Sidley Prelaw Scholars Initiative

NOTICE: Sidley is pleased to announce the 2008 Sidley Prelaw Scholars. To view the list of recipients, click here.

A lack of resources to attend costly LSAT preparation classes and to fund expensive law school applications is a significant factor in hindering the application to law school by many diverse students. The Sidley Prelaw Scholars Initiative is designed to help address this threshold issue by meeting the specific needs of racially diverse students seeking to attend law school. Sidley Prelaw Scholars, chosen from college juniors and seniors who demonstrate academic promise and financial need, will receive financial support to cover both tuition in a commercial LSAT preparation course, as well as application fees for as many as seven accredited law schools (up to $2,500 total). Over thirty colleges and universities are slated to participate in the 2008 program nationwide.

“Sidley has a significant commitment to achieving greater ethnic and racial diversity within the legal profession and the firm. We wanted to develop a program that would widen the pipeline by helping to eliminate barriers at an earlier stage in a student’s career,” said Thomas A. Cole, chairman of the firm’s Executive Committee. “Our Diversity Committee and staff are to be congratulated for developing this creative approach.”

Other critical components of the program include:

• Coaching on how to complete a successful law school application;
• An additional $2,500 in scholarship assistance for the senior year of college; and
• Pre-law school seminar instruction on the structure of the American legal system, as well as an introduction to the substance of the required common law first-year courses.

“From my personal experience as a graduate of a historically black university, I know that there is a need for more financial assistance for students from historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) who are hopeful of obtaining professional degrees. We believe that the Sidley Prelaw Scholars Initiative will create opportunities for graduates at HBCUs and for financially needy students from other institutions,” said Stanley Stallworth. Stallworth is the firmwide Co-chair of the firm’s Diversity Committee, which is responsible for implementing the firm’s policies and initiatives relating to diversity and inclusion.

Drawing upon her background as an admissions professional at the University of Chicago Law School, Director of Diversity Kathryn R. Stell will be overseeing the Sidley Prelaw Scholars Initiative. “Working with minority undergraduates made me acutely aware of the financial barriers preventing many diverse students from becoming viable law school candidates. The Sidley Prelaw Scholars Initiative helps meet those needs of minority pre-law candidates.”

Eligibility
To be considered as a Sidley Prelaw Scholar, one must:

• Be a second semester junior or senior, graduating from college in good standing no later than June 30, 2009
• Be a native-born or naturalized U.S. citizen
• Timely submit a complete application
• Demonstrate financial need through the application and supporting materials

For the 2008 program, apply from ONE of the two applicant groups:

Applicant Group I:
Students who are enrolled at one of the following undergraduate institutions:

Alabama A&M University Columbia University Emory University Fisk University Florida A&M University Fordham University Georgetown University Hampton University Harvard University Howard University Miami University (Ohio) Morehouse College New York University Northwestern University Princeton University Southern University

Spelman College Texas Southern University Tuskegee University University of California/Berkeley University of California/Los Angeles University of Chicago University of Illinois/Champaign-Urbana University of Miami University of Michigan/Ann Arbor University of Southern California University of Texas/Austin University of Virginia Washington University Yale University

Applicant Group II:
Any otherwise eligible applicant from any accredited American four-year undergraduate college not listed in Group I. Up to five candidates may be selected from Group II.

For more information, please contact sidleyscholars@sidley.com