Third LexisNexis African Ancestry Network Fellowship Projects Address Creation of Greater Equity and Accessibility in the U.S. Legal System

THE LEXISNEXIS AFRICAN ANCESTRY NETWORK HAS announced the third group of 15 law students chosen to participate in the Lexis Nexis African Ancestry Network LexisNexis Rule of Law Foundation Fellowship Program. The Program, launched in 2021, furthers LexisNexis’ commitment to building a culture of inclusion and diversity at the company and eliminating systemic racism in legal systems.

The participants, selected from a large applicant pool representing all six law schools in the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Law School Consortium (HBCULSC), are:

• Jai’Ehir Jackson-Hawkins and Veronica Alba, Florida A&M University College of Law
• Morigan Tuggle, Lauren Fleming and Favour Okhuevbie, Howard University School of Law
• Zaria Graham and Larry Futrell, North Carolina Central University School of Law
• Qwantaria Russell, Tatiyana Brown-Harper, Skylar Dean, Jaylon Denkins and Whitney Triplet, Southern University Law Center
• Christian Wolford, Thurgood Marshall School of Law
• Imani Roberson and Paul Campbell, University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law

This year, the program is taking a team-based approach, with each team of three students taking on one of five projects aimed at the elimination of systemic racism and the creation of greater equity and accessibility in the U.S. legal system. The topics are:

• The Gavel League: An App Providing Legal Education to Children and Adolescents
• I, Too, Sing America: Uncovering Untold S. History Through the Law
• Technology Solutions to Alleviate Racial Bias in Jury Selection
• Pathways to Practice Pipeline: Building Bridges for HBCU Students to Legal Fields Lacking Diversity
• Law Clinic Support Tools & Resources to Combat Systemic Racism in the Legal System

The fellows each receive $10,000 and spend nine months working on their projects, including participation in the annual Fellowship Innovation Retreat in Raleigh, N.C., where members of LexisNexis' product team assist with their use of LexisNexis products to bolster  their projects. The fellows will present the results of their projects to LexisNexis executives, employees, HBCULSC deans and program sponsors at the annual LexisNexis Equity in the Law Symposium.

“We are striving to increase the representation of diverse legal practitioners in prestigious and lucrative fields of law by providing HBCU law school students with additional professional development, career support, and industry exposure to ensure their access to opportunities,” said Adonica Black, Director, Global Diversity and Inclusion at LexisNexis Legal & Professional. “This year our cross-departmental team of LexisNexis employees took a deep dive into the research published by the first two Fellowship cohorts and identified five specific areas of focus in which we believe we can make a meaningful impact.”

Also new this year is the availability of corporate sponsorship opportunities, enabling law firms and corporations to demonstrate their commitment to inclusion and diversity, gain access to diverse HBCU law school talent and help increase equity in the legal system. Reed Smith LLP is the first law firm to sponsor the program.

“Supporting talented and deserving law students at HBCUs with the resources to fulfill their potential is critically important in breaking down the systemic barriers that have denied opportunities to far too many,” said Reggie McGahee, Reed Smith’s global head of diverse recruiting. “Reed Smith’s support of the LexisNexis African Ancestry Network & LexisNexis Rule of Law Foundation Fellowship program is one example of how collaboration within the legal industry can provide the resources necessary to move the profession in the direction of inclusion, equality and equity. As a firm, and as members of the larger community, we remain committed to this worthy cause.”

The AAN is organized as an official network for employees of African descent at Reed Elsevier Lexis Nexis. The organization embraces corporate diversity initiatives aimed at improving the company’s competitiveness by increasing the representation, development, promotion, and retention of Black employees.

Practical Guidance Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Related Content

Corporations across the United States are evaluating how they manage diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies in the workplace in light of the recent Supreme Court decision striking down affirmative action policies on the basis of race in education, (Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard Coll., 143 S. Ct. 2141, 216 L. Ed. 2d 857 (2023).

The recent SCOTUS decision does not currently impact corporations, as they are legally prohibited from making employment decisions based solely on race and a broad set of demographic characteristics defined by the EEOC. Regardless, many companies are taking the opportunity to review their programming against legal requirements while restating their commitment to attracting and retaining truly diverse workforces and to creating inclusive cultures.

Practical Guidance has resources to help you manage compliance and litigation risk around affirmative action, affinity groups, and DEI policies. Below is a partial listing of such resources.

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