Applications are now being accepted for the 2010-11 ABA Legal Opportunity Scholarship Fund.
The fund is intended to encourage racial and ethnic minority students to apply to law school and to provide financial assistance to the scholarship recipients. The fund will award $5,000 of financial assistance annually to each scholarship recipient attending an ABA-accredited law school. An award made to an entering first-year student may be renewable for two additional years, resulting in financial assistance totaling $15,000 during his or her time in law school. Completed applications must be received no later than March 1, 2010.
Frequently Asked Questions
If I am a second- or third-year student, am I eligible to receive an ABA Legal Opportunity Scholarship?
No. An applicant must be an entering, first-year law student in the fall of 2010. Only students beginning law school in the fall semester of 2010 will be eligible to receive an ABA Legal Opportunity Scholarship. Applicants who are part-time law students also must be starting law school in the fall semester of 2010 to be eligible. Please review the instruction portion of the application for the complete eligibility requirements.
Do I need to be a citizen of the United States to apply?
An applicant must be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States of America. Students who are citizens and residents of a foreign country, even if they plan to attend law school in the United States, are not eligible to apply.
How many people applied to the ABA Legal Opportunity Scholarship Fund last year?
We received more than 1,000 applications last year.
I am independent of my parents and receive no financial assistance from them. Do I still need to include their financial information?
Yes. Parents’ financial information is required for every scholarship applicant regardless of the student’s age, marital status, length of self-emancipation or family responsibilities. If special circumstances exist which prevent you from providing financial information for your parents, please explain those circumstances in a separate statement.
One of the primary criteria of the ABA Legal Opportunity Scholarship Fund is financial need. Although your parents may not currently provide financial support to you, we still require your parents’ financial information in order to compile a complete picture of your financial need. Having your parents’ financial information allows the selection committee to evaluate the financial resources that could be available to you. As stated above, if special circumstances prevent you from providing this information, please explain those circumstances in a separate statement.
I am not able to obtain my official transcript in order to meet the deadline. Will you accept an unofficial transcript?
Yes. For purposes of the application, we will accept an unofficial transcript, or even a copy of transcript. You may even be able to access your transcript from your school’s website. If you are selected as a recipient of the ABA Legal Opportunity Scholarship, we would require that you send us an official transcript at that time.
I have not yet heard if I have been accepted to law school. Should I still apply?
Yes. Because the deadline for submitting applications is March 1, 2010, an applicant will have applied to law schools but may not yet have been admitted to law school. If an applicant is selected to receive an ABA Legal Opportunity Scholarship, he or she will be required to demonstrate admission to and plans to enroll at an ABA-accredited law school before receiving scholarship funds. Students who do not enroll or who leave law school after being admitted will be required to return all or a proportional amount of scholarship funds.
Can I submit my letters of recommendation through the Law School Admission Council (LSAC)?
At this time the ABA cannot access letters of recommendation through LSAC. Recommenders should return their letter to you in sealed, signed enveloped, to be included with your application. If your college maintains a central file of recommendations, that office may place copies of the recommendations in a sealed envelope signed by an authorized person in that office. The recommendations must be submitted with the application.
If you have questions, please call (312) 988-5415 or e-mail legalosf@staff.abanet.org
