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California Bar Foundation's
2016 3L Diversity Scholarship
2016 3L Diversity Scholarship
Are you a diverse law student committed to a career in the public interest sector? The California Bar Foundation wants to support you.
The California Bar Foundation believes every Californian deserves access to justice. As the center of philanthropy for California’s legal community, the Foundation works every day to build a better, more inclusive profession by investing in California’s next generation of lawyers.
Since 1997, the Foundation has offered one of the few scholarship programs in the country providing bar exam-related support for law school graduates pursuing public interest careers. Without the support of a private law firm employer, exam-related costs as well as living expenses while studying for the exam can add thousands of dollars to a law school graduate’s debt burden. Given that working in public interest is not as lucrative as the private sector, it can be even more challenging for students from disadvantaged backgrounds to pursue and sustain public interest careers.
That is why the Foundation has created the 3L Diversity Scholarship. By alleviating the costs associated with taking the California Bar Exam, the 3L Diversity Scholarship addresses a critical financial need for many aspiring diverse public interest lawyers. Diversity includes a broad array of backgrounds and life experiences, including students from groups or with skills or attributes that are underrepresented in the legal profession, and specifically including students from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Through the 3L Diversity Scholarship, each spring the Foundation awards BarBri Bar exam review courses (valued at more than $4,000) and cash awards to recent and soon-to-be graduates of California law schools.
Criteria, Instructions & Conditions
The 2016 Application Deadline is Tuesday, February 16, 2016, 5pm. Scholarship applicants will be notified of decisions in early April 2016. The 3L Diversity Scholarship is awarded in the spring of 2016.
Criteria
- Candidate must be:
a. Graduating or have graduated from a California law school in 2016; and
b. Taking the California Bar Exam in July 2016.
c. Qualified candidates may possess any broad array of backgrounds and life experiences, including students from groups or with skills or attributes that are underrepresented in the legal profession, especially students from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
- Demonstrate and document commitment to public service and intent to pursue a public interest legal career in California after law school.
- Demonstrate financial need.
- Maintain at least a 2.5 GPA or equivalent on a 4.0 scale (or provide an explanation of extenuating circumstances if GPA is lower than 2.5) and provide the grading curve used at Candidate’s law school.
- Candidate’s law school must certify:
a. Candidate’s actual or anticipated graduation date; and
b. Good ethical standing of Candidate while attending law school.
- Submit at least one signed letter of recommendation supporting Candidate’s commitment to public service.
- Candidate must intend to practice law in California after graduating from law school.
- Students attending online law schools must be California residents.
- Previous Foundation scholarship winners are eligible for the 3L Diversity Scholarship; any prior awards received by Candidate may be taken into consideration in the selection process.
Questions: Due to the volume of applications the Foundation receives, their small staff simply cannot accept phone calls related to this scholarship. However, you are welcome to email brief, specific questions to .
Source: http://www.calbarfoundation.org/3l-diversity-scholarship.html
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