Washington (June 18, 2008) – Sutherland Junior College, a college preparatory program conducted in partnership with the District’s Bell Multicultural High School, was honored with a 2008 Outstanding Achievement Award by the Washington Lawyers' Committee on Civil Rights and Urban Affairs.  At the Bell Scholarship Gala, the school honored Sutherland with the 2008 Corporate Cornerstone Award recognizing the mentorship, guidance and internships provided through Sutherland Junior College.

The Sutherland Junior College program with Bell started in 2006 and is a two-year program.  This month, the first group of students in the program graduated from Bell and will be going to college this fall.   Of the nine students in this inaugural program, eight applied to and were accepted into college (the ninth is joining the Air Force).

During these last two years, these students came to the firm once a week, and with the help of attorneys and staff, learned how to improve their writing, mastered test-taking skills, worked on the college application and financial aid process, and prepared college essays and scholarship applications.  Between their junior and senior years, each participated as Sutherland Junior College summer interns working with staff and lawyers in a variety of departments (records, facilities, marketing and technology).  The firm is very pleased to have been able to have a direct and significant impact on these students' lives and is proud of their accomplishments.

ABOUT SUTHERLAND  Sutherland is a law firm with global reach known for solving challenging business problems and resolving unique legal issues for many of the world’s largest companies.  Founded in 1924, the firm has grown to more than 500 lawyers handling matters in every part of the world.  Seven major practice areas — corporate, financial services, energy, intellectual property, litigation, real estate and tax — provide the framework that contains an extensive range of specialty areas, allowing its lawyers to serve a diverse client base that includes a number of Fortune 500 companies.