Aspiring For a More Inclusive World: Smith Anderson Names 1L Excellence in Diversity Fellow

A talented first-year law student who has demonstrated a commitment to diversity and inclusion will join Smith Anderson in June as the 2022 recipient of the firm’s Excellence in Diversity 1L Fellowship. The fellowship provides a scholarship of up to $20,000 and hybrid summer experience working at Smith Anderson and in an in-house corporate legal environment.

Bree Koegel is a first-year law student at the University of North Carolina School of Law, where she serves on the Student Bar Association’s Multicultural and Diversity Committee and is a member of the Wellness Committee, the Sports and Entertainment Law Association, and the Black Law Students Association. A graduate of Harvard University, she is chair of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the Miss North Carolina Organization. She is a graduate and legacy member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, a community service and mentorship organization. Bree is also a founding trainer of FitOn app and is a fitness and sports model who previously signed with one of the world’s leading modeling and talent agencies, Wilhelmina Models in New York. She has appeared on the cover of SELF magazine, is regularly featured in Women’s Health magazine, and has performed in productions across all mediums—on and off-Broadway, national and international tours, commercials and film, and as a Radio City Rockette at Radio City Music Hall.

More than 70 applicants from more than 20 law schools across the country applied for Smith Anderson’s fellowship. “We are overwhelmed with the enthusiastic responses we received from law students from around the country,” said Blake Fricks, Director of Professional Development at Smith Anderson. “Bree is dedicated to making the world a more inclusive place — she is an inspiration and a great role model.”

Bree will spend six weeks working at Smith Anderson, the largest law firm headquartered in the Research Triangle, and will also spend three weeks working in-house with a prominent Smith Anderson client.

Smith Anderson is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion within our firm, the legal profession and the greater business community. As a law firm with a significant public profile for 110 years, we recognize that we play a pivotal role as a voice of change and influence within the legal profession and the community. We seek to attract, develop and retain attorneys who share this commitment and demonstrate the potential to make a positive contribution toward diversity and inclusion in the places we live and work.