“I’d been looking into developing a broader pipeline program, and Chapman and Cutler was interested in doing it,” said Austen Parrish, dean of the Maurer School of Law and James H. Rudy Professor of Law. “We met over lunch and a cup of coffee and went from there.”
Based in Chapman and Cutler’s office in Chicago, the Finance Law Development Program is a two-year, salaried program through which selected college graduates serve as practice development associates. Through this program, they work closely with Chapman attorney teams on various legal projects.
Parrish said the Maurer School of Law has had a strong relationship with Chapman and Cutler, a law firm focused on both public and corporate finance, and he said a number of IU alumni are working there as attorneys.
“They’re trying to recruit from the Kelley School of Business, Informatics, students in the SPEA Law and Public Policy program,” Parrish said. “But they’re really looking at anyone who is interested and talented.”
Students interested in applying for the program can do so at the Finance Law Development Program’s application page or through Kelley Connect.
“For most law schools, students come in as law students, they try to do as well as they can, and then they go out and interview for jobs,” Parrish said. “There’s not a clear connection between the admissions process and the career-placement process.”
The program starts with a four-week boot camp designed to introduce participants to finance law concepts, law firm economics and other pertinent topics, such as basic business organizations, project management, drafting skills, negotiations and applied legal technology.
As a part of the program, participants will assist Chapman and Cutler’s practice innovations team, which works with the firm’s attorneys to apply new technologies to improve work-flow and collaboration with clients, according to the firm’s website.
By encouraging participants to engage with a variety of the firm’s practice groups, the program’s stated goal is to give participants an in-depth understanding of the type of work Chapman and Cutler professionals do, according to the firm’s website.
“This program is unique in that it takes into account how to develop students with particular skill sets over a period of time,” Parrish said. “It’s a way for Chapman to develop talent with students that are interested in working at Chapman.”
During the two-year rotational program, selected participants will receive a competitive salary and benefits.
Participants interested in pursuing a law degree may also be eligible for designation as a Chapman Law Fellow, following successful completion of the program, according to the program website.
Chapman will offer fellows assistance with their law school applications, as well as provide reimbursement for the cost of their LSAT review courses.
The law school will provide fellows who meet certain undergraduate GPA and LSAT benchmarks with a guaranteed scholarship, valued at $75,000 for non-residents, according to the program website.
Chapman will also offer fellows an interest-free loan toward housing expenses, as well as summer employment after their first and second years after graduation.
Overall financial aid for a student who successfully completes the two-year rotational program and the law fellowship may exceed $200,000, according to the firm’s website.
“Students going into this program are getting significant financial aid and housing support, and they’re getting a large scholarship, so that will make it affordable,” Parrish said. “It takes out a little bit of the risk because students will be going into law school almost knowing there’s going to be a job for them at the end.”
Chapman will have an on-campus reception Sunday, Oct. 4, and will conduct on-campus interviews for the program Monday, Oct. 5.
