State Bar Making Changes to Paid Summer Clerkship Program

Saturday, April 6th, 2024 -- 9:00 AM

(Rich Kremer, Wisconsin Public Radio) The State Bar of Wisconsin will change its definition of “diversity” for a paid summer clerkship program for law students under a partial settlement of a lawsuit challenging how the organization spends mandatory dues paid by attorneys. 

According to Rich Kremer with Wisconsin Public Radio, the federal lawsuit was filed by the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty in December. It alleged the state bar’s Diversity Clerkship Program unconstitutionally discriminates against some students based on race.

It also claimed the bar violates the free speech and free association rights of attorneys who object to their dues being used for the program. Under a partial settlement, the bar agrees to “make clear that the Diversity Clerkship Program is open to all first-year laws students” by September.

Currently, the program’s website states that the program is open to “students with backgrounds that have been historically excluded from the legal field.” In exchange, WILL will drop its claims about the clerkship program and file an amended lawsuit challenging the mandatory dues and how they’re spent.

In a statement, Wisconsin Bar Association Executive Director Larry Martin said while the organization will change it’s definition of diversity it will not make any changes to the program.

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