Ice Miller Racial Justice Task Force Update

Created in May 2020, the Ice Miller Racial Justice Task Force works to amplify the legal rights and voices of people and communities of color, and to create an environment where opportunities in and access to the legal, social, and economic systems are equitable. In 2021, the Racial Justice Task Force established several new programs initiatives that address diversity, equity and inclusion, including two initiatives that provide direct support to Black entrepreneurs and diverse law students.

Ice Miller announced a collaboration with The Lonely Entrepreneur (TLE), a New York-based non-profit that empowers individuals with entrepreneurial skills and support, to provide Black entrepreneurs with free access to the knowledge, tools, and the ongoing support they need to start or grow a business.

Through the joint initiative, Ice Miller will provide Black entrepreneurs with one-year free access to The Lonely Entrepreneur Learning Community – a one-stop-shop platform that provides entrepreneurs with the knowledge, tools, and ongoing support they need to start or grow a business.

The support from Ice Miller will make The Lonely Entrepreneur’s Learning Community platform available to aspiring and current Black entrepreneurs in the Indianapolis area.  The program will also enable Indiana corporations and philanthropies to support a certain number of Black entrepreneurs in the program.

Ice Miller also announced the creation of a Racial Justice Fellowship Program for first-year law students. The fellowship will be awarded annually to two, highly motivated first-year law students from a racially underrepresented group who have demonstrated academic excellence and a commitment to racial justice, diversity, and equity in their communities. 

Fellowship recipients will participate in Ice Miller’s summer associate program and have the opportunity to work on racial justice matters during the summer program and through a paid, school-year clerkship. Fellows will also receive professional coaching throughout law school and be eligible to receive a $10,000 stipend if they accept an offer to return to the firm for a paid 2L summer associate position.  The program welcomed its first student in the fall of 2021: Joshua Duffy-Cooper, a first-year J.D. candidate at Howard University School of Law from Columbus, Ohio.

Read more about Ice Miller’s Racial Justice Task Force work here or learn more about our diversity and inclusion initiatives.