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Conrad & Scherer Celebrates Year 2 of Pathways Program at Fort Lauderdale High School

On Wednesday, November 2nd, 2022, Conrad & Scherer joined representatives from Nova Southeastern University’s Shepard Broad College of Law at Fort Lauderdale High School. It was a kick-off event to celebrate the second year of the Pathways to Careers in Law program. The event was held for students in Fort Lauderdale High’s Law Magnet program to inform and answer questions about the Pathways program for those interested in pursuing a career in the legal field. Conrad & Scherer, Partner, Janine R. McGuire introduced the program to these law magnet students and sat on a panel with notable figures, Dean Beto Juárez and Assistant Dean Jane Cross, from NSU’s College of Law. FLL High students learned about the traditional and, sometimes, unconventional paths that others have taken to find themselves in their academic studies from students enrolled in NSU Law’s new undergrad program. Professor Jessica Garcia-Brown, Director of undergraduate law programs at NSU, gave voice to how rewarding and exciting a legal career can be while detailing the difficulties that come with pursuing their passion for law. The students were also informed of a new scholarship fund, created by Conrad & Scherer, to support students who choose to pursue a bachelor’s degree in law at Nova Southeastern University.

The Pathways program’s mission is to give under-represented students the opportunity to experience the full continuum to a career in law, from high school through law school. Last year, the program began with the selection of 12 Pathways Fellows from the high school who spent an afternoon at the law school, witnessed trials in progress at the Broward County Courthouse, and met attorneys and staff at Conrad & Scherer. Janine McGuire, who has been an attorney at Conrad & Scherer for the past 25 years, spoke about the internship and now the added scholarship saying “We are thrilled to be able to add this important dimension to the Pathways program,” she said. “These scholarships will help students see that a career in law is possible.”

Dr. Vickie L. Cartwright, BCPS Superintendent, also weighed in on the positive impacts of Pathways by saying “Collaborative efforts like this illustrate the value of the entire community coming together to support students,” going to say “We salute Conrad & Scherer and NSU Law for demonstrating such a strong commitment to our high school students who dream of pursuing careers in law. It’s a true demonstration of the power of public-private partnerships.”

The Pathways program kick-off event will be followed by the application process for selecting Fellows. All students will be eligible to apply for the Pathways scholarship.

Learn more about the Conrad & Scherer Pathways Program