The UM Business Law Fellowship Program gives first-year law students a rare opportunity to work in general counsel offices and other departments of some of the nation’s leading companies. Photo by Thomas Graning/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services
OXFORD, Miss. – Several of the state’s largest corporations have partnered with the University of Mississippi School of Law in supporting the Business Law Institute’s new Business Law Fellowship, which is taking the top-ranked program to a whole new level.
Launched this summer, the Business Law Fellowship Program gave 10 first-year UM law students a rare opportunity to work in general counsel offices and other departments of some of the nation’s leading companies.
“The fellowship speaks to the future thinking and progressive nature of the Ole Miss law school in that not many law schools in the country have adopted this program,” said Conner Whitten, a UM law student who worked at Entergy Mississippi for six weeks this summer.
The inaugural year launched with partnerships with Entergy Mississippi, FedEx, C Spire, Sanderson Farms, Ingalls Shipbuilding, Yates Construction, Pfizer and other companies.
Placements such as Whitten’s introduced students to the day-to-day operations and responsibilities of a general counsel for a major corporation and allowed them to develop an understanding of business law concepts and skills through hands-on experience.
“It was extremely beneficial and such a unique experience that gave me the opportunity to apply in the real-world what I had learned in my corporations course,” Whitten said.
Entergy sees the partnership as beneficial to all those involved, including the communities in Mississippi.
“We think this is a terrific opportunity for us as well as the students,” said Haley Fisackerly, president and CEO of Entergy Mississippi. “We look to hire the best and brightest talent for our workforce. Having such a relationship with the UM law school gives us the opportunity to help develop future leaders and expose them to our company.
“Hopefully, some of them may go on to join us here at Entergy. If not, then we want them to know that they can stay in the Magnolia State and have a successful and rewarding career.”
For more information about the UM Business Fellowship Program visit https://law.olemiss.edu/academics-programs/business-law-institute/.