A recent study revealed that minority student enrollment dipped as law school capacity rises. Here is the link to the article:
http://amlawdaily.typepad.com/amlawdaily/2010/01/minoritystudy.html
Specifically, the study noted that the percentage of African American and Mexican American students enrolled in law school dipped between 1993 and 2008, even as overall law school capacity rose across the country. Over the 15-year period, the study found that the total number of African Americans and Mexican Americans entering law school dropped from 7.5 percent and 11.7 percent decrease of African American and Mexican American first-year law students, respectively. Thus, the study notes that to many African Americans and Mexican Americans law school is an elusive dream. In my opinion, with superior preparation and a stellar law school application, law school is not an elusive dream but a reality.
Applying to law school is a daunting task but it should not be done alone, especially with the various organizations available that assist students of color with the law school application process. The purpose of this blog is to inform my blog readers about these organizations.
As stated in the study, two factors that seem to contribute to the disparity is the increase cost of law school and poor performance of minorities on the LSAT. Additionally, another factor I would add is a weak law school application. They say it "takes a village to raise a child." I contend the same applies to law school applicants. Applying to law school should not be a process conducted alone. There are many organizations available whose primary purpose is increase the pipeline of minority students into the legal profession.
The organizations below assist students of color with either LSAT preparation, law school scholarships, and/or with law school application process:
Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO)- http://www.cleoscholars.com/index.cfm?nodeid=2
Puerto Rico Legal Defense and Education Fund(PRLDEF)- http://www.prldef.org/
For People of Color- http://www.forpeopleofcolor.org/index.html
CLEO offers support programs to both college students and law students nationally. I participated in CLEO's ASAP program which prepares students of color with the law school application process. Thanks to the help of CLEO, I had attorneys and law admission personnel from top law schools review my personal statement and addendum.
PRLDEF, which assists students of color in the NYC metro area, offers a low cost LSAT preparatory program, scholarships for law school, a law-school forum, and numerous workshops on issues such as the mechanics of the law school application, networking, etc just to name a few. It was at the PRLDEF law school forum where I first learned about Northeastern.
For People of Color, Inc, provides admissions consulting services, mentorship, and professional development opportunities to law school applicants and law students of color. This organization offers a guide to the law school application process, which I used and found real helpful. The founder, Anthony Solana, Jr., also offers law school admissions workshops throughout various law schools located primarily in California and NYC. For students who can't personally attend these workshops, Mr. Solana, Jr. also conducts the law school admissions workshop through a teleconference where students listen in by phone or internet. Mr. Solana Jr. and other attorneys volunteer to review a student's personal statement and addendum.
In addition, all three of these organizations offer these services for FREE. This is not an exhaustive list, but I have used the assistance of these organizations and know from personal experience that it helped me succeed with the law school admissions process. The law school admittance process is a daunting task but just remember you are not alone in this process. There are many organizations that will offer a helping hand in making your law school dream a reality.
Till next time.