As part of its ongoing commitment to diversity, Lewis Thomason, P.C., ALFA International’s member firm in Nashville and Knoxville, Tennessee, has established the Lewis Thomason Diversity Scholarship at the Belmont University College of Law. This is the third such scholarship the firm has established in recent years.
“For the past several years, we have actively recruited minority law clerks in each of our offices, enjoyed hosting minority high school summer interns, and developed a minority scholarship at the University of Tennessee College of Law in Knoxville and the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law thereby developing a pipeline of potential attorneys for our firm,” said Lisa Ramsay Cole, managing shareholder of Lewis Thomason. “This scholarship, through the College of Law, will likewise support a mentorship program, providing recipients a mutually beneficial relationship and develop well-prepared young attorneys.”
Lewis Thomason has always considered diversity a priority. For the past 25 years, the firm has been successively managed by two female presidents, including the current president who has served as the president and managing shareholder for the past nine years. The former president served during a time when female leadership was all but unheard of in law firms. In 2021, the firm established InclusivLT, a DEI committee to further enhance the firm’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Creating an inclusive environment at Lewis Thomason is important to facilitating the long-term retention of diverse attorneys. Cole continued, “An overwhelming number of our attorneys have never worked for another firm, and we believe that is because at Lewis Thomason, we treat each other like family.”
About Belmont University College of Law
The Mission of Belmont University College of Law is to prepare qualified students with an excellent understanding of the law that will equip them to become professional counselors, advocates, and judges; researchers, teachers, and philosophers of the law; entrepreneurs; and engaged citizens. Belmont University College of Law is committed to the Christian tradition. We believe that instilling the highest standards of personal and professional conduct is our ethical and communal responsibility. We seek to ensure that the knowledge and values that we transmit to our students serve the ends of justice.