Message #45 From:
NewsBot Date: December 4, 2006 09:24:00 AM
ALL News Allstate Corporate Attorneys Spark Interest in Legal Careers among Minority High School Students
NORTHBROOK, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Many of today’s youth learn about the legal
profession by watching popular television shows centered on criminal
law. Allstate is working with Street Law, Inc., a hands-on education
program about law, democracy, and human rights, to broaden that
perspective. As part of the program, Allstate is hosting a unique
conference from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Dec. 5 designed to introduce
students from two Chicago-area high schools to various fields of the
legal profession and related career opportunities.
More than 100 students from Waukegan High School and Jones College
Preparatory High School in Chicago comprise the inaugural group in this
program. These students will gather at the Allstate Northbrook Corporate
Headquarters for interactive sessions on legal topics taught by members
of the insurer’s legal staff. They will also
participate in a career fair where they can learn about the array of
legal professions available, such as corporate law, intellectual
property, employment and immigration law, and other important industry
areas that may not be as familiar to them. The conference is hosted by
the Allstate/Premier Law Firm Diversity Roundtable, whose mission is to
be recognized as role models for U.S. corporations and law firms in
their management of diversity and work/life practices.
Allstate recognizes and embraces the role that large corporations can
play in developing future leaders and is committed to encouraging
diversity among its ranks. Diversity is especially important in the
legal profession, where minorities today are severely under-represented.
In Chicago, for example, the 2003 survey by the U.S. Census Bureau1
reports that minorities account for 58 percent of the city’s
population; yet a study by the National Association of Law Firm Placement2
reports that fewer than 11 percent of Chicago’s
7,823 lawyers (partners and associates) are minorities. Together with
the Street Law Corporate Legal Diversity Pipeline Program, Allstate is
addressing this issue by partnering with schools with large minority
populations through the Street Law program and by educating students of
color about legal careers.
During the conference, senior Allstate executives will expose the
students to the complex world of auto insurance policies, including the
basic components of an automobile insurance contract, how insurance
coverage decisions are made and the roles attorneys play when coverage
decisions are made. They will also participate in workshops engaging
them in negotiation tactics and issues related to advertising,
employment and other potential legal matters.
“Our goal is to educate students, especially
minority students, about the legal profession,”
said Michael J. McCabe, vice president and general counsel of The
Allstate Corporation and senior vice president and general counsel of
Allstate Insurance Company. “We want them to
understand that it offers much more than criminal law, which is mostly
what they see on television.” McCabe has been
personally involved and actively promoting the Street Law program.
The Street Law program offers a proven way for corporations to take a
proactive role in reversing the under-representation of minorities in
the legal ranks.
“Street Law is pleased to be working with
Allstate, its premier law firms and the Chicago Public Schools to help
prepare the next generation of lawyers and other legal professionals and
to ensure greater diversity in the legal profession,”
remarked Lee Arbetman, director of U.S. Programs at Street Law. “Allstate
and its partners have made an impressive commitment to strengthening our
community and our democracy.”
This year, Allstate is partnering with high schools in Chicago and
Washington, D.C. Allstate’s volunteer legal
professionals serve as resources, mentors and teachers for the students,
providing the extra academic education and support these students need
to successfully pursue a legal career. Allstate has plans to roll-out
this program in other regions in the future.
About The Allstate Corporation
Now celebrating the 75th anniversary of the founding of Allstate
Insurance Company, The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL) is the nation’s
largest publicly held personal lines insurer. Widely known through the “You’re
In Good Hands With Allstate®”
slogan, Allstate helps individuals in approximately 17 million
households protect what they have today and better prepare for tomorrow
through approximately 14,100 exclusive agencies and financial
professionals in the U.S. and Canada. Customers can access Allstate
products and services such as auto insurance and homeowners insurance
through Allstate agencies, or in select states at allstate.com and 1-800
Allstate®. Encompass(SM) and Deerbrook®
Insurance brand property and casualty products are sold exclusively
through independent agents. The Allstate Financial Group provides life
insurance, supplemental accident and health insurance, annuity, banking
and retirement products designed for individual, institutional and
worksite customers that are distributed through Allstate agencies,
independent agencies, financial institutions and broker-dealers.
About Street Law, Inc.
Street Law, Inc. began in 1972 as a practical law curriculum designed as
part of a clinical project by a group of Georgetown University law
students. Based in Silver Spring, Maryland, Street Law provides
practical, participatory education about law, democracy and human rights
both nationally and internationally.
A unique blend of content and methodology, Street Law uses techniques
that promote cooperative learning, critical thinking, and the ability to
participate in a democratic society. For 30 years, Street Law, Inc.’s
programs and curricula have promoted knowledge of legal rights and
responsibilities, engagement in the democratic process and belief in the
rule of law, among both youth and adults. Street Law is located at 1010
Wayne Ave, Suite 870 in Silver Spring, Md. 20910, Tel. (301) 589-1130,
Fax (301) 589-1131. Their web site is www.streetlaw.org.
About Waukegan High School
Located in Lake County Illinois, Waukegan High School has a total
student population of approximately 2,744. The mission statement of
Waukegan High School is to ensure that all students will acquire the
wide array of literacy skills necessary for success in the twenty-first
century. The students participating in the Allstate/Premier Law Firm
Diversity pipeline program are enrolled in Social Studies Teacher Pat
Cook’s “You and
the Law” class. The class uses the Street Law
textbook authored by Street Law Director, Lee Arbetman. The majority of
students at Waukegan High School are of color. Sixty-two percent of the
student population is Hispanic, 25 percent is Black, 12 percent is White
and three percent are Asian.
About Jones College Preparatory High School
Jones College Preparatory High School is a 2006 Blue Ribbon School, a
distinction conferred by the U.S. Department of Education. Jones College
Prep’s mission is to prepare students for a
rigorous experience at a variety of prestigious colleges through
blending academic disciplines, the arts and technology and partnering
with universities and businesses, utilizing technical and artistic
resources in the heart of Chicago. Thirty-three percent of the student
body is Hispanic, 29 percent are Black, 24 percent are White, and 14
percent are Asian.
1 American Community Survey, U.S. Census
Bureau, 2003
2 National Association for Law Firm Placement’s
2006-2007 Directory of Legal Employers
