On October 25, 2022, Mia Bailey and Mariana Gusdorf, members of the Pre-Law Paralegal Program at Kostelanetz LLP, moderated a panel entitled “From Spelman to Law School: A Conversation with Kennedy Mackey, Destiny Reese, & Grace Hall” for the Morehouse-Spelman Pre-Law Society (MSPLS). Kennedy, Destiny, and Grace are former alumnae of Spelman College and Kostelanetz’s Spelman College Pre-Law Internship Program. They left the firm in 2022 to attend Harvard Law School, Emory University School of Law, and the University of Virginia School of Law, respectively. (Previously, all three alumnae had discussed their experiences at Kostelanetz and their hopes for the future of the program.)

Kostelanetz launched its Spelman internship in 2021 and became a sponsor of the MSPLS later that year.

The MSPLS panel served as an opportunity for MSPLS members to learn about the various paths to law school from the perspectives of the program’s first three alumnae. Over 50 people attended the program.

During the event, MSPLS members asked the panelists questions such as:
• What made you want to pursue a career in law?
• What made you want to work at a law firm in between college and law school?
• Can you share some pros and cons of choosing to take a gap year between undergrad and law school versus going straight from undergrad to law school?
• Do you have any advice on taking a gap year versus going straight from undergrad to law school?

At the end of the program, Mia and Mariana described the Spelman Internship program at Kostelanetz and the process for applying to it.