Crowe & Dunlevy Awards First Minority Scholarships Then Immediately Doubles Value to $12,000

The law firm of Crowe & Dunlevy awards its first scholarships
February 14, 2006 - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

The law firm of Crowe & Dunlevy awarded its first scholarships under its Minority Scholars Program to two students of the University of Oklahoma College of Law, Corey M. Tisdale of Tulsa and Alicia Q. Currin-Moore of Oklahoma City, and announced its plan to double the value of the scholarships. Each scholarship will now be worth $12,000 and the firm's financial commitment to the Scholarship Program is now likely to reach $120,000.

The Scholars Program was recently established by Crowe & Dunlevy to benefit minority law students at Oklahoma University. "The Scholars Program is a reflection of Crowe & Dunlevy's long-standing commitment to enhancing the diversity of the legal profession. Lawyers play an essential role in maintaining the rule of law and it is therefore important that the composition of the legal profession mirror the community that it serves," said firm President Jimmy Goodman.

The Scholars Program was initially designed to provide annual scholarships valued at $2,000 apiece to two first-year minority law students who exhibited significant academic promise. The scholarships would be renewed for each of the remaining two years of law school, making the value of each scholarship $6,000. After the initial award of scholarships, the Firm would give scholarships to two students in each successive first-year class, such that at the three-year mark there would be two Crowe & Dunlevy Scholars in each class of the law school. The Firm's initial commitment to the scholarship program was $60,000. The Scholars Program also has a mentoring component. The Crowe & Dunlevy Scholars will be invited to participate in activities of the firm, including the monthly firm luncheons, where they will have an opportunity to meet firm attorneys and discuss their work.

In awarding its first scholarships, Crowe & Dunlevy announced its decision to double their monetary value. While this decision to award two scholarships at this level only applies to the awards for 2005-2006, if followed in subsequent years, it would result in increasing Crowe & Dunlevy's financial commitment under the Scholars Program to $120,000. "Crowe & Dunlevy is interested in giving scholarships that will have a substantial positive impact on the financial costs of a legal education because these costs have been a significant factor in closing the doors of the legal profession to talented minority students.  The firm is proud to be a leader in diversity initiatives and concluded that boosting its financial commitment was the right thing to do," stated Goodman.

Assistant Dean Stanley L. Evans, said, "The University of Oklahoma College of Law was ecstatic about Crowe and Dunlevy's decision to double the scholarships for Mr. Tisdale and Ms. Currin-Moore. I was not surprised that Crowe's interviewers were impressed with the quality of these students. As first year law students they have already demonstrated skills and initiative expected of quality students at OU-Law. Ms. Currin-Moore was a former 'Teacher of the Year' for the Oklahoma City School District and Mr. Tisdale was the campaign co-chairman for Oklahoma State Representative Jabar Shumate, who recently won in his district by a landslide 87 percent of the electorate.

Ms Currin-Moore has recently initiated a partnership agreement with Principal Eugene King of Thelma Parks Elementary School in Oklahoma City, where law students from the University of Oklahoma will be spending several afternoons a month with Thelma Parks 4th and 5th Graders - exposing them to opportunities in the field of law. There will be a capstone visit by the 4th and 5th graders to the OU College of Law on April 7, 2006."

"We are very excited about our partnership with Crowe and Dunlevy. This firm has become a leader in providing opportunities for qualified soon-to-be attorneys. In addition to the scholarships, this firm brought in three OU-Law African American interns this past summer."
Crowe & Dunlevy is one of the oldest and largest law firms in the state with offices in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and Norman.

Contact

DiAnne Bryant
(405) 235-7703