At The Appellate Project, we're working to ensure emerging lawyers from all backgrounds have the community and support they need to navigate appellate careers.
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Building a more inclusive appellate field requires addressing the structural obstacles that prevent lawyers with disabilities from accessing the careers that lead to appellate practice and judicial leadership.
Graphic from The Appellate Project with a light blue textured background. Large centered text reads: “Graduates who identified as having a disability had a lower overall employment rate of 89% and a lower employment rate of 77.2% for admission required/anticipated jobs.” A citation below attributes the statistic to the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) report Class of 2024 Law Graduates Exceed Employment Expectations, But Equity Gaps Persist. Along the bottom are decorative design elements: a blue square pattern, a black-and-white close-up photo of part of a person’s face showing one eye, and a series of overlapping oval shapes in shades of blue and gray on a pink background.
When talented lawyers encounter barriers unrelated to their legal skills, the profession loses essential perspectives.
Read Jillian's full story on a day in their life as an appellate lawyer and what representation means in practice: theappellateproject.org/news-and-voi...
At TAP, we’re working to build that infrastructure by supporting emerging appellate leaders with community, training, and the insider knowledge needed to navigate this field. By demystifying appellate practice, we're ensuring the next generation has the tools to succeed.
Their hope for change that "lightens that load" points to what's really needed: expanding access to the mentorship, networks, and opportunities that make appellate careers achievable for talented lawyers from all backgrounds.
Graphic from The Appellate Project with a coral background and a headshot of a smiling person with short hair and round glasses wearing a pinstripe suit jacket. The text reads: “On being a Black professional in appellate practice: ‘It’s a privilege, certainly, but that privilege also comes with responsibility. I often find that in certain rooms, I may be one of the only—or the only—person who looks like me or shares my background. That can feel heavy at times, and I hope we’ll continue to see the kind of change that ultimately lightens that load.’ Jillian Williams, Associate at Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP.”
Jillian Williams, an associate at Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP, speaks to the reality of navigating appellate spaces while often being "one of the only" individuals who look like them, and the toll that can take.
Read Jillian's full story on a day in their life as an appellate lawyer and what representation means in practice: theappellateproject.org/news-and-voi...
Because when legal reasoning is based on the full breadth of experiences, the outcomes may be more just, the reasoning more rigorous, and the legal system more credible.
At TAP, we're working toward an appellate system where the advocates, judges, and rulings from our highest courts reflect the communities they most impact.
Diverse perspectives don't just make teams more representative—they make the legal arguments stronger. When colleagues bring different lived experiences to the table, they approach problems differently, see gaps others might miss, and identify what will resonate most persuasively.
Blue graphic from The Appellate Project featuring a quote in large white text: “One of the great things about being on diverse teams is that nobody thinks the same way.” Below, smaller text reads: “Even if you went to the same schools or clerked for the same judge, you still experienced those things differently. And especially in legal practice—whether at a firm or elsewhere—you want all of those experiences and ideas to be aired out.” The quote is attributed at the bottom to Jillian Williams, Associate at Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP.
In honor of Black History Month, we're sharing insights from Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP associate Jillian Williams, on why diverse teams strengthen legal work.
Read Jillian's full story on a day in their life as an appellate lawyer and what representation means in practice: theappellateproject.org/news-and-voi...
At The Appellate Project, we're working to ensure emerging leaders have the networks, training, support, and confidence they need to access appellate careers and bring their perspectives to our courts.
This reminder from Jillian Williams, associate at Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP, to trust what you bring to the table and recognize that you don't need to know everything on day one, speaks to the confidence gap that keeps talented lawyers from pursuing appellate careers and how to overcome this.
And for lawyers from underrepresented backgrounds who may not have seen themselves reflected in these roles, self-doubt can compound the structural obstacles they already face.
Graphic from The Appellate Project with a red background and large quotation marks. The text reads: “I would tell first-year me to ‘back myself’ more. Sometimes we forget about all the things we’ve learned and accomplished just to get to this moment, or we feel like we have to show up to a matter and already know everything and that’s just not true. You’re here because of all the things you’ve achieved and because others believe in your ability to grow and to produce excellent work at a high level. So, start with the first step and trust that you have the tools and the know-how to do it well.” The quote is attributed to Jillian Williams, Associate at Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP.
Imposter syndrome can be particularly acute in appellate practice, where the work can feel intimidating and the barriers to entry remain high.
Read Jillian's full story on a day in their life as an appellate lawyer and what representation means in practice: theappellateproject.org/news-and-voi...
At The Appellate Project (TAP), we're working to ensure emerging leaders have the networks, training, and support they need to access appellate careers and bring their perspectives to our courts.
Jillian's commitment to bringing their whole self to their work helps further the representation that allows the next generation to envision themselves in appellate careers.
When you're often the only person who looks like you in the room, simply showing up authentically becomes an act of opening doors.
Graphic from The Appellate Project on a light blue background featuring a quote and a headshot of a smiling professional in a suit and glasses in the bottom left corner. The quote reads: “Being a Black professional in appellate practice means being visible and opening the door wider for others. It means trying to lead by example in a way that I, as a law student, could have followed. And it means bringing my whole self into every space and allowing my lived experiences to shine through in how I show up and in the quality of the work I produce.” At the bottom, the quote is attributed to Jillian Williams, Associate at Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP. The Appellate Project logo appears at the top of the graphic.
In honor of Black History Month, we're highlighting Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP associate Jillian Williams, who shared what it means to navigate appellate practice as a Black professional.
At The Appellate Project, we provide the community and resources that help emerging lawyers navigate these pathways and build sustainable appellate careers.
Sign up for our newsletter to learn how you can help build more representative courts: theappellateproject.us1.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=...
These early obstacles compound over time, narrowing the pool of diverse professionals who eventually pursue clerkships, appellate litigation, and judicial leadership. Expanding access to appellate practice requires addressing the barriers that exist from the very beginning.
Graphic from The Appellate Project on a dark blue textured background. Large white text reads: “For positions that require or anticipate bar admission, White graduates held these positions at a rate of 86.5%. The rate dropped to 74.3% for Black graduates, 78.6% for Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander graduates, and 79.4% for Native American and Alaska Native graduates.” A citation below references the National Association for Law Placement (NALP), “Class of 2024 Law Graduates Exceed Employment Expectations, But Equity Gaps Persist,” with a link to the report. At the bottom of the image are three overlapping visuals: a black and white close-up of part of a person’s face with faint geometric lines overlaid, a sepia-toned image of the U.S. Supreme Court building, and a blue panel with a white medical-style cross symbol.
Bar admission opens doors to legal positions that serve as traditional pathways into appellate practice. When graduates from underrepresented backgrounds face barriers to securing these roles, the gap affects not just their first jobs but their entire trajectory toward appellate careers.
At The Appellate Project, we're working to build the infrastructure that makes appellate practice accessible to lawyers across all sectors and backgrounds.
Sign up for our newsletter to learn how you can help build more representative courts: theappellateproject.us1.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=...
Public interest lawyers bring critical experience with the communities most affected by appellate decisions. Expanding who gets to shape appellate law means recognizing and creating pathways from the full range of legal practice, not just traditional routes.
A blue graphic from The Appellate Project featuring white text that reads, “Gender nonbinary graduates were four times more likely to work in public interest roles, at 38.3% compared with 9.7% overall, and LGBTQ+ graduates were nearly twice as likely, at 18.6%.” The source is cited as the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) Class of 2024 employment report. Decorative design elements at the bottom include abstract blue squares, a grayscale close-up photo of part of a person’s face, and overlapping oval shapes in shades of blue and gray.
Career paths into appellate practice often run through private practice, clerkships, and government offices—often overlooking those in public interest roles. When the pathway to appellate careers privileges certain sectors over others, talented lawyers with essential perspectives get left behind.
Sign up for our newsletter to learn how you can help build more representative courts: theappellateproject.us1.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=...
At The Appellate Project, we're working to change who gets to shape the law by equipping emerging lawyers from underrepresented backgrounds with the community and resources they need to access appellate careers.
