The Fifth Third Bank of Cincinnati is a Fortune 500 company with about 18,000 employees. The bank doesn't hire in-house attorneys right out of law school—until now.

Chief legal officer Susan Zaunbrecher said she decided to try something new.

Rather than accepting a summer intern from the University of Cincinnati College of Law, Zaunbrecher collaborated with the school to shape a two-year fellowship program offering a more meaningful experience. She used the program to hire two recent graduates who hadn't landed jobs yet.