CLEO EDGE 2018 by CLEO inc.

WINTER/SPRING 2018

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A CLEO Partner Since 1968

“I have found the University of Idaho College of Law to be a welcoming, family friendly enviroment. It is a perfect location to study law.” Franchell McClendon J.D. Candidate, 2019 University of Idaho

The University of Idaho College of Law is among the best small state public law schools in the U.S. Recognized by preLaw Magazine as a Best Value law school, we emphasize quality over quantity. With an average enrollment of about 300 students, we guarantee the personal attention each student deserves. Our diverse selection of student organizations, which provide both extracurricular and co-curricular activities, includes: Latino/a Law Caucus, Multicultural Law Caucus, Native American Law Students Association and Women’s Law Caucus.

uidaho.edu/ui-law

The ACC Foundation, on behalf of the Association of Corporate Counsel, is proud to support CLEOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s efforts to expand opportunities for minority and low-income students to attend law school. ACC is committed to supporting diversity in the legal community through the ACC Foundation and by partnering with diverse bar associations to assist in the furtherance of their goals. www.acc-foundation.com

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CONTENTS 2018 CLEO EDGE · SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE

FEATURES

THE CLEO ADVANTAGE

COLLEGE SCHOLARS

The CLEO EDGE Timeline

CLEO at a Glance

What Does Immigration Status Have to Do With Law School Diversity By Maryam Ahranjani

CLEO Programs

Achieving Success in the Application Process (ASAP)

Freshman By Benjamin J. Cooper

1L Prep – Attitude Is Essential (AIE)

Sophomore By Rodia Vance

Pre-Law Timeline

Junior By Miguel Morán-Lanier

CLEO Pre-Law Summer Institute: 50 Years of Preparing Successful Law School Students By Bernetta J. Hayes

The Senior Year By Ana Alvarez

86 92

Coming Out in the Admissions Process By Michael Donnelly-Boylen Why Diversity Still Matters By Shawn V. Grant #CLEOALUMNI Where are they now?

LSAC And CLEO Working Together To Achieve Diversity In The Legal Profession By Kent D. Lollis

MISSION: Access - CLEO Legally Inspired Cohort (CLIC) Produces 15 New Scholars By Bernetta J. Hayes

SPOTLIGHTS 62

CLEO College Scholars Spotlight: Craig Bass

CLEO Law Student Scholar Spotlight: Maria Alonso

108 112

Pre-Law Summer Institute Over The Past 50 Years

Financial Planning for Law School By Mario Villa

SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS 23

Who Chose Who? Finding Your Law School By Matthew Niziol

Conquering The LSAT In 4 Steps By Bernie Chimner

Closing The Pre-Law Transfer Gap: Successful Transitions From Community College To University By Judy Lantrip

Law School Admissions: To Apply or Not to Apply By Tracy Simmons & Michael States

2017-2018 CLEO Consortium on Diversity in Legal Education

MONEY MATTERS 70

Your College Years…

High School Tips to SXCESS By Kaylee Richards

115

Reading List for the College Scholar/Pre-Law Student

IN EVERY ISSUE 13

A Message from the CLEO Chair

110

CLEO Supporters & Contributors

117

Writing Resources

119

Internet Resources

#CLEOAT50 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE WINTER/SPRING 2018

CLEO EDGE

STAFF

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

ADVISORY COUNCIL

Cassandra Sneed Ogden Chief Executive Officer

Angela Birch-Cox Chair Development Director Houston Habitat for Humanity, Inc.

Yvette Gatling Shareholder / Littler Mendelson

Elizabeth A. Campbell Partner and Chief Diversity Officer Andrews Kurth Kenyon LLP

Phyllis P. Harris Chief Compliance Officer / Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

Leigh R. Allen II Vice President, Marketing & Development Lynda Cevallos, Esq. Director, Pre-Law Educational Activities Bernetta J. Hayes Director, Pre-Law Program Operations Julie D. Long Director, Finance and Administration

Darryl L. Franklin Vice President & Senior Counsel Marriott International, Inc. Malcolm L. Morris Treasurer / Budget & Finance Chair Dean, Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School The Honorable Denise Owens Vice Chair and Development Chair Judge, Fifth Chancery Court Yaneris M. Rosa Assistant General Counsel Honeywell International Inc.

Kevin Gooch Partner / DLA Piper

Harold Henderson President / NFL Player Care Foundation Wilhelm Joseph, Jr. Executive Director / Legal Aid Bureau, Inc. (Maryland Legal Aid) Roger Lowenstein Executive Director / Los Angeles Leadership Academy Natalie Pierce Shareholder / Littler Mendelson Dennis Shields Chancellor / University of Wisconsin-Platteville

Pamela V. Rothenberg, Esquire Secretary and Strategic Planning Chair Managing Partner (DC) Womble Bond Dickinson Joyce Payne Yette Managing Director and General Counsel Promontory Financial Group, LLC

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Lynda Cevallos

GRAPHIC DESIGNER:

© 2018 by Council on Legal Education Opportunity, Inc. The materials contained herein represent the opinions of the authors and editors and should not explicitly be construed to be those of the Council on Legal Education Opportunity, Inc. unless otherwise noted. Nothing contained herein is to be considered as the rendering of legal advice for specific cases, and readers are responsible for obtaining such advice from their own legal counsel. These materials and any forms and agreements herein are intended for educational and informational purposes only. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission. For information contact: CLEO, Inc. • 1101 Mercantile Lane, Suite 294 • Largo, MD 20774 • 240.582.8600 • www.cleoinc.org PRINTED IN THE USA

Connect with CLEO /cleo.scholars

/in/cleo1968

/cleoscholars

/cleoalumni

www.cleoinc.org S INCE 1968 : T RAINING TOMORROW ’S LAWYER S, P R EPA R IN G TOM OR R OW’S L E A D E R S 6

CLEO EDGE

WINTER/SPRING 2018 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE #CLEOAT50

UNPARALLELED OPPORTUNITIES FOR PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE

American University Washington College of Law is more than just a leading law school. It’s a diverse law school community where students, faculty, and alumni discover open doors and endless possibilities. You’ll be immersed in local government and international business thanks to our location in the heart of the nation’s capital, and gain practical experience through clinics, externships, and specialized programs. At AUWCL, we don’t just teach the law— we show you how to turn your aspirations into practice.

wcl.american.edu

CLEO EDGE

WINTER/SPRING 2018 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE #CLEOAT50

CONTRIBUTORS 1) MARYAM AHRANJANI Maryam Ahranjani is Assistant Professor of Law at the University of New Mexico School of Law. She teaches Constitutional Rights, Criminal Law, and Criminal Procedure. Professor Ahranjani serves on the UNM’s Undocu Task Force, which addresses the pressing needs of undocumented students on campus, and is the faculty advisor to the Immigration Law Student Association. Her main research interest is legal and policy barriers to marginalized students’ access to public education. 2) ANA ALVAREZ Ana Alvarez was born in Mexico and earned her lawyer’s degree and master’s degree in Education in Mexico. She moved to the U.S. in 2000 and worked as an English faculty member at Seminole Community College in Sanford, Florida. She achieved her Doctor of Education degree in the U.S and moved to San Antonio, TX in 2008. Since then, Dr. Alvarez has worked at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). As Assistant Director of the Institute for Law and Public Affairs, she serves as a prelaw advisor and organizes and coordinates the Summer Law School Preparation Academy and other prelaw events, including the law school fair. Since 2012, she has been an officer of the Executive Board of the Southwest Association of Prelaw Advisors. 3) BERNIE CHIMNER Cofounder of Griffon Prep, Bernadette Chimner has coached hundreds of students to achieve higher LSAT scores and has scored 180 on the LSAT herself. When she's not teaching LSAT classes at Griffon Prep, she can be found geocaching or prowling used book stores.

4) BENJAMIN J. COOPER Benjamin Cooper earned his LL.B. from the University of Queensland in 2005, and presently serves as the Pre-Law Program Coordinator at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Prior to assuming his role at Baylor, he practiced civil litigation in both Australia and London’s financial district, being admitted to practice in the Queensland Supreme Court, the Australian High Court, and the Supreme Court of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. His litigation practice focused on mortgage fraud, insurance, professional negligence and banking matters for retail and investment banks, and international insurers. He has also represented clients involved in a formal government Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC) and has prosecuted cases on behalf of an Australian health regulator. In his current role, he oversees the Pre-Law advising of Baylor’s roughly 900 Pre-Law students, helping them decide whether to pursue a career in law and assisting them in successfully navigate the application process. He also teaches undergraduate courses on the legal profession and law school application process. 5) SHAWN GRANT Professor Shawn Grant is an Adjunct Professor at Baruch College (CUNY) and Pace University in New York, where she focuses on law, women’s issues, and politics. She is a prelaw advisor and former practicing corporate attorney. Shawn is a graduate of University of Virginia School of Law. Follow her at @myprelawadvisor. 6) JULIE LANTRIP Julie Lantrip earned her Ph.D. in Government from Georgetown University and her J.D. at Harvard Law School. She is currently a Professor of Government, Moot Court Coach, and PreLaw Advisor at Tarrant County College, Northwest. Prior to teaching, Dr. Lantrip practiced immigration and international human rights law, clerked for the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in San Jose, Costa Rica, and helped start the Opening Doors Immigration Clinic in Denton, Texas.

7) KENT D. LOLLIS Kent D. Lollis is the Executive Director for Diversity Initiatives at the Law School Admission Council. He earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from Brown University, his master of management degree from Northwestern University, and his JD from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. Prior to joining LSAC, he held faculty and administrative positions at Ohio Northern University—Claude W. Pettit College of Law and the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law. Mr. Lollis has served on various committees of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar. He is a past recipient of the American Bar Association Raymond Pace and Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Pipeline Diversity. At LSAC, Mr. Lollis designs and directs programs to increase the number of lawyers from underrepresented minority groups, monitors the Council’s equal opportunity efforts in employment and vending, and is the principal staff liaison to the Diversity Committee.

8) MIGUEL MORÁN-LANIER Miguel Morán-Lanier has been an academic and pre-law advisor at UC Santa Barbara for ten years and is the current president of the Pacific Coast Association of Pre-Law Advisors (PCAPLA). 9) MATTHEW NIZIOL Matthew Niziol has been advising undergraduate students for more than 15 years at both community college and university levels in Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia. Since 2007 he has served as High School Outreach Coordinator and Academic Advisor for First Year Students at the Northern Virginia Community College, Loudoun Campus. He has been primary contributor and moderator of the CLEO Diversity in Legal Education Blog, written articles for the CLEO Edge Magazine, and has presented at CLEO Scholars and Achieving Success in the Application Process programs since 2006. As a Prelaw Advisor, he has presented on topics related to prelaw success, recruitment of First-Time-In-College students, and academic retention and collegiate success specific to underrepresented students at regional and national conferences. 10) KAYLEE RICHARDS Kaylee Richards is from State College, Pennsylvania. She is in 10th grade and currently 15 years old. She finds school very fun and loves to learn new things. In her free time, she enjoys writing, golfing, and hanging out with friends. 11) TRACY SIMMONS Tracy Simmons is the Assistant Dean for Admissions, Diversity Initiatives and Financial Aid at University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. Dean Simmons has worked in legal education for over 14 years. Dean Simmons has served on the Law School Admission Council’s Diversity Initiatives Committee, Services and Program Committee, Admit-M Advisory Committee, the Annual Planning and Educational Conference Workgroup and served as Chair of the Newcomers Workshop. Currently, she serves as a consultant for the Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO) Achieving Success in the Application Process. She is a member of LSAC’s Finance and Legal Committee, the Access Group Financial Education Advisory Committee, and is Chair-Elect of Pre-Legal Education and Admissions to Law School Section for Association of American Law Schools (AALS)

12) MICHAEL STATES Michael States J.D. is the Assistant Dean for Admissions, Financial Aid, and Diversity Initiatives at The Ohio State University, Moritz College of Law. He serves as Chair of the Law School Admissions Council’s Finance and Legal Affairs Committee and is a member of the LSAC Board of Trustees. He has served on the planning group for the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC) Annual Meeting and Educational Conference and in 2013 served as the Conference Chair. He has served as the President of the Midwest Alliance of Law School Admissions (MALSA), and is a past Chair of the Association of American Law Schools Section on Pre-Legal Education and Admission to Law School.

13) RODIA VANCE Rodia Vance has worked at Emory University since August, 2001. She provides career counseling and also serves as the University Pre-Law Advisor for all current students and alumni, managing the programs and services of the Pre-Law Advising Office. Rodia also serves as the Staff Advisor for the Emory Pre-Law Society and Emory Mock Trial. Rodia is the Immediate Past President of the Southern Association of Pre-Law Advisors (SAPLA) and served as the Conference Co-Chair for the Pre-Law Advisors National Council (PLANC) 2016 National Conference. Rodia holds a Juris Masters (JM) from Emory University School of Law as well as an MS in Professional Counseling from Georgia State University. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Florida, where she graduated with Honors. 14) MARIO VILLA Mario Villa is the Director of Student Recruitment and Financial Aid at Texas Law. Mario is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and his Master’s degree in Higher Education Administration. He is a UT Austin doctoral student in Educational Leadership and Policy. Before joining Texas Law in 2013, Mr. Villa advanced undergraduate recruitment efforts as the Director of the UT AustinEast Texas Admissions Center in Longview, Texas. Outside of Texas Law, Mr. Villa is very active with his CrossFit/Olympic lifting community, the UT Austin Hispanic Faculty/Staff Association, the UT Austin Pride and Equity Faculty Staff Association, and the Texas Exes. He is an active member at the UT Club, the Longhorn Foundation, and volunteers as a member of Phi Delta Theta.

#CLEOAT50 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE WINTER/SPRING 2018

CLEO EDGE

Maximizing Financial Capability Building Opportunities for Diversity and Success Influencing Legal Education Policy

AccessLex.org

years

d iv

d e r sit y i n l e g a l e

tio

CLEO m Pro

Advancing Supporting Strengthening Empowering the Next Generation of Lawyers ÂŽ Elevating Championing Evolving Transforming Improving Encouraging Cultivating Enriching

Conducting Strategic Research and Evaluation

THE NEXT GENERATION OF ATTORNEYS Diversity and Inclusion are core values at Andrews Kurth Kenyon. It takes a leader to know how to align business objectives and resources. Working together, we have created an inclusive culture that benefits our entire firm community.

AUSTIN NEW YORK

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THE WOODLANDS

HOUSTON

LONDON

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WASHINGTON, DC

Copyright © 2017 by Andrews Kurth Kenyon LLP. Andrews Kurth, the Andrews Kurth logo, the Andrews Kurth Kenyon Logo, Straight Talk Is Good Business and Intelligent Energy are registered service marks of Andrews Kurth Kenyon LLP. All Rights Reserved. Stock photography above. 600 Travis, Suite 4200, Houston, TX 77002 | +1.713.220.4200. Attorney Advertising. 17347

RM • COLLABORATE • ALIGN • PERFORM • COLLABORATE • ALI

AS WE CELEBRATE CLEO’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY, ANDREWS KURTH KENYON IS PROUD TO SUPPORT

IN EV ERY I S S UE

As 2017 draws to a close, we await 2018 with eager anticipation. Then, we will celebrate

years 50 “The CLEO EDGE of

Angela Birch Cox

– Education, Diversity, and Greater Equality” in the legal profession.

Chair, CLEO Board

Yes, since 1968, CLEO has steadfastly championed its mission of creating the CLEO EDGE. CLEO’s programs have expanded from the flagship Pre-law Summer Institute residential workshops to numerous programs, workshops, and online services tailored to fill the pipeline from high school to bar passage, and meet the needs of today’s diverse future lawyers.

2018 will also find us looking forward! Indeed, we will begin to forge CLEO’s path for the next 50 years. We know our work is not done. With your support, the next 50 years will prove to be even more productive and more impactful.

So as you read the articles in this issue, all of which relate to Education, Diversity and Greater Equality in the legal profession and CLEO will host receptions in Houston, San learn about the professional journeys of Francisco, and New York, followed by a gala the 50 CLEO alumni who are highlighted, in Washington, D.C. We will honor individuals please reflect on: how far we have come, and organizations that have supported how far we have to go and CLEO’s role in us over the years. We invite you to the past, present and future of education, celebrate with us and CLEO’s many friends, diversity and greater equality in the legal organizations and other supporters as well profession. Then resolve to join us, help as with the more than 10,000 individuals who us, support us and celebrate with us! have benefitted from CLEO programs.

Angela Birch Cox

#CLEOAT50 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE WINTER/SPRING 2018

CLEO EDGE

IN EV ERY I S S UE

CLEO AT A GLANCE

CLEO COLLEGE SCHOLARS PROGRAM WHO IS ELIGIBLE: College freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors & post grads interested in attending law school. WHAT: The Road to Law School, Sophomore Super Saturdays, and Juniors Jumpstart the LSAT. WHEN: Throughout the academic year. WHERE: Various locations across the country. DEADLINE: Varies (www.cleoinc.org for deadline dates). COST: Free.

ACHIEVING SUCCESS IN THE APPLICATION PROCESS (ASAP) WHO IS ELIGIBLE: College juniors, seniors, and postgraduates who plan to apply to law school. WHAT: Intensive weekend pre-law event to help participants develop the tools they need to understand the application process and become competitive law school applicants. WHEN: Summer. WHERE: Various law school locations. DEADLINE: April 1. COST: $100. CLEO CONNECTION WHO IS ELIGIBLE: College freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors & post grads interested in attending law school. WHAT: Pre-Law series where under-represented students get answers to important questions about law school, create a local network of colleagues and legal professional guides, and develop their understanding of the legal field culture.. WHEN: Throughout the academic year. WHERE: Washington, DC. DEADLINE: Varies (cleoinc.org/programs/cleo-connection/ for deadline dates). COST: Free. THE CLEO PRE-LAW SUMMER INSTITUTE WHO IS ELIGIBLE: Graduating seniors or graduates who plan to attend law school in the fall of 2018. WHAT: A residential and online program designed to prepare participants to be more competitive law school students. WHEN: June - July. WHERE: Various law schools. DEADLINE: October 1-November 30, 2017 (early acceptance dates) and February 28, 2018 (final deadline). Cost: $2,500 (includes room, board, instructional materials).

The Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO) was founded in 1968 to expand opportunities for qualified low-income, disadvantaged, and minority students to attend law school. CLEO is funded by private contributions from law firms and corporations as well as alumni support. Since CLEO’s inception, more than 10,000 students have benefited from CLEO programs and joined the legal profession.  1-L PREP - ATTITUDE IS ESSENTIAL (AIE) WHO IS ELIGIBLE: College graduates who are accepted

into an ABA-accredited law school. WHAT: Intensive weekend pre-law seminar designed to introduce and prepare students for the rigors of law school. WHEN: Summer. WHERE: Various law school locations and online. DEADLINE: Rolling admission. COST: $100. ACADEMY OF EXCELLENCE SEMINAR WHO IS ELIGIBLE: All CLEO first-year law students. WHAT: A program designed to reinforce analytical reading, writing, studying, and test-taking skills introduced in the pre-law preparatory programs. WHEN: Fall. WHERE: Various locations or online. COST: Free. CLEO LAW SCHOOL APPLICATION SERVICES (CLAS) WHO IS ELIGIBLE: All college and post grad students. WHAT: These services help students with their law school application packet. WHEN: Throughout the year WHERE: Nation-wide. COST: Nominal; varies on service provided.

#CLEOAT50 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE WINTER/SPRING 2018

CLEO EDGE

PROGRAMS ROAD TO LAW SCHOOL Learn about the law school admissions process and be exposed to topics such as: analytical reasoning and logic critical reading and writing mock admissions college curriculum choices financial planning for law school

SOPHOMORE SUPER SATURDAYS

JUNIORS JUMPSTART THE LSAT

While there are no prerequisite courses for law school applicants, there are important skills that you will need. These seminars will help you improve analytical and logical reasoning abilities, reading comprehension, and writing skills, which are tested by the LSAT and considered essential to success in law school.

How do LSAT scores impact your law school admission? This program exposes students to various LSAT preparation strategies that can help them improve and achieve competitive scores. Students are administered practice LSATs and taught the benefits of systematic and disciplined LSAT preparation.

The above three programs will happen simultaneously at the following locations and dates in 2017-2018:

SEPTEMBER – Savannah, GA

JANUARY – San Francisco, CA

OCTOBER – Chicago, IL

FEBRUARY – TBA

NOVEMBER – New York, NY

MARCH – Washington, D.C.

ACHIEVING SUCCESS IN THE APPLICATION PROCESS (ASAP) This regional program provides college juniors, seniors and post-graduate students with the tools they need to become competitive law school applicants and exposes them to all aspects of the application process, including: selecting a law school

CLEO CONNECTION Register for CLEO CONNECTION which engages pre-law students in a lively, in-person discussion with peers, law school faculty, and attorneys in order to enhance the student’s social perspective on the law school application process and law school success. The CLEO CONNECTION will help students make “real connections” to the road to law school.

drafting personal statements preparation strategies the impact of the LSAT and GPA on applications early acceptance programs debt management selecting sources for letters of recommendation common mistakes committed by law school applicants

For future dates and locations as well as to register and apply for these programs, please visit

www.cleoinc.org

Think big. Take action. Drive

change.

AS A UB LAW STUDENT, YOU WILL: • Receive one-on-one faculty advising as you look to your future as a legal professional • Gain hands-on practice opportunities through our clinical legal education programs • Be in demand, not debt, with affordable in-state tuition of $25,410* and our newly

reduced out-of-state tuition of $29,500* * Does not include fees and additional expenses.

Prepare for the practice. The evolving legal profession demands well-educated, skilled and accomplished law graduates. At Stetson Law, you will find a comprehensive curriculum that features more than 60 skills electives and 400-plus clinic and externship opportunities.

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Achieving Success in the Application Process Last summer for the ninth year, CLEO proudly offered Achieving Success in the Application Process (ASAP), a Pre-Law program designed to prepare upperclassmen and postgraduates for the law school application process. ASAP provides counseling, mentorship, and test preparation techniques to better prepare participants for the rigors of the law school application process. By exposing students to the nuances of the admission process, ASAP provides participants with a clear understanding of the dedication and commitment required to become competitive law school applicants.

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In addition, ASAP seminar participants have the distinct advantage of establishing mentoring relationships with CLEO students who will begin law school in the fall. ASAP is held in conjunction with CLEO’s popular 1L-Prep Attitude is Essential (AIE) seminars each summer.

The ASAP curriculum focuses on aspects of the application process that are frequently overlooked or undervalued by students when applying to law school, including: •

Selecting a law school

•

Drafting an effective personal statement

•

Choosing sources for letters of recommendations

• •

averages (GPAs) in the selection process •

The significance of the early application process offered by many law schools

Preparation strategies for the Law School Admission Test (LSAT)

•

Debt management and developing credit worthiness

The impact of LSAT scores and grade point

•

Common mistakes committed by law school applicants

For further information or to apply online, visit www.cleoinc.org/asap DEADLINE: APRIL 1, 2018

THE LEGAL PROFESSION HAS CHANGED.

SO HAVE WE.

But our commitment to diversity remains unchanged. Proud to be a CLEO sponsor

LAW.CASE.EDU RANKED #15 IN PRACTICAL TRAINING â&#x20AC;&#x201C; PRELAW MAGAZINE

1L PREP-

An experience any student about to begin law school does not want to miss!

In existence since 2000, CLEO’s 1L Prep – Attitude is Essential (AIE) regional seminars are designed to familiarize incoming first year law students with the rigors of law school and to acquaint them with the various resources that are available to meet those demands.

TARGETED STUDENTS: Incoming first year law students who will enroll in an ABA-accredited law school during the same fall they attend the CLEO 1L Prep – AIE seminar. BENEFITS: • Law school orientation • Skills-building workshops • Network opportunities

For further information or to apply online, please visit our website at

www.cleoinc.org/aie

The workshop sessions and accompanying handout materials cover such topics as, legal analysis and writing, exam preparation, time management, the Socratic Method, case briefing, and understanding IRAC. Additionally, AIE helps students prepare for the major transition from undergraduate to professional school and motivates them to succeed. Participants who successfully complete the program and enroll in an ABA-accredited law school are eligible to receive ongoing academic and professional development support throughout law school from CLEO. This year an online 1L Prep- AIE segment was added to respond to student needs. DEADLINE TO APPLY: Rolling admission until one-week before seminar.

Legal Education for Tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s World Forward-thinking. Across disciplines. Without boundaries.

Congratulations on your 50th anniversary. We applaud your commitment to expand opportunities for those with diverse backgrounds. bac

law.stanford.edu

Stanford Law School Crown Quadrangle, 559 Nathan Abbott Way, Stanford, CA 94305

SECO NDA RY SC HOOL

High School Tips to By Kaylee Richards

SXCESS

High school often can be one of the most intimidating times in an individual's life. Not only is it difficult to adapt to the daunting environment, but it is often a grueling task to keep up with your schoolwork. The work that you produce in high school is what colleges and employers look at when they consider you for admission or a position. These tips will help you stay on track for good grades and a bright future.

Stay Organized If you stay organized, it is likely that you will get things right the first time more often. If you use a computer, you should create folders and identify them so when looking in a folder, you can easily access your assignments/documents. Also, writing assignments down will keep your mind and due dates organized. Do not overcomplicate your organization strategies. Having subsections in a binder will just confuse you.

Do Not Procrastinate

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Procrastinating causes far too much stress, and is completely avoidable. If you keep up with your work you will not feel as stressed. Do not rush ahead and do assignments too far in advance. This can lead to a lack of retention of knowledge and is not beneficial.

Process Feedback When a teacher returns an assignment with a note on it, it is generally to suggest a change for the future. They are only trying to help you improve. It may help to keep a list or document of suggestions a teacher has made to avoid making the same mistake again.

Ask Questions No question is a stupid question. Even a question for clarification, is vital to success in high school. Write down the answer to every question that is asked. All things discussed in class are useful for assessments.

Do Every Assignment A one-point assignment could mean the difference between an A and a B in any class. Every point in the gradebook is important and part of your overall percentage. If extra credit presents itself, always take the opportunity to improve your grade.

#CLEOAT50 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE WINTER/SPRING 2018

CLEO EDGE

I will make a diï¬&#x20AC;erence . . . Jonathan Geneus Class of 2017 colorado.edu/law

WINTER/SPRING 2018

CLEO EDGE

IN EV ERY I S S UE

FRESHMAN YEAR AUGUST • Grades count in law school admissions. Do your best from the very beginning! SEPTEMBER • Visit www.cleoinc.org and register for the Road to Law School and CLEO Connection.

Pre-Law Timeline

FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS

SOPHOMORE YEAR AUGUST • Get a head start on LSAT prep. Register for a formal logic course in college. SEPTEMBER • Register for Sophomore Super Saturday and CLEO Connection.

SENIOR YEAR AUGUST • Request applications, if needed, from the law schools to which you plan to apply (most law schools have online applications). SEPTEMBER • Attend law school forums and order a FREE copy of the CLEO Edge Magazine. • Register for Juniors Jumpstart the LSAT and CLEO Connection OCTOBER • Register for CAS about six weeks before you send your applications to law schools. • Start filling out your applications and working on personal statements.

JUNIOR YEAR SEPTEMBER • Meet with a pre-law advisor to discuss the law school application process and your personal plan of action. • Stop by your school’s pre-law advising office and pick up an LSAT & CAS Information Book, or download it online at www.lsac.org • Register for Juniors Jumpstart the LSAT and CLEO Connection. OCTOBER • Order LSAT preparation materials and/or register

for a preparation course. PREPARE, PREPARE, PREPARE, and PREPARE! DECEMBER • Apply to Achieving Success in the Application Process ASAP. • Begin choosing law schools to which you would like to apply. MARCH • Register for the June LSAT. JUNE • Take the LSAT.

• Take the October LSAT, if necessary. NOVEMBER • Submit law school applications for early review process (check deadlines carefully!). • Submit your application for the CLEO PreLaw Summer Institute for early acceptance— deadline is November 30, 2017. DECEMBER • *Apply to ASAP • Fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). JANUARY • Send your updated transcript with fall semester grades to CAS. • Submit applications to law schools (check deadlines carefully!). FEBRUARY • Application for the CLEO Pre-Law Summer Institute is due February 28, 2018. • *Seniors taking time off before applying to law school may apply for ASAP.

#CLEOAT50 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE WINTER/SPRING 2018

CLEO EDGE

Find out more at law.syr.edu or call 315.443.1962.

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FRESHMEN your college years By Benjamin J. Cooper

The smoothest and easiest road to law school, starts on day one of college. Your freshman year is a time of change, challenge and adjustment, no matter how prepared you feel. The learning curve is steep, both personally and academically, particularly if you excelled in high school with little effort. That paper that you wrote the morning it was due, just won’t cut it any longer. The key to freshmen success is managing the new found freedoms with the increased college workload, a difficulty that can easily be underestimated. A strong freshmen year rests largely on your ability to create habits and disciplines that foster the maturity and professionalism expected of law students, and future lawyers. By managing your time and workload, you will be able to not only get the work done, but you’ll develop the skill of working to deadlines with increasingly heavy workloads – something a lawyer cannot avoid. You’ll also 28

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Course Selection – Stack the deck The wonderful thing about academic planning and law school, is the sheer amount of freedom that students have when it comes to majors and course choices. Rather than emphasizing particular content, course selection should focus on developing skills that are relevant to law:  ability to think analytically and logically  excellent written and verbal communication skills  capacity to read large amounts of complex material are all necessary tools for any lawyer These are necessary skills for any lawyers can be developed across courses in both the humanities and STEM areas, remembering that skills trump content.

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Law School Starts Now

have to learn the discipline of doing things you aren’t always excited about. Ignoring that essay or assigned reading won’t make it go away. In college that is a mistake; in legal practice it is a recipe for a negligence claim!

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This freedom allows you to play to your strengths and interests, rather than limiting you to courses revolving around the law and related topics. However, you should choose courses that challenge and test your abilities, so that you are in fact preparing for law school. That way, when you arrive as a 1L, you will be ready to hit the ground running! While academic success and discipline are fundamental to a legal career, there remains one unavoidable component of any law school application – the infamous Law School Admissions Test (LSAT). While it has been the bane of Pre-Law students for decades, it remains the only means of applying to law school (with only a few exceptions, where the GRE is accepted). The result is that no matter what else you do in college, the LSAT is a bridge you must cross. Students are encouraged to undertake serious and sustained preparation in the 6 months leading up to the test but, as a freshman, that is still a way off. However, you can set yourself up for success by taking classes in logic and critical thinking early in your college career. These courses will develop the baseline skills needed to understand and prepare for the LSAT in just a few semester’s time.

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Don’t be a bystander For many, the desire to pursue a legal career can create a perception that grades are everything and that anything that might compromise those grades is to be ruthlessly avoided. Grades are vitally important, but they are by no means the only consideration. Thus, you should seek out opportunities to become involved on campus and engage with your peers. Seeking out opportunities to serve and lead in student positions helps to further develop the skill set necessary to any lawyer, but also goes a long way to making your law school application more than just a story of numbers. You have a great deal of freedom in this respect and need not join the ‘Constitutional Law Club’, but can pursue things that are of interest to you, be it a sport, Greek organization, club or society. In short, get involved, lead and don’t worry quiet so much about whether it is ‘law related.’

matter where you are attending, someone (family, donors or you) is paying a substantial amount of money for you to do so. However, if you graduate from college and do not have a meaningful relationship with at least two professors, you have missed out on a truly rewarding experience. You have also made the job of finding people who can vouch for your academic ability through, letters of recommendation to law schools, much harder. In addition to getting to know your professors, go and meet with your Pre-Law advisor. They love what they do and they want to help students figure out if law school is right for them, and if so, to help them to realize that dream. They’ll have great advice and resources to help you get to the bottom of whether law school is really for you. Finally, take every opportunity to meet with practicing lawyers. No matter how much we want the careers of television lawyers to be our own, it is simply not a reflection of reality. Lawyers respect their profession and do a great job of ‘giving back.’ Attend Pre-law events on campus where lawyers are speaking, use sites like Findlaw.com and LinkedIn to arrange for 15-20 minute interviews with attorneys and ask honest questions. This process will allow you to get real data on the reality of legal practice and to engage with real lawyers. Don’t look now, but you’re now well on your way to law school!

An activity log is a great way to track your involvement during your college career, but it also helps you in preparing your application for law school. Try to group your involvement into categories like leadership, service and work/internships. This will help you organize your resume when it is time to prepare your law school application. It is also important to get involved inside the classroom. No #CLEOAT50 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE WINTER/SPRING 2018

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SOPHOMORE your college years By Rodia Vance

In addition to pre-law advising, I also do general career counseling for certain majors on my campus. My perspective as a career counselor informs my style of pre-law advising in myriad ways. The biggest paradigm shift that stems from this perspective is that I am a firm believer that pre-law students are not exempt from the overall career development process simply because they are facing an application process rather than a job search during senior year. Because of that belief, the work I do with my pre-laws begins not with the question of “where do you want to apply?”, but rather “why do you want to go

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The Career Development Process This consists of four main steps. If you have made any use at all of your college career center (it’s not too early to do so as a sophomore!), you have probably heard about the importance of doing these steps to ensure that a particular career choice is right for you. If we examine the process through the lens of the pre-law student, we see that it is directly applicable to the goal of becoming a successful lawyer.

(1) Self-Exploration – Who Am I? Becoming more self-aware is a good life goal, generally speaking, but it is certainly critical for making good career decisions. Ask yourself these questions, and write down your answers:

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In the nearly 15 years that I have been doing pre-law advising, I have worked with thousands of students to help them pursue their dream of going to law school and having a successful legal career. I run into the student who has decided at the last minute that they want to apply to law school. Even if they have done well academically, they have often missed out on the opportunity to truly maximize their pre-law collegiate experience because they did not take certain steps earlier in their college careers. These steps are essential to the overall career development of any college student, and definitely to the pre-law student.

to law school in the first place?”. At its core, the decision to become a lawyer is a career choice. Law is a vast field with many paths stemming from one starting point. How will you know which direction you want to go? If you’re waiting for the answer to that question to be miraculously revealed when you graduate from law school, I challenge you to think again. And then, keep reading.

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What do I like to do? (Interests & Passions)

What am I good at doing? (Talents & Skills)

What is important to me to do? (Values & Motivations)

How do I like to “do” things? (Personality & Temperament)

Gaining clarity on these key points will help you gain insight into what type of law you might like to practice, what type of work environments might be the best fit for you, and what will motivate you to work hard (or demotivate you).

Extracurricular Activities & Work Experiences – Adding these experiences to your resume help to demonstrate a host of skills to law schools, including professionalism, maturity, time management, leadership, and service orientation. However, they should not interfere with your academic performance. Select a few that are meaningful to you and stick with them.

Relationship-Building – You will want to have solid letters of recommendation to bolster your application. Get the ball rolling on this step as early as your sophomore year by making an effort to get to know your faculty members and letting them get to know you. Visit office hours. Be prepared for class and contribute thoughtful insights. Do research with a faculty member. All of these actions will give your faculty (a.k.a. future recommenders) a top-notch opinion of you as a student and future lawyer.

LSAT Preparation – While sophomore year may be a bit too early to begin formal LSAT preparation (prep courses should be saved for junior year), you can begin laying the groundwork for strong test performance by sharpening the skills you will need to do well on the exam. Take courses that will challenge you to develop strong analytical reasoning, logical reasoning, and reading comprehension skills. These skill sets are tested on the LSAT for a reason…you will need them to be successful in law school and as a lawyer.

(2) Career Exploration – What’s Out There? Once you are clear on who you are and what you like, you can begin to overlay that knowledge with what you learn about the field to further cement your plans to pursue a law degree. Some useful strategies for researching the legal field include the following: ``

Conduct informational interviews with lawyers (tap into your college’s alumni network for this!)

Read books and articles about law school life and legal career pathways.

Shadow/intern/work in legal settings to get a first-hand glimpse of a day-in-the-life of a lawyer (NOTE: Legal experience is not a requirement or preference for admission to law school. These types of experiences should be done for the purposes of career exploration, not racking up points with admissions officers).

Compare and contrast what you learn about the field to what you know about yourself (this is why it is important to do that self-exploration step first!). Doing this analysis will help you to make better decisions about which practice areas and legal work environments are a good match for you.

(3) Skill Development – How Do I Prepare? Upon deciding which direction you would like to go in the legal arena, you will want to start building up a portfolio of skills and experiences that will prepare you for success in the law school application process and beyond. There are several areas that you will want to address: ``

Coursework & GPA – Seek to have a broadbased curriculum that will prepare you to view problems from a wide variety of perspectives by taking courses across the liberal arts and sciences spectrum. Challenge yourself! Law school will be harder than any classes you take in college, so taking more difficult coursework now will help to prepare you for that reality. And be sure to do well while you’re at it…your GPA will be integral to your competitiveness level for law school admissions.

(4) Implementation – How Do I Apply? As you approach your junior and senior years, it will be time to put all of your planning into action. For those who plan to start law school right after college, you will begin taking steps in the application process as early as the spring semester of your junior year, when you should begin LSAT preparation in earnest. Aside from taking the LSAT, you will begin the process of researching schools, writing application essays, securing your letters of recommendation, sending in your transcripts, and formally submitting the applications during the summer after junior year and during the fall of senior year. While the career development process may seem daunting, the sophomore year is a great time to get started! You are still early enough in your college careers to make any course corrections that you need to make around courses or grades while still having enough time to build substantial and meaningful experiences. And there is still plenty of time to get ready for the LSAT too. With good self-awareness and smart planning, you can achieve your dreams of being a lawyer. Now, go forth and prosper!

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JUNIOR your college years By Miguel Morán-Lanier You are half way there!

A strong academic foundation is crucial. Whether you have a great GPA already or you have a way to go before reaching your goals, everyone can benefit from boosting his or her GPA. Focusing on your academic fields of interests is key to academic success. If you are not already in the major that you enjoy the most, the junior year is your opportunity to change that. Persisting in a major that you may not enjoy and, consequently, is not allowing you to succeed academically can be detrimental to your competitiveness for law school.

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Exploring different fields in law. If you haven’t started doing this already, now is a good time to explore your interests in law. This, however, is not meant for you to narrow or restrict your future choices, but to help inform your exploration in law school and have it be more fruitful. Begin with exploring the fields of law that you find most interesting; let your instincts get your started and your experience be your guide. But, ‘how do I get started’, you ask? Good old-fashioned networking. First, avail yourself of all the resources at your disposal. Check in with your Pre-Law and career center advisors. They can advise you on the informational interviewing process, that is, developing a list of questions that will help guide your conversations with lawyers in your fields of interest. Yes, internships in law or working in a law office

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The junior year is a great time for students to plan their transition to law school in earnest. With the application cycle only a year away—for those choosing to go straight to law school after their senior year—this is the time to make the most of what remains of your undergraduate academic journey and develop an individualized plan with your PreLaw and academic advisors, tailored to your individual circumstances, needs and goals.

Find your passion and your success; they tend to go hand in hand. It’s imperative that you engage with professors at this point. Beyond office hours, work with them one-on-one on a research projects or other activities if you can. You will need strong letters of recommendation from faculty and the best letters will be from professors that know you very well.

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is great, but talking with a lawyer that is practicing in your field of interest can be very informative. You can explore multiple fields this way and within a short period of time. Let’s say you haven’t had a legal internship or work with lawyers in some other capacity. How, then, do you meet lawyers? Talk to family, friends, coworkers, somebody will know somebody who knows a lawyer—this is the good old-fashioned networking part. Once you really start looking, you will be amazed with the connections you will make. Additionally, this process will help you prepare for the serious networking you will have to do while in law school. You have to practice putting yourself out there and be comfortable having formal and informal conversations with lawyers. As you transition to law school, this will serve you very well.

Research law schools. You need to be prepared to thoughtfully select the schools to which you will apply. If you can, visit the law schools that you are considering, ask to sit in a class, talk to students. Again, what do your instincts tell you? How does it feel walking down the halls of a given school and what is the atmosphere? Many students have reported having made an unexpected decision based on a law school visit.

•

Understandably, it may not always be possible to visit a given school. The good news is that many schools will come to you. Your undergraduate school may host a law school fair or perhaps your Pre-Law advisors or Pre-Law student organizations might put together a panel of law school representatives or some other type of event. Take advantage of these opportunities to speak to as many law school representatives as you can as they can provide insight about their school, which you may not easily find elsewhere. For information on larger regional events, go to LSAC.org and look for a forum near you where you will have access to over 150 law schools in one day. Take steps to ensure that the schools to which you apply are a good fit for you.

Begin writing your personal statement and prepare for the application cycle. Most people find this to be a much more difficult process than they anticipated. Check in with your Pre-Law advisors regarding do’s and don’ts and have them review your statements. They are familiar with the personal statement, which is different than your typical statement of purpose for grad school. While there, inquire about the LSAT prep and application timeline. Summer will likely be the best time to prepare—intensely—so your LSAT prep does not conflict with your academic studies.

Being all that you want to be, continue exploring other personal interests. Whether it’s leadership in a student organization, civic engagement, volunteering, intramural sports, or anything that provides personal satisfaction and balance to your academic studies, continue doing that. Buckling down on your studies and exploring fields of law should not mean that you have to sacrifice your personal interests. If you have developed a well-balanced plan, you should be able to do what you need and what you want.

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SENIOR your college years By Ana Alvarez

GRADES Hopefully, you’ve earned good grades during your previous scholarly years. Keep a strong GPA. Otherwise, strive to improve your grades now. Law schools will study your transcripts and notice your academic improvement. However, if the change is too drastic, you should explain the reason you initially got poor grades in an addendum or personal statement [as part of your law school application packet].

LSAT You should also be prepared for the LSAT, but if not, get ready ASAP. Take a mock LSAT and recognize your strengths and weaknesses. Have a serious introspection and make a decision to either prepare on your own using LSAT books/practices or with any LSAT prep company. 34

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Create an account with the LSAC. Select the date to take the LSAT. You may take up to three LSATs in a period of two years, and there are four LSATs administered during the year. Because of the date of the LSAT scores release, you may apply for early admissions with the June or September LSATs scores of the previous year to which you are planning to attend law school. Note: LSAT scores are valid for five years. Consider taking the LSATONCE when you are ready. After completing your preparation, keep practicing with timedLSAT practices. These scores will evidence your latent result in the LSAT. If you decide to take it a second time, don’t wait to register again until you get your scores. The LSAC will release your scores after the LSAT registration deadline has passed.

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Now that you are a senior, you’re wondering about your next steps. This is, most likely, the period for you to apply to law school if you don’t want to take any time off. You should start by thinking like a lawyer: make your case for a successful application to and admission into law school.

Decide if you are comfortable with online prep courses or need a person-to-person approach. The more you practice, the more confident you’ll feel and stronger LSAT score you’ll achieve. Your GPA and LSAT score are strong indicators for law schools’ scholarship consideration if you’re perceived as a top candidate who will successfully graduate and pass the bar exam.

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LORs Most law schools require applicants to submit one to two letters of recommendation (LORs), so wisely select your recommenders. Give priority to professors with whom you have taken several courses, have observed your academic abilities, talents, and know you well. A work manager, internship, or volunteer supervisor might also be good recommenders. Visit your potential recommenders at their offices, inform them about your plans to pursue a legal education and politely request that they write the letter. Observe their body language. If they enthusiastically consent to write it, be certain your LOR will be impressive. Otherwise, thank them, move on, and find another recommender. After your recommenders have sent out the LOR, visit again and genuinely thank them. If possible, write a thank you card. Some law schools, however, don’t require LORs-they are optional. You should submit them, anyway. Think of your LORs as making a case for your acceptance into law school.

P.S.

application process, visit law school forums and fairs. They offer a tremendous opportunity to network with law school admissions representatives and ask about their programs, financial aid, student life, course offerings, and the possibility to obtain application fee waivers. Check the LSAC law school recruitment events and register for the closest forum or fair.

APPLYING TO LAW SCHOOLS Do some serious investigation on the law schools of your preference. You may use the ABA Standard 509 information reports at http://www.abarequireddisclosures. org/ to learn about specific data that will help narrow your college application options. Focus on median LSAT scores and median GPAs for admission, and assess yourself on your own status to get an indication of the schools you have an opportunity to be admitted into.

The more you

PRACTICE,

Write a strong personal statement (P.S.). Your P.S. has a twofold purpose. One, it portrays who you are with evidence of traits such as responsibility, maturity, leadership skills, insights, organizational and time management abilities, perspectives, overcoming disadvantage and learning experiences. Two, it reflects your writing. Remember that law schools don’t have time to teach students how to write well. Ask your professors, college learning/ writing center, or prelaw advisors to give constructive feedback. Be open to suggestions. Consider your P.S. as proof on making your case for admission into law school.

the more

CONFIDENT you’ll feel and

STRONGER LSAT score you’ll achieve.

You also might be prompted to write a specific topic as to why you want to go to law school rather than a personal statement. Be ready to follow the previous P.S. guidelines.

TRANSCRIPT Submit your transcript to the LSAC. You’re applying with the undergraduate overall GPA you have earned so far. You don’t need to have completed your undergrad to submit your transcripts.

LAW SCHOOL RECRUITMENT EVENTS In addition to attending workshops to illuminate on the

Additionally, explore and plan the financial investment you are about to make by studying school tuition, overall living expenses, and the possibility of earning a scholarship. You should also learn all eligibility requirements for scholarship retention during 2L and 3L. Contemplate if the colleges’ location matches your ideal place to live and work. Attending a school in your preferred city might help in developing a network and getting an externship during 2L to gain experience - and potentially being offered a job. Also, consider taking the bar exam in the school location’s state.

Bar passage rate, study programs, extracurricular or joint degree programs, pro-bono work, international courses, externship options, diversity, student services, school size, and faculty background deserve deliberation too. Overall, make a list of all significant features to pick your law school. Once the acceptance letters start arriving, schedule a visit to your prospective law schools, sit in on a class, and ask students about the cultural atmosphere. Students’ candid insight will permit to make a more informed decision on the school to attend. Take a deep breath. Select your law school. Congratulations! You have made your case and are ready for a new academic chapter of your life.

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Committed to Diversity and the World of Ideas

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Think of your time at the Law School not only as a chance to deepen your understanding of the law, but also as a chance to widen your understanding of the world.â&#x20AC;? -Daniel Abebe, Deputy Dean and Harold J. and Marion F. Green Professor of Law

Diversity and inclusion matter at UChicago Law. Our students revel in the free exchange of ideas and look for opportunities to grow, participating in our innovative clinics and active student organizations, pursuing research and other learning opportunities, and collaborating with our engaged faculty. Ours is a community of lifelong learners who are invested in their education and developing friendships with their peers. Congratulations CLEO on your historic 50th Anniversary.

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? O H W E S O H C WHO FINDING YOUR LAW SCHOOL By Matthew Niziol

Three Years – 732 days – 17,568 hours.

You’ll find Law Schools in city centers and suburbs; 49 states and Puerto Rico; sunny, hot, Law School consumes your time, money, and wet, and snowy climates. Law schools have social life. It will dominate every conversation, dramatically different reputations, financial aid, influence your choice in friends, and test your class size, academic programs, faculty, and commitment to the things you hold most dear. student bodies. If you know what is important So, the Law School you choose will be the to you, then you can choose your best match community that both protects and challenges from the 206 ABA approved U.S. law schools you. (americanbar.org).

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LOCATION:

PERSONAL STYLE:

A quick way to narrow your search. Will you be close enough to family to be comfortable, but still have the privacy you need to study? Do you prefer the frenetic energy of a city or the serenity of a small town? Here are a few Location concerns you need to address:

Law school is tough enough without battling a mismatch in your personal style and the style (personality) of the school. Torts, contracts, and legal writing will give you plenty of stress. Don’t let the environment stress you out, too.

¾¾ Cost of living: Can you afford housing, transportation, entertainment, food for 3 years?

¾¾ Can you succeed at the competitive pace of the school?

¾¾ Type of law: Can you find internship and clinic opportunities close to the law school?

¾¾ Does the school environment make you feel comfortable and welcome?

ACADEMIC GOALS: Law school delivers an education. Can your law school teach what you need to learn? Most law school curriculum cover the popular types of law, but does the school specialize in your area of legal interest? Your academic success is key, so here are some things to consider: ¾¾ Will your academic strengths and goals be met at the school you choose? ¾¾ Can your learning style be applied (with modification) to the classes in the school you choose?

SOCIAL & SPIRITUAL COMMUNITY: Friends, family, and social networks may keep you sane outside the classroom. What do you need to stay focused? ¾¾ Can you find a community that you identify with? ¾¾ Can you find a community that will encourage you to grow as a person and a lawyer?

¾¾ Is there room for academic growth and reward at the school you choose (Moot Court, Journal)?

Remember that you are choosing your law school not the other way around. Organize your selection plan with a clear list of key criteria you want in a law school, and investigate how schools meet those criteria. Tap into all the resources that “yelp” law schools. ¾¾ Law school websites & view books: Look for the Dean’s Welcome letter (effectively the school’s Personal Statement), faculty profiles, clinic reviews, financial aid statistics and curriculum. ¾¾ LSAC Searchable Database: Review admission data including GPA and LSAT ranges, Cost of Attendance, the diversity of applicants, and exit info including Bar Passage rates and employment statistics (https://www.lsac.org/). ¾¾ Campus Visits: Watch students interact with each other and with professors. Look for club/event fliers that pique your interests. Attend a class to evaluate the learning environment. Walk through student spaces and around town to feel out your new home. Ask about childcare facilities, Veteran’s Affairs offices, and services for OWLS (Older Wiser Law Students). Don’t settle for less, and then regret your choice for three years. Take time to “shop around”. Law school Deans of Admission want students to demonstrate commitment to their schools in the application process. Show your commitment by being well informed and prepared. Now go out and find your law school! 38

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BUILDING A B E T T E R F UT U R E . Marquette University Law Schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s superb teachers and scholars prepare you to excel in the legal profession and advocate for others. Visit us today in our stunning home in the heart of Milwaukee, Wis., and discover the difference you can make. law.marquette.edu

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CONQUERING

THE LSAT IN 4 STEPS By Bernie Chimner

STEP 1: TAKE A PRACTICE TEST

WORK THROUGH OFFICIAL LSAT SUPERPREP OR OFFICIAL LSAT SUPERPREP II

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A simple rule: expect to study about a minimum of a week per point of desired improvement. So if you need 5 points, plan to study intensively for at least 5 weeks. How? Download the practice LSAT exam from lsac.org, find three hours and a quiet spot. (Turn off your phone while you take the exam to make the test conditions as realistic as possible.) Time yourself strictly using the timing listed at the top of each section (each section is allotted 35 minutes). Use a standard #2 pencil (no mechanical pencils or pens are allowed in the real exam!). Why? You’re crafting an understanding of what makes answers right and wrong. You’ll also begin to understand how to approach the analytical reasoning (logic games) section of the exam. How? Get a copy of Official LSAT SuperPrep or Official LSAT SuperPrep II (you can order them on Amazon) and begin working your way through the book. These books contain an excellent overview of all the different types of questions that can be found on the LSAT as well as strategies for answering the questions. They also include three different actual exams with explanations, directly from the exam writers! Don’t worry about trying to time anything or even about trying to identify correct answers. Just read the questions and the explanations in tandem to learn how the test writers think about the correct and incorrect answers.

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STEP 2:

Why? A practice exam will orient you to the basic format and timing of the exam. Science shows that by taking a first exam, your brain will be “primed” for further studying. After you’ve finished the exam, determine what score you’ll need and set up a schedule for future studying.

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Why? Speed follows from accuracy, so boosting your accuracy will boost your speed. By allowing your brain ample time to consider each question, you give your brain permission to try different approaches without the pressure of time. As you continue to practice, you’ll become faster naturally.

STEP 3: BEGIN WORKING THROUGH UNTIMED LSAT EXAMS

How? Get a copy of Next 10 Real LSAT Actual, Official Preptests or 10 New Actual, Official LSAT Preptests and begin working through the exams untimed. Check your answer after every question so you can immediately assess whether your approach to that question is correct. This will allow you to reinforce good approaches and change bad approaches. Keep a log of the questions that give you trouble and come back to them periodically to review them until you understand the logic behind the correct answer. Looking to get the highest score possible? Here are two powerful study strategies from the pros: -

For logic games, do a single game multiple times right in a row. As you redo the game, you will begin to understand its underlying deductions and you’ll be more likely to spot similar deduction in future games.

For logical reasoning and reading comprehension: jot quick notes about why you think each answer choice is correct/incorrect. When you get a question wrong, revisit your notes to see where you went wrong.

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Why? After you have worked through enough untimed material to get a good understanding of the LSAT, it is important to begin preparing for the reality of test day: that the LSAT is a very strictly timed exam. Getting used to both the pressure and the limitation of 35 minutes per section is an important aspect of gearing up for the actual exam.

STEP 4: BEGIN WORKING THROUGH TIMED SECTIONS AND TIMED EXAMS

How? Get a copy of 10 Actual, Official LSAT Preptests Volume V. Ideally, you should take timed exams during the same time that you’ll take your real exam. Be sure to take your exam without the distraction of your cell phone, adhere strictly to the time limit, and adhere to all the testday restrictions -- no eating or drinking during the exam, no mechanical pencils, no digital timer. If you can, have a friend or family member keep time for you and call a warning five minutes before the end of each section just like test day. After each timed section/exam, go back the next day and take the section/exam untimed. Compare your answers when untimed to your answers when you were timed. When you went back untimed, did you get questions correct that you got wrong when you were timed? This indicates that the time pressure is causing you to make silly mistakes. Did you still miss the question when untimed? Keep a log of those questions and come back periodically to review them until you understand them. Identify the questions that give you the most trouble so you can leave them until the end on test day. **Don’t take a timed exam two days in a row; full timed LSAT exams are exhausting and you won’t be performing at your peak the second day. Good luck! #CLEOAT50 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE WINTER/SPRING 2018

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More ways to earn a Mitchell Hamline J.D.

Only one ABA-approved law school offers you the most enrollment options

Host of the CLEO 2017 Pre-Law Summer Institute

The first ABA-approved law school to offer a part-time, on-campus/online HYBRID J.D.SM program Also offering full-time, part-time day and evening, part-time weekend, and Executive J.D. options More than 200 externships with some of the most prestigious organizations in the region More than 19,000 alumni to help guide your path to your career One of only 48 colleges and universities in the country to receive the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award

MITCHELLHAMLINE.EDU ST. PAUL , MINN.

. King, ernice A B r y to c theolog nd Do Revere 1990, law and f Class o

Latin American Law Students Association

OUTLaw, recipient of the Emory University Outstanding Diversity Program of the Year Aw ard

ciation

South Asian Law Students Asso

Asian American Law Students Association , raises funds for the AC LU Foundation of Georgia to be used for immigration efforts

1967, and Judge Clarence Cooper, Class of black first and 2018 of s Clas rs, Janiel Mye nal Jour Law ry Emo editor-in-chief of the

Black two-time Law Students Ass recipie ociation, Students Assocatio nt of the Nationa lB n Large C hapter of lack Law the Year A ward

Continue a Legacy of Leadership In 1962, Emory Law led the Southeast in integrating legal education with the historic case Emory v. Nash. Today, we invite you to join our thriving student community of scholars and leaders. Our dynamic faculty and world-wide alumni network will support you on your journey toward practice. And our welcoming environment, in a city buzzing with global business, is an easy place to feel at home. Like the legal visionaries before you, let Emory empower you to make an impact in our community and beyond.

Learn more and apply: law.emory.edu/apply Email jdadmission@emory.edu for a fee waiver code.

Civil Rights Act of 1964 brings attention to lack of minority lawyers in America; i.e. less than 3%.

BIRTH

1967 zz Harvard Law School Vice Dean, Louis Toepfer, led development of prelaw summer program that recruited juniors from historically black colleges and universities. (HBCUs) zz Emory University Dean Ben F. Johnson, Jr. and Nathaniel Gozansky partner with Morehouse history chair Melvin Kennedy, and Atlanta University’s Samuel D. Cook to introduce Pre-Start summer program to admit graduates to Emory University Law School. zz University of Denver Dean Robert Yegge introduced summer “Headstart” program for Hispanic students to help meet the need of more Spanish-speaking legal practitioners. zz American Bar Association, Association of American Law School, Law School Admission Council, and National Bar Association joined forces to create the Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO) to help “diversify the legal profession.”

First summer institutes held at University of Denver, Emory, Harvard and UCLA, funded in part by a $500,000 grant from the Ford Foundation and $500,000 from the U.S. Office of Economic Opportunity.

zz Dr. Melvin Kennedy, who had been a faculty advisor to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., appointed Executive Director of CLEO. Other key players, Sanford Jay Rosen, Nathaniel Gozansky, Louis Toepfer, Walter Leonard, William S. Huff, Leon Letwin, John Winterbottom, Derrick Bell. 44

CLEO EDGE

1969

1968

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Led by Chair Frank E. A. Sander of Harvard Law School, CLEO developed partnerships with clusters of law schools leading CLEO to summer sponsor regional institutes.

FEATURE

800

By the fall, nearly students had completed the summer institute and matriculated into law school.

CLEO accomplished its preliminary goal of increasing the number of minority lawyers by at least 300.

CLEO office relocated to Washington, DC, under the leadership of Professor Michael Moorhead.

1970

1972

Newly organized La Raza National Law Association, precursor to the Hispanic National Bar Association, joins the CLEO governing council.

1973

EDGE MAGAZINE

SUPPORTING DIVERSITY IN LEGAL EDUCATION

WINTER/SPRING 2005 â&#x20AC;¢ Volume 1, Number 10

Brown v. Board of Education How significantly has the decision affected the legal profession?

10 Myths

About Law School Admissions

Is Law School For You? Unlocking

The LSAT Plus...A Pre-Law Guide for Sophomores and Juniors

timeline THE CLEO EDGE:

FEATURE

F E AT U R E

1974 zz

1980s

Senator Edward W. Brooke, the first African American U.S. Senator since Reconstruction, a Republican, led the lobbying effort to secure an affirmative vote to restore CLEO’s funding.

1986

CLEO sponsored seven regional institutes each summer on public and private law school campuses.

1990s

1993

1996

The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association joined the CLEO governing council and along with the HNBA and NBA broadened the scope of reach.

Facing serious financial challenges, Irshad Abda-Haqq took the helm and “miraculously pulled off one of the most successful summers ever,” mounting six summer institutions.

The first edition of The CLEO Edge A magazine for Prelaw Students was published.

WINTER/SPRING 2018 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE #CLEOAT50

©JET MAGAZINE / CLEO, INC. ARCHIVES

CLEO EDGE

Financial disaster was on the horizon resulting from CLEO’s funding being “zeroed out” of the federal budget.

1975

CLEO received its first federal funding. Congress recognized CLEO’s value and authorized its funding under the Higher Education Act.

By the 20th anniversary, over 4,000 students had successfully completed the summer institute and enrolled in ABA-accredited law schools across the country.

timeline THE CLEO EDGE:

1997

2000

CLEO, INC. ARCHIVES

2000

2002

2004

On the eve of its 30th anniversary under the leadership and direction of Chair William A. “Bud” Blakey, and Executive Director Cassandra Sneed Ogden, CLEO established the Consortium on Diversity in Legal Education and designed a new strategy to propel it into the 21st century. With education lobbyist and Chair Bud Blakey at the helm, Congress authorized the Thurgood Marshall Legal Educational Opportunity Program which would provide funding for CLEO throughout the current decade. The $4,000,000 Thurgood Marshall appropriation enabled CLEO to launch a new series of programs designed to impact students from secondary school through the bar examination. However, the summer institutes continued to be supported with private dollars. One hundred-thirty-two law schools participated in the CLEO Consortium on Diversity in Legal Education. Implemented online learning discussions and academic counselling.

FEATURE

2005

Other academic and legal educational partnership programs included: NBA Judicial Council Externship Partnership; ABA Section of Litigation Judicial Internship Program; ABA Section of Business Law Scholarship; ABA Judicial Clerkship Program; and MCCA Scholarship.

2005

CLEO received a grant from the Law School Admission Council to implement the LSAC/CLEO Road to Law School Outreach Program in North Carolina and Texas.

2008

CLEO’s Facebook Launch

• •

National Latina/o Law Student Association recruitment partnership.

Hispanic National Bar Foundation Future Latino Leaders Law Camp Partnership.

2009 2011 2012 2015

CLEO DiverCITY Network launched.

William A. Blakey CLEO Diversity Scholarship Awarded.

CLEO incorporated and received 501 (c)(3) certification.

CLEO transitions to independent operating corporation.

#CLEOAT50 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE WINTER/SPRING 2018

CLEO EDGE

Drake Law

Drake Law School is committed to creating an inclusive community that celebrates diverse perspectives and talents through programs including: • • • •

Drake Law Opportunity Scholarships Networking events with local professionals Diverse student organizations that offer support and leadership opportunities Law Opportunity Leadership Program, which provides paid internships and leadership training for underrepresented students

Drake Law School is a proud recipient of the CLEO Diversity Award and was inducted into CLEO’s inaugural group of William A. Blakey Diversity Pipeline Architects. Drake most recently hosted the CLEO Pre-Law Summer Institute in 2016. For more information visit www.drake.edu/law.

Educating Lawyers. Graduating Leaders. With a Carolina Law degree, you can go anywhere. UNC School of Law offers a broad legal education, applicable in many fields. We address the fundamentals of law early on, so students can customize their experience, building skill sets in practice areas of their own choosing. We also offer abundant opportunities to put what students learn in the classroom into practice, with robust clinical and externship programs, centers and moot court teams, and an award-winning pro bono program. Whether a student aims for private practice or public service, for corporate or government work, for a career at a national policy center or small-town practice, a Carolina Law degree will get you there.

Founded in 1845 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina Office of Admissions | 919.962.5109 | www.law.unc.edu @unc_law

F E AT U R E

What Does

IMMIGRATION STATUS

Have to Do with

By Maryam Ahranjani

Law School Diversity?

Although exact numbers are difficult to ascertain, one of the groups that seems underrepresented both

in higher education in general and in law school in particular is young people who are undocumented, many of whom ended up in the U.S. because they were brought as children by an adult family member or sent by family members. In Plyler v. Doe, the Supreme Court held that undocumented students cannot be prohibited from attending public, K-12 schools and recognized that “education provides the basic tools by which individuals might lead economically productive lives to the benefit of us all.”3 Under President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, undocumented students were given an opportunity to pursue higher education or work opportunities for a limited time without fear of removal from the United States.4 However, on Sept. 5, 2017, President Trump rescinded DACA, which simply means that there may be no new applicants to the program.5 Congress has been urged to act to create legislation in place of DACA.6

1 Sarah Redfield, The Education Pipeline to the Professions (Carolina Academic Press, 2012). 2 Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/15pdf/14-981_4g15.pdf (2016). 3 467 U.S. 202 (1982). 4 https://unitedwedream.org/about/projects/deferred-action/ visited on Oct. 9, 2017 5 https://www.uscis.gov/daca2017 visited on Oct. 9, 2017 6 For updates on DACA, check the National Immigration Law Center, Migration Policy Institute, United We Dream, and MALDEF, NALEO, and other web sites. 50

CLEO EDGE

WINTER/SPRING 2018 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE #CLEOAT50

MARIA SBYTOVA - STOCK.ADOBE.COM

The American Bar Association (ABA) convened its first diversity pipeline conference approximately 15 years ago with the main goal of “outing” the problem that law school enrollment and the legal profession at large do not reflect society. There is widespread recognition and concern that the legal profession is less diverse than other professions.1 Since then, and in many cases before that time, law schools have been explicit about trying to achieve a diverse student body by focusing on ethnicity, race, and national origin both in admissions and in student services. In fact, the Supreme Court recently reaffirmed the use of diversity in higher education admissions.2 The ABA and Law School Admissions Council (LSAC) have teamed up to produce and maintain a database of diversity programs with the goal of promoting models of success.

FEATURE

Recognizing the potential and vulnerable status of undocumented students, a number of states offer instate tuition and other supports for undocumented students.7 One of the strongest examples of state support is New Mexico. New Mexico state law explicitly prohibits discrimination against students based on their immigration status and provides in-state tuition and state funds to applicants who attended at least a year of secondary education in New Mexico and graduated or obtained a GED in New Mexico. 8 Although access to funding for graduate students (particularly medical and law students) is more limited, in-state tuition is relatively very low. In fact, various sources consistently rate UNM as a Top 20 school out of 205 ABA-accredited schools in terms of value by taking into account tuition, cost of living, average indebtedness upon graduation, employment rates, and bar passage rates.

However, even low tuition can be a barrier to undocumented law students, so serious efforts are underway to raise additional funds for undocumented graduate students. Besides funding for law school, other challenges include licensure and employment. New York and California already allow undocumented law graduates to become licensed attorneys, and other states, including New Mexico, soon may follow. Regardless of the rescission of DACA and whether Congress takes action, under Supreme Court precedent, students who are undocumented remain entitled to public, K-12 education, and many of them are entitled to higher education under state laws. Immigration status should not be a barrier to higher education. Not only do law schools have an educational interest in including diverse perspectives, including those of undocumented students, but all students benefit from learning with and from students who have lived in the shadows of our immigration system.

7 https://www.naspa.org/rpi/posts/in-state-tuition-for-undocumented-students-2017-state-level-analysis visited on Oct. 9, 2017. 8 http://uleadnet.org/map/new-mexico-policy and http://undocumented.unm.edu/ visited on Oct. 9, 2017.

We are

We are NeW Yorkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s LaW schooL

Advocates, pioneers, and thought leaders A proudly inclusive community The training ground for tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s champions in civil rights, business, government, and innovation

Since 1891

Learn about our Two-Year Honors, Three-Year Full-Time, and Four-Year Part-Time (evening) J.D. programs.

nyls.edu

185 West Broadway, New York, NY 10013 #CLEOAT50 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE WINTER/SPRING 2018

CLEO EDGE

F E AT U R E

Â©NITO - STOCK.ADOBE.COM

CLEO EDGE

WINTER/SPRING 2018 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE #CLEOAT50

Coming Out FEATURE

Admissions Process

in the

By Michael Donnelly-Boylen

Navigating the admissions process can be challenging for LGBTQ applicants. While American society has progressed on gay rights issues, uncertain times mean many students are still left with doubts about whether they should come out in their applications and whether they will be comfortable when they arrive at their law schools.

©NITO - STOCK.ADOBE.COM

Here are some commonly asked questions.

Should I come out? Law Schools are looking for students that will impact their classrooms and impact the legal community. They aren’t seeking a class filled with cookie-cutter law students who all come from the same background. In a Socratic Method classroom your background and life experiences will matter. Be your authentic self. Coming out can help law schools understand how you, as a well-rounded person, will contribute to their communities.

Will coming out hurt my chances? For the vast majority of law schools, the answer is no. During the admissions process there are many law school fairs held throughout the country. This is your opportunity to speak with the decision makers. Ask them for their advice. Almost all will encourage you to share your complete self with them. There may be a school or two that

give you a different answer. If that happens, you may want to ask yourself if you will be academically successful in a place where you have to hide a significant part of yourself. If the answer is no, you should find a school that better fits your needs.

How can I learn more about a law school’s LGBTQ climate? Besides attending law school fairs, you can also visit the website of the Law School Admissions Council which has a section dedicated to helping LGBTQ individuals identify law schools that fit their needs. Many law schools will have information about their LGBTQ climates listed on LSAC.org. You can also visit individual law school websites and search for key words like “LGBTQ,” “gay,” and “transgender” to see how frequently these topics are discussed online. These strategies can help you narrow (or expand) the list of law schools you are considering.

#CLEOAT50 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE WINTER/SPRING 2018

CLEO EDGE

F E AT U R E

Should I automatically exclude religious law schools? Absolutely not. Many out-LGBTQ students have been very successful at religiously-based law schools. If you are considering one of these schools, reach out and ask key questions to learn whether you will fit in. You may not be disappointed. If your own religious background is a key part of your identity and the school seems less welcoming, you may need to weigh a variety of competing factors to make this decision. Remember, your end goal is to successfully complete law school and to be positioned for success in your legal career.

How do I come out in my application? Some schools will ask about your LGBTQ status directly on the application. You can choose whether you answer or not. However, like any aspect of diversity, it is not about checking boxes. Schools are seeking students that will engage in the classroom. So it is appropriate to use your personal statement to explain how your background as an LGBTQ person has impacted your life and sense of self.

But I wanted my personal statement to center around another unique aspect of myself… Most law schools will accept an optional diversity essay. This gives you two canvases on which to paint your story. You do not have to fit every aspect of your diverse background into one essay in these cases. It is not unusual for students to write about their cultural experiences in one essay and discuss how their sexuality, gender identity, and/or gender expression impacts their identity in another essay. If a law school does not explicitly give a diversity essay option, you should reach out and ask the school if they are willing to consider your second essay. Many schools will say yes.

I am a transgender, gender nonconforming, or gender fluid applicant. How do I identify my gender on my application? Some law schools will offer more than just the gender binary options of male or female as part of their gender application question, but most do not. When this happens, you will need to choose the option that feels most appropriate to you. You can use your personal statement and/or your diversity essay to give schools a fuller picture of your identity, if you so choose. If you have already legally changed your name and gender, schools may still learn of your birth gender because of prior academic records. Consider engaging the schools on the topic before applying. Not only will you learn about how to best identify yourself, you will learn fairly quickly how ready the law school is to meet your needs. 54

CLEO EDGE

Be your authentic self. Coming out can help law schools understand how you, as a well-rounded person, will contribute to their communities. I am in! How do I decide where to go? Obviously, there are many factors that should impact your final decision about where to go to law school. Your status as a member of the LGBTQ community is just one of those factors. Make sure you visit any law school before making the final decision to attend. While there, make sure to ask questions about the topics that matter to you. You may want to consider asking whether a law school has an active LGBTQ student organization, whether there are out faculty members, and whether there is a course dedicated to LGBTQ topics. Also consider asking if they can put you in touch with LGBTQ students to hear about their experiences. Do your homework. While this is only one aspect of the decision, for many LGBTQ students, climate is important to their success.

Are there other factors a transgender, gender non-conforming, or gender fluid student should consider when choosing a school? While out lesbian, gay, and bisexual students have become commonplace at many law schools throughout the country, out transgender, gender non-conforming, and gender fluid students have not had the same levels of representation. This means that you are more likely to be called upon to be a pioneer; you may already be familiar with that role. Law schools can be very traditional with some professors insisting on calling students by the gender binary titles “Mr.” or “Ms.” Find out if they willing to consider using the gender neutral title “Counselor” instead. Ask if your pronoun choices will be honored in the classroom. Even when faculty are attuned to the issues and have the best intentions, you may still encounter pronoun issues in the classroom. Other questions to consider: how adept is career services at advising students who are gender non-conforming on professional business attire, is there a gender neutral bathroom policy at the law school, and will student health insurance cover your needs as a transgender student? The answers to these questions may affect your overall experience and, therefore, your academic success in law school. It is important to know what level of experience the law school has had, which battles have already been fought, and on which issues you may need to advocate.

WINTER/SPRING 2018 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE #CLEOAT50

McGuireWoods Promotes

McGuireWoods LLP is dedicated to the value of diversity & inclusion â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a commitment proven by the number of our partners in leadership roles who are of color, women or LGBT. With leaders like these, our diverse and women lawyers have promising futures.

McGuireWoods is proud to support the Council on Legal Education Opportunity, Inc.

Ava E. Lias-Booker, Chair, Diversity & Inclusion Committee Kelly N. Fullwood, Manager, Diversity & Inclusion kfullwood@mcguirewoods.com Gateway Plaza | 800 East Canal Street Richmond, VA 23219-3916

1,000 lawyers | 23 offices | www.mcguirewoods.com

T HE C L E O A DVA N TAG E

CLEO PRE-LAW SUMMER INSTITUTE

50 Years of Preparing

Successful Law School Students The following information should help you get on the CLEO

Since 1968, more than 10,000 persons from traditionally underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, low-income, and disadvantaged communities have been oriented to law school through CLEO’s rigorous, residential Pre-Law program that prepares students for law school. During the 2017 Summer Institute, 40 students—21 of whom were CLIC students—were selected to participate. The Institute, hosted at various law schools around the country, is designed to develop abstract thinking and legal writing, as well as analytical, test-taking, and study skills.

CLEO applications are accepted online only. To apply, please visit our website, http://cleoinc.org. First, you MUST register for the Credential Assembly Service (CAS) through the Law School Admission Council (www.LSAC.org). The CLEO CAS Code is 5096. After completing the CAS registration, you may then complete the application on the CLEO website. Be sure to READ THE INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY before you begin the Summer Institute application.

CLEO EDGE

track to becoming a successful law school student.

HOW DO I APPLY TO THE CLEO PRE-LAW SUMMER INSTITUTE?

Upon receipt of the application, CLEO will request an applicant’s CAS file from LSAC. You must take the LSAT by February, 2018, to be considered for the Pre-Law Summer Institute.

WINTER/SPRING 2018 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE #CLEOAT50

CLEO, INC. ARCHIVES

HOW DOES CLEO’S PRE-LAW SUMMER INSTITUTE WORK?

For 50 years, CLEO, the Council on Legal Education Opportunity, Inc. has worked diligently to provide PreLaw recruitment, counseling, placement assistance, and training to increase the number of qualified students in law school through its premier program the Pre-Law Summer Institute. Alumni testimonies to CLEO’s effectiveness come from federal judges to Members of Congress to successful businesspeople.

T H E CL EO A DVA N TAGE

Applicants for admission to the CLEO Pre-Law Summer Institute should: `` Have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university earned prior to the start of the CLEO Pre-Law Summer Institute

`` Pay a nonrefundable $30 application fee as part of the online application; only credit cards are accepted. No fee waivers will be granted.

`` Obtain LSAT scores and CAS subscription

`` Apply to at least one CLEO Consortium Partner School or Supporting/Sustaining Institution

`` Be prepared to upload a personal statement `` Apply online by February 28, 2018

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO ATTEND THE SUMMER INSTITUTE? The cost of participating in the CLEO Pre-Law Summer Institute is $2,500. This includes room and board for the duration of the institute, books and materials, and administrative costs. Transportation to the Summer Institute is not included. A nonrefundable $200 deposit is required within 10 days of being accepted into the Summer Institute program. The remaining $2,300 balance is due 20 days from the date of the acceptance letter. A nonprofit organization, CLEO, Inc. pays the law schools that host the Summer Institute a per student cost for her/ his pre-law experience. Many students are generally firstgeneration college graduates.

WHAT IS CLEO’S REFUND POLICY?

Note: Any changes in application information after its initial submission should be sent to bhayes@cleoinc.org.

If an applicant has been accepted to the Summer Institute, he/she will be notified by email.

WHAT ARE THE ACADEMIC CRITERIA FOR THE SUMMER INSTITUTE? The Pre-Law Summer Institute is designed to assist all persons from traditionally under-represented racial and ethnic groups, low-income, and disadvantaged communities seeking a solid preparation for the first year of law school. Most of the program participants have either already been accepted into a law school or have received a “conditional acceptance.” Students seeking law school placement assistance usually have marginal academic criteria (i.e., LSAT score and GPA which meet a law school’s admission standards, but are in the lower percentile), yet have other indicators of a strong likelihood for success. Although CLEO is extremely liberal with respect to academic eligibility, it is unlikely that a student with an LSAT score and GPA in the lowest percentile will be selected without a strong recommendation from a CLEO Partner School or Supporting/ Sustaining Institution.

HOW DOES CLEO MAKE ITS DECISION? Admission to the CLEO Pre-Law Summer Institute program is selective. Each year hundreds of applications are received for consideration. In an effort to increase diversity for members of underrepresented groups in the legal profession, CLEO considers such factors as age and economic, educational, ethnic, and geographic backgrounds. Admissions decisions are the responsibility of the CLEO Admissions Committee, Summer Institute Directors, and the admissions deans/directors of the CLEO Consortium on Diversity in Legal Education.

A nonrefundable $200 deposit is required within 10 days of being accepted into the Summer Institute program. The remaining $2,300 balance is due 20 days from the date of the acceptance letter. A 90% refund of the $2,300 will be granted provided that the request is made in writing and received in the CLEO office by April 28, 2018. NO refunds will be made for cancellations received after April 28, 2018.

WHERE ARE THE INSTITUTE LOCATIONS? The Summer Institute locations vary from year to year. Most recently, they have been held at Mitchell Hamline School of Law. Students are generally assigned to a location away from their permanent residence so they can devote their full attention to the program. All participants must reside in the dormitory. The Institute begins in early June.

DOES CLEO OFFER PLACEMENT ASSISTANCE? CLEO participants who successfully complete the CLEO Pre-Law Summer Institute program and demonstrate a probability of success in law school are certified as CLEO Fellows and are eligible to receive law school placement assistance. CLEO Institute Directors devote substantial energy to secure active consideration of those participants who have not gained admission to law school, either prior to or during the course of the institute, by CLEO consortium partner schools and supporting institutions. While every effort is made to place all Summer Institute participants, CLEO cannot guarantee that all certified CLEO Fellows will be admitted to an ABA-approved law school at the conclusion of the Institute.

CLEO does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, or disability regarding admission, access to, treatment, or employment in its programs and activities. For further information or to apply online, please visit our website at cleoinc.org. #CLEOAT50 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE WINTER/SPRING 2018

CLEO EDGE

HON. DENNY CHIN ’78 Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit

KHADIJAH SHARIF-DRINKARD ’97 Vice President, Associate General Counsel, Viacom Media Networks & BET Networks

ANDY HINTON ’89 Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer, Google

VIANNY M. PICHARDO ’08 Senior Associate, Anderson Kill P.C. President, The Dominican Bar Association

From our origin as a gateway school for newly arrived immigrants to our role as a leader in 21st-century legal education, Fordham Law School has continually nurtured talented students who pursue diverse careers around the globe. Join the vibrant Fordham Law community.

law.fordham.edu

Come see for yourself.

For more than 165 years, Cumberland School of Law has equipped future lawyers with knowledge of the law and valuable skills in a supportive environment where every 6th in the Nation, Trial student is valued. Part of Advocacy, U.S. News & Samford University, the World Report (2017) law school’s close-knit community offers students 25+ Active Student Organizations and 2 a superior education with Student Journals exceptional academics, personalized instruction 9th in the Nation, Best Quality of Life, Princeton by a faculty dedicated to Review (2017) teaching, peer support from the nation’s top students and 8 Joint Degree Programs community involvement in the thriving metropolitan city of 9,000+ Active Alumni Birmingham, Alabama.

TO VISIT CAMPUS, observe a class, speak with current students and talk with the admission office at Cumberland School of Law, call 800-888-7213 or email lawadm@samford.edu.

EDUCATING LAWYERS WITH A

PASSION FOR LAW AND A

PURPOSE FOR LIFE

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APPLY TODAY AND LET LIBERTY LAW HELP YOU FIND YOUR PASSION FOR LAW AND PURPOSE FOR LIFE.

lawcareer@liberty.edu (434) 592-5300 Liberty.edu/Law facebook.com/LibertyUniversityLaw

T HE C L E O A DVA N TAG E

LSAC AND CLEO WORKING TOGETHER TO ACHIEVE

DIVERSITY

IN THE LEGAL PROFESSION By Kent D. Lollis

This past year, the LSAC Board voted nearly $450,000 in direct and matching gifts to CLEO upon the occasion of its 50th anniversary. In addition to direct support (totaling $300,000), LSAC issued a challenge to CLEO to match contributions of up to $150,000 received in celebration of its 50 years dedicated to making the dream of legal careers possible for hundreds of minority students.

and financial support for CLEO since its founding. One of the most successful results from this partnership was in 1988 when LSAC, along with the American Bar Association and the Association of American Law Schools, celebrated CLEO’s 20th anniversary with a conference in Washington, DC. Julius Chambers, renowned legal educator and civil rights activist, delivered a powerful keynote speech that emphasized the need to continue to fight for equal rights by, among other activities, making it possible for more lawyers from racial and ethnic groups to be represented in the legal profession.

Two major initiatives were launched as a result of the issues discussed at CLEO’s 20th anniversary—the Bar Passage Study and the Academic Support Initiative. In response to questions raised about the bar passage The 2017 gift is a continuation of LSAC’s programming success of minority law school graduates, LSAC 60

CLEO EDGE

WINTER/SPRING 2018 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE #CLEOAT50

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Since CLEO was founded, LSAC—through its governance structure—has recognized the vital importance of CLEO’s mission to diversify the legal profession and supported CLEO in a number of ways. “Support for diversity in general and the activities of CLEO, in particular, is vital to the as-yet-unrealized mission to make the legal profession reflective of the diverse population it serves,” says Kellye Y. Testy, president and CEO of the Law School Admission Council.

T H E CL EO A DVA N TAGE

launched the National Longitudinal Bar Passage Study. The study dismissed the myth that minority students were unsuccessful on the bar exam. The study found that “the eventual bar passage rate for all study participants was 94.8 and was 84.7 percent for students of color.” Another project that grew from the 20th Anniversary Conference was LSAC’s academic assistance initiative. LSAC supported the development of academic support programs and provided a vehicle for the training and development of faculty and staff who direct academic support programs. The initiative was responsible for over 20 national and regional training workshops. By the beginning of the 21st century, most law schools reported having comprehensive academic support and bar passage programs as a result of this effort. Another area where LSAC has been supportive of CLEO was in providing data to support CLEO’s mission. Even though CLEO’s funding came largely from the federal government, the funding was frequently challenged by hostile Departments of Education that questioned

not only the need for CLEO, but also the effectiveness of its programs. LSAC shared data that supported CLEO’s mission whenever possible. In the 1990s, LSAC guaranteed CLEO’s Summer Institutes so that member law schools who hosted the institutes would be protected if they failed to raise the amounts needed to host the summer institutes. When, in 1993, with no advance notice, the Department of Education decided to stop funding used for stipends to CLEO scholars, LSAC stepped in by guaranteeing $378,000 in funding to CLEO fellows in the second and third years of law school. This critical financial support allowed those CLEO fellows to complete their legal studies. The goal of diversifying the legal profession continues, and CLEO and LSAC are firmly committed to that goal. The 50th anniversary is a perfect opportunity to reflect on the cooperation of the two organizations in making the dream a reality.

- Flexible 2-, 3- and 4-year J.D. options - Great Brooklyn location in the heart of vibrant cultural, civic and legal communities - Committed to diversity and inclusion since its founding in 1901 - A proud legacy of trailblazers in the law • Sumner Lark ‘16, the first African-American Assistant District Attorney of New York City • Frieda B. Hennock ‘24, the first female Federal Communications Commissioner • Percy Sutton ‘50, civil rights icon and the first African-American borough president • Honorable David N. Dinkins ‘56, the first African-American Mayor of New York City • Herman Badillo ‘74, the first U.S. congressman of Puerto Rican descent

Learn more at brooklaw.edu #CLEOAT50 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE WINTER/SPRING 2018

CLEO EDGE

WINTER/SPRING 2018 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE #CLEOAT50

COURTESY OF SUBJECT

You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to be perfect but you have to be passionate.

SP OTLIGHT

craigbass

CLEO COLLEGE SCHOLAR

Q1. How did you find out about CLEO? Thankfully CLEO found me. A few days after attending the 2016 GW Law School fair, I received and email from CLEO, inviting me to participate in the CLEO connection Pre-Law program.

Q2. When did you realize you wanted to attend law school? I traveled for almost 2 years as a Christian missionary, visiting over 11 countries and spending at least a month in each one. I lived and served among the people in some of the poorest communities of those countries. The poverty I witnessed pained me so deeply that I knew that I had to do something. Shortly after returning to the United States, I realized that a career in law was the route I wanted to take to fight global poverty.

Q5. Select one of the CLEO programs you attended. What portion of that program was most beneficial to you and why? Achieving Success in the Application Process (ASAP) was my favorite program by far. The personal statement portion was most beneficial to me because it prompted me to get a jump start on my personal statement. Not only did I get a jump start, but my statement was reviewed by a law school admission officer. I was encouraged to hear that my statement was impressive and I was given suggestions on how to improve it.

Q6. Do you plan to attend any future CLEO events? Absolutely! My goal being the 1L Prep-Attitude Is Essential program.

Q3. What did you learn during the various CLEO programs?

Q7. Do you have any advice for other aspiring lawyers?

The law school admission process is marathon and not a sprint. Just like anything worthwhile, the process takes time and careful preparation.

Take Responsibility! This is your law school journey. You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to be perfect but you have to be passionate. Take that passion and put it into everything you do.

Q4. How has the CLEO programs influenced your preparation for law school?

Q8. Do you have any additional comments about CLEO?

The CLEO programs immediately plugged me into a rich community of prospective students, current law students, law school admission officers, and practicing lawyers. This influenced my preparation for law school by helping me build a strategic network of peers and mentors.

The CLEO community is an encouraging and nurturing one and I am a much better Law School candidate because of it. Keep up the great work!

#CLEOAT50 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE WINTER/SPRING 2018

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WINTER/SPRING 2018 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE #CLEOAT50

COURTESY OF SUBJECT

I felt like I was one step ahead of most of my classmates.

SP OTLIGHT

mariaalonso CLEO LAW STUDENT

Q1. What was your course of study in college?

Q6. What helped you cope with the stress of law school?

Education at The University of Texas at Austin.

My family and good time management skills. During my first year of law school I set-up a weekly schedule that I still follow now. I am very effective with my school work Monday through Saturday and I take Sunday afternoons off to spend time with my husband and family, and just relax.

Q2. How did you become interested in pursuing law? I decided to attend law school my third year in college after a close family friend was affected by the immigration laws. I realized how much of an impact an attorney has on people’s lives, thus I decided that I wanted to pursue a career as an attorney. Also, I realized that as a woman and a minority I needed to bring the perspective of underrepresented communities into the legal field. Most importantly, I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and challenge myself.

Q7. After law school, what are your legal career plans? I plan to practice Labor and Employment or Corporate law in Dallas, Texas.

Q8. What are you doing presently?

Q3. What steps did you take to prepare for law school?

I am interning at the Dallas City Attorney’s Office for the rest of the summer.

I graduated early from college during my junior year and started working at a law firm. I worked as paralegal for two years while I saved money and studied for the LSAT.

Q9. Do you volunteer with any legal organizations?

Q 4. How did you find out about CLEO? When I was a college junior, I found out about CLEO from a pre-law e-mail I received from UT Austin.

Q 5. What benefits did you receive by participating in the CLEO Six-Week Summer Institute or the AIE? Participating in the CLEO Six-Week Summer Institute was a great experience. While my classmates were learning how to brief cases, outline, figure out study methods that worked for them; I had already learned all of this during the Summer Institute. Also, in the spring of my 1L year I felt very prepared for oral arguments during our Moot Court Competition, because I had already participated in one. Overall, I felt like I was one step ahead of most of my classmates because the law school experience was not new to me. I have done very well academically in law school and I believe a big part of my accomplishment was my participating in the Summer Institute.

Yes, I have volunteered at the Legal Aid of Northwest Texas which provides free civil legal services to low income residents in throughout North and West Texas. Also, I am part of the Dallas Hispanic Bar Association. Its purpose is to promote the social, economic, educational, and civic advancement of the DFW Metroplex Hispanic community by making the legal system more accessible to the Hispanic community and more responsive to its needs.

Q10. Do you have any advice for future lawyers? Stay motivated and don’t let obstacles keep you from accomplishing your goals.

Q11. What is your favorite motivational quote? “If you don’t build your dream, someone will hire you to help build theirs.”

Q12. Anything else you’d like to add? I am very thankful the CLEO, because it not only prepared me for law school but expanded my professional network with CLEO alumni across the country.

#CLEOAT50 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE WINTER/SPRING 2018

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The NBI was established to facilitate the public's understanding of contemporary legal issues, to ensure quality legal educational opportunities for all Americans and to enhance the quality of legal services provided to people of color and the poor. Since its founding in 1982, the NBI has established an endowment and implemented successful programs including awarding scholarships to college and law students. In addition, the NBI contributed to financial support for publication of the NBA Magazine commemorating the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, the National Black Law Students Association (NBLSA) Frederick Douglas Moot Court Competition, the National Conference on African-American Women and the Law, and the Council for Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO).

National Bar Institute

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Picture yourself at NYU Law At NYU School of Law, we are committed to excellence, innovation, diversity, and student success. Watch videos of these recent graduates talking about their experience: experience.law.nyu.edu Find information on how to apply, scholarship programs, financial aid, and more: law.nyu.edu/jdadmissions

T HE C L E O A DVA N TAG E

MISSION:

Access CLEO Legally Inspired Cohort (CLIC) Produces 15 New Scholars

By Bernetta J. Hayes

When CLIC became a reality in the fall of 2015, after receiving a $125,000 grant from Access Group (now AccessLex), CLEO focused on providing 20 students a new path to law school. Using a play on words, we launched CLIC (sounds like “clique” and refers to a group or cohort) in December 2015, to address many of the traditional “hurdles” that prevented some minority and economically disadvantaged students from entering law school. These obstacles include, but are not limited to: • Financial considerations (offset by receiving financial assistance) • Feelings of isolation (offset by pre-established “CLIC”) • Lack of preparation (offset by participation in CLEO’s Pre-Law Summer Institute) • Limited infrastructure support (offset by partnerships with law schools, firms, and other organizations).

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of law school study. Moreover, there was a one-week, team-building, bonding experience to help Scholars to transition to CLEO’s partner law schools which desired more diversity.

WINTER/SPRING 2018 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE #CLEOAT50

CLEO, INC. ARCHIVES

Over the next 13 months CLIC addressed these issues by preparing students at a one-week, online literacy course and a four-week residential seminar that consisted of a rigorous overview of the academic and other success mindset skills needed to complete the first year

T H E CL EO A DVA N TAGE

CLIC'S STEPS TO COMPLETE MISSION:

SUPPORTIVE TEAM NETWORK

ACCESS TO MENTORS

TEST PREP SEMINAR

SKILLS WEBINAR

CAREER CONNECTIONS

After the sixth week of study, the CLEO-CLIC 1. Supportive team network Admissions Committee, along with law school 2. Access to academic and professional mentors admissions officials, reviewed the progress of the CLIC 3. A fall webinar focused on test-taking skills participants and determined that five students were ineligible to enter the CLIC Program. As a result, 15 4. An online test prep seminar students or 75% of the cohort participants were certified 5. Career connections as CLIC Scholars. The breakdown of student cohorts at the four partner law schools is: Drake University Law Today, 15 students have defied the odds and become School – three students; the University of Idaho College 2L students at the four partner law schools. This proves of Law – five students; Mitchell Hamline School of CLEO’s hypothesis: Law – three students; and Vermont Law School – four (1) If a diverse student is prepared; students. The CLIC Scholars received continuous academic, financial, and other support services provided by both CLEO and the partner law schools. They received these services throughout the first year of study:

(2) If that student has a peer group support network; and (3) If that student has a nurturing and supportive legal community then these minority law students should be successful law school students and graduate.

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M O N E Y M ATT E RS

Financial Planning for Law School By Mario Villa

Think about your last big dream vacation. Weeks, months, even years go into preparing for such an experience: you read reviews/blogs, learn about flights, and talking with people who have been there. Take this same approach towards planning how to finance your legal education. Ultimately, a law degree is an investment in you and your future. Be debt-avers: plan your law school finances.

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WINTER/SPRING 2018 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE #CLEOAT50

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median salary for bar passage required jobs is $66,499 and the national mean is $93,447. When you look at just the cost of tuition, you would pay over $100,000 at over 100 law schools according to statistics found on the U.S. News and World Report rankings of law schools. That does not include living expenses, the cost of relocating to attend law school, or the bar exam course. Many students are not prepared for the actual, comprehensive cost of a legal In the U.S. today, it is highly unlikely that the total cost of education. a legal education – from applying, to going to law school, to getting licensed – will be less than the amount of a To get a more accurate picture of the complete cost of starting salary for recent law graduates. The National a legal education, it is important to look at three stages Association for Law Placement or NALP (www.nalp.org) that you will finance and to create a financial plan that provides summaries and statistics on the legal job market. addresses each stage. Suggestions to avoid financial According to NALP’s Class of 2016 report, the national pitfalls are below.

MO NEY MATTE RS

The Applicant Stage Be financially smart about the LSAT, applying to law school, and transitional costs (plan for $3,000) Applying to law school includes fees and expenses that you may previously have not anticipated. Take the time to calculate how much money you have available to put towards this stage. If your disposable funds are minimal, you may want to consider earning and saving some money first. Identify each law school’s application deadline and use a calendar to map out when you should register for the Law School Admissions Test or LSAT exam. Pick test dates and testing locations that will give you plenty of time to adequately prepare and meet application deadlines. Keep in mind that if you need to switch dates or test centers, you will be charged a $100 fee for each change. Plan ahead, pick a date and testing center, and stick to it. A great LSAT performance can turn into admission offers and significant scholarships, but preparation for the exam can add costs. Pick an effective preparation method by asking yourself, how do I study best? Is it through a classroom course, online classes, group studying, selfstudying or with a tutor? Ask your Pre-Law advisor for guidance on LSAT prep options in your local area and find the best deal before adding those costs. Spend time researching law schools because each one will charge an application fee. The Law School Admissions Council or LSAC has a fee waiver program by application based on financial hardship. If granted, this waiver provides two free administrations of the LSAT ($180 each) and the Credential Assembly Service or CAS fee ($185). It also provides four CAS school reports ($35 each) and an LSAT prep study guide. If you obtain an LSAC fee waiver, you earn an application fee waiver to many law schools automatically. If you cannot obtain an LSAC waiver, you may be able to obtain an application fee waiver from each law school directly, but you will have to budget for the LSAC services costs (including the LSAT registration fee). Ask questions about scholarships to financial aid officers. That includes asking about scholarship conditions and requirements, renewal procedures, and deadlines to apply. Plan to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as early as possible. The FAFSA becomes available every October 1 and requires tax information from the prior-prior year. Once you receive a full financial aid package from each law school, you must compare each package to see what your three-year out-of-pocket cost will be for each option. Look at employment statistics

and salary information that is available with the Career Services office at each law school. These figures could warrant a decision to matriculate to a law school that costs more, but will provide a pathway to potentially stronger employment outcomes. Would you make a $100,000+ purchase blindly? You owe it to yourself to visit each of your top choice law schools to ensure that it is a great fit for you and that you can envision success in that environment. Some law schools may offer travel stipends or travel scholarships to visit. It never hurts to ask courteously. Budget for travel costs which may include flights, rental cars, lodging, food, and business casual or business professional clothing, if necessary.

“Many students are not prepared for the actual, comprehensive cost of a legal education.” Once you narrow your choice to only one or two law schools, you will pay a seat deposit of anywhere from $200 to $1,000 for each school to remain in their entering class. Some schools will charge a second deposit later in the spring or early summer to ensure your commitment. Finally, budget for the move to law school. Unfortunately, federal guidelines do not allow financial aid for moving costs like apartment application fees and deposits, moving vans, furniture, initiation fees for utilities, or travel costs. This is where downsizing and selling unwanted, gently used items can assist with moving costs. When you consider all of these costs, you may easily surpass $2,000, if not more. It would be prudent to budget $3,000 for the law school application stage.

#CLEOAT50 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE WINTER/SPRING 2018

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M O N E Y M ATT E RS

The Law Student Stage Live like a law student, not like an established lawyer in law school After choosing your school, align your personal budget with the cost-of-attendance amount provided by the Financial Aid office. This amount covers expenses during the academic year. After tuition and fees, you will have an allowance for housing or room/board (which includes food), a travel allowance, an allowance for books and supplies, a miscellaneous allowance, and loan fees. Your law school may add expenses for required items like student health insurance or to use specific facilities on campus. If you do not understand the purpose for certain line items in the cost-of-attendance, ASK QUESTIONS! Most law students receive all of their financial aid in one lump-sum up front each term. Therefore, it is important to be aware of your personal financial habits. Are you someone that easily spends money if it is in your wallet or purse, or are you someone that can hold onto money without spending it? Knowing your financial personality provides the strategy in how you should approach money management. Some law students take all of the financial aid that is available and return unused funds because they know they will not spend the extra money frivolously. Others only take the only financial aid that they absolutely need, not what they can, because they know they will spend the extra money otherwise. Each dollar you borrow in student loans will be paid back with interest. Cut discretionary habits that are

not useful for law school. Find a roommate so you can share utilities. Do you find yourself using food for entertainment rather than nutrition? Learn to cook and prepare meals more often so that you can resist buying your lunch every day. Look at your calendar and know when you may be at events where meals are provided so you can trim your weekly grocery spending. Take advantage of the resources on your campus. More than likely you are paying mandatory student fees for things like the use of student and recreation centers. Understand that if you are using federal student loans to pay for the entire cost-of-attendance and have no additional income, you may not be able to attend every bachelor/bachelorette party, wedding, or personal event. Continue to look for scholarships as a current law student. The Financial Aid office should be able to provide resources for additional funding opportunities. Start to create your plan for the bar preparation period after graduation. If you receive extra money, put it aside for bar prep or the next transition. Talk to Financial Aid about anticipatory and irregular expenses that may not be covered in the cost-ofattendance. You want to try to see all the costs up front. How much is it to rent a carrel or a locker? What are dues for organizations or journals? Are there printing costs, copying costs, or costs for other office services? Do you have to pay for parking? When do you obtain financial aid for the semester and the upcoming semester? Do you need to have funds set aside if you are not in summer school? These questions are valid and will help you plan.

You are also strongly discouraged from working your first year as a law student. However, law schools may have work-study or part-time jobs that are available as a 2L or 3L student. That is a great way to earn additional income to either mitigate borrowing or to save for bar exam prep course and living expenses while studying for the bar exam. 72

CLEO EDGE

WINTER/SPRING 2018 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE #CLEOAT50

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Instead of asking for that brand new purse or that new gaming system for the holidays or your birthday, ask for more practical items to cut down your law school expenses. Gift cards to purchase professional clothing for job interviews, gift cards for grocery stores, gift cards for Target or Walmart, gas/airline gift cards for travel are much better items to receive to reduce your borrowing in upcoming academic terms.

MO NEY MATTE RS

The Law Graduate Stage Start looking at your plan to transition financially out of law school after your second year

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One of the best resources to keep track of your federal student loans is the National Student Loan Data System (www.nslds.ed.gov). Before the start of your third year, you should go back and look at the current status of your loan to review the information about interest rates, grace periods, and repayment options. As soon as you obtain employment, there are several loan calculators available to begin estimating repayment. Make appointments with Financial Aid to go through the process and learn about exit counseling and incomedriven repayment plans. National student loan policy expert Heather Jarvis is an excellent resource on loan repayment options and has valuable information through her website (http://www.askheatherjarvis.com/). Your marital status and how you file taxes as a married couple could have implications on what you would owe in your repayment plan. If you are moving after law school, look online at cost-ofliving indicators for common goods in your new location. Sometimes I refer students to www.paycheckcity.com or other paycheck estimators to get a better estimate of their net pay after taxes. Other expenses to plan for include the bar preparation course and materials, licensing costs from the state bar where you are taking the exam, and living expenses while

you are studying for the bar. If you do not have around $15,000 of money saved, you would be best served by looking into a private bar study loan from a financial institution of your choice. Some law graduates continue to interview for jobs after graduation and that may result in additional costs for travel and professional clothing. In addition, some graduates find themselves in temporary employment while they wait to start their legal jobs. For example, most government and public service organizations are not able to hire new attorneys until they have passed the bar exam and been sworn in as licensed members of the bar.

Develop a forward-thinking financial mindset In conclusion, it is very important to plan for and estimate the complete, comprehensive cost of a legal education. Set a goal to revisit your financial plan at least once a month for an hour or two and focus on what is ahead financially for the next month, three months, or semester. Are you sticking to your financial plan? Are there any changes that can be made? Are they any new resources available or ways to continue to cut costs effectively? With enough planning ahead, you will be as prepared as possible to focus on doing well in law school academically and to ultimately meet your dream of joining the legal profession. #CLEOAT50 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE WINTER/SPRING 2018

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With more than 100 course offerings, 16 clinics, 11 student journals, and over 30 student organizations, Texas Law has opportunities for every student in every area of specialty. Our large and powerful alumni network reaches across the globe, including almost 1000 black alumni and over 2100 Hispanic alumni in the highest levels of the legal profession, all committed to our current students and their mentorship. At Texas Law, you get a world-class education without top-tier debt. Our tuition isn’t just competitive—for in-state students, its more than $20K lower than any other school in the Top 20.

Educating the world’s lawyers for 130 years in a diverse community and a dynamic city “I think Texas Law is the best place in the world to be a law student. Our academic program is top of the line and we have the biggest and best clinical program of any of our peers. We’re the #1 supplier of talent to the best employers in the strongest economic region of the country and we are consistently named the “Best Return on Investment” of any top law school. And it all happens in Austin, the fastest-growing and most-interesting city in America. But don’t take my word for it—come visit us and see for yourself!”

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law.utexas.edu 512-232-1200 admissions@law.utexas.edu On twitter @TxLawAdmissions

COL L E GE S CH O LA RS

CLOSING THE PRE-LAW TRANSFER GAP:

SUCCESSFUL TRANSITIONS

FROM COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO UNIVERSITY programs, LSAT practice exams, and other pre-law activities that are normally For transfer students, the transition offered to university sophomores. from community college to university When a student transfers their junior during the sophomore and junior years year, they may be overwhelmed as they comes at an important time in the law navigate a new university and miss school preparation process. In their out on valuable time for LSAT prep, second year of college, community internships, and exploration of potential college students must choose a transfer law schools. program and apply for admission and financial aid. Since many community colleges lack pre-law advisors or programming, many of these students may miss the opportunity to take advantage of law school prep summer By Julie Lantrip

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WINTER/SPRING 2018 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE #CLEOAT50

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What can you do as a community college student to ensure that you do not get lost in this transfer gap?

CO L L EG E SCH OLARS

PREPARING FOR THE LEAP There are several steps that community college students can take through their community college, regardless of whether a specific pre-law advisor or programming is offered.

1. Focus on transfer core classes while at the community college. Like many pre-law students, you may be eager to take law related courses and, unlike university freshmen or sophomores who have the option to take an upper level Constitutional Law class, for example, your community college degree plan only allows for basic courses. Paralegal or similar courses may be tempting, but frustrating as it may be, you should avoid them unless you have confirmed that your transfer university will take them as part of your regular degree plan.

2. Let your community college academic advisor know that you are considering law school, and ask if there is a pre-law advisor on campus. Sometimes due to time constraints, academic advisors may not have time to go into detail about your plans beyond your Bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. Unlike pre-med students, pre-law has no specific major or required courses, so discussing your major is not going to make it obvious that you are pre-law unless you are upfront about your goal to practice law. If available, your advisor may refer you to a specific prelaw advisor for your college. If not, ask if there is a pre-law advisor. Although many community colleges do not have a specific pre-law advisor, your advisor may know of a faculty or staff member with a background in pre-law who is willing to serve as a pre-law mentor. If the advisor does not have any suggestions, contact the political science, social science, or related departments. Many practicing attorneys serve as adjuncts for community college courses in American Government, Business Law or other fields. Though someone with a law degree is not necessarily trained to advise pre-law students, they may be able to provide general guidance on legal careers, skills that are important for law school, and leads for potential local internships.

3. Think outside the box on extracurricular participation, both at the community college and your future transfer school. Many community college students are trying to make ends meet or raise a family, and find it hard to make time for weekly extracurricular activities. According to the American Association of Community Colleges, nearly one third of community college students have children (compared to 12% at four year colleges), and over 60% of full time community college students have jobs. However, most community colleges are aware of this and have events, clubs, and honor societies that work around their studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; schedules, including evening or lunchtime meetings and clubs for parents and veterans. Some colleges also offer leadership workshops, conferences, or activities that provide experience and skills development in concentrated formats that require missing work or hiring a baby sitter for one or two days instead of weekly. I have had students involved in our collegeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Leadership Institute, which offers a certificate for completing at least three day-long workshops, and Community College Day, which provides free travel and training for students who lobby our state legislature for a day. Experiences do not have to be weekly commitments to demonstrate to law school admissions that you have been working on leadership and communication skills. You may be able to combine your extracurricular work with course credit, even at the community college level. Though most community colleges do not offer designated internship credit the way most universities do, faculty sometimes offer credit for service learning, conference presentations, or internships as class projects. For example, I have allowed students from our moot court team to use their case research as graded class projects, and this year several faculty and I are offering an immigration clinic internship as a graded project for sections of Technical Writing, Spanish and American Government. Ask around to see if you can find faculty, departments, or honors programs that offer these options, even if it is not in your major field.

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CLOSING THE TRANSFER GAP Even while at the community college, remember that you are also a future university student. As you make your transfer choice, you should become familiar with the resources available at the university, including the pre-law advisor, clubs and activities, and other programs.

1. Pre-law programming and assistance at transfer schools should be one of your criteria for choosing a program, but not the only one. During your second year at community college, you will need to select a transfer university. While proximity and financial considerations are often top criteria for transfer decisions, pre-law programming and assistance are also important for you as a pre-law student. At a minimum, you should look for a university that can offer you pre-law advising and assistance with the law school application process. Since there is no specific major required by law schools, pre-law degrees are not the norm. The fact that a university does not have a specific pre-law degree, certificate or program need not eliminate that university. Many offer pre-law opportunities outside of class, such as a pre-law club or society, moot court or mock trial, mentorship programs, or law-related internships that can be equally important on your law school application and your decision to pursue a law career. In some cases, research fellowships, internships, or honors programs can build the skills you will need for law school, even if they are not specifically under a pre-law program. The university needs to be a good fit for you in terms of size, faculty accessibility, financial aid, pre-law opportunities, and other personal considerations. In other words, consider the total package that a transfer university offers.

2. Ask representatives from transfer universities to connect you with their pre-law advisor. As you make your transfer decision, you will likely visit your college’s transfer office and attend transfer fairs. When you make contact with the transfer universities that you are considering, ask about pre-law programming and get the contact information for the pre-law program, pre-law advisor, or the most relevant department. Early contact allows you to create a personal connection with the person(s) who may be guiding you through the law school application process in the near future. If there is a pre-law advisor or office, they can give you an overview of what 78

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pre-law options are available at the transfer school and help you determine if the university is a good fit for you, since law school preparation will be an important part of your university experience.

3. Once you decide on a transfer university, meet with the university’s pre-law advisor, preferably by the beginning of the semester before you transfer. If you’re transferring in the fall, for example, meet with the pre-law advisor as early in the spring as you can. Waiting until fall may mean missing out on scholarships with Spring deadlines, as well as summer law school preparation programs that can be beneficial after your sophomore year. This early contact is even more important if your community college does not have a pre-law advisor. Pre-law advisors at transfer universities will likely be happy to hear from you earlier rather than later. The university pre-law advisors that I have worked with have noted that one of the biggest problems they face with transfer students is lack of contact when they first arrive. I have heard sad tales about transfer students who do not contact the pre-law advisor until well into their senior year and miss law school application deadlines. Unless you know that you want to take time off after graduating, you should at the latest be in touch with the pre-law advisor no later than when you first arrive at the transfer school. I have yet to find a university pre-law advisor who did not gladly help an incoming transfer student. If you do not have a pre-law advisor at your community college, have your academic advisor, transfer center, or the transfer university’s admissions office help you set up a meeting with the prelaw advisor, perhaps as part of your campus tour, or feel free to contact the pre-law advisor directly. What should you ask in your meeting with the transfer university’s pre-law advisor, especially if you have not had a pre-law advisor at your community college? Here are some example questions: ``

Are there specific certificates, minors or other programs at the university for pre-law students?

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Are there workshops to help with law school applications or LSAT preparation?

What pre-law activities are available? How much time commitment do they normally require?

Is there anything that you recommend doing during the summer before I arrive? During my first semester?

Which classes and/or professors do you recommend to prepare for law school?

Are you available to assist with degree plans and my initial fall schedule?

Are there relevant internship opportunities that offer class credit or stipends, or grants available for research or conference attendance?

Is it possible to meet with pre-law students from your program before I transfer, especially transfer pre-law students?

Are there events at your university that I could benefit from attending before I transfer?

Do you know of any CLEO or LSAC workshops, law school caravans or open house events, or summer programs in the area that I should consider attending now?

Your pre-existing relationship with the university pre-law advisor, program and students can aid in your transition and help you prioritize activities that will be most beneficial.

4. Attend events at your Transfer University, summer programs and/or law school events before, during and after your transfer. Both at the community college and your transfer school, if you are headed for law school, you are a pre-law student. Take advantage of the pre-law opportunities in your area. If you have a pre-law advisor at your community college, they may provide you with pre-law event announcements, but if not, contact your future transfer pre-law advisor and see if they can include you on their announcements. Depending on the university and program, many transfer schools will allow you as a future transfer student to attend events that are appropriate for freshmen and sophomores, such as Pre-Law Day, pre-law club events, law school caravans, and diversity in the law seminars, and in some cases even LSAT practice exam workshops and law school preview days. Attending events and meeting other prelaw students can also help finalize your choice of transfer school, if you were unsure. In the end, this contact prior to transfer is a win-win. You have an easier transition to the transfer university, and the transfer university’s pre-law program gains a well-informed transfer student who does not fall into the “transfer gap”.

#CLEOAT50 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE WINTER/SPRING 2018

CLEO EDGE

CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY FOWLER SCHOOL OF LAW

A Dynamic & Collaborative Private Law School in the Heart of Orange County, California • Accessible faculty members and collegial student body

• Highly personalized education • Strong emphasis on practical legal skills

• Award-winning advocacy teams U.S. and international competitions

• Free comprehensive in-house Bar Exam Preparation Program

• Acclaimed scholars, professors, and clinicians

• Located on the beautiful 82-acre Chapman University campus

• High-impact alumni network

• Jobs and internships in Southern California and beyond

• Merit-based scholarships available • Minutes from world class beaches, shopping, dining, and entertainment

• ABA accredited and Association of American Law Schools member

Come see what the buzz is about. Schedule a visit today! • 714-628-2500 • lawadmission@chapman.edu • www.chapman.edu/law

One University Drive Orange, CA 92866 For general information about accreditation, contact the ABA Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar at 321 N. Clark Street, 21st Floor, Chicago, IL 60654, (312) 988-6738, legaled@americanbar.org

boston college law one community "What makes BC Law so special? My answer has always been the same: this is an unbelievably supportive community, where faculty, administrators, students, and alumni come together to create a vibrant academic and social experience." —Tracey West, Associate Dean for External Relations, Diversity and Inclusion

BC Law has a tangible sense of community that makes going to law school here different than anywhere else. Combine that with the very best faculty, academics and real-world programs, and it's easy to see why we're so unique. Visit our website, or call our admissions office to schedule a tour and come see what we have to offer. You'll be glad you did.

• 25% Students of Color • 11 Moot Court Teams • #1 "Best Value" private school (US News) • LAHANAS diversity program • Top 30 clinical programs • Top 20 school where big firms recruit • #16 for JD required/advantage employment

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Earn your Law Degree in Savannah or Atlanta www.johnmarshall.edu no application fee www.savannahlawschool.org full-time and part-time J.D. programs at both campus locations

COL L E GE S CH O LA RS

LAW SCHOOLS ADMISSIONS:

To Apply or Not to Apply...

By Tracy L. Simmons & Michael J. States

Since Fall 2010, LSAT takers, applications to law schools, and matriculants to law schools have declined every year from the prior year. This has begged a couple of questions: 1) is it easier to get into law school these days since applications are down? 2) Can I go to law school for free or minimal cost since there are fewer applications and schools seem to have increased their scholarship budgets? These are both complex questions with multifaceted answers. We will attempt to provide general advice on how you can handle both the application and scholarship process to law school and discuss some other issues that are related to the decline in applications to law school.

Applying to Law School

CLEO EDGE

The American Bar Association, through ABA Standard 509, now requires law schools to publish information on their websites that provide you the opportunity to get more detailed information on: the number of applications a law school received; the number of students admitted; and the number who matriculated. We would suggest you view this information for every school you are applying to and get a sense of how competitive the application process is at those law schools.

Scholarships There has certainly been an increase in the amount of scholarship funds offered by law schools during the last four years. Law schools are also offering scholarships to a wider range of admitted students. This means that students who werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t eligible for merit based awards in the past might be eligible for them now. Institutions might also have identified funds beyond merit scholarships for admitted students. These could include need based aid and grants or scholarships tied to public interest/ public service. While the chances for admitted students to receive scholarships have increased, if you receive a scholarship offer, ask the following. What are the terms for renewing the scholarship? The terms are generally in the scholarship offer, but if not, you should not accept any scholarship without knowing what the renewal terms are.

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ÂŠALISTAIR COTTON - STOCK.ADOBE.COM

You may have noticed that acceptance rates have risen at some law schools. Despite this, the basic rules of the application process have not changed. And yet, there are those who believe that because law schools are accepting more of their applicants, the rules no longer apply. That is absolutely not true. Not following the instructions, deadlines, and other rules that law schools have, is a huge red flag on your law school application. You can send a message to an admission committee that you are the kind of student they would like to have, just by following their rules and instructions. Remember, as law school applications are declining, schools are reducing the size of their incoming classes at the same time. Not only is this reduction due to the decrease in applications, it also due to a reduction in the number of lawyers who are being hired by large law firms and other legal employers. Large law firms employ such a large number of law school graduates that when they reduced the number of new law graduates they were hiring, it negatively impacted the percentage

of lawyers employed at graduation and nine months after graduation - the two times that the employment rate is measured. This is all to say, the law school admission process is still quite competitive and no school is going to take someone who they believe is unprofessional in their behavior and presentation.

CO L L EG E SCH OLARS

What percentage of the class was awarded a scholarship? The answer to this question is particularly helpful if you are required to maintain a particular ranking in the class to renew the scholarship. For example, if 90% of the class is awarded a scholarship, and one has to remain in the top third of the class to retain a scholarship, most of those awarded a scholarship are going to lose it. Along the same line, ask: How many people lost their scholarship? Again, this question will give you a sense of how likely it is that you retain your scholarship. Another emerging issue in the area of scholarships is the ability to negotiate scholarship offers with different law schools. If the law school is not clear that they don’t negotiate scholarships, you can certainly ask them if they are willing to increase the award they have given you. If you are going to do this, first of all you should respectfully ask if the school is willing to increase the award. You also should be willing to share the scholarship offer letters from the other schools you have scholarship offers from. If the school is willing to negotiate scholarship offers, you are more likely to be successful in your negotiations if you behave in a professional manner during the negotiation process. You also should only negotiate an increased scholarship offer with a school if it is where you would truly like to ultimately attend.

Summary The bottom line is that if you are thinking about going to law school, you should engage in quite a bit of investigation into the legal profession and know for certain why you want to pursue a legal education. This includes researching the job market more closely by looking at websites for the American Bar Association (ABA), the National Association for Law Placement (NALP), the Law School Admission Council (LSAC), the U.S. Bureau and Labor Statistics, as well as others. Job placement after law school, while on the uptick, has not returned to pre-2010 levels. If you decide that a legal education is something you’re going to pursue, even in the face of a smaller number of applications and jobs, behaving with honesty and professionalism is more likely to lead to success in the admissions and scholarship processes. Remember that for the majority of schools, the admissions and scholarship processes are still quite competitive. Thus, applying in a timely manner, following the application instructions, answering all applicable questions on the application - including all of the supplemental information asked for - meeting all applicable deadlines, and presenting yourself as a professional at all times, makes it more likely that you will find the success that you are looking for in the admission and scholarship process. Or at least improve your chance of success.

The University of Wisconsin Law School: A Community of Opportunity •

Over 70 unique courses offered every semester

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Over 25 clinical programs and externships

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For more information, please contact: Rebecca L. Scheller, Assistant Dean for Admissions & Financial Aid, 975 Bascom Mall, Madison, WI 53706-1399 Phone: 608-262-5914 | Fax: 608-263-3190 | Email: admissions@law.wisc.edu | Web: law.wisc.edu/prospective

#CLEOAT50 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE WINTER/SPRING 2018

CLEO EDGE

Promoting diversity in the legal profession. Microsoft is proud to sponsor CLEO in its mission to diversify the legal profession.

F E AT U R E

WHY DIVERSITY STILL MATTERS By Shawn V. Grant

The interests of equity, fairness and justice are better served when our justice system—comprising lawyers, judges and law enforcement officers are more inclusive of the populations they seek to serve. While the roles of lawyers, judges and

CLEO EDGE

law enforcement officers are interrelated and interdependent, ultimately, lawyers play a significant part as the architects of this system. The shooting deaths of several unarmed men of color and the failure to indict and convict the perpetrators, to many, further highlights the implicit bias, inadequate representation and failure to protect the civil rights/liberties of defendants and condones and encourages aggressive policing, and the misuse of prosecutorial discretion. Improving the diversity within our legal system, specifically the legal profession, affects who becomes a lawyer and how individuals are treated under equality of the laws and ultimately, the public’s confidence in our legal system.

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©RAWPIXEL.COM - STOCK.ADOBE.COM

In our current climate of divisive political rhetoric, civil unrest and discontent, racially disproportionate killings by police, competing dialogues of Black Lives Matter-Blue Lives Matter, white supremacist ideology’s resurgence to the forefront of our collective consciousness and the threat of increasing social and cultural fragmentation, one thing remains clear. Diversity matters.

FEATURE

LAWYERS BY RACE/ETHNICITY 3% 4%

WOMEN IN THE LEGAL PROFESSION

DISTRIBUTION OF EQUITY PARTNERS 14.4%

88%

■ WHITE ■ BLACK ■ HISPANIC ■ ASIAN PACIFIC

5.6%

■ MEN ■ WOMEN

36%

64%

82.6%

■ MEN ■ WOMEN ■ MINORITIES

*Source NALP Bulletin 2016

Why become a lawyer? Generally it is an impactful, widely respected and admired profession. The ever versatile juris doctorate degree supplies a broad array of other professions, most notably, presidents, governors, members of Congress, leaders of corporations, nonprofit and legal organizations. Our current 114th Congress comprises: 151 Representatives and 51 Senators who are lawyers.1 59% of U.S. Presidents have been lawyers, as well as 68% of Vice Presidents and 78% of Secretaries of States.2 Yet, decades after the profession reached its milestones of admitting the first female lawyer and lawyer of color to the bar, it remains the least diverse profession of all comparable professions in the nation, such as architects, engineers, physicians and surgeons.3 In spite of increasing proportions of women enrolling in law school and earning J.D. degrees, women continue to be underrepresented in leadership positions and in the legal profession, as a whole.4 Equity partners in multi-tier law firms continue to be disproportionately white male.5 *Source NALP Bulletin 2016 At the intersection are women of color whose numbers are even lower and face some of the most challenging recruitment and retention issues.6 The National Association of Legal Professionals reports LGBT representation among lawyers in 2015 at 2.34%.7 Paulette Brown, the first woman of color to be President of the American Bar Association expressed her views on the inability to achieve diversity in the ABA’s Diversity and Inclusion Report, a commission that she formed in 2016 to conduct a comprehensive review of where the profession stands in terms of diversity, “I have grown weary of discussing statistics that have not changed in decades and of wondering why strategies used have not caused our profession to be fully inclusive of everyone without regard to race, national origin, ethnicity, sex, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, or socioeconomic status.”8 There simply is not enough diversity in the legal profession--this is a reoccurring theme heard ad nauseum but remains a moral imperative. Yet, ironically, with the country facing an ever-widening racial and ideological divide, the U.S. Department of Justice announced its plans to investigate and sue universities over their

affirmative action policies. Affirmative action is one tool of many used for expanding opportunity and promoting diversity, in response, not just to racial inequities, but also class and gender discrimination. Whatever its shortcomings, affirmative action programs have contributed to making higher education more representative of our society. The Supreme Court’s decision in Grutter v. Bollinger9 and more recently Fisher v. University of Texas10, reaffirmed and further articulated the substantial educational benefits yielded by a diverse student body. Only through the inclusion of the rich diversity of students and faculty can a law school truly be excellent in their pursuit of preparing legal professionals to participate in the increasingly competitive and diverse global marketplace. Dismantling affirmative action at this point, with so much left to be accomplished, could potentially undo years of incremental progress, not only for American’s of color, but also for the entire nation. In the absence of meaningful police reform, protests continue around the nation in demonstrating growing disenchantment among young people and people of color with the lack of fairness of our justice system. The feelings of inequity that motivated many to stand in solidarity with Ferguson, Baltimore, New York, Cleveland, Chicago, Baton Rouge, and now, most recently, St. Louis, are nothing new. The failure to provide indictments and convictions in these highly publicized incidents turned a simmering mistrust of police, due to unfair targeting and aggressive policing, into a conflagration. Under the previous administration, the U.S. Department of Justice investigated several cities for systemic violations of civil rights and unconstitutional policing. In many cases, cities entered into consent decrees targeting an overhaul of those police departments. It is not clear, that this review will continue under the current administration. In the meantime, media coverage of the violent protests in and around college campuses, such as the confrontation between Neo-Nazi and counter protesters in Charlottesville regarding the removal of confederate statues, highlight the ways in which the pillars of discriminatory and racist rhetoric continue to support the vestiges of the Jim Crown Era. Creating a more diverse cadre of lawyers has, in many ways, become more imminently crucial now than ever before.

#CLEOAT50 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE WINTER/SPRING 2018

CLEO EDGE

While the police are the first point of contact that many of us have with the justice system and are charged with “law enforcement”, no small task to be sure, it is the prosecuting attorney that determines whether and what charges are levied against individuals and suggests the severity of a person’s sentence. It’s the judge (a former lawyer) who renders a final decision regarding the disposition of that case. In most instances, lawyers play a role in the drafting and adoption of the laws in question as members of Congress. Federal guidelines for mandatory minimum sentencing, which is largely held responsible for the mass incarceration of black men, was passed by Congress (predominantly lawyers) and signed by the President Bill Clinton (a lawyer). Clearly, when we fail to diversify the legal profession, it matters.

Increasing diversity in the legal profession is an excellent step, but of course it is not a panacea for all of challenges faced by our justice system. Diversity in itself doesn’t breed equality. More lawyers of color won’t automatically lead to fewer convictions within communities of color. But increased diversity within the legal system will hopefully lead 88

CLEO EDGE

In the wake of the tragic killing of police officers in Dallas in July 2017, the Police Department Chief, in an effort to diversify the police force, told protesters to “Get off that protest line and put in your application in, and we’ll put you in your neighborhood, and we will help you to resolve some of the problems you’re protesting about.”13 In short, “be the change you want to see in the world.” Without challenges to long held beliefs and bias, ideas will not change and new solutions to ineffective policies will not be developed. If you are dissatisfied with the current state of the legal system, do your research and consider law school. The shrinking law school applicant pool, has created an opportunity for the further diversification of incoming law school classes.14 As a future lawyer you can play significant role. Your contributions are valuable and add to the broader discourse. Your perspectives and ideas matter. You matter. Endnotes 1 Congressional Research Service, “Membership of the 114th Congress: A Profile,” July 1, 2016. 2 Nick Robinson,” The Declining Dominance of Lawyers in U.S. Federal Politics, Yale Law School, Harvard Law School,” 2016. 3 Deborah L. Rhode, “Law Is the Least Diverse Profession in the Nation. And Lawyers Aren’t Doing Enough to Change That,” The Washington Post, May 27, 2015. 4 “A Current Glance At Women in the Law,” American Bar Association, May 2016. 5 “Women and Minorities Maintain Representation Among Equity Partners, Broad Disparities Remain,”

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NALP Bulletin, National Association for Law Placement, March 2016. 6 ”Women, Black/African-American Associates Lose Ground at Major U.S. Law Firms,” National Association for Law Placement, November 2015. 7 LGBT Representation Among Lawyers In 2015. National Association for Law Placement, December 2015. 8 “Diversity and Inclusion 360 Commission, Executive Summary, American Bar Association, August 2016. 9 Grutter v. Bollinger, 539 U.S. 306 (2003). 10 Fisher v. University of Texas, 579 U.S. _____2016.

11 Kevin R. Johnson, “The Importance of Student and Faculty Diversity at Law Schools: One Dean’s Perspective,” UC Davis Legal Research Paper Series, February 2011. 12 Yolanda Young, “The Story Behind the Black Lawyers Matter Slogan and Why You Should Believe It,” Rolling Out, July 12, 2016. 13 Jacob Bogage, “The Dallas Police Chief told protesters to apply for police jobs. Now, job applications have tripled,” The Washington Post, July 25, 2016. 14 NPR, “As Law School Applicant Pool Shrinks, Student Bodies Diversify,” April 26, 2016.

©GEORGERUDY - FOTOLIA

Of course, diversity in the legal profession must begin with diversity in law school admissions, a complex and somewhat thorny issue for many law schools who struggle to balance diversity with prestige, as if these areas are mutually exclusive. Our educational institutions can no longer stand as monolithic phallic ivory towers accessible to a few, but must actually reflect the racial, ethnic, gender and socioeconomic realities of the real world. Learning does not take place in a vacuum. Students learn best in an environment where the views of more than a chosen few are expoused and examined, lending itself to livelier classroom discussion, which fosters understanding and breaks down barriers and stereotypes. A less homogeneous faculty presents itself as a pool of potential role models and reinforces the notion that the student belongs there and can be successful.11

to increased understanding and empathy which may help to stem the tide of implicit bias and encourage better lawyering, which may in the end lead to better policing.12 These changes will not occur without advocates within the legal system that understand how these inequities develop and are actively working to change them. A few minorities breaking through should be seen as role models for others and not solely relied on to create change.

OPENING Doors The road to law school should be open to students from all backgrounds. For five decades, CLEO has helped pave the way. To date, CLEO has assisted more than 10,000 students to prepare for careers in the legal profession. We at Womble Carlyle share the belief that a more diverse profession is a better profession. Congratulations and thank you for all that you do!

Pam Rothenberg Womble Carlyle Real Estate Attorney CLEO, Inc. Board Member 202.857.4422 | PRothenberg@wcsr.com

WCSR.COM WOMBLE CARLYLE SANDRIDGE & RICE, LLP

0817_9506

ÂŠ2017

CLEO gave me the opportunity to explore many schools and all of a sudden I found more doors open, including Mizzou Law. After learning more about the law school and its nationally-known Center for the Study of Dispute Resolution, I was intrigued. The admissions staff guided me through the process and made it easy. I felt at home right away. Mizzou Law has been a great place for me to obtain my degree while making connections and gaining experience for my future.”

DEMETRIA DAILEY JD CANDIDATE 2018 STUDENT BAR ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT 2017-2018 CLEO FELLOW 2015

Mizzou Law Admissions Office • 103 Hulston Hall • Columbia, MO 65211

1-888-MULAW4U • www.law.missouri.edu

A COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY The University of Mississippi School of Law is committed to providing an educational environment that reflects broader society and its varied perspectives, people and principles. The School strives to promote diversity among its faculty, staff and student body through its academic and extracurricular programming.

Live-Client Clinics

24th

Securing Federal Clerkships by Business Insider

16th

Moot Court Board in the Nation

Law Journals

For more information, visit law.olemiss.edu.

Concentration Programs

F E AT U R E

CLEO ALUMNI Where are they now?

We caught up with some of our CLEO Alumni to find out where their law school journey has taken them. We found them at major corporations, large and

entertainment, and beyond! 92

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF SUBJECT

small firms, behind the bench, in sports,

DEANNA ADAMS

IRNANDE ALTEMA

ALEXIS M. ALVAREZ

KRISTINIA ANDERSON

LYNNETTE F. BACLIG

MELANIE BATES

JUDGE TANYA BRINKLEY

JOSE CAMPOS

HASANI CARAWAY

DEANNA ADAMS CLEO 2007

MELANIE BATES CLEO 2008

Hofstra University School of Law Senior Policy Analyst with the Council of State Governments Justice Center

North Carolina Central University School of Law Director of Communications at the Future of Privacy Forum

I work with states and counties interested in improving criminal justice and health outcomes for people with mental illnesses in local jails by providing practical, research based advice to policymakers seeking to improve their criminal justice systems. CLEO prepared me for the complexities of law school and my career by guiding me through realistic scenarios, providing networking opportunities with alumni pursing a variety of career paths, and encouraging me to channel my dedication and background into the wherewithal needed to succeed. IRNANDE ALTEMA CLEO 2009, 2010, 2011

Maurice A. Deane School of Law of Hofstra University Chief of Staff to MD State Senator Kathy Klausmeier Responsible for advancing the Senator’s legislative agenda, representing the Senator at constituent events, and assisting in the resolution of constituent issues in the local community. CLEO helped me form a mentorship relationship with a willing attorney who provided me with wonderful tips as a law student, new lawyer and even in my fifth year of practicing law, she continues to be present to recommend what and how I should order my next steps in the legal profession. ALEXIS M. ALVAREZ CLEO 2008

I am responsible for all communications requirements including website updates, media relations, internal member communications, and social media presence. JUDGE TANYA BRINKLEY CLEO 1992

The University of Miami School of Law Miami-Dade County Judge Presiding over criminal and civil domestic violence cases. CLEO prepared me for a successful law school career and gave me the confidence to excel as a lawyer. JOSE CAMPOS CLEO 2012, 2013, 2014

UDC Currently own my own law firm I primarily work with immigration cases but I also work with criminal and family cases. I like to see myself as someone who solves problems. Before going into law school I did not have much guidance. CLEO was there to mentor me guide me in a field that I knew nothing about. I had no friends or family that could answer complex questions about law school. HASANI CARAWAY CLEO 2008

UC Davis School of Law Staff Attorney, Disability Rights Program, Legal Aid at Work

New York University School of Law General Counsel of Zendesk, Inc.

I advise and represent people with disabilities facing discrimination in employment and unequal access to government programs and services.

I lead the legal department for a publicly traded technology company which includes managing corporate governance, commercial, employment, intellectual property, and litigation related matters.

CLEO provided me with a map to navigate the uncharted territory of law school. As the first law student (and now attorney) in my family, I needed CLEO to fill the gaps in my knowledge and provide me with the bearings that allowed me to be successful in law school.

MERCY CHANGWESHA CLEO 2009, 2010

University of Virginia School of Law Immigration Attorney

KRISTINIA ANDERSON CLEO 2013

I represent clients in their petitions for U.S. immigration benefits for themselves or their loved ones.

Texas A&M University School of Law Corporate Litigation Attorney

EDUARDO REYES CHAVEZ CLEO 2010, 2013

LYNNETTE F. BACLIG CLEO 2011, 2012, 2013

Golden Gate University School of Law Staff Attorney at AIDS Legal Referral Panel

Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law Associate Attorney – Employment Law I focus on representing clients in a myriad of employmentrelated matters, including litigation involving discrimination, retaliation, harassment, wrongful termination, and other matters in state court, federal court, and administrative agencies.

Provide legal counsel related to disability insurance matters for those living with HIV/AIDS in the Greater Bay Area, California. 94

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF SUBJECT

My current job allows me the opportunity to defend Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies, both domestically and internationally.

MERCY CHANGWESHA

EDUARDO REYES CHAVEZ

ADRIAN CONTRERAS

LE DUONG

ALPHONSO L. EASON

DIEGO F. FREIRE

LORRAINE GALVIS, ESQ.

DAVID GARVIN JR.Â

JAMILA GLADNEY

ADRIAN CONTRERAS CLEO 2006

University of the Pacific, McGeorge SOL, Deputy Attorney General Representing the State of California in post-conviction criminal proceedings involving felony convictions.

negotiations, copyright and trademark registrations, and infringement and dispute resolutions. You can read more about me and my firm’s services in my bio at www.galvisandcompany. com.

University of California, Hastings College of the Law Associate at Reed Smith LLP

CLEO changed me as a person and as a professional for the better! I’ve made lifelong friends and met alumni from all over the country. CLEO challenged me to pursue a legal education despite the socioeconomic challenges I was facing as a young Latina working in New York, looking to pursue the law. Both the CLEO faculty and alumni have been a great inspiration and support for me in both my personal and professional endeavors. EVERYONE INTERESTED IN PURSUING A LEGAL EDUCATION SHOULD EXPERIENCE CLEO FIRST!!!

I am in Financial Services Litigation and represent banks and large financial entities in business litigation matters.

DAVID GARVIN JR. CLEO 2010, 2011

CLEO helped me understand what to expect from law school, what resources were available at the law school, how law school exams were structured, and which publications were good supplementary study guides. LE DUONG CLEO 2011

ALPHONSO L. EASON CLEO 2009

University of Kansas School of Law Attorney-Advisor for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), in Kansas City, Kansas

North Carolina Central University School of Law Currently a Fashion Designer/CEO of Humility Clothing Co.

“CLEO made a truly positive and substantial impact on my life by preparing me for the rigors of law school”

I manage HUD’s singlefamily foreclosure caseload for Region VII:Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. —YESENIA RUIZ (NEE FERREIRA) CLEO 2004 My responsibilities include reviewing each singlefamily case’s foreclosure information, requesting and examining relevant documentation, including mortgages, notes, and certificates of indebtedness.

My current job entails me being in-house counsel that writes and executes his own contracts, while brokering deals throughout the fashion industry as my own. CLEO made an impact on me as a student because the program believed in me and my abilities, while pushing me to be the best that I could be personally and in the legal field.

JAMILA GLADNEY CLEO 2005

DIEGO F. FREIRE CLEO 2014

Notre Dame Law School Associate with McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP (MBHB). Work on Intellectual Property (IP) legal matters ranging from filing patent applications, patent litigation, trademark prosecution, copyright issues, licensing, and IP counseling. LORRAINE GALVIS, ESQ. CLEO 2010

I am a sole practitioner and maintain an office in Brooklyn, NY. My practice focuses on Entertainment and IP law. I work closely with new and professional artists, musicians and entrepreneurs who are in need of legal support as they develop their careers in the music, film and TV spaces. My day-to-day work consists of contract drafting and review, 96

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My current job requires compassion, ability to communicate with legal professionals and lay persons, legal analysis of mass tort law and estate law, and a mix of wit and finely tuned comedic timing. Most importantly, CLEO taught me that success in law school and my career was largely going to be based upon my attitude - whether that be positively or negatively. NICHOLLE HARRIS CLEO 2004

University of Arizona, James E Rogers College of Law Partner at Gust Rosenfeld, P.L.C. in Phoenix, Arizona I am a municipal lawyer that provides general counsel services to cities and towns in the State of Arizona.

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New York Law School Owner & Principal, Galvis & Co. LLC; Co-founder and Chief Legal Officer, Hey Ma Productions

Howard University School of Law An Attorney-Advisor for the U.S. Department of Justice 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund and a Court Appointed Special Advocate for Montgomery County, Maryland

NICHOLLE HARRIS

HELKEI S. HEMMINGER

JACQUELINE IHEKWABA

JESSICA LEAL

CHRISTOPHER W. KIMBROUGH

CAESAR LOPEZ

JACQUELINE LEUNG

AASTHA MADAAN

LILKA B. MARTINEZ

#CLEOAT50 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE WINTER/SPRING 2018

CLEO EDGE

HELKEI S. HEMMINGER CLEO 2002

JACQUELINE LEUNG CLEO 2011

Mitchel-Hamline University School of Law US Coast Guard civilian attorney

Willamette University College of Law Community Organizer and Interpersonal Violence Prevention Educator

A General Counsel to the National Pollution Funds Center, DC, a command of the US Coast Guard, which oversees a $5 billion fund dedicated to catastrophic environmental disaster response operations for maritime and inland oil spills. As a result of the sponsorship and support of the CLEO program, I had the professional support and the financial freedom upon graduation to pursue an international maritime practice in Asia and the South Pacific, all of which ultimately led to the position I am in today. JACQUELINE IHEKWABA CLEO 2010

SMU Dedman School of Law Associate Attorney at Thompson Coe’s Dallas office My practice focuses mainly on the defense of nationwide insurance carriers in insurance-related matters, coverage disputes, and bad faith litigation. CHRISTOPHER W. KIMBROUGH CLEO 2009

Indiana University Maurer School of Law Labor Relations Representative I am involved in all areas of contract negotiation with the United Steelworkers union regarding negotiating and renewing our master collective bargaining agreement, the administration and interpretation of our various collective bargaining agreements and providing legal consultation services to the plant labor relations managers and staff. CLEO gave me the essential tools that I needed to be successful in reviewing legal opinions and precedent, efficiently outlining and organizing my notes and the confidence that I needed to be successful in the legal profession.

I recently started the Interpersonal Violence Prevention Educator position: I will be working with Willamette University staff, faculty, and students on violence prevention activities. CAESAR LOPEZ CLEO 2009

Elizabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University (Formerly Pace Law School) Legal Counsel at Major League Soccer As Legal Counsel, I’m responsible for a wide array of commercial transactions including sponsorship, broadcast, licensing, intellectual property and other various legal matters across the league and with our Clubs.

“CLEO impacted my life by providing academic and emotional support during law school that contributed to my success...” —SANDRA POLANCO CLEO 2002

CLEO provided me with the confidence and preparation needed before entering the legal arena and also provided a network of lifetime friends.

JESSICA LEAL CLEO 2010

University of Michigan Law School Deputy Attorney General in the Criminal Division of the California Attorney General’s Office

AASTHA MADAAN CLEO 2009

As an appellate prosecutor, my primary objective is to represent the people by defending criminal judgments or conceding their defectiveness, ultimately ensuring that justice is done.

I am the founder of Madaan Law, P.C., a law firm that thrives on innovative ways to serve the community.

CLEO helped me solidify my commitment to a career in public service as an attorney and showed me I was able to become the attorney I wanted to be through hard work and perseverance.

LILKA B. MARTINEZ CLEO 2006

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University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law Partner/Owner at Weiner Martinez, LLP My practice focuses on family law and civil litigation; I am a council member at the ABA Section of Family Law and faculty at Gerry Spence’s Trial Lawyers College.

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF SUBJECT

Whittier Law School Owner of Madaan Law, P.C.

MICHAEL EUGENE MCDONALD

ERICA MARIE MOLINA

TIFFANY L. NOCON

ENRIQUETA A. PEREZ

BARRON ODA #CLEOAT50 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE WINTER/SPRING 2018

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MICHAEL EUGENE MCDONALD CLEO 1984

TIFFANY L. NOCON CLEO 2011

The John Marshall Law School, Chicago Administrator of Elections for the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee

USC Gould School of Law Assistant Federal Public Defender at the Federal Public Defender, District of Nevada

Chief Elections Official responsible for the interpretation and enforcement of all state and federal voting and election laws, the of administering of voter registration and management over ALL metro, county, state, federal and presidential elections in the state capital, and largest county in Tennessee.

I defend folks who have been sentenced to death.

CLEO prepared me for the rigors of both law school, and my legal profession, giving me the patience, discipline, academic and emotional intelligence to use every experience as an opportunity to grow.

William S. Richardson School of Law Associate with a small firm in Hawaii

“...CLEO is the reason I successfully navigated to and through my law school and legal career.” —JESSICA LYNN SINKFIELD, ESQ. CLEO 2007

ERICA MARIE MOLINA CLEO 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

Albany Law School Client Assistance Program (CAP) Director at Disability Rights New York (DRNY)

CLEO’s tremendous impact on me as a student and attorney will be everlasting, as the programs exposed me to strong and supportive women and minority lawyers, and their experiences, from which I would otherwise have never been able to learn and grow.

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BARRON ODA CLEO 2008

I practice art law, cultural property, intellectual property, and real estate. CLEO gave me a solid start in my 1L year, supported me academically in my 2L and 3L years through various programs and most importantly, gave me opportunities to meet and connect with other minority and first-generation law students. ENRIQUETA A. PEREZ CLEO 2011

Thurgood Marshall School of Law Founder, Owner, Manager, and Operator of my own Firm as Managing Partner: The Law Offices of Latif & Perez, PLLC As owner of Latif & Perez, an auto accident and divorce office, I run the business, train associates and legal assistants, attend divorce hearings, draft pleadings, finalize divorce and custody cases, consult new and existing clients, coordinate medical treatment for auto accident clients, compile records to submit to insurance companies, and disperse settlements to clients. I wanted to attend American University but I did not have a high LSAT score so the admissions counselor sent me to Lynda Cevallos who helped guide me in attaining a higher LSAT, then suggested I attend Thurgood Marshall’s CLEO Road to Law School, where I fostered relationships with staff, learned how to apply to law school, and more importantly learned how to be a test taker and law student; without CLEO I would not have been accepted into law school and I would not be the leader I am today helping those with minimum resources and ensuring individuals maintain relationships with their children; CLEO gave me invaluable skills to become a successful firstgeneration Latina lawyer! Thank you CLEO and thank you Ms. Cevallos for helping me attain my dreams and believing in me.

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF SUBJECT

Direct a federally funded program which advocates for people with disabilities who seek to obtain and maintain competitive employment via New York State and tribal vocational rehabilitation agencies, and seek services from federally funded independent living centers (ILCs), which are run by and serve people with disabilities.

CLEO reminded me to honor my diverse background because it enables me to address legal issues from a unique vantage point and build my professional network.

“CLEO empowered me to matriculate in my school of choice, excel in my academic studies, and join a national network of impressive thoughtful leaders. ” —MAURICIO VIDELA CLEO 2008, 2009

TOBIAS PITTS

SANDRA POLANCO

AMBER PORTER

JUDGE EDWARD C. PRADO

ERIKA D. ROBINSON

YESENIA RUIZ (NEE FERREIRA)

JESSICA LYNN SINKFIELD, ESQ.

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JUDGE ELIJAH SMILEY

CHARLYN STANBERRY, ESQ.

DANIEL SUVOR

MATTHEW SWEET

THEODORE R. TANZER

ELIANA TORRES

TOBIAS PITTS CLEO 2002

DePaul University College of Law Vice President, Global Security at Goldman Sachs At Goldman Sachs, I am responsible for the strategic planning, implementation, and management of the firm’s corporate security program for the Americas region, including the United States, Canada, and Latin America. SANDRA POLANCO CLEO 2002

Northern Illinois University College of Law In-house counsel, Staff Attorney, at American Guardian Warranty Services, Inc. I also am an elected official in the DeKalb County Board, and an adjunct instructor at the College of DuPage.

CLEO impacted my life by providing academic and emotional support during law school that contributed to my success with passing the Illinois Bar and juggling work, school, and raising two small children. CLEO was like a family member 102

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AMBER PORTER CLEO 2011

University of Illinois College of Law Assistant State’s Attorney at the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office (Illinois) As an ASA, I am responsible for a full criminal docket, as well as myriad civil tasks. Civil tasks include: writing and editing government contracts, assisting with FOIA appeals to the Attorney General, child support enforcement, and giving training presentations to County employees. JUDGE EDWARD C. PRADO CLEO 1969

University of Texas School of Law United States Court of Appeal for the 5th Circuit As as an appellate judge I am called upon to rule on all types of federal appeals that are filed before the United States Courts of Appeals for the 5th Circuit. CLEO gave me the self-confidence to realize that I could compete and succeed in a legal career.

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF SUBJECT

My current legal full-time job entails drafting, negotiating, and reviewing contracts; responding to subpoenas, litigation; drafting commercial loan documents, and providing employment law counsel for the Human Resources Department.

with knowledge, experience and training that provided me an insight of what to expect and how to handle the stresses and adversity in law school. I will forever be grateful and willing to assist CLEO in its mission.

ERIKA D. ROBINSON CLEO 2010

University of South Carolina School of Law Executive Director- Diversity, Equity and Title IX Program Administration at Georgia Gwinnett College I am responsible for ensuring institutional compliance with federal non-discrimination laws as well as creating and implementing a strategic vision for diversity on the campus. YESENIA RUIZ (NEE FERREIRA) CLEO 2004

Fordham University School of Law Vice President, Compliance Manager at JP Morgan Chase

JASPER L. TRAN

Legal career has been in securities compliance and my current role specifically focuses on testing of business practices/processes to ensure adherence to financial/securities laws and regulations. CLEO made a truly positive and substantial impact on my life by preparing me for the rigors of law school, teaching me about what to expect post-graduation and introducing me to some amazing and inspiring mentors. JESSICA LYNN SINKFIELD, ESQ. CLEO 2007

Howard University School of Law Community Prosecutor- Assistant State Attorney at the MiamiDade County State Attorney’s Office As a Community Prosecutor, I engage community members, businesses, elected officials and organizations with the State Attorney’s Office to ensure that community concerns are heard and that they are likewise educated on the prosecutorial commitments of the State Attorney’s Office.

SHEILA M. VASQUEZ

In a nutshell, through scholarships, LSAT prep sponsorship, mentorship, and early exposure to legal concepts and principals, CLEO is the reason I successfully navigated to and through my law school and legal career. JUDGE ELIJAH SMILEY CLEO 1981

Florida State University Chief Judge Fourteenth Judicial Circuit Judge Smiley presides in the civil and probate divisions, and serves as administrative probate judge and chief judge.

MAURICIO VIDELA

As Chief Judge, Judge Smiley has administrative responsibilities for all courts, judges, and court personnel within the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit. CHARLYN STANBERRY, ESQ. CLEO 2010

Florida International University- College of Law Legislative Counsel for Rep. Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) My current legal job entails serving as Legislative Counsel for Rep. Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) in which I draft legislation and serve as the lead staffer for her Energy and Commerce Committee work on topics ranging from communications and technology to healthcare. CARLTON D WATSON #CLEOAT50 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE WINTER/SPRING 2018

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F E AT U R E

DANIEL SUVOR CLEO 2005

The George Washington University Law School, Counsel, O’Melveny & Myers LLP Works as a litigator with a broad practice that encompasses products liability, healthcare, financial services, and white collar and investigation matters that could appear before State Attorneys General and other government agencies. CLEO gave me the tools and confidence to know that I could succeed in law school, and the exposure to other students of color that are still some of my good friends. MATTHEW SWEET CLEO 2002

Michigan State University College of Law Assistant District Attorney with the Queens County District Attorney’s Office I am a trial attorney assigned to the Special Victims Bureau and prosecute sex crimes against children and adults as well as prosecute elder abuse cases. My LSAT score was appalling and was denied admission to every law school, however, due to CLEO’s reputation and stellar summer program, Michigan State University College of Law took a chance on me and I proved everyone right and graduated with honors. THEODORE R. TANZER CLEO 2014

Seton Hall University Law Law clerk at Stern & Kilcullen, LLC I assist the litigation and estate planing partners. ELIANA TORRES CLEO 2011

The John Marshall Law School, Graduated 2014 Trademark Examining Attorney at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) I review trademark applications to determine whether they can be granted federal registration by meeting the requirements for registration under the Trade Marks Act of 1995. CLEO allowed me to properly prepare for law school and later on gave me the opportunity to be a teaching assistant for the summer institute. I gained leadership skills and created a valuable network of colleagues and mentors who have guided and supported me throughout my career. JASPER L. TRAN CLEO 2012

University of Minnesota Associate at Jones Day in San Francisco, California

science to law, and personally, I made many great friends that summer. SHEILA M. VASQUEZ CLEO 2010

Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University College of Law An Assistant State Attorney in Miami Dade County, Florida As an Assistant State Attorney, my job is to protect the community and to seek Justice by investigating felony criminal offenses by prefiling officers, victims, and witnesses in order to decide whether or not the State of Florida can proceed with criminal charges against a person; I also attend depositions, litigate motions, and go to trial on behalf of the State of Florida. CLEO has impacted me by pushing me to pursue my dream and become an Attorney; CLEO taught me that there are opportunities and resources available and we must seek them, most importantly, it has instilled in me that mentoring is essential in being successful in the legal field. MAURICIO VIDELA CLEO 2008, 2009

Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law Enforcement Attorney & Federal Commissioned Bank Examiner, U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau I protect American consumers from unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices by supervising financial services companies, enforcing Federal consumer financial laws that outlaw discrimination in the financial marketplace, and investigating cases of potential wrongdoing that may require legal action. CLEO empowered me to matriculate in my school of choice, excel in my academic studies, and join a national network of impressive thoughtful leaders. CARLTON D WATSON CLEO 2010

University of Detroit Mercy School of Law Associate Attorney at Vandeveer Garzia, PC Litigation attorney with a practice focused on defense litigation in the areas of bodily injury claims, premises liability, fire loss and general negligence. CLEO fully prepared me to excel in law school and in the legal profession by providing me with invaluable tools, numerous employment opportunities, by way of interviews, and by expanding my professional network.

I advise, strategize, and solve intellectual property disputes for technology companies. Professionally, CLEO helped ease my transition from

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WWW.CLEOINC.ORG/50

When you shop on smile.amazon.com, select Council on Legal Education Opportunity Inc. as your charitable organization and Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to support CLEO! CLEO AmazonSmile Direct Link: http://smile.amazon.com/ch/45-4462410

$30M to be awarded in scholarship between 2016 and 2021

93 %

55% OF GRADUATES SINCE 2013 WERE JOURNAL MEMBERS

93% OF 2016 GRADUATES WERE EMPLOYED FULL-TIME OR PURSUING AN ADVANCED DEGREE

Most Cited Antitrust Faculty among U.S. Law Schols

LAW.GMU.EDU

City for Young Attorneys Washington, D.C.

703-903-8010

A diverse community of leaders At Moritz, diversity is a way of life that is embedded into our culture and spirit. We offer a variety of full and partial scholarship opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds. Recipients have included students of different ethnicities, cultures, beliefs, sexual orientation, and professional backgrounds, as well as students who have worked extensively with diverse populations. We are proud that 44 percent of our faculty are women, nearly 20 percent are people of color, and 25 percent of our students in the Class of 2015 are people of color. We invite you to learn more about our community! Contact us at moritzlaw.osu.edu or lawadmit@osu.edu

influence

inspire

lead

respect

Recognized Nationally for Bar Preparation Recognized Nationally for Diversity

Fully accredited by the American Bar Association Full-Time Day, Part-Time Evening Programs Entering enrollment for 2017 included 71% minority, and 63% women Ranked in the top 10 for Diversity by the U.S. News & World Report 2018 Best Graduate Schools issue Recognized in 2017 by PreLaw Magazine for Bar Preparation and Diversity Located in Downtown Orlando - blocks from county and federal courthouses, and minutes from major law firms, governmental offices and legal service agencies

Florida A&M University College of Law

201 Beggs Avenue | Orlando, FL 32801| law.famu.edu | (407) 254-3268 (FAMU)

T HE C L E O A DVA N TAG E

CLEO ACKNOWLEDGES AND THANKS THESE LAW SCHOOLS FOR HOSTING THE PRE-LAW SUMMER INSTITUTE OVER THE PAST 50 YEARS Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law (1970, 1973, 1981, 1984, 1989, 2002, 2003, 2004)

Loyola University New Orleans College of Law (1969, 1980)

Boston College Law School (1975, 1978, 1980, 1988)

Mercer University School of Law (1981)

California Western School of Law/ University of San Diego School of Law (1985)

Michigan State University College of Law (2002)

Capital University Law School (1991)

Mitchell Hamline School of Law (formerly William Mitchell College of Law - 2001, 2003, 2006, 2012, 2017)

Columbia University School of Law (1969)

New York University School of Law (1969)

Denver (1968, 2008)

North Carolina Central University School of Law (1969, 1977)

DePaul University College of Law (1998, 1999, 2004) Drake University Law School (2011, 2016) Duke University School of Law/ North Carolina Central University School of Law (1969) Emory (1968, 1986, 1987) Florida International University College of Law (2010)

Northern Illinois University College of Law (1995) Northeastern University School of Law (1989) Notre Dame Law School (1974, 1979, 1994) The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law (1981, 1982, 1987, 1993)

The Florida State University College of Law (1973, 1978)

The Pennsylvania State University – Dickinson Law (1984, 1986, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1996)

Georgetown University Law Center (1981, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1992)

Rutgers Law School (1979, 1983)

Georgia State University College of Law (2013) Harvard (1968)

Indiana University Maurer School of Law (1989) Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law (1973)

Samford University, Cumberland School of Law (1994) Santa Clara University School of Law (1974, 1975, 1979, 1983, 1991) Seton Hall University School of Law (1974, 1975) South Texas College of Law (1992, 1995) Southern Illinois University School of Law (2009)

Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center/ Tulane University Law School (1971)

Southern University Law Center (1969, 1985, 1989, 1992, 1995)

Loyola Law School, Loyola Marymount University (1980)

Suffolk University College of Law (1982, 2000)

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Howard University School of Law (1970. 1971, 1972, 1973, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1995)

St. Louis University School of Law (1971)

T H E CL EO A DVA N TAGE

Temple University – James E. Beasley School of Law (1970)

University of Missouri—Kansas City School of Law (1998, 1999, 2005)

Temple University – James E. Beasley School of Law/ University of Pennsylvania Law School (1976)

The University of Mississippi School of Law (1982, 1990, 1991, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015)

Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law (1976, 1977, 1978)

University of Nebraska College of Law (1984)

Texas Tech University School of Law (1971)

The University of New Mexico School of Law (1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1993)

Thomas Jefferson School of Law (2006, 2008, 2011)

University of Oregon School of Law (1972)

Touro College – Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center (1991)

University of Pennsylvania Law School (1977)

The University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law (1972, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1987, 1991)

University of Pittsburgh School of Law (1993, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2009)

University of Arkansas School of Law (1984, 1988)

University of Puget Sound School of Law (now Seattle University School of Law – 1981)

University of Cincinnati College of Law (1969, 1976) University of California, Berkeley, School of Law (1969, 1984, 1986) University of California Davis School of Law (King Hall) (1971, 1972) University of California Hastings College of the Law (1973, 1978, 1989, 1993)

University of Richmond School of Law (1978, 1984, 1985, 1993, 1997) University of San Diego School of Law (1987, 1988) University of San Francisco School of Law (1982, 1990) University of South Carolina School of Law (1983)

University of California at Los Angeles (1968)

University of Southern California Gould School of Law (1972)

UConn School of Law (1986, 1987)

University of Tennessee College of Law (1988)

University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law (2001)

The University of Toledo College of Law (1978)

University of Florida Fredric G. Levin College of Law (1971, 1974, 1979, 1980, 1983)

University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law (1975, 1988, 1994)

University of Georgia School of Law (1977, 1980)

University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law/Brigham Young University J. Reuben Clark Law School (1985)

University of Houston Law Center (1970, 1975)

University of Virginia School of Law (1969)

University of Idaho College of Law (1994)

University of Washington School of Law (1970, 1973, 1976)

The University of Iowa College of Law (1969, 1980, 1985, 1988, 1992)

University of Wisconsin Law School (1975, 1983, 1984, 1986)

The University of Kansas School of Law (1979, 1980, 1981)

University of Wyoming College of Law (1992)

University of Kentucky College of Law (1972)

Valparaiso University Law School (1990, 1996)

University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law (1988)

Wake Forest University School of Law (1989, 1994)

University of Miami School of Law (1970)

Washburn University School of Law (1982, 1983)

University of Missouri School of Law (1990, 1991, 1997, 2007, 2010)

Wayne State University Law School (1969, 1970) William & Mary Law School (1974) #CLEOAT50 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE WINTER/SPRING 2018

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T HE C L E O A DVA N TAG E

CLEO contributors

CLEO gratefully acknowledges the precious gifts of financial and project support that make our programs possible and our events successful. Thank you! CLEO Summer Institute and Related Programs are funded by the 2018 Consortium on Diversity in Legal Education’s Partner, Sustaining, and Supporting Institutions and the following donors:

Corporate/Organizational Supporters Underwriting Partners

Diamond Supporters

Gold Supporters

The ACC Foundation

Microsoft Corporation

Freddie Mac

LSAC

Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice

McGuireWoods

Wal-Mart

National Bar Institute

Silver Supporter Andrews Kurth American University – Washington College of Law Drake University Law School Emory University School of Law Mitchell Hamline School of Law New York University School of Law Stanford University School of Law The University of Chicago Law School University of Idaho College of Law University of Southern California – Gould School of Law The University of Texas at Austin School of Law Vermont Law School Exxon Mobil Corporation

AT&T United Way Employee Giving Campaign Fordham University School of Law Texas A&M University School of Law

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Bronze Supporters

T H E CL EO A DVA N TAGE

CLEO CONTRIBUTORS Individual Contributors Individual Gold Contributors Angela B. Cox

Malcolm L. Morris

Cleophus Washington

Jerry M. Hunter

Denise Owens

Joyce Yette

Pamela Rothenberg

SYDA PRODUCTIONS - STOCK.ADOBE.COM

Individual Silver Contributors Rosemary E. Armstrong

Jennifer Chen

Cassandra Sneed Ogden

Earl Bracey

Alphonso Eason

Carlton Reeves

John R. Beason

Darryl Franklin

Yaneris Rosa

Vanessa L. Bryant

Wai Chi Ho

Benjamin Saulter, III

Jose L. Chairez

Sylvia Lopez

Peter M. Shane

Individual Bronze Contributors Leigh R. Allen II

Bernetta J. Hayes

Edward Pastor

Robert L. Castillo

Shirley Henderson

Edward Reddick

Lynda Cevallos

Irma Herrera

Richard Roberts

Clarence D. Clay

Melvin Hill

Sharolyn Rosier Hyson

Patrick Collins

Jean Ingrassia

Manuel S. Silvas

Richard Crollett

Jana Kast-Davids

Richard G. Stewart, Jr.

Kevin P. Dullaghan

Wilma Lanier

Emerson R. Thompson, Jr.

Nnena Egorugwu-Achilefu

Antonio Leo

Alicia Tocco

Dorothy Evensen

Julie D. Long

Sharon Van Leer

Howard Glickstein

Fred R. Lopez

Amado J. Vargas

Philip Hampton

Jerome A. Nicholas, Jr.

Willie E. Walker

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T HE C L E O A DVA N TAG E

2017-2018

CLEO CONSORTIUM ON DIVERSITY IN LEGAL EDUCATION

PARTNER SCHOOLS

American University Washington College of Law Brigham Young University J. Reuben Clark Law School The University of Chicago Law School Drake University Law School Emory University School of Law Florida A&M University College of Law Fordham University School of Law Marquette University Law School Mitchell Hamline School of Law New York University School of Law The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law St. Mary’s University School of Law South Texas College of Law Houston Stanford Law School Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law University of Colorado Law School University of Houston Law Center University of Idaho College of Law The University of Mississippi School of Law University of Missouri School of Law University of Southern California Gould School of Law The University of Texas School of Law Vermont Law School

SUPPORTING INSTITUTIONS

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SUSTAINING INSTITUTIONS Barry University Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University Boston University School of Law California Western School of Law City University of New York School of Law Concordia University School of Law Creighton University School of Law DePaul University College of Law Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law Duquesne University School of Law Florida Coastal School of Law Florida International University College of Law George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School Georgia State University College of Law Gonzaga University School of Law Harvard Law School Howard University School of Law Indiana University Maurer School of Law

WINTER/SPRING 2018 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE #CLEOAT50

Albany Law School of Union University Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School Boston College Law School Brooklyn Law School Case Western Reserve University School of Law Chapman University School of Law Cornell Law School The Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University Liberty University School of Law

New York Law School Quinnipiac University School of Law St. Thomas University School of Law Samford University, Cumberland School of Law Savannah Law School Stetson University College of Law SUNY University at Buffalo School of Law Syracuse University College of Law Temple University - James E. Beasley School of Law The University of Iowa College of Law University of Massachusetts School of Law-Dartmouth The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law University of North Carolina School of Law University of Wisconsin Law School Western State College of Law at Argosy University

T H E CL EO A DVA N TAGE

Lewis and Clark Law School Lincoln Memorial University John J. Duncan, Jr. School of Law Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center Loyola University Chicago School of Law Loyola University New Orleans College of Law Mercer University – Walter F. George School of Law Michigan State University College of Law New England Law | Boston Northeastern University School of Law Penn State Law – University Park Penn State Dickinson Law Roger Williams University School of Law SMU Dedman School of Law Southern University Law Center Touro College – Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law University of California Hastings College of the Law UConn School of Law University of Dayton School of Law University of Denver Sturm College of Law University of Florida Fredric G. Levin College of Law The University of Kansas School of Law

University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law The University of Michigan Law School University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law University of Nevada, Las Vegas William S. Boyd School of Law University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law University of Pennsylvania Law School University of Richmond School of Law University of San Diego School of Law University of San Francisco School of Law University of St. Thomas School of Law – Minneapolis University of Tennessee College of Law The University of Tulsa College of Law University of Washington School of Law Vanderbilt Law School Washburn University School of Law Washington and Lee University School of Law Washington University School of Law West Virginia University College of Law Western New England University School of Law Whittier Law School Widener University Delaware Law School William and Mary Law School Yale Law School

OPENING DOORS QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW IS A DISTINCTLY PERSONAL, REMARKABLY POWERFUL LAW SCHOOL.

11:1 DAY ONE MENTORING

STUDENT/ FACULTY RATIO

DIVERSITY-BASED

SCHOLARSHIPS

FIRST-TIME BAR PASS RATE*

AVAILABLE

*CONNECTICUT BAR JULY 2017

OPENING MINDS. OPENING DOORS.

DWIGHT CROOKS ’16 LAW.QU.EDU

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CO L L EG E SCH OLARS

READING LISTFOR THE

COLLEGE SCHOLAR/ PRE-LAW STUDENT

1L of a Ride: A Well-Traveled Professor’s Roadmap to Success in the First Year of Law School by Andrew McClurg Acing Your First Year of Law School: The Ten Steps to Success You Won’t Learn in Class by Shana Connell Noyes and Henry S. Noyes An Introduction to Legal Reasoning by Edward H. Levi The Annotated LSAT by Robert Webking

Basic Legal Research: Tools And Strategies by Amy E. Sloan Bridging the Gap Between College and Law School: Strategies for Success by Ruta K. Stropus and Charlotte D. Taylor Emily Post’s The Etiquette Advantage in Business: Personal Skills for Professional Success, Second Edition by Peggy Post and Peter Post Law 101: Everything You Need to Know About American Law,

Fourth Edition 4th Edition by Jay Feinman Law School Confidential: A Complete Guide to the Law School Experience: By Students, for Students by Robert H. Miller The Law Student’s Pocket Mentor: From Surviving to Thriving (Introduction to Law) by Professor Ann L. Iijima Legal Analysis: 100 Exercises for Mastery, Practice for Every Law Student by Cassandra L. Hill and Katherine T. Vukadin

Success 101: What Every Leader Needs to Know by John C. Maxwell Strategies & Tactics for the First Year Law Student by Lazar Emanuel Succeeding in Law School by Herbert N. Ramy Time Management from the Inside Out, Second Edition: The Foolproof System for Taking Control of Your Schedule -- and Your Life by Julie Morgenstern

Make Your First Year in Law School a Success: A 1L Survival Guide to Succeeding by Louis Adams Reading Like a Lawyer: TimeSaving Strategies for Reading Law Like an Expert by Ruth Ann McKinney So You Want to be a Lawyer: The Ultimate Guide to Getting into and Succeeding in Law School by Timothy B. Francis Esq. and Lisa Fairchild Jones Esq.

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We educate champions. NAMED #1 BEST OF THE DECADE by PreLaw Magazine for Best Moot Court. NATIONAL ADVOCACY WINNER: 123 times. No other law school has won half as many. Winner of more ABA NATIONAL APPELLATE ADVOCACY CHAMPIONSHIPS than any other law school in the U.S. Winner of more Scribes BEST BRIEF LEGAL WRITING AWARDS than any other law school in the U.S. Winner of 10 FIRST-PLACE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ADR COMPETITIONS, ranking as a top law school for ADR.

Earn your JD

stcl.edu/lawchamps

IN EV ERY I S S UE

WRITING RESOURCES

As a secondary school student, college student, student returning to school for a second career or first-year associate, you should continually strive to improve your writing skills. Here are several resources to help you get your point across to your reader. BOOK RESOURCES The Best Little Grammar Book Ever!: Speak and Write with Confidence / Avoid Common Mistakes by Arlene Miller The Book on Writing: The Ultimate Guide to Writing Well by Paula LaRocque The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation: An Easy-toUse Guide with Clear Rules, Real-World Examples, and Reproducible Quizzes by Jane Straus The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr.

The Elephants of Style: A Trunkload of Tips on the Big Issues and Gray Areas of Contemporary American English by Bill Walsh The Glamour of Grammar: A Guide to the Magic and Mystery of Practical English by Roy Peter Clark Grammatically Correct: The Essential Guide to Spelling, Style, Usage, Grammar, and Punctuation by Anne Stilman The Gregg Reference Manual by William A. Sabin How to Not Write Bad: The Most Common Writing Problems and the Best Ways to Avoid Them by Ben Yagoda

How to Speak and Write Correctly by Joseph Devlin Mastering the Craft of Writing: How to Write With Clarity, Emphasis, and Style by Stephen Wilbers On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinsser Perfect English Grammar: The Indispensable Guide to Excellent Writing and Speaking by Grant Barrett The Productive Writer: Tips & Tools to Help You Write More, Stress Less & Create Success by Sage Cohen Roget’s International Thesaurus by Barbara Ann Kipfer Sentences and Paragraphs: Mastering the Two Most Important Units of Writing (The Writing Code Series Book 8) by Charles Euchner Words to Write By: Putting Your Thoughts on Paper by Elaine L. Orr

ONLINE RESOURCES AMA Manual of Style: www.amamanualofstyle.com Cambridge Dictionary: dictionary.cambridge.org/us/ The Chicago Manual of Style Online: www.chicagomanualofstyle.org Dictionary.com: www.dictionary.com English Grammar: www.englishgrammar.org/tools Grammar Check: www.grammarcheck.me Grammarly: www.grammarly.com Merriam Webster: www.merriam-webster.com Oxford English Dictionary: www.oed.com Purdue Online Writing Lab: owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/ section/1/5/

The Writer’s Process: Getting Your Brain in Gear by Anne Janzer Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer by Roy Peter Clark Writing Your Way: Creating a Writing Process That Works for You by Don Fry

#CLEOAT50 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE WINTER/SPRING 2018

CLEO EDGE

117

THE POWER

OF LEGAL EDUCATION

• •

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Located in Houston, the nation’s 4th largest city with a thriving economy and a robust legal market Ranked 4th in salary-to-debt ratio, offering great value for your investment, reported by SoFi and cited in The New York Times and CNBC Named one of the most diverse law schools by preLaw & the National Jurist

•

Ranked 54th overall by U.S. News & World Report

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Health Law (3rd), Part-time programs (6th), and Intellectual Property Law (8th) are ranked nationally by U.S. News & World Report

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Offers dual degrees: JD/MBA, JD/MA, JD/MSW, JD/MPH, JD/MD, JD/Ph.D, and JD/LL.M.

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law.uh.edu/admissions The University of Houston is a Carnegie-designated Tier One institution and an EEO/AA institution.

IN EV ERY I S S UE

INTERNET RESOURCES Council on Legal Education Opportunity, Inc.:

@cleoscholars

AccessLex Institute: www.accesslex.org

www.cleoinc.org ASSOCIATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS

FinAid!: www.finaid.org

American Bar Association (ABA):

@ABAesq

United States Department of Education Federal Student Aid: studentaid.ed.gov/sa

www.americanbar.org Black Pre-Law Conference: www.blackprelawconference.org

LSAT TEST PREPARATION

For People of Color, Inc.:

Griffon Prep: www.griffonprep.com

FINANCIAL WEB SITES

Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA):

@HNBANews www.hnba.com

Kaplan, Inc.: www.kaptest.com/LSAT Law School Admission Council: www.lsac.org

LatinoJustice PRLDEF:

@latinojustice

LSAT Freebies: lsatfreebies.com

www.latinojustice.org Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA):

@MCCA_law www.mcca.com National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA):

@NAPABA www.napaba.org

The Princeton Review: www.princetonreview.com TestMasters: www.testmasters.net SECONDARY SCHOOL RESOURCES

A2Z Colleges: www.a2zcolleges.com

National Bar Association (NBA):

@nationalbar www.nationalbar.org

College Board: www.collegeboard.org

National Native American Bar Association (NNABA):

Next Step U: www.nextstepu.com

@NationalNABA

Live Career: www-cms.livecareer.com/quintessential/teen-college

www.nativeamericanbar.org

#CLEOAT50 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE WINTER/SPRING 2018

CLEO EDGE

119

Judges of CLEO

HALL OF FAME The Council on Legal Education Opportunity presents its virtual “Judges of CLEO” Hall of Fame recognizing the outstanding careers and accomplishments of select CLEO Alumni who have become some of the nation’s most distinguished current and former members of the judiciary!

WWW.CLEOINC.ORG/JHOF CLEO · 1101 Mercantile Lane, Ste. 294, Largo, MD 20774 · 240-582-8600 cleoinc.org

Visit our online portal celebrating 50 years of The Council on Legal B

Education Opportunity, with event information and our virtual timeline recounting the historic accomplishments we’ve made along the way.

WWW.CLEOINC.ORG/50 CLEO · 1101 Mercantile Lane, Ste. 294, Largo, MD 20774 · 240-582-8600 cleoinc.org

CLEO EDGE is Online! CURRENT ISSUE & ARCHIVES AVAILABLE!

WINTER/SPRING 2017

CLEOINC.ORG

THE MAGAZINE FOR TOMORROW’S LAW STUDENTS

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law! camera! action! ALSO INSIDE:

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THE MAGAZINE FOR TOMORROW’S LAW STUDENTS

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