P&G, Dinsmore, Cincinnati Law fellowship addresses inequities in the criminal justice system

A recent law school graduate will have the opportunity to join one of the country’s leading Innocence Projects straight out of law school thanks to a newly created fellowship.

Procter & Gamble (P&G), Dinsmore & Shohl, and the Ohio Innocence Project at Cincinnati Law (OIP) collaborated to create the Dinsmore and P&G OIP Fellowship, which is designed to give a recent law school graduate the opportunity to hone lawyering skills and gain experience in civil rights litigation and policy making.

Addressing issues of racial justice is work that is done on the ground within communities and the Dinsmore and P&G OIP Fellowship will provide a step toward addressing injustices in the criminal justice system, while serving as a model for similar ventures at other Fortune 500 companies and law firms that want to engage in this work.

Unique to this fellowship program is that it takes the corporate/law firm fellowship model and applies it to Innocence Projects. In addition to opening doors for new attorneys, the program will help establish a pipeline to attract and train candidates on how to litigate and advocate in the context of a dynamic civil rights organization. It is designed for recent law graduates, with a preference for candidates who are underrepresented in the legal profession.

“This fellowship is a step toward addressing barriers that prevent diverse candidates from entering the legal profession generally and the innocence movement specifically,” said Mark Godsey, Daniel P. and Judith L. Carmichael Professor of Law and Director, Lois and Richard Rosenthal Institute for Justice/Ohio Innocence Project. “We hope to diversify the cadre of attorneys who do innocence work, an area that is so significantly impacted by systemic racism and bias. We’re excited to partner with P&G and Dinsmore in this work to provide hands-on, meaningful work experiences for new attorneys as they embark on their legal careers.” 

Despite an increased emphasis on diversity and inclusion within the legal field over the past decade, the legal profession remains one of the least diverse. According to the American Bar Association’s National Lawyer Population Survey, four percent of active attorneys identified as Black or African American in 2007 and four percent identified as Hispanic or Latino. Ten years later, those numbers had risen to only five percent. In addition, the percentage of active attorneys identifying as Asian remained steady at two percent, and those who identified as Native American remained around one percent. Though the numbers vary slightly across reporting agencies, the overwhelming fact is that minority populations remain significantly underrepresented in the legal profession.

The fellowship is a two-year, set-term apprenticeship program for new graduates, preparing them for a successful career in the courtroom, legislature, or other elected office, and in any public interest legal organization where sophisticated litigation skills are required. In addition to learning the field, the fellow will be mentored by seasoned attorneys along the way. A new fellow will be chosen every two years as the program grows.

The recipient will work as a member of the OIP staff, managing legal cases for claims of actual innocence and supporting OIP’s legislative agenda to help reform the criminal justice system.

Since its founding in 2003, the Ohio Innocence Project has helped 33 wrongfully convicted Ohioans regain their freedom. Based in the University of Cincinnati College of Law and part of the Rosenthal Institute for Justice, OIP is one of the top-performing members nationally in the Innocence Network, having helped clients who collectively served more than 650 years behind bars for crimes they did not commit. In addition to representing the wrongfully convicted, OIP actively works to develop and advocate for lasting criminal justice reform through legislation, as well as maintaining a robust education and public awareness commitment, which includes pioneering OIP-u, an active network of student advocacy chapters at universities across Ohio.

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Dinsmore & Shohl LLP has a nationwide team of more than 725 attorneys who are trusted advisers to Fortune 500 companies, institutions, associations, governments, professional firms and individuals. Clients count on Dinsmore to provide a broad range of high-quality, commercial and cost-effective advice. The firm prioritizes diversity, equity and inclusion in all facets of its business, as reflected in Dinsmore’s commitment to pro bono work and community service. For more information, please visit www.dinsmore.com.