Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney Expands Externship Program for High School Students

MIAMI (August 2023) – Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney is pleased to announce that it has expanded its Miami Externship Program to include a fourth school, Carrolton School of the Sacred Heart, and a courthouse visit component. Belen Jesuit Preparatory School, Our Lady of Lourdes Academy and St. Brendan High School, all predominantly Hispanic Schools in Miami-Dade, once again partnered with Buchanan for this year’s program.

The two-day externship program, launched in 2022, gives high school students the opportunity to meet and learn from Buchanan attorneys and firm leadership.

“We remain steadfast in our commitment to building a pipeline of diverse legal leaders,” said Lloyd Freeman, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer. “While some may think pipeline programs start in law school, at Buchanan, we believe it is essential to expose young students to the possibility of a career in law at an early age. By giving them access to our firm and C-Suite team, we hope to inspire them to dream big and explore a wide array of careers,” he added.

"The externship at Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney was a great experience that provided me with valuable insights into the legal profession. Listening to the attorneys talk about their jobs, I was able to learn more about the different realms of law and the different journeys they had to become attorneys. The tour of the courthouse was my favorite part of the externship as we were able to observe legal proceedings first-hand and learn about the different aspects that lead up to a trial,” said one of the students from Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart.

The 17 students spent the first day of the program listening and speaking with firm leadership including, Joe Dougherty, Chairman and CEO, Nolan Kurtz, Chief Operating Officer, Lloyd Freeman, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Dani Rosetti, Chief Talent Officer and Greg Miller, General Counsel. Following the C-Suite presentation, students had lunch with the firm’s Miami-based attorneys where they got to hear about careers in various legal practice areas including litigation, immigration, family law, finance, real estate and corporate. The following day, the Buchanan team arranged for and accompanied the students to the Lawson E. Thomas Courthouse Center where they observed the arraignment calendar for family and domestic violence cases and sat in and observed the jury selection process for an upcoming trial. Afterward, the students headed to the Miami-Dade County Courthouse where they learned the history of the courthouse and met with Judge Thomas J. Rebull.

“We would like to thank Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney for providing our students with this invaluable experience. Students often have perceptions of different fields that may or may not be accurate and there is no better way to learn more about a profession than to observe what the industry and environment entail,” said Carol Recicar, Director of College Counseling, Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart.

The Miami Externship Program was founded and continues to be led by Jennifer Olmedo-Rodriguez, shareholder and head of Buchanan’s Miami office, and Jorge De La Hoz, an associate in the firm’s Finance section. As Miami natives themselves, Olmedo-Rodriguez is an alum of Lourdes and De La Hoz is an alum of Belen.