Bryant Roby ’20 Receives 2019 Hinshaw Diversity Scholarship

Bryant Roby, a third-year student at Chicago-Kent College of Law, was the only law student selected for a 2019 Hinshaw Diversity Scholarship from the law firm Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP. 

As part of the award, Roby received a $20,000 scholarship and a paid summer associate position at the firm's Chicago office. “I had a great summer experience at Hinshaw & Culbertson,” he says. “The work was engaging, and I was able to work with great attorneys who are dedicated to ensuring young associates develop and grow.” 

Hinshaw annually awards a scholarship to a full-time diverse student who has demonstrated excellent academic performance during their first year of law school. Headquartered in Chicago, the firm has a national reputation that spans the insurance industry, the professional services sector, and other highly regulated industries.

“Bryant was chosen because of his exceptional academic credentials, commitment to ‘team mentality,’ and inspiring story of the success that comes from remaining focused despite challenging life circumstances. Bryant exemplified these same characteristics during his summer clerkship,” explains D.L. Morriss, the diversity, equity, and inclusion partner at Hinshaw. “He was first to arrive at work, last to leave. His research was accurate, and his oral presentation clear and concise. In addition, he was simply a pleasure to have around the office and was always up for a good laugh. That’s what makes the difference in having a successful summer program. We are glad to have worked with Bryant and thrilled to award him with this scholarship.”

A Chicago-area native, Roby earned his master’s degree in criminal justice administration from Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania, and his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio, where he was captain of the wrestling team. 

After six years away from home, he missed his friends and family back in Illinois, so he limited his law school search to schools in Chicago. “I chose Chicago-Kent because of its well-respected reputation by attorneys in the city of Chicago,” he explains. 

At Chicago-Kent, Roby is the 2019–20 president of the Moot Court Honor Society and was the 2018–19 president of the Black Law Students Association. He finished as an octofinalist in the 2018 Ilana Diamond Rovner Appellate Advocacy Competition.

“My favorite experience in law school has been the Moot Court Honor Society,” he says. “I enjoy doing a deep dive into the research and the complexities of crafting an oral argument.” 

In spring 2019, he organized and helped coach the student team that represented Chicago-Kent in the National Black Law Student Association’s Thurgood Marshall Moot Court Competition. The two students—Jewell Ewing ’20 and Andrea Mireles ’20—placed second in the Midwest regional tournament and advanced to the national finals. 

Additionally, Roby is the chair of the Student Bar Association’s Diversity Committee and a member of the Student-Alumni Board. He earned a CALI Award for the highest grade in his Torts class and is a certified Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt. Last summer he was a summer 1L diversity intern at Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP and an intern at the Citizen Advocacy Center. During the 2018–19 academic year he clerked at the law firm of SmithAmundsen LLC in their Transportation Litigation Practice group.  

After law school, Roby would like to work at a law firm and to mentor new attorneys and law students to help improve diversity in the legal profession. 

“I have great mentors who have offered me guidance when I simply had no one else to ask,” he says. “So as my career progresses it will always be my priority to offer guidance and resources to young adults with a desire to find success in the legal profession.”