Pilot Projects
OnRamp Fellowship
An experiential learning and advancement program that matches lawyers returning to the profession with law firms and legal departments for one-year paid Fellowships.
The OnRamp Fellowship is a re-entry platform that matches experienced lawyers returning to the workforce after a hiatus with law firms and legal departments for year-long paid positions. As part of this structured returnship, Fellows have the chance to demonstrate their amazing value in the marketplace while also broadening their experience, skills, and contacts.
Diversity Lab created the OnRamp Fellowship to remove barriers to advancement that attorneys, particularly women, face when returning to the profession after a period of absence. These challenges were exacerbated by the pandemic, which saw women disproportionately leaving the workforce to assume caregiving duties. However, while the inspiration for the OnRamp Fellowship is gender equality, Fellowship opportunities are available to any lawyer re-entering the profession, regardless of gender. The principles behind the OnRamp Fellowship – namely that talented attorneys should not be unduly penalized for a period of absence – apply equally to all.
The Fellowship initially launched with four law firms in January 2014. Due to the success of the pilot program, the Fellowship has expanded to include more than 30 of the world’s top law firms and legal departments.
In 2021, Diversity Lab introduced OnRamp 200 — the newest iteration of the Fellowship. OnRamp 200 seeks measurable progress for female lawyers, in particular, who comprise the largest percentage of those who take a hiatus from legal practice. Through this collective legal industry movement, Diversity Lab will work with legal organizations to bring 200 women lawyers back into the legal profession by 2025. Diversity Lab believes it can achieve this aim, even with a gender-neutral program that is equally open to all, by encouraging greater overall participation by organizations. The program is additive by design, and there is no limit to the number of Fellowships that may be awarded to qualified candidates. For more details and to view current Fellowship opportunities, visit www.OnRampFellowship.com.