AGG Excellence in Leadership Book Award
The Arnall Golden Gregory LLP Excellence in Leadership Book Award was established as a means to reach out to and support students interested in the practice of law and to demonstrate the Firm’s support of diversity and inclusion in the legal field. The annual award includes a scholarship in the amount of $1,000 and is intended for two rising senior students from Clark Atlanta University, two from Morehouse College, and two from Spelman College. Award recipients must meet the following criteria: active community service volunteer, academic achievement, participation in student leadership programs and a demonstrated intent to pursue a legal career or interest in legal studies.
Dionne Ashley Hopkins, a 2011 Arnall Golden Gregory LLP Excellence in Leadership Book Award recipient from Clark Atlanta University, is a member of the class of 2012 and will graduate with a degree in political science. Ms. Hopkins aspires to attend law school following her undergraduate education so that she can later become a political scientist. Ms. Hopkins participated in the John Marshall Mock Trial Competition and received a second place award for Best Witness and third place award for Mock Trial Team. She participates in community service during her spare time through the Light of Truth Center Non-profit Organization and JumpStart Atlanta. She serves as the women’s editor for Society Magazine and is a member of the Political Science Association and the Pre-alumni Council.
Estelle D. Williams, a 2011 AGG Excellence in Leadership Book Award recipient from Clark Atlanta University, is expected to graduate in 2012 with a degree in political science. Ms. Williams is involved in numerous school and community activities and organizations that demonstrate leadership skills and a commitment to excellence, as well as vocational interests in law and government. She serves as secretary of Reading In Random Places, an organization dedicated to promoting reading comprehension and literacy, building better study habits, and serving the community. She serves as treasurer for Being a Leader Activating Cultivating Knowledge, and is a prominent member of the Pre-alumni Council, Pre-law Society, Political Science Association, and National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice. She devotes a large portion of her spare time to volunteering in community service projects both on and off the university campus.
William Lee, a 2011 AGG Excellence in Leadership Book Award recipient from Morehouse College in Atlanta, is expected to graduate in 2012 with a degree in political science. Mr. Lee is a Morehouse College Honors Program Scholar and has been an Awarded Honor Roll Student for four semesters. His interest in law led him to an internship with the New Jersey Fifth Legislative District Office in Camden, New Jersey, where he helped district constituents find solutions to community problems and served as liaison between constituents and elected state officials in organizing government-affiliated events. He also served as an administrative intern with the Camden County Office of the Clerk, where he gained experience providing administrative assistance with mortgages, liens, tax sales, municipal and county maps, and performing general secretarial duties to assist the County Clerk and office staff. Mr. Lee is co-president of the Morehouse-Spelman Pre-law Society, a member of the Political Action Committee of the Morehouse College NAACP, and in his spare time volunteers with the H.O.P.E. Institute, a student organization that encourages youth to activate social change through exposure to civic engagement opportunities.
Laurence Hull, a 2011 AGG Excellence in Leadership Book Award recipient from Morehouse College in Atlanta, is expected to graduate in 2012 with a degree in international studies. Mr. Hull has been on the Morehouse College Honor Roll and Dean’s List every semester. He is a member of the Omicron Delta Kappa Leadership Honor Society and the Morehouse-Spelman Pre-law Society. He has completed leadership programs at Princeton University through the Woodrow Wilson School of Public & International Affairs in Princeton, New Jersey, at the American University in Washington DC, where he took part in a seminar of international law and a substantive internship and research project, and at the University of Iowa College of Law in Iowa City through the Philip G. Hubbard Law School Preparation Program. His interest in international law led him to a foreign policy internship with the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington DC, an internship with the British Consulate General in the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office in Atlanta, and to form his own private tutoring company during a stay in London, England, where his services helped students improve their grades. He serves a presidential ambassador of the Morehouse College Office of the President; as well as president, team coach and head delegate of the Morehouse College Model United Nations Team. He spends his spare time serving his community as a tutor and coordinator of the Frederick Douglas Tutoring Institute.
Danielle E. Dirickson, a 2011 AGG Excellence in Leadership Book Award recipient from Spelman College in Atlanta, is expected to graduate in 2012 with a degree in international studies and a specific concentration in international development. Ms. Dirickson is a member of the Alpha Lambda Delta Honors Society and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. She took part in the IES Abroad Program in Milan, Italy, where she studied social innovation and learned about strategies of social and environmental sustainability. Her interest in law and politics led her to serve as the assistant special events coordinator to the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office. She is a member of the Spelman College / Emory Law School Black Student Association Mentoring Program, the Spelman Women Empowered Through Professional Training Program, and served as a Spelman College Student Orientation Leader.
Michelae Hobbs, a 2011 AGG Excellence in Leadership Book Award recipient from Spelman College in Atlanta, is expected to graduate in 2012 with a degree in philosophy. Ms. Hobbs is co-president of the Morehouse-Spelman Pre-law Society, a reporter for HOUSEsports News, and a member of the Phi Alpha Delta Pre-law Fraternity and the Sister 2 Sister Mentoring Program. Her interest in law led her to serve as an intern with the Athens—Clark County Magistrate Court where she assisted with clerical work both in and out of the courtroom.
Marva Jones Brooks Summer Internship
The Arnall Golden Gregory LLP Marva Jones Brooks Summer Internship is awarded to young minority women and men currently in high school who have shown an interest in pursuing a legal education and becoming attorneys. It is the firm’s hope that their experiences with AGG will inspire them to continue on that path. The internship has been named in honor of AGG’s distinguished retired partner, Marva Jones Brooks. The purpose of the AGG Marva Jones Brooks Internship Program is to encourage the exploration of a legal career by a minority high school student and to provide him or her with early exposure to a law firm environment.
Click here for the Marva Jones Brooks Summer Internship application.
Julian A. Hinds, the 2010 AGG Marva Jones Brooks Internship recipient, attended Rockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology in Conyers, Georgia. As a participant in the internship program, Mr. Hinds spent four weeks in July 2010 at AGG, during which time he shadowed attorneys, learned about the day-to-day business of a law firm and gained hands-on experience and exposure to the legal field.
Mr. Hinds said that he was always fascinated by the diversity of the legal field and was particularly interested in environmental law, media law, and entertainment and sports law. The internship provided him the opportunity to spend time at AGG and learn, first-hand, about the practice of law.
Mr. Hinds' academic achievements included the 2009 and 2010 Superintendent's Award, given to the top 10 students in each class; second place at the Rockdale County Science Fair in both 2009 and 2010; the Advanced History Award; Algebra II Award; and the J.C. Kerr Jr. Award of Excellence for Industry, Integrity and Science. In his spare time, he volunteered with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta and Stone Mountain Food Bank, was a member of the Model Atlanta Regional Commission, and taught math at Kumon of Conyers.
High School Pipeline Project for Minority Students
AGG hosted the State Bar lunch and a one-on-one mentoring session as part of the 2008 High School Pipeline Project for Minority Students. The summer program targets high school students and has two primary objectives: improving students skills in grammar, writing and speech to assist them in college and law school; and providing mentoring sessions with members of the judiciary and attorneys who can inspire, educate and motivate students to consider law as a career