Los Angeles, California | September 28, 2020 11:20 AM Pacific Daylight Time
Building on a longstanding practice of promoting diversity at law schools and law firms, Scali Rasmussen has made a substantial contribution to a newly established scholarship fund for students at Southwestern Law School identifying as African American and/or Black.
Launched this month by Southwestern’s Black Law Students Association, the Black Lawyers Matter Scholarship Fund is intended to help address the drastic deficit of minority voices within law. The school shared this month that only five percent of the country’s lawyers are Black, indicating that social and racial equality are elusive within the bench and bar.
“Educational opportunity remains one of the great hurdles for social advancement among disadvantaged communities, with the cost of higher education being especially challenging. Any means by which we can expand education opportunities brings all of us one step closer to addressing racial and social injustice,” added Scali Rasmussen Partner Jeffrey W. Erdman, who co-chairs the firm’s Diversity Initiative, which promotes diversity within the firm and among the greater legal community.
“Diversity in the workplace is more important than ever, so we are doing what we can to make an impact,” said Scali Rasmussen Founder and Managing Partner Christian Scali, who has committed the firm to diversity and equality since its founding
Erdman, who earned his JD at Southwestern in 1995, has been praised by National Law Journal's Trailblazers magazine for working to create a more diverse bar and judiciary.
Debbie Leathers, Southwestern’s Associate Dean for Institutional Advancement, has reached out to the firm, saying, “I do not know how to thank you enough for you and your firm’s generosity! This is extraordinary!”
To donate, click here.
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About Scali Rasmussen
Scali Rasmussen attorneys are thought leaders within their areas of practice, including a formidable knowledge of the automotive industry. The firm’s attorneys provide litigation services in a broad scope of practice areas as well as counsel and education on new and trending issues including distribution and franchise, consumer product safety, privacy & advertising and employment law. For more information, visit Scali Rasmussen.