Why does diversity matter?
In the 2003 Grutter v. Bollinger decision, the U.S. Supreme Court held that promoting diversity in law school admissions is a compelling government interest. Diversity is essential to a school's educational mission, promotes learning outcomes, better prepares students for a diverse workforce and society, and improves professional preparation. The Court observed, "Major American businesses have made clear the skills needed in today's increasingly global marketplace can only be developed through exposure to widely diverse people, cultures, ideas and viewpoints." The Court emphasized the point of the United States government that public institutions of higher education must remain open to "all segments of American society, including people of all races and ethnicities."
What is the role of diversity with respect to pre-law at GVSU?
GVSU is a diverse institution, and diversity remains a key component of GVSU's educational mission, as the 2007 Diversity Assessment Committee reports confirm. As students focus intensely on the study of law once they are in law school, a liberal undergraduate education is the critical component in promoting intellectual and cultural diversity. Following the recommendations of the Law School Admissions Council, GVSU does not have a single pre-law major. Through pre-law advising, the Law Society student organization, and the Pre-law Education Residential Living (PERL) program, GVSU strives to help students of any major who are interested in attending law school or becoming involved in the legal profession in other ways such as being a paralegal.
How can the pre-law advisors help with diversity?
Three professors at GVSU work as pre-law advisors (from the Pre-law FAQ Index, click on Links, then Official GVSU Pre-law Official Page). The pre-law advisors are available for individual advising regarding course and major selection, LSAT preparation, the law school application process, and networking. Many law schools request students to reflect on diversity in their personal statements, and students are encouraged to consult with a pre-law advisor while working on their application essays.
What are some resources for diversity scholarships and opportunities?
Locally, Warner, Norcross & Judd provides two different diversity scholarships, including one for students taking the LSAT.
Check fastweb.com for general scholarship information.
• Ventura County Asian-American Bar Association Scholarship - applicants do not have to be Asian American to be eligible
• ABA Legal Opportunity Scholarship Fund
• Black Excel is a website geared towards African American students, but has a good list of links for all types of scholarships
• The Council on Legal Education Opportunity has a list of Financial Aid Programs for Minorities and Disadvantaged Students in Law School
• Davis Wright Tremaine has two diversity scholarships for first year students, who participate in the summer associate program with partner and associate mentors. Then, in their second year they receive a $7,500 scholarship.
• FastWeb: Free scholarship and college searches, and financial aid tools.
• FindAid! has a page for specifically for minority students
• Gates Millenium Scholars Program
• Hispanic College Fund
• The Hispanic Lawyers of Illinois offer a scholarship for first year law students.
• National Black Law Students Association has scholarships listed on their site.
• National Asian Pacific American Bar Association Law Foundation has scholarships available
• Filipino-American Lawyers of San Diego award annual scholarships to third-year law students to ease the cost of the California State Bar Exam.
• Practicing attorneys for Law Students Program, Inc. PALS matches minority law students with volunteer lawyers who serve as mentors to provide career guidance for minorities in the legal profession.
• Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund
• United Negro College Fund
• University of Texas Law's William Wayne Justice Center for Public Interest Law and the Baylor University School of Law have established the Equal Justice Scholarships.
What programs are available to help students transition to law school?
1. University of Illinois
Law Minority Access Program
Each year the College of Law sponsors an eight-week summer session, designed to introduce outstanding minority undergraduates from all campuses of the university to the study and practice of the law. Students spend four weeks on the UIUC campus studying common-law classes in contracts, property, legal writing, and legal research. Participants spend the final four weeks of the session as interns at a Chicago law firm. Seventy percent of the undergraduates participating in the program have gone on to law school, attending such prestigious schools as Harvard, Michigan, Northwestern, and Illinois. Several of those students have also obtained jobs with the firms they interned with as part of the Minority Access Program.
For Further Information
Home Page: http://www.law.uiuc.edu/
Shannon M. Moritz Director, Legal Writing Program
106 Law Bldg. m/c
594
504 E. Pennsylvania Avenue
Champaign, IL
61820 Voice: 217-333-1046
Fax: 217-244-1478
Email: smmoritz@law.uiuc.edu
Notes
Geographic Areas Served: State of Illinois
Program Activity Types:
Program Duration: 1 to several weeks
Program Frequency: Annual / Bi-annual
2. Cleo sophomore summer institute-
SOPHOMORE SUMMER INSTITUTE
Download the 2007 Sophomore Summer Institute application
Jump-Start A Legal Career
CLEO Sophomore Summer Institute
The road to law school is paved with motivation, perspiration and preparation-preparation provided by the Council on Legal Education Opportunity's Sophomore Summer Institute. Held during June at Northern Illinois University College of Law, the institute is a four-week residential program available at no cost to the participants. The aim of the institute is to bring together students from diverse racial, ethnic, socioeconomic and geographic backgrounds and provide them with the training necessary to successfully prepare and navigate the road to law school.
3. Law School Boot Camp - online
The Summer Boot Camp is an online distance learning program designed to provide that intense preparation. The Boot Camp will teach students to study effectively for law school, introduce students to the writing, thinking and test-taking skills needed to excel on law school exams, and build a network of academic support that crosses school boundaries.
4. NYU School of Law and Harvard Law are offering a pre-law preparation program. For more information, click here.
"Trials is a residential scholarship program that helps talented and motivated college students of modest means gain admission to the nation’s leading law schools. This rigorous five-week summer course enhances opportunities for students of underrepresented backgrounds by bolstering their skills and focusing their goals."
