Joseline Jean-Louis Hardrick

I joined WMU-Cooley Law School in July 2019. I most recently served as a federal judicial law clerk for the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida, in Tampa, Florida.

I am the founder and president of Diversity Access Pipeline. Inc., doing business as Journey to Esquire® which runs a scholarship and leadership program, podcast, and blog. I received The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division 2019 Diversity Award for my work with JTE. I am also a graduate of the Hillsborough County Bar Association Bar Leadership Institute.

Before I worked for judges Charlene Edwards Honeywell and James S. Moody Jr., at the court, I was a litigation association with Bush Ross, P.A., in Tampa. I was designated a Rising Star by Super Lawyers magazine in both 2013 and 2016.

I have worked as an exam reader for the Florida Board of Bar Examiners, and a Guardian ad Litem for the Sixth Judicial Circuit. I served as a board member for Solita’s House Inc., an organization offering first-time homebuyer education classes. I am also a former board member and current sustaining member of the George Edgecomb Bar Association.

Appointed by U.S. Representative Kathy Castor, to recruit, review applications, and interview qualified applicants for vacancies for U.S. Attorney, U.S. Marshall, and U.S. District Court Judge in the Middle District of Florida.

Member, Federal Judicial Nominating Conference, Middle District of Florida, (3/2021- Present)

Published Works

• Joseline J. Hardrick, reviewed the book, Let My People Vote: My Battle to Restore the Civil Rights of Returning Citizens, in the Florida Bar Journal, March/April 2022 issue. Read the review here. 
• Joseline J. Hardrick, published, Why some civil rights movement heroes were relegated to the shadows, in The ABA Journal, February 24, 2022 issue.
• Joseline J. Hardrick, published ‘You don’t look like a lawyer!’: 6 ways to navigate professional and corporate spaces, in The ABA Journal, January 25, 2022 issue and gives suggestions on what to do when this happens to you. 
• Joseline J. Hardrick, Finding Joy in the Journey to Esquire: A Guide to RENEWAL for Lawyers and Law Students, (2021). 
• Your Network is Your Net Worth, Diversify, 31 Lawyer, May - June 2021 at 22-23.
• The First of Many Things But not the Last- A Tribute to Joseph Woodrow Hatchett, The Federal Lawyer, July/August 2021 vol. 68, issue 4.
• The Importance of Pipeline Programs in Diversifying the Federal Bench and Bar, The Federal Lawyer, Sept/Oct. 2021 vol 68, issue 5.
• Are Dreadlocks Professional? Abovethelaw.com, Aug. 19, 2021.
• Mentoring Matters, published in May/June 2020 Paraclete Magazine (St. Petersburg Bar Association).
• Mentoring Matters, 30 Lawyer Magazine Jan.- Feb. 2020 at 48 (Hillsborough County Bar Association).
• Goodbye Guilt, Exchanging Guilt for Gratitude During Covid-19 and Beyond, Above The Law, (Fall  2020).
• If Your Network is Your Net Worth, Then Make Sure you Diversify, Lawyer Magazine May/June 2021 (Hillsborough County Bar Association) (forthcoming).
• Joseline Hardrick, The BLI Program Offers Mentors to Develop Leadership Skills, 28 Lawyer, Mar.-Apr. 2018, at 16.
• Joseline Hardrick, Reflections from the Bar Leadership Institute Class of 2017-18, 28 Lawyer, Summer 2018, at 24.
• May 2020 Article - Mentoring Matters, published in May/June Paraclete Magazine (St. Petersburg Bar Association).
• March 2020 Mentoring Matters 30, Lawyer Magazine Jan.-Feb. 2020 at 48.

Lectures and Workshops

• Midwest Regional of the National Black Law Students Association- Discussion re Qualified Immunity Reform Feb. 5 Panel featuring Attorney William Sulton, President of Wisconsin's ACLU, and the Hon. Carlton Reeves. Video can be found here: https://youtu.be/RHZgTn1ByvY
• Leaders in Legal Education Speaker Series, Elaine L. Thompson, Moderator,  (October 2020).
• “Obtaining, Maintaining, and Elevating Black Lawyers in Law Firms: Panel Discussion on Improving Diversity in Large Law Firms,” Moderator, George Edgecomb Bar Association (October 2020).
• “Mentoring People into Positions of Power,” Uplifting Impact Podcast (August 20, 2020).
• “Finding Joy in the Journey to Esquire” Keynote Address, Stetson University College of Law Black Law Student Association’s Annual Black History Month Gala (March 2020).
• “The Key to Getting into Federal Court: Finding the Right Combination.”  2019 Federal Practice Seminar, Federal Bar Association Tampa Bay Chapter Young Lawyers Division (October 2019).
• “Incorporating Humor into Legal Writing” Wm. Reece Smith Litigation Inn of Court with Judge James Barton, Senior Circuit Court Judge Hillsborough County (October  2019).
• “What Black and Hispanic Women Should Know about Law School, Judicial Clerkships, and On-Campus Interviews (OCI).” AfroLAwtina Podcast (September 3, 2019).
• The Pro Se Problem: Practical Tips for Problem Solving with Pro Se Litigants, The Florida Bar 1 Credit CLE George Edgecomb Bar Assoc., Nov. 16, 2017.
• October 29, 2019- Presented at Wm. Reece Smith Litigation Inn of Court- Incorporating humor into legal writing  with Judge James Barton, Senior Circuit Court Judge Hillsborough County.
• October 2019- Federal Bar Association Tampa Bay Chapter -“The Key to Getting into Federal Court, Finding the Right Combination.”  
• March 2020 Stetson University College of Law Black LawStudent Association's Annual Black history month Gala- keynote speaker "Finding Joy in the Journey to Esquire."