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Press Release

Blank Rome Joins OnRamp Fellowship Program, Promoting Women Lawyers to Rejoin the Legal Profession

Blank Rome LLP is pleased to announce that it has joined the OnRamp Fellowship, an innovative, first-of-its-kind program that provides women lawyers re-entering the legal profession with an opportunity to update their skills and legal contacts through one-year, paid positions with top law firms.

To date, only 15 law firms across the country have been selected to participate in this unique pilot program that aims to replenish the talent pipeline with diverse, high-performing women lawyers who have the potential and the desire to advance into leadership roles after returning to the legal industry from an extended hiatus.

“Promoting diversity and inclusion is at the very foundation of our Firm’s culture and history,” said Alan J. Hoffman, Chairman and Managing Partner of Blank Rome. “We are honored to join the OnRamp Fellowship program and look forward to participating in this worthwhile initiative to welcome talented women lawyers back to the legal industry and continue to increase gender diversity in the legal profession as a whole.”

As part of the initiative, OnRamp Fellowship administrators will conduct behavioral science assessments to help ensure successful placements and a smooth integration process between the participating firms and applicants. These assessments include an organizational culture analysis and study of high-performers at each law firm to better understand the skills, behaviors, and traits that lead to success, as well as an extensive screening process with every applicant.

The OnRamp Fellowship has received an overwhelmingly positive response since it was created in January 2014, as demonstrated by the high volume of women lawyers who applied to the program, and the many firms who inquired about participating. More than 30 Fellowship positions across the country have already been posted by the participating firms in cities such as Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Tampa, Twin Cities, Washington, D.C., and Silicon Valley. Opportunities exist in more than 10 practice areas, including corporate, emerging companies, intellectual property, litigation, real estate, and tax.

“We are thrilled to welcome all of these innovative law firms to the program,” said Caren Ulrich Stacy, founder of the OnRamp Fellowship. “By participating in the first ‘Returnship’ ever launched in the legal industry, these firms are benefitting the profession as well as their own organizations by forging a new pathway back for women lawyers who took a break and are now eager to return to and advance in their careers.”