Moore & Van Allen PLLC is pleased to announce that Rashaad Hamilton, a first-year student at the University of North Carolina School of Law, and Marquis Pullen, a first-year student at Duke University School of Law, have been selected as the firm’s inaugural Diversity Scholars. Through Moore & Van Allen’s (MVA) Diversity Scholarship Program, Hamilton and Pullen will have the opportunity to participate in the firm’s exclusive 10-week Summer Associate Program. In addition to the salary earned as summer associates, Hamilton and Pullen may receive up to $15,000 in total scholarship money.

“We are thrilled to welcome Rashaad and Marquis to our inaugural class of Diversity Scholars. They are bright and ambitious young law students who have demonstrated passionate commitment to advancing diversity within the legal profession,” said MVA Managing Partner Tom Mitchell.

The Diversity Scholarship Program application process is open to all first-year law students, regardless of race, color, religion, citizenship, national origin, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, military service, disability, or any other characteristic or condition protected by applicable law. A selection panel consisting of MVA attorneys evaluates applications based on academic performance, communication skills, leadership qualities, work experience, community involvement, and life experiences that have shaped values and professional goals.

Finalists for this year’s program included: Dyllan Brown-Bramble from Georgetown University Law Center; Namrata Kang from Washington & Lee University School of Law; Andrea Liberatore from the University of North Carolina School of Law; Raquel Gonzalez Padron from Wake Forest University School of Law; Destiny Planter from the University of North Carolina School of Law; and Shin Song from the University of North Carolina School of Law.

MVA’s Diversity Scholarship Program is one of two new diversity and inclusion initiatives the firm launched in 2019. The firm held its first annual one-day Diversity Conference last month. Twenty law student participants were selected through a competitive application process and gained exposure to the climate of diversity in the legal industry through various networking opportunities, interactive panels, and presentations from MVA members, clients and other leaders in law.

“These new initiatives – collaborative efforts by MVA’s Management, Diversity and Recruitment Committees – demonstrate the tremendous value of working together to drive positive change. I am proud of our expanding diversity and inclusion efforts, and recognize that this is a process that requires constant attention and focus by all of us,” Mitchell said.

After graduating from North Carolina State University, Hamilton worked for North Carolina Lt. Governor Linda Coleman. He then served in the office of North Carolina Rep. Alma Adams, most recently as a press assistant drafting speeches and press releases. Pullen graduated from Princeton University before earning a Master of Arts in Management and a Master of Science in Accountancy from Wake Forest University. He spent more than five years at PricewaterhouseCoopers in tax accounting before going to law school.

Diversity Scholar funds will be paid out in three installments of $5,000: the first when a student accepts a Diversity Scholar offer, the second when the student receives and accepts an offer to return as a summer associate following their second year of law school, and the third after the student receives and accepts an offer of permanent employment with MVA following law school graduation.