Like first generation professionals and others from underrepresented backgrounds, women of color face barriers to entering law school and the legal profession. This article speaks to the women of color thinking about, or already going through the law school process.
by: Anisha Gupta, UC Berkeley School of Law
Brenda D. Villanueva
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more!) of your professors outside of class. Start with introducing yourself and talking about your interests. Talk to faculty about why you came to law school, what you are hoping to accomplish, and ask for advice about how to make the most of your time there. Early advice from professors will give you a leg up when it comes time to finding recommendation letter writers. It may feel uncomfortable to approach professors who you think you share little with, but this will serve you immensely as you move forward in your legal career. Start making this a habit.
Likewise, when you intern in an office, be proactive about meeting as many of the attorneys there as you can. Sometimes you may only have assignments from one attorney, or you may be assigned to work with a single supervisor. Do not let this discourage you from getting to know the other people in a workplace. Consider emailing some of the senior attorneys and asking if they might have time to get coffee or lunch with you, one-on-one. For example, saying: “I'd love to hear about your career trajectory and pick your brain a little bit as I figure out mine.” Again, you do not need an agenda; the goal is to get to know people, and to build relationships with those who may be important advocates for you in the future. Do not be a passive intern, be the active intern hungry to learn and to work with everyone; be an advocate for your interests.
Seeking Resources and Opportunities
Throughout your law school experience, be on the alert for resources and opportunities targeted towards women of color, or “diverse” students. This section briefly highlights some of the funding, events, workshops, and other programs to look out for.
Diversity Scholarships
Many organizations offer diversity scholarships to support members of historically underrepresented groups in the legal profession.7 Some of these, such as the Morrison Foerrester 1L Diversity Fellowship, are law firm-sponsored and include employment with the firm in addition to financial aid support. Others are sponsored by Bar Associations or other organizations. Check your law school’s financial aid office for a list of Diversity Scholarships.8 Apply for as many of these diversity scholarships as you can, because this will significantly reduce the amount of loans you need to take out. The smaller your loan balance, the greater freedom you will hold to pursue career paths independent of crushing loan repayment obligations.
Diversity Recruiting Events
Local, or regional bar association chapters and your law school may host Diversity Career Fairs specifically to connect minority law students to prominent law firms, government legal departments, and nonprofits. These events are of critical importance for women of color because they offer access to firms and organizations that are often impossible to secure interviews with through traditional channels. Attendees receive face time with employers at these recruiting events, an opportunity to get resumes into the hands of important decision-makers, and engage in conversations with people who can then advocate for them in the interviewing process.
Summer Funding from National and Regional Minority Bar Associations
Reliable and important sources of summer funding for women of color, especially those pursuing public interest work, are the summer fellowships and stipends awarded by local and national minority bar associations.9 Seek out applications in the fall semester, fellowship, scholarship or stipend awards range from $1,000-$5,000. Keep in mind, most law students do not get summer funding to do unpaid work, be proactive in your search, and plan ahead.
Bar Prep Courses and Workshops
Many organizations that offer pre-law preparation also offer bar preparation resources. Bar preparation courses are expensive (sometimes more than $3,000), and the general consensus is that they are necessary to bar passage. Unless you are going to be joining a firm that pays for your bar preparatory course, you need to plan. Check the For People of Color, Inc. website, as well as your State’s bar association website for scholarships intended to cover the costs of a bar course or living expenses during bar preparation months. Many minority bar associations offer workshops and trainings designed to demystify the bar exam. These workshops are typically free, and help you become oriented to what the exam will entail, as well as meet other attorneys who are passionate about helping women of color succeed in the legal profession.
Law school and the legal profession are full of challenges. The key to surviving and thriving is to realize you have, and know where to find resources, mentors, and peers to support you through it all. When things are difficult, reach out to your sisters. When you see your sisters struggling, be there for them. Consider getting involved in student government or other leadership positions on campus. Remember that you are right where you are supposed to be, and that just your presence will make the path much easier for the women who follow in your footsteps. Good luck!
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1 Tori DeAngelis, Unmasking ‘Racial Micro Aggressions,’ Monitor on Psychology, February 2009, available at: http://www.apa.org/monitor/2009/02/microaggression.aspx (last visited on Feb. 12. 2014) (Defining the term microaggressions as referring to the subtle, implicit, everyday ways in which hierarchies based on privilege and power are expressed against people with marginalized identities).
2 Jane Jankie, The Unexpected Challenges of Law School: Being a Minority in Law School, Jul. 19, 2012, available at: http://ms-jd.org/unexpected-challenges-law-school-being-minority-law-school (Ms. Jankie describes her experience as a woman of color from a low-income background in law school).
3 University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, Section on Law Fellows Outreach Program, available at: http://www.law.ucla.edu/current-students/get-involved/outreach%20program/Pages/default.aspx (last visited on Feb. 12. 2014). The mission of the Law Fellows Program is “to encourage and prepare high-potential undergraduate and graduated students for a career in law, increase the diversity of the law school pool, and demystify the law school experience.”
4 This is just one of the many pre-law programs that exist for women of color to take advantage of. Others include:
● American Indian Law Center, Inc. Pre-Law Summer Institute;
● Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO);
● LatinoJustice PRLDEF Lawbound Summer Academy;
● Northwestern University Pre-Law Summer Institute;
● TRIALS: NYU School of Law & Harvard Law School Training and Recruitment Initiative for Admission to Leading Law Schools Summer Program;
● University of California, Davis King Hall School of Law Outreach Program & Pre-Law Boot Camp; and
● University of California, Irvine School of Law Pre-Law Outreach Program.
5 For People of Color, Inc., Home Page, available at: www.forpeopleofcolor.org (last visited Feb. 12, 2014).
6 Every law school is unique; the names for these affinity groups may be different at your law school. Or, if there is no affinity group at your school, consider starting an affinity group.
7 Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Scholarship Resource Guide 2012-2013, available at: http://www.maldef.org/assets/pdf/2012-2013_MALDEF_Scholarship_List.pdf (last visited Feb. 12, 2014).
8 University of California at Berkeley, School of Law, Section on Scholarships for Minority Students, available at: http://www.law.berkeley.edu/550.htm (last visited on Feb. 12, 2014) (this is a list of diversity scholarships; it is not comprehensive, so you should be on the lookout for additional opportunities that may become available).
9 These bar associations include the Hispanic National Bar Association (http://www.hnbf.org), the South Asian Bar Association (http://www.sabanorthamerica.com), the National Bar Association (http://www.nationalbar.org), the Asian Pacific American Bar Association (http://www.napaba.org), and Native American Bar Association (http://www.nativeamericanbar.org/).
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