St. Bonaventure University alumna Haylei John, Class of 2018, was named a 2019 Diversity Scholar by Ward Greenberg Heller & Reidy LLP.

John, a first-year student at Cornell Law School, graduated last May from St. Bonaventure with a Bachelor of Arts in international studies and Spanish. She was one of two scholars named by the law firm.

Featured in local and national publications, Ward Greenberg’s Diversity Scholar Program, now in its fourth year, offers first-year law students the opportunity for a 10-week paid summer appointment. In addition to performing meaningful work for the firm, the program includes a short-term secondment with an institutional client, which provides the scholars a chance to establish close relationships with outside organizations. Successful scholars are invited back to the firm for a summer associate position the following year. 

“Our firm continually seeks candidates with a broad cross-section of backgrounds and ideas,” said Jeffrey Harradine, partner at Ward Greenberg. “Having a team with many diverse perspectives allows us to better understand our clients and develop comprehensive solutions to their legal needs. The process to cultivate a diverse and inclusive environment starts at the recruitment stage, which is why we launched our Diversity Scholar Program.”

During her first year at Cornell Law School, John has been involved with the Native American Law Student Association and the American Constitution Society. As an undergraduate student, John served as president of the Student Government Association and received The Ideal Bonaventure Woman Award. John will be located in Ward Greenberg’s Rochester office. The law firm, with offices in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, focuses on civil litigation and business counseling.  

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