Shipman Announces Black Public Defenders Association’s 2023 Summer Fellowship Awardees

As part of a three-year $225K commitment to the National Legal Aid and Defender Association (NLADA), Shipman is excited to announce its second annual partnership with the Black Public Defender Association (BPDA) to present the 2023 Summer Fellowship Class. This year’s summer fellowship recipients sponsored by Shipman are Maci Thomas, Georgetown Law and Aishah Stovall, UConn Law. The BPDA Summer Fellowship program aims to advance diversity in public defense by giving black law students the opportunity to gain the necessary experience and develop the skills required to compete for post-graduate jobs in the equal justice community. Shipman provides both students with a summer stipend and they are each paired with an experienced public defender member of BPDA who serves as their mentor. Maci has been paired with the Baltimore City Public Defender’s Office and Aishah has been paired with the Connecticut Public Defender’s Office.

“It is critically important to create a diversity pipeline to train future Black public defenders because Black communities are disproportionately impacted by the criminal legal system,” said April Frazier Camara, NLADA President & CEO. “It is important for those who fight alongside people involved in the system to understand the client’s lived experiences. We know that unpaid internships are a barrier for most Black law students who are oftentimes first-generation students who cannot afford to work for free, so we are doing what we can to even the playing field.” 

“We are delighted to support Maci Thomas and Aishah Stovall through this fellowship and in partnership with BPDA,” said Leander Dolphin, Shipman’s Managing Partner. “Advancing the careers of women and people who are underrepresented in the legal profession is more than just a diversity, equity, and inclusion core value for Shipman. It’s a sustained commitment that is central to Shipman’s strategic growth and success.” Leander is a member of Shipman’s School Law practice, advising educational institutions and businesses in a variety of matters, including employment, student matters, crisis management, and litigation.

Now in its second year, the Shipman-NLADA partnership has been working to advance NLADA’s Racial Equity Initiative through sponsorship of leadership development opportunities for emerging leaders who are advancing racial equity in their legal organizations, law firms and communities.  Two Shipman lawyers recently participated in NLADA’s Racial Equity Institute – Diversity Equity & Inclusion Fellowship, a 6-month training institute designed to introduce and equip participants with core competencies on racial equity required to launch and implement DEI initiatives within their organizations and beyond.