Inclusive Recruitment

Keith Wetmore 1L Fellowship for Excellence, Diversity, and Inclusion

Now it its tenth year, the Keith Wetmore 1L Fellowship for Excellence, Diversity, and Inclusion program recognizes and supports the career advancement of highly motivated first-year law students who are members of historically underrepresented groups in the legal industry. The fellowship is named after chair emeritus Keith Wetmore, in honor of his dedication and commitment to diversity and inclusion, both within the firm and in the legal profession.

The program provides outstanding law students who have demonstrated academic excellence, leadership, and community involvement with the opportunity to see, experience, and benefit from working with talented colleagues.

As part of the summer associate program’s regional training, the Fellows also attend Unconscious Bias training, and a Spotlight on D+I program, giving them the opportunity to engage in an activity and discussion around the firm’s D+I programs and initiatives. Along with summer associate positions, the incoming Fellows receive ongoing mentoring and a stipend. Fellows also meet regularly with the D+I team throughout the summer.

Each year, Fellows are selected from a competitive pool of applicants and are invited to join the firm as summer associates. The fellowship program provides training and mentorship opportunities critical to professional development. Upon successful completion of the fellowship, Fellows have the option to return as second-year summer associates.

To date, we have awarded 136 fellowships.

Additional information about the program and other 1L opportunities can be found on our careers website.

Read an overview of the 2022 Wetmore Fellowship program.

MoFo's 2022 Summer Associate Program is One to Remember

MoFo recently marked the end of a successful and memorable 2022 Summer Associate Program. One hundred forty talented law students, representing 37 of the nation’s top law schools, joined MoFo for the 10-week program that commenced in May 2022.

The hybrid Summer Associate Program is designed to provide the students with mentoring and training opportunities through direct exposure to partners and associates, career development, and networking opportunities with fellow summer associates. The summer associates received technical and soft-skill training in areas such as written and oral communication, legal problem-solving and creative analysis, and teamwork and client service.

Summer associates participated in several firmwide training programs, including patent boot camp, contract drafting, corporate and litigation research strategies, how to tackle a first assignment, the importance of training your voice, and more. They were also encouraged to volunteer for pro bono assignments. The associates participated in a variety of substantive projects, allowing them to demonstrate and hone their writing, research, and analytical skills. They not only got a realistic perspective on what it’s like to be a lawyer at MoFo, but also walked away from the program with greater insight into the type of law they want to practice.

As the program came to a close, multiple associates were invited to write about their experiences from the program on topics such as mentorship, pro bono, learning and development, and diversity and inclusion.

Read their MoFo Stories here:

An Opportunity to Get Up Close and Personal with the Innocence Project – Mohand Khouider, New York

How Mentorship Elevated the Summer Associate Program – Patrick Keeler, New York

Why I Chose MoFo – Bryce Bark, San Diego

Why Mentorship Makes a Difference – Afi Blackshear, San Francisco

Serving Pro Bono Clients and Engaging with Important Social Causes – Holly Petersen, San Francisco

Learning from MoFo Lawyers While Giving Back to Immigrant Communities – Jose Rodriguez, Los Angeles

Patent Boot Camp: Developing IP Litigators and Training Well-Rounded Lawyers – Lucy Huang, Los Angeles

Sponsors for Educational Opportunity Program

Since 2008, we have sponsored a group of pre-law interns through the Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) program. SEO provides educational and career programs to students from underrepresented communities to ensure their professional success.

The pre-law interns who join us as SEO Fellows are included in our summer associate program. To date, 57 students have participated in the program over the years.

Diversity + Inclusion Road Show

We love to hear from our law students about their interests and aspirations long before the formal interview process. Each spring, our diverse and women MoFo lawyers visit schools throughout the U.S. to engage with students and share why they chose MoFo’s inclusive platform for their practice.

Lavender Law Conference + Career Fair

The Lavender Law Conference + Career Fair, started in 1988, is the largest LGBTQ+ legal conference in the country. MoFo is a proud supporter of the conference and has participated in the interview program every year.