Law Firms Aren't Opening Doors to Ethiopian Attorneys

Reprinted from Haaretz, September 21, 2005

By YUVAL AZOULAY

Erez Malassa, a 25-year-old Ethiopian immigrant, is about to complete his legal studies at the Gates of Justice College in Hod Hasharon. He has been looking for an internship in a law office for about a year, having been interviewed and rejected by several firms. In the meantime, he has been forced to work as a security guard.

"It is possible that this is related to a stigma attached to members of the Ethiopian community," the Ra'anana resident said recently. "They just don't believe in our capabilities. At least, this is what one might conclude."

Justice and Absorption Minister Tzipi Livni and the ministry's director general, Aharon Abramowitz, took part on Sunday in a conference commemorating 30 years of Ethiopian immigration. The Shefayim conference was sponsored by Tabeka, which provides legal assistance to Ethiopian immigrants.

Law students and recent graduates attending the conference described their difficulty in finding internships at legal firms. Some blamed a stigma, while others said the problem stemmed from the fact that Ethiopians don't have connections in the legal profession.

At the conference, Livni and Abramowitz announced a new ministry policy to help combat the problem. The affirmative action system will give preference to Ethiopians, among others, in acceptance procedures for ministry internships. The ministry will issue tenders for various internships, while retaining assured positions for Ethiopians, Circassians, Druze and people with disabilities.

The first tender will be publicized next month, although the number of slots to be protected in the new system has yet to be determined.

"This certainly opens a door for them," said Abramowitz. "They will work as interns for a year, prove their capability, and be eligible to compete ... for a variety of positions in the offices of the state prosecutor, the public defender and the general custodian."

Malassa has mixed feelings about the plan. On one hand, he knows that he and many of his friends have no other way to secure an internship and subsequent entry into a legal firm; on the other, he does not understand why he should require preferential treatment.

"We want to be chosen for various positions based on our skills, our talents and our capability. In the long run, this policy will only backfire. Though, it might be helpful right now," he said.

Yitzhak Dassa of Hadera was the first Ethiopian attorney in Israel. He now leads the Tabeka organization. "I hope this declaration becomes reality," he said. "We have had sufficient experience with all kinds of declarations and slogans."

A joint project of Tabeka and the Israel Bar Association to encourage the hiring of Ethiopian law graduates has not been successful: Out of 30 new lawyers in the program, only one was hired.

"That's really too bad," Dassa said. "It only proves that legal firms still have a lot to learn. They must understand that we are no less capable than others."

Attorney Avyanesh Tassama, 25, got a job in a law firm four months after completing her studies. She considers herself fortunate, as she did not have the negative experience of many of her friends.

"I have friends who did not find an internship placement," she said. "I have a friend who searched for eight months without finding an internship in a legal firm. That is a very long time."

Tassama, who now works for a private firm in Hadera, hopes the new policy will improve the picture in the private sector, as well. "Not everyone hopes to make their career in the public sector," she said. "Despite that, the minute the private sector sees that higher-ups are opening doors to the community, they will open their doors, too."

According to Absorption Ministry statistics, only 43 percent of Ethiopian university graduates are employed in their professions. Another 30 percent are listed as "under-employed," and one-fourth are unemployed.

Livni, saying it is "infuriating" that university-educated Ethiopians are having trouble finding work, said NIS 12 million has been allocated in the 2006 budget to finance internships for Ethiopians.