This week, the Women & Law Society hosted its second annual Professional Clothing Drive, an initiative aimed at helping law students access essential professional attire. Led by Co-Internal Vice Presidents Nimrit Dhaliwal and Denisse Vera-Romo, the drive provided students with clothing options necessary for interviews, networking events, and other professional gatherings important to their legal careers.
“As law students, we all understand that affording professional attire is tough, and many of us enter law school with little to no professional clothing,” Nimrit explains. “Our students, especially 1Ls, need professional attire for mixers, networking events, interviews, and visits to law firms.”
Through these efforts, the Women & Law Society collected between 1,500 and 1,600 articles of clothing, in addition to accessories such as belts, shoes, ties, jewelry, bags, and scarves. The amount of clothing donated this year nearly doubled the total collected in the previous year. “Firms were as passionate about this event as Denisse and I were,” Nimrit remarked.
The initiative was first established in 2023 by former Vice President Kalena Paredes and current President Victoire Marion. After a positive response to the inaugural event, the Women & Law Society built on its success. Nimrit and Denisse dedicated two and a half months to coordinating donations from local firms. Their outreach covered 184 firms and businesses across the Bay Area, ultimately securing contributions from 12 firms, as well as donations from faculty and fellow students.
“Denisse and I drove around the Bay Area collecting donations during the two weeks leading up to the event,” Nimrit says, which included “assembling clothing racks, unpacking and hanging hundreds of pieces of clothing, lint-rolling, sorting by size and type, and organizing accessories and shoes.”
On the first day of the event, which was open to students, there was a limit of six items per student to ensure equitable access for all. Nimrit shared, “This was to make sure that every student had the opportunity to shop for professional clothing.” In total, approximately 72 students participated, taking home around 248 pieces of clothing and accessories. “We still have two more days of the drive—Wednesday, open to all students, and Friday, specifically for FlexJD students. We anticipate that about 1,000 pieces of clothing will be distributed by the end of the drive,” Nimrit added.
For any clothing that remains unclaimed, “The leftover items will be donated to Bucky’s Closet, where undergraduate students can benefit from the professional attire.”
“We couldn’t have achieved this without the support of our donors, who shared our passion for making professional attire accessible to all,” Nimrit emphasized. “This event not only empowered our students but also highlighted the generosity and community spirit of the Bay Area legal community.”