TalentoTotal aims to make the legal profession across the Americas more competitive and inclusive by accelerating the careers of high-achieving Afro-descendant and Indigenous (ADI) women and men from underrepresented communities.
The Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice advances global justice by engaging lawyers across borders to support civil society and an ethically active legal profession. A non-profit program of the New York City Bar Association, the Vance Center brings together leading law firms and other partners worldwide to pioneer international justice initiatives and provide pro bono legal representation to social justice NGOs and others.
Through the TotalLAW Prep Program, the Vance Center and TalentoTotal provide aspiring ADI legal professionals with 18 months of personalized guidance and support to apply to a Master of Laws (LLM) program in the United States or Europe and pursue professional opportunities in the international associate programs of international law firms.
The TotalLAW Prep Program selects Fellows among ADI law school students in their last year or recent graduates from countries in Latin America that include but are not limited to Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, and Peru, starting with up to six candidates in the first year and increasing each year up to 24.
The program pairs each ADI candidate with a lawyer from the candidate's home country who earned an LLM at a top-tier law program in the United States or Europe, who will serve as a coach, and a mentor who is a US-trained lawyer practicing in Latin America. Coaches and mentors provide professional guidance and help candidates highlight their unique backgrounds and abilities to craft a strong application for law programs in the United States or Europe. In addition, each mentor's law firm provides ancillary support through coaching, mentorship, and career development.
The TotalLAW Prep Program is designed to create a robust, ethnically diverse leadership pipeline for the legal profession across the Americas.
Pro Bono Projects
Clients
Law Firm Lawyers
Law Firms outside of the United States
Conscious knowledge of one's own character, passions, motives, and goals is the essential first step towards long-term professional fulfillment and success.
Our aim is to provide the resources and conditions for you to align your passions and goals, and to become one of the best and brightest global leaders in your career field.
Mentorship deserves personalization and an acute focus on your uniqueness and development. Our coaches ensure that you are equipped with the tools that fit you.
Our commitment to your personal and professional development does not end upon graduation. We envision a lifelong partnership and a mutual commitment.
With the support of the Vance Center and TalentoTotal networks, we work to ensure that you have an advocate on your side and institutions that sponsor your success.
TalentoTotal and the Vance Center allow you to tap into a global network of legal institutions and professionals that you are able to leverage to pursue your professional goals.
"In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute."
Thurgood Marshall
Former Associate Justice of the
United States Supreme Court
The TotalLAW Prep Program is a highly selective program taking Afro-descendant and Indigenous (ADI) candidates through a rigorous application and interview process that evaluates each candidate’s professional experience, intellectual capacity, ethical foundation, and motivation to succeed.
The TotalLAW Prep Program selects ADI candidates with a strong sense of self-awareness and a demonstrated commitment to their communities. We expect each candidate to become a leader of character and a trailblazer within the legal profession.
We select candidates from a wide range of professional backgrounds and disciplines. We are focused on where you are going and how your past experiences can accelerate your journey, encouraging the pursuit of a professional path that is aligned with your passions and goals.
We are looking for candidates who seek to become leaders in the legal profession. Your potential is a fundamental driver within our selection process. We intend to grow with you and harness your potential to achieve success collectively.