Members of Twin Cities Diversity in Practice (TCDIP) believe that diverse workplaces benefit all of us. We are committed to attracting and recruiting highly qualified law students of color for employment at Member law firms and corporate legal departments. Whether you are a local or a recent transplant, TCDIP provides opportunities for you to participate in meaningful conversations with experienced attorneys, to spend the summer clerking with top-notch employers, to connect with mentors who can play a role in developing your career, and to participate in our job fair with both private practice attorneys
and government employers who hold TCDIP programming in high regard.

Student and Attorney Networking

We know that one of the best ways to ensure a vibrant and diverse legal community is to invest in initiatives that facilitate personal connections, especially between law students of color and practicing attorneys. That’s why Twin Cities Diversity in Practice (TCDIP) provides opportunities for local law students to network with our Emerging Leaders Group and senior attorneys from local employers.

TCDIP 1L Clerkship for First-Year
Law Students

Twin Cities Diversity in Practice (TCDIP) has sponsored the TCDIP 1L Clerkship for over a decade because we know that our nation and our state’s true diversity is not reflected in the legal field. According to the National Association for Law Placement’s 2024 Report on Diversity, in the US only 19% of attorneys (including summer associates, associates, counsel, partners, and staff attorneys) are people of color. In Minnesota, over 25% of the general population are people of color, but in the Twin Cities only 9.74% of attorneys at law firms participating in the NALP survey are people of color. In response to these disparities, TCDIP facilitates strategic partnerships between Member law firms and corporate legal departments to sponsor the TCDIP 1L Clerkship program. TCDIP’s competitive 1L Clerkship program strengthens the talent pipeline for future attorneys, drawing highly qualified first-year law students from across the country to interview for Clerkship positions with Member Organizations. Over the course of the summer program, TCDIP 1L Clerks gain valuable insights about working within both a law firm and a corporate legal department setting. The TCDIP 1L Clerkship program has launched the careers of hundreds of exceptional law students in the Twin Cities. The TCDIP 1L Clerkship program is a pipeline program that works for students and employers.
Find out more on the TCDIP 1L Clerkship page!