ATLANTA (September 14, 2015) – Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP (SGR) is pleased to announce its partnership with Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School’s Corporate Work Study Program (CWSP) for the 2015-2016 school year. The objective of the CWSP is to help students envision a future that includes a college degree and a successful professional career and to equip them with the knowledge and skills needed to realize that vision.

“SGR is proud to be a job partner with Cristo Rey,” said Steve Forte, SGR’s managing partner. “This program follows a nationally proven model that helps young people in our community achieve success during their high school years that will carry them through college and into their professional careers. Our lawyers and staff are excited to participate in the personal development of the Cristo Rey students.”

Through this innovative program students work five full days a month at top local businesses. As freshmen, student workers are introduced to the basic skills needed to participate in entry-level, corporate office jobs. Students then increase their understanding of general office culture, professional skills and daily responsibilities with their supervisor and colleagues as sophomore students. When students reach their junior and senior years, job placement begins to mirror a college-level internship. At SGR the students will have exposure to attorneys and also the administrative side of a law firm including marketing, recruiting, accounting, information technology, records, and the library.

The earnings from this work pays for a large percentage of each student’s tuition costs, giving them access to a rigorous, quality college preparatory education that otherwise would be too expensive. Cristo Rey students also gain valuable real-world job skills, contacts, and experience through this program, and go on to college in record numbers, in large part because of their early exposure to the working world.