IndyBar: Participating in the IndyBar Diversity Job Fair

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By Roxana Bell, Bingham Greenebaum Doll LLP

Upon saying goodbye to Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson after a two-year clerkship in her chambers, I handed her a framed clipping from the Aug. 1, 2012, issue of The Indiana Lawyer, which featured a photo of the two of us at the 2012 IndyBar Diversity Job Fair. The article holds special significance to me because I count the two summers we spent interviewing candidates together at the Job Fair among my fondest memories with her.
 

iba-p1017003-15col.jpg Attendees enjoy conversation and lunch together at the Diversity & the Law Luncheon, held in conjunction with the 2013 IndyBar Diversity Job Fair.

Since 2008, the IndyBar Diversity Job Fair has forged a tradition of fostering diversity and inclusion within the Indianapolis legal community. As a student-participant in 2010, I interviewed with seven employers, including Bingham Greenebaum Doll (then Bingham McHale), where I am now an associate, and the Office of the Indiana Attorney General, where I ultimately spent my 2L summer. I can remember each of those interviews well, not because of anything that was spoken, but because of the unspoken message those employers conveyed simply by participating in the Job Fairs. You are welcome here. We want to work alongside you. You would fit well with us. We are looking for someone like you.

Now, as a practitioner, when I reflect on my past experiences with the IndyBar Diversity Job Fair, it is clear to me where its greatest force lies: with the judges, law firms, and public agencies that demonstrate their support of diversity and inclusion by participating as interviewers, and the lasting impression they leave in the minds and hearts of those they take the time to meet.

If you have had the pleasure of participating in this event as a student, as an employer conducting interviews, as a sponsor, or event guest, I hope you will continue to show your support of diversity by participating again.  If you have not been a past participant, I encourage you to consider doing so this year in whatever capacity you may be able. You will meet talented students from an array of backgrounds who are eager to make Indianapolis their home community. You may even hire one of them (now, or in the future, like my experience with BGD) and gain a valuable asset for your firm or organization. However you choose to participate, your presence will signal your support for a diverse Indianapolis legal community and send a welcoming message to up-and-coming lawyers from all walks of life.

For more information about the 2014 IndyBar Diversity Job Fair, which will be held Aug. 21 and 22, 2014, please visit www.ibadiversityjobfair.org. I hope to see you there!

Ms. Bell is an Associate at Bingham Greenebaum Doll where she practices in the Labor and Employment Group. Before joining Bingham Greenebaum Doll, Roxana clerked for Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson of the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Indiana, and Judge Rudolph Pyle III of the Court of Appeals of Indiana. She is a member of the IndyBar Diversity Job Fair Committee.

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