Zelle LLP Announces 2021 Diversity in Law Scholarship Recipient
July 21, 2021Zelle LLP is pleased to announce Desmond Sims as the recipient of the firm’s 2021 Diversity in Law Scholars
hip.
Mr. Sims was selected from over 120 applicants and he will receive a $15,000 scholarship to apply towards his law school tuition, fees, and textbooks. Sims is joining Zelle as a summer law clerk in the firm’s Washington, DC office and he will also be assigned a mentor at the firm for his remaining law school career.
Sims is a rising second year student at Tulane University School of Law. During his 1L year he was a member of the Black Law Student Association and has recently been accepted into the Tulane Moot Court Mock Trial team. Prior to attending law school, he was an AmeriCorps Member of City Year, an organization designed to bridge educational gaps in underserved communities, where he was able to work with individuals from diverse backgrounds.
He received his undergraduate degree from The University of Texas at Austin. During the spring semester of his junior year, he reinstated The National Black Law Students Association Pre-Law Division (NBLSA) to ensure there was a place for minority students to be provided with information to explore the field of law.
“The Zelle scholarship and clerkship will provide me the financial support and mentorship I need to attain my long-term career goals,” said Sims. “The power of diversity lies within its ability to create connections between people, their circumstances, and their potential. I appreciate Zelle’s commitment to diversity and prioritization of diversity efforts.”
A core component of the firm's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives, the Diversity in Law Scholarship was created for law students who either (1) are a member of a population or group whose background and perspectives are historically underrepresented in the private practice of law; or (2) demonstrate a long-standing commitment to diversity that will be furthered by award of the scholarship.
