Moving Pittsburgh's Legal Community Forward, Together

UPCOMING EVENTS

First Year Law Student Speed Networking Event

January 21 from 5:30-7:30 p.m., Roost

Our popular speed networking event is designed to provide first year law students from underrepresented communities with an opportunity to meet with PLDIC member organizations who have available 2026 and/or 2027 summer law clerk or internship positions for law students. For the past two years, this event has been a hit with students and employers alike – many 1L students have received positions following the event! While we cannot guarantee an employment match, we are asking only member organizations who are actively hiring for summer 2026 and/or summer 2027 positions to participate. Please register by January 9.

PLDIC Member Organizations

If you are a PLDIC Member and are planning on hiring a 1L student(s) for a 2026 summer and/or summer 2027 law clerk or internship position and would like to expand the pool of talent you are considering, please register your organization below. We will provide you with resumes from all registered law students in advance.

If you are a 1L law student from an underrepresented community interested in working in Pittsburgh in summer 2026 and/or summer 2027, you can register for this event starting on November 1; you’ll also need to upload your resume with your registration (we will provide your resume to registered organizations in advance of the event).

Leadership, employees, and law students of our member organizations are invited to join the PLDIC for our annual members meeting.

Yusuf Zakir, Chief Talent and Inclusion Officer at Davis Wright Tremaine and PLDIC Executive Director Ena Lebel will have a fireside chat to discuss the critical importance of continuing to advance and advocate for DEI work in the current climate.

Member organizations will also hear remarks from Board Chair Eric Cottle, vote on the election of directors, learn about the PLDIC’s progress and plans for the future, and hear updates about new initiatives and ways to get more involved in our efforts. The fourth annual PLDIC Volunteer of the Year award will also be presented. Cocktails and appetizers will be provided.

As a legal employer, is your organization up to date about recent changes with law school recruiting that may impact your hiring strategies? Join the PLDIC for an informative webinar about what has changed with law school recruiting, how historically marginalized students are being affected even more than in the past, and why legal employers need to stay informed so that they can hire the best talent. This moderated Q&A will feature Kellie Ware, Assistant Dean for Professional Development at Pitt Law and Maria Comas, Assistant Dean of Career Services and Alumni Relations at Duquesne Kline Law, who will answer questions about what you need to know regarding this important topic. There also will be time at the end of the event for audience questions.

PLDIC Members Holiday Party

December 11 from 6-8 p.m., Ace Axe Throwing in Homestead

Join the PLDIC and throw some axes at our fourth annual PLDIC Members Holiday Party on Thursday, December 11 from 6-8 p.m. at Ace Axe Throwing in Homestead. Guests will have the option to participate in a friendly axe throwing competition while catching up with colleagues and students from the PLDIC’s 63 member organizations. Cocktails and appetizers will be provided. Please encourage colleagues who haven’t attended a PLDIC event before or non-PLDIC members interested in learning more to join us!

A Year of Change: Where Diversity Efforts Stand Now and Where We Go From Here

January 26 from 1:30-1 p.m., Virtual

The legal and organizational landscape surrounding diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) is evolving rapidly. Landmark court decisions, shifting federal directives, and changing workplace expectations have created both challenges and opportunities. In this moment of transformation, many in the legal community have turned to NYU School of Law’s Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, led by Professor Kenji Yoshino and Professor David Glasgow, for trusted insight and leadership. Join us for a timely and energizing conversation with Professor Yoshino and David Glasgow as they share key ideas from their forthcoming book, How Equality Wins. Drawing from their legal expertise and extensive work with Fortune 500 companies and nonprofits, they will offer a fresh vision for advancing fairness in the workplace—one that is both legally sound and deeply inclusive. This is a PLDIC member-only event.  

PLDIC Disabled Lawyers/Law Students Monthly Drop-In Sessions

Next Monthly Session on October 31 from 12-1 p.m.

In 2025, the PLDIC Community Building Committee targeted its Brave Space/Self-Care Series for attorneys and law students with disabilities and their allies. Based on participant feedback from these sessions, we started a monthly zoom drop in series for this community. It will be no pressure; just a safe space to convene, and you can attend as many or as little of them as you would like. Participants do not need to be part of a PLDIC member organization or to have attended a previous session to attend for any length of time. The drop-in sessions will take place on the last Friday of the month from 12-1 p.m. and will start on September 26 and continue through May 29. All meetings will take place via Zoom. No agenda; just time for community and conversation.

Looking for a new job in the Pittsburgh legal community? Sign up for job alerts to get notified when the type of job that you're looking for gets posted.

Assistant Solicitor – Federal Litigation Attorney

City of Pittsburgh Law Department

Fiscal and Contracting Coordinator

City of Pittsburgh Law Department

Interested in posting jobs to the PLDIC Job Board? PLDIC member organizations can submit a request to become a job board manager.

So Now What? Program Wrap

September 30 at Dickie McCamey

The PLDIC’s Legal Career Pathways Program is halfway through their sessions with the Boys and Girls Club Law and Legal Careers Interest Club! The students – who come from eight area high schools – are incredibly engaged and highly motivated to pursue legal careers. They’ve been meeting with legal professionals across our community – from lawyers in firms, in-house legal departments, and nonprofits, to marketing, professional development, and IT staff and paralegals. The students were welcomed to Duquesne University by pre-law students and PLDIC Susan Yohe Scholar Eva Morgan; and they got the inside scoop on college admissions and law school requirements from University of Pittsburgh staff, professors, and students thanks to Kellie Ware. Now, the students are diving into their mock trial exercise and will hold their final performance at Judge Nicola Henry-Taylor’s courtroom in December! Huge thanks to the volunteer captains: Devon Ferris, DeMarr Moulton, and Ryan Naumann for leading the weekly sessions!

Recent Law Student Events

In October, the PLDIC visited local law schools for several events including:

A "Power of Networking Panel" at Pitt Law on October 21 featuring PLDIC Board Vice Chair Tony Thompson, Dollar Bank; Dan Inadomi, Burns, White; JP Regan, Saul Ewing; and Catrina Smith, Alcoa.

A networking event at the Duquesne University Pre-Law Society on October 22. Panelists included Melissa Evans, Neighborhood Legal Services; Shanicka Kennedy, FedEx; Sidnee McDonald, Cozen O'Connor; Rebeca Himena Miller, Leech Tishman; and Sarra Terry, Dickie McCamey. Thanks to Dr. Kristen Coopie for her help coordinating this event!

A networking event, "Table Talk Tuesday," at Duquesne Law on October 28. Thanks to 2022-2023 PLDIC Susan Yohe Scholar (and recent PA Bar exam passer!) Tiffeny Ayoola for helping with this event. Also pictured: 2025-2026 PLDIC Susan Yohe scholar Keanna Yoder.

ACBA Night at the Pittsburgh Opera
November 15, 6-10 p.m., Byham Theater

PLDIC members are invited to join the Arts and the Law Committee and the LGBTQ+ Rights Committee for a night at the Opera. ACBA members and their guests can get a steep discount on tickets to a performance of “Fellow Travelers” by using the code “EQUALITY” at checkout. Registration – including various food, beverages and seating options – is handled directly by the Pittsburgh Opera:

Make Work Fair: Maintaining Progress in an Era of Retreat

Hosted by NYU's Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging

November 5, 12-1 p.m.

Virtual

For the latest about this approach, read this recent Harvard Business Review article co-authored by Siri:

A Research-Backed Training Method that Improves Hiring Outcomes



The PLDIC welcomed Siri Chilazi this past June for a beneficial conversation including tangible advice about incorporating data-backed, actionable solutions to build fairness into the workplace. Her webinar is still available to watch on our Members Dashboard.

Women are taking pay cuts as companies mandate return to office

In the same vein, PLDIC members can still watch our webinar from last fall, "Remote Work/Return to Work and DEI Implications," including a presentation from Professor Mark Ma of Pitt Business about research and data on this topic; and a panel discussion moderated by Cassie Yeager, Alcoa and featuring PLDIC Board member Don Bluedorn, Babst Calland; Janet Lee, Ansys; and Kevin Carter, Alcoa.

A recent NALP report cited a record 93.4% employment rate for 2024 law graduates, with Pittsburgh ranking 20^th for new graduate law firm jobs. Despite this encouraging news, racial disparities in employment outcomes persisted. Employment rates for Black graduates in jobs that required bar admission were significantly lower than their White counterparts (74.3% v 86.5%). Similar disparities existed in employment outcomes of first-gen law students versus students who have at least one lawyer parent (82.7% v. 90.8%). These statistics serve as a reminder of the critical importance of the PLDIC's mission: as the Pittsburgh legal market grows, as should the collaboration of our member organizations on working to make our profession and our city more inclusive for everyone.