THE FIRM SUPPORTS THE NATIONAL BAR ASSOCIATION (NBA) CRUMP LAW CAMP

The National Bar Association (NBA) Crump Law Camp was established in 2001 to encourage African Americans and other minorities to pursue a career in law. The Law Camp is open to 9th, 10th and 11th graders from across the country of diverse socioeconomic backgrounds and races and held at the Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C. each summer. Faculty includes members of the National Bar Association's Law Professors Division and visiting guest lecturers.

The highlight of the Camp is the Evett L. Simmons Mock Trial Competition. The finalists attend the NBA annual meeting and the winner receives a laptop computer. This year the law firm Ruden McClosky donated the computer. Evett Simmons, past president of the NBA and partner in the Port St. Lucie office of Ruden McClosky was present at the NBA annual meeting to make the laptop presentation.

'All law firms today share the same goal: how to create a culture that encourages minorities to strive, succeed and stay in the private practice of law. The Law Camp is a good way to reach talented minority students and give them the opportunity to interact with attorneys and experience briefly the American judicial system. Hopefully one day soon, the legal profession will reflect the true diversity of this nation,' said Carl Schuster, Ruden McClosky's managing partner.

While the Law Camp continues to seek funding, major contributors have been the Ford Motor Company Foundation and Nike. Recently the Law Camp was awarded an ABA Partnership Award and Evett Simmons, chairperson of the NBA Crump Law Committee, accepted this award.