Barnes & Thornburg LLP has selected Indianapolis law student Sahara Williams, P.E., as its 2018 Diversity Scholarship award winner. Williams, a first-year law student at the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, becomes the sixth recipient of the annual award. 
Sahara, an engineer by trade, will serve in the firm’s summer associate program, which brings aspiring attorneys to the firm each summer.
“I am honored and excited to be joining the team at Barnes & Thornburg as a summer associate and to be chosen as their 1L Diversity Scholar,” Williams said. “In meeting with several partners, I got the sense that the firm does not just want diverse employees, but relies on the diversity of its employees to help deliver excellent service to its clients. Through its diversity and inclusion initiatives, Barnes & Thornburg has shown a strong commitment to hiring and developing diverse lawyers and creating a culture where they can be successful.”
The Diversity Scholarship is open to first-year law students who demonstrate a commitment to contributing meaningfully to the diversity and inclusion goals of Barnes & Thornburg and the legal profession.
“Barnes & Thornburg’s mission from a diversity and inclusion perspective is to hire great legal talent from all backgrounds and then work together as a team to deliberately position them to win. When we do this, our clients and the communities in which we are privileged to practice are best served,” said Dawn R. Rosemond, Barnes & Thornburg partner and director of diversity, professional development and inclusion. “It starts with cultivating a robust pipeline of diverse talent through, among other things, our summer associate program. To this end, we are excited to have Sahara join us.”
Williams is expected to earn her law degree in 2020. Prior to law school, Williams received a master’s degree in civil engineering from Purdue University, after earning a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from North Carolina A&T State University. In the engineering field, she was a program manager for Shrewsberry & Associates LLC, managing projects ranging from $700 million to $24 million, and founder and president of her own company, Enginuity Management & Consulting Corporation, before entering law school. In 2013, she received the Indianapolis Business Journal’s “Forty Under 40” award and was part of the Stanley K. Lacy Executive Leadership program. More recently, she was an adjunct professor in construction and engineering at Ivy Tech Community College and has gained experience in the legal field as a legal research assistant and through a legislative internship at The Policy Circle.
“We are proud to welcome Sahara as this year’s diversity scholarship award winner,” said William E. Padgett, a partner and the Indianapolis office hiring chair. “During the selection process, we were impressed with Sahara’s work experience, her civil engineering credentials, and her excellent early results as a law student.”
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.
