It’s Official! MIP Accepts Award

It’s Official! The Minorities in the Profession Committee of the North Carolina Bar Associated received its 2016 ABA Partnership Award on Sept. 16 at the N.C. Bar Center in Cary.

The award was presented by Executive Director Allan Head to Chair Sharita Whitaker during a meeting of the Minorities in the Profession Committee.

The committee was honored for its annual Adelante! │Moving Forward student skills building event, which for the past seven years has provided law students of diverse backgrounds with the skills they need to succeed in law school and beyond.

NCBA President Kearns Davis previously accepted the award on behalf of the committee on Saturday, Aug. 6, during the National Conference of Bar Presidents Annual Meeting in San Francisco.

“Adelante” means “forward” in Spanish, and the event was so named because it was originally held for Hispanic law students in order to motivate and encourage their personal and career growth.

Adelante is now targeted more broadly to all law students of diverse backgrounds, and this program teaches law students the skills necessary to succeed in law school, transition from law school into the workforce, and to effectively network with professionals in the legal community and beyond.

The program includes panel discussions with an opportunity for Q&A from the student attendees. The agenda also includes a diverse and impressive group of panelists who discuss a wide array of topics of interest to law school students, including professionalism in the legal community, financial responsibility, finding a career in the law or in a non-traditional legal role, and networking etiquette.

Upwards of 100 attendees participate annually in the program, which is held in January or February. Supporting the success of Adelante, in addition to the hard work of the committee and volunteers from the legal community, are North Carolina’s seven law schools, which partner with the Minorities in the Profession Committee to recruit student attendees.

The 2015-16 Adelante program was co-chaired by Jaimey Howard and Ana Nunez, while Sharita Whitaker served and continues to serve as chair of the Minorities in the Profession Committee.

The program receives financial support from the NCBA Foundation Endowment.