J. Tracy Walker IV and Noah Rushin
In response to declining numbers of students of color attending law school, McGuireWoods has partnered with the University of Virginia School of Engineering & Applied Science to encourage engineering students, particularly students of color, to consider a legal career. In a two-prong approach, the firm is awarding a scholarship each year to a fourth-year student of color at the engineering school with an expressed interest in attending law or business school, and it has worked with the school to develop and sponsor the school’s Future Leaders Speaker Series, where students can learn about careers outside of engineering.
The Future Leaders Speaker Series launched in the spring of 2019 with a lecture from UVA School of Engineering & Applied Science alumnus Vincent Toye, group head of community lending and investment at Wells Fargo. The fall 2019 lecture, held Nov. 20, 2019, featured UVA electrical engineering alumna Lori Brown-Simmons, now practice director at Dentons US LLP. Brown-Simmons discussed how her engineering degree contributed to her success as a senior administrator of a global law firm.
At the fall event, McGuireWoods managing partner J. Tracy Walker IV announced the recipient of the inaugural McGuireWoods scholarship — UVA chemical engineering student Noah Rushin. Richmond office managing partner and former UVA rector George Keith Martin attended the November event with Walker. “McGuireWoods is proud to play a small role helping students go to law school and, eventually, become part of an increasingly diverse legal profession,” said Martin.
Walker, who graduated from UVA with a degree in mechanical engineering, explained the firm’s focus on engineering students. “Engineering school graduates are particularly well positioned to do well in law school and to go on to successful careers as lawyers. Engineering schools, like business schools, focus on team-based problem solving, a particularly important skill set for lawyers. It is a demanding curriculum. Students who thrive in that environment have developed strong analytical skills and are poised to do well in law school and beyond.”