Latest / The Diversity Career Podcast with Fexingo: Inclusion, Equity, and Underrepresented Professionals / How a Law Firm Built a Career Ladder for Former Foster Youth
Transcript
- Lucas: So there's this statistic that's been stuck in my head for a while: in the United States, only about half of former foster youth are employed by age twenty-four, compared to over seventy percent of their peers. And when they do get jobs, they're often in entry-level roles with no upward path. Luna: It's a pipeline problem, right? Not just getting them in the door, but keeping them and actually growing their careers. Lucas: Exactly. So today I want to look at a mid-sized law firm in Chicago that decided to tackle that head-on. They built a formal career ladder specifically for former foster youth, and the results are pretty striking. In two years, they hired twelve people through this program, and seven out of ten are still with the firm. Compare that to their overall retention rate of about eighty percent, and it's actually competitive. Luna: Seven out of ten is impressive for a group that often faces so many barriers. What was the key? Was it just the hiring, or did they change something else? Lucas: The hiring was just the start. They partnered with a local nonprofit that specializes in foster youth transition, and they completely redesigned their onboarding. Instead of a two-week orientation, they stretched it to three months, with a dedicated mentor from the firm and a caseworker from the nonprofit checking in weekly. Luna: So it's not just a job, it's a support system. I imagine that makes a huge difference when you don't have a safety net at home. Lucas: Right. And they built the ladder into the program from day one. Every hire starts in a junior role, but they have a clear map: after eighteen months, they can apply to move up to a legal assistant or a paralegal track, with tuition reimbursement for any courses they need. One woman, I'll call her Maria, started as a file clerk, and she's now in her first year of law school. The firm helped her prep for the LSAT. Luna: That's a real career ladder, not just a job. What about the financial side? I feel like that's often overlooked. Lucas: You're spot on. They added a financial literacy component — monthly workshops on budgeting, credit building, and even how to open a bank account if you've never had one. A lot of these young people have been on their own since sixteen, so the basics aren't automatic. The firm also set up a small emergency fund that employees can tap into interest-free for things like a car repair or a security deposit. Luna: That emergency fund is smart. It prevents one bad month from undoing all the progress. Lucas: Yeah, and it's not charity — it's a loan they pay back through payroll deductions. It's designed to keep them stable, not to create dependence. And here's something interesting: the program didn't just help the hires. The law firm's partners say that having these employees brought a new perspective to client work — especially in family law and estate planning, where the firm does a lot of business. Luna: So it's a two-way street. They get talent, and they also get insight they wouldn't have had otherwise. Lucas: And that's a big part of why the program has stuck. It's not a corporate social responsibility checkbox. It's become part of how they source and retain people. Now, if today's episode gave you a useful idea for your own team or your own career, that's exactly what we're here for. And the reason we can keep doing these deep dives without a paywall is listener support. If you've gotten something out of these conversations, you can keep them going by buying us a coffee at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It takes a minute and it genuinely helps us stay ad-free. Luna: Yeah, and it's the reason we can spend a whole episode on a program like this instead of just skimming the news. Lucas: So back to the law firm. One thing they did that I think is often missed: they didn't require a college degree for the entry roles. They focused on aptitude and attitude, and they built training in-house. That opened the door to a lot of people who might have been screened out otherwise. Luna: Right, because a lot of foster youth don't have the chance to go to college right away. That's a practical barrier. Lucas: Exactly. And they were willing to be flexible with scheduling. Many of these hires had to coordinate with caseworkers or deal with court dates for their own emancipation proceedings. The firm allowed them to adjust their hours without penalty, as long as they hit their weekly targets. That flexibility built a lot of trust. Luna: It sounds like they treated them like the individuals they are, not a homogeneous group. So what would you say is the single most transferable lesson for other employers? Lucas: I think it's the mentor piece. Every single hire in this program has a mentor who is not their direct supervisor — someone in a different part of the firm who they can go to for honest advice, whether it's about work or life. That mentor isn't grading them, so the conversation is safe. The firm found that the hires who stayed past the first year almost all had a strong relationship with their mentor. Luna: So it's about building relationships, not just assigning a buddy for the first week. Lucas: Right. And the mentors get something out of it too. A couple of the partners have said that mentoring these young people made them better managers overall — more patient, more deliberate about giving feedback. So the program sort of pays for itself in culture. Luna: That's a nice halo effect. So if I'm at a company that wants to do something similar, what's the first step? Lucas: Start with a partner organization. This firm didn't invent the model from scratch — they worked with a nonprofit that had been doing foster youth employment for a decade. They brought the expertise, and the firm brought the jobs. That partnership was key to screening candidates, providing ongoing support, and even helping with the financial literacy curriculum. Luna: So don't try to build it alone. That makes sense. And it also helps with trust — the nonprofit already has a relationship with the young people. Lucas: Exactly. And one more thing: they didn't just hire and forget. They track outcomes — not just retention, but promotions, salary growth, and even things like how many hires opened a 401. After two years, over half of the participants had opened a retirement account, which is a huge sign of financial stability. Luna: Those numbers are so concrete. It shows that this isn't just a nice story — it's a model that can be measured and improved. Lucas: Right. And I think that's the biggest takeaway: this isn't about lowering the bar. It's about changing the starting line. By removing the degree requirement, building a support system, and creating a real path upward, they've turned a group that's often overlooked into a source of loyal, motivated talent. And that's good for the firm and for the people. Luna: And for the clients, too, as you mentioned. I love that this isn't just a feel-good story. It's a business case. Lucas: Yeah. So if you're listening and thinking about your own team, maybe the first step is just to ask: where are you getting your talent from? And are there whole groups of people you're not even considering? Luna: That's a question we could all ask. And if you want to explore this topic more, we have show notes with links to the nonprofit and the program framework. Lucas: We do. And as always, we'd love to hear your stories — if you've seen a program like this work, or if you're trying to build one, let us know. You can reach us on social media or through the Fexingo website. Luna: Thanks for listening, everyone. Until next time, keep building those ladders.