IU McKinney Law Student, Former U.S. Marine Receives Annual Barnes & Thornburg Diversity Scholarship

INDIANAPOLIS – Jordan Oliver, a first-year law student at the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, is the 2019 recipient of Barnes & Thornburg LLP’s annual Diversity Scholarship. Oliver will participate in the firm’s summer associate program, which annually brings aspiring attorneys to the firm.

"I am extremely honored to be the recipient of the 2019 Barnes & Thornburg Indianapolis Diversity Scholarship,” Oliver said. “Having the opportunity to work at a firm that understands the value that diversity brings, and that prioritizes having attorneys with varied backgrounds, makes me very excited about the future. I look forward to working with and learning from some of the best attorneys that the legal industry has to offer at Barnes & Thornburg this summer."

Oliver, who is expected to earn his J.D. in 2021, is spending the spring 2019 semester as a legal intern in the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office. He interned at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana in 2018. A 2018 graduate of Indiana University-East in Richmond, he is a mentor for the Starfish Initiative.

Oliver is a former active duty non-commissioned infantry officer in the U.S. Marine Corps in Washington, D.C., where he served missions at Arlington National Cemetery and was a supervisor and instructor in addition to other duties, and was one of 18 Marines selected to play on the All-Marine basketball team.

“The retention and promotion of women and minority talent are key parts of our success as a firm and are central to our diversity and inclusion mission,” said Dawn R. Rosemond, partner and Director of Diversity, Professional Development and Inclusion. “It all starts with recruiting top-notch women and minority talent. We are so excited about Jordan Oliver being our 2019 1L Diversity Scholarship recipient because he typifies leadership, service and excellence and is exactly the type of student we hoped to attract when we created this scholarship opportunity.”

“We were not only impressed with Jordan’s strong academic performance as an undergraduate and as a first-year law student, but also that his four years as a Marine instilled in him a sense of duty, maturity, and understanding of service that will provide a strong foundation for a future career as an attorney,” said Barnes & Thornburg partner Bill Padgett, who is the firm’s Indianapolis law student Hiring Partner.

Barnes & Thornburg recognizes that a commitment to diversity requires action. Accordingly, at Barnes & Thornburg, the business of diversity is purposefully aligned with the business of the firm. Through deliberate programming, engaged sponsorship and the continual internal and external investment of time, talent and resources, the firm is committed to building and sustaining an inclusive, respectful and open culture made up of accomplished individuals of all backgrounds.

With more than 600 attorneys and other legal professionals, Barnes & Thornburg is one of the largest law firms in the country. The firm serves clients worldwide from 14 offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Delaware, Indiana, Los Angeles, Michigan, Minneapolis, Ohio, San Diego and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit us online at www.btlaw.com or on Twitter @BTLawNews.