State Attorney
- Palm Beach County Attorney’s Office
- Palm Beach County Clerk & Comptroller
- Palm Beach County Public Defender
- School District of Palm Beach County
- Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley PA
- Smith, Ball, Baez & Prather Florida Injury Lawyers
- South Florida Water Management District
Thanks for making a contribution to our DIP Summer 2025 program:
- Jones Foster
- Optimum Legal Services PLLC
- Palm Beach County Bar Association
- Palm Beach County Justice Association
- Palm Beach Hispanic Bar Association
- Sheree Davis Cunningham Black Women Lawyers Association
- Smith Ball Baez & Prather Florida Injury Lawyers
- Young Lawyers Section of Palm Beach Co Bar
| Date | Location | Time & Misc. |
| Tuesday, May 20, 2025 | In-Person | 12:00 P.M. – 1:00 P.M. |
- December 2024 | How the First Amendment Saved DEI Training in Florida
- October 2024 | The Civil Rights Trail: A Trip Every Lawyer Should Take
- June 2024 | Try Someone New: Mediator Shortlists, Arbitrator Panels, and the Power of Choice as a Tool for Increasing Diversity in Dispute Resolution
- February 2024 | 2023 Diversity Summit – Navigating the End of Affirmative Action
- Edward Rodgers Diversity Award
- Diversity Corner
- Diversity Internship Program (DIP)
- Road to the Bench
- Social Justice and Racial Equality
- What A Lawyer Looks Like
The purpose of the campaign is to display and highlight the diversity within the Palm Beach County Bar Association. To access this campaign, please click here.
Are you interested in becoming a judge? Join the Palm Beach County Bar Association in our new Road to the Bench Academy. The Academy is a non-partisan training and mentorship program to encourage diversity on the bench. Whether you’re ready to seek a judicial seat today or in the future, the Academy aims to prepare you. Participants will receive training, courses on various topics related to the appointment and election process to become a judge. For more information regarding this program, please click here.
The Palm Beach County Bar Association’s Committee for Diversity & Inclusion will present the Judge Edward Rodgers Diversity Award at the 2025 Bench Bar Conference. To access this form, please click here.
You may have missed the original challenge in June, but please continue to challenge yourselves to become more aware, compassionate, and engaged in the quest for racial equity. To access this challenge, please click here.
