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CONNECTICUT MOVERS AUGUST 31, 2020 ¦ 3

New Haven Firm Engages With
Diversity Collective

By Michael Marciano

New Haven law firm Carmody Torrance Sandak
& Hennessey partnered with the Connecticut-based
Lawyers Collaborative for Diversity this summer to
host organization participant Angela Evans, a rising
senior at Southern Connecticut State University, for
an in-office summer internship for which she earned
college credit toward a degree in political science.
Carmody partners Amanda Nugent and Tom San-
sone, both of whom are part of the firm’s diversity,
equity and inclusion team, developed a curriculum
for Evans’s five-week internship with the goal of that have plagued our society,” added Carmody part-
exposing her to as many aspects of the practice as ner and program developer, Tom Sansone. “This one
possible. Evans met with partners in the firm’s real small step is merely the first of many that we must
estate, litigation, immigration, ADR, employment, take to cause positive and impactful change in our
cyber security and data privacy and criminal prac- profession.”
tices, and performed substantive legal research and Evans, who completed her internship on August
writing in her areas of interest, which included im- 20, reported that she plans to attend law school in
migration law and criminal law. Connecticut after taking a year off to work, preferably
Evans also received instruction from a number of with a New Haven-based non-profit organization.
the firm’s partners on legal ethics, the sources of law She said her summer experience convinced her to
and the Connecticut Practice Book, and received in- stay in Connecticut for law school.
formation and advice about preparing for a career in While Carmody was forced to cancel many of
law, including applying to law school and the LSAT its other summer plans due to the COVID-19 pan-
and Bar exams. She was also introduced to different demic, it remained committed to maintaining those
career opportunities in law. plans that support the firm’s diversity, equity and in-
“Mentorship has always been a key feature of Car- clusion goals. Carmody’s only summer associate this
mody’s inclusive culture, so it was a natural fit for year was Elle Cotzomi, who worked in Carmody’s
us to extend that to include college students with an Waterbury office and in program partner Ever-
interest in the law”, said firm partner and program source’s in-house legal department.
developer Amanda Nugent. “Our firm has a long Carmody will continue its law school pipeline de-
history of promoting women in the law, and we are velopment efforts this fall, when it will host a student
committed to carrying that forward to create greater of color from Wesleyan University for a 10-week in-
access and opportunity for all other underrepresent- ternship in New Haven.
ed identities.” ¦

“It’s important that our firm put meaningful ac- Michael Marciano is bureau chief of the Con-
tion behind the idea that all members of the legal necticut Law Tribune. He can be reached at
community have a moral imperative to address the [email protected] or call 646-957-3022. On
inequalities caused by centuries of structural racism Twitter: @BreakingCTLaw

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