Yhap Leads National Black Law Students Association
05.01.22 — In December 2021, Simone Yhap ’22 was elected the 55th national chair and chief executive officer of the National Black Law Students Association (NBLSA). During her term in office, Yhap focused on advocating and advancing diversity across the legal profession, specifically for Black law students and attorneys, increasing NBLSA’s strategic partnerships with community organizations, firms and corporate entities, supporting its chapters and students, and implementing an incident report form that allows NBLSA to assist students that have faced instances of racism, discrimination or prejudice. “To serve as the 55th national chair of an association as prestigious and impactful as NBLSA was truly an honor. Through my servant leadership, NBLSA’s impact was felt across the nation,” said Yhap.
In her role as national chair, Yhap and Demand Justice arranged for more than 100 Black law students from across the nation to watch and attend Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation hearings, met with senators and attended a speak-out calling for Jackson’s confirmation. Yhap attended the confirmation hearings at the invitation of Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey. To show her support for Jackson, Yhap penned a letter of support on behalf of the NBLSA and was quoted numerous times in the national media about the historic appointment.
At Northeastern, Yhap served as the inaugural chief diversity editor of the Northeastern University Law Review and chair of its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. In this role, she helped to grow the number of Black, indigenous and other people of color working on the publication. She will join the intellectual property practice at Mintz this fall.
About Northeastern University School of Law
The nation’s leader in experiential legal education since 1968, Northeastern University School of Law offers the longest-running, most extensive experience-based legal education program in the country. Northeastern guarantees its students unparalleled practical legal work experiences through its signature Cooperative Legal Education Program. More than 1,000 employers worldwide in a wide range of legal, government, nonprofit and business organizations participate in the program. With a focus on social justice and innovation, Northeastern University School of Law blends theory and practice, providing students with a unique set of skills and experiences to successfully practice law.