Forms Library
The Bar Association of San Francisco has been and continues to be committed to diversity in the legal profession and to creating programs and working with other organizations to help fill the Pipeline to the legal profession. We recognize that critical segments of this Pipeline are college students and law students. Therefore, it is our goal to provide information and resources to students that will help guide them through their: application processes; standardized testing; financial aid research and efforts; summer internship placement; college and law school experiences; networking with attorneys and passing the bar examination.
We at BASF are dedicated to helping students succeed at becoming lawyers!
Resources
Thinking About Going to Law School?
Destination Law School
The Bar Association of San Francisco's (BASF) Destination Law School (DLS) program provides information and resources about law school and the legal profession to diverse undergraduate students in colleges located in the Bay Area. The purpose of this program is to increase the number of diverse graduates that are going into law school.
Download the Destination Law School (DLS) Pre-Law Tool Kit. (4.4MB PDF)
For more information about DLS, email Jayne Salinger at dls@sfbar.org.
Boston College Law School Locator
The Locator can help you identify schools where your scores and grades are most competitve for admission and help you gauge your chance of admission at a particular school. The chart is useful in evaluating law school choices but cannot determine where you should or should not apply.
The law schools are placed in cells on the chart according to their 25th percentile scores.
Find out more.
BASF's Student Mentorship Program
BASF is launching its student mentorship program which seeks to help undergraduate students and law students develop meaningful professional relationships with experienced practicing attorneys.
The goal of the program is to foster greater diversity within the legal profession by providing opportunities for diverse students (many who otherwise would not have personal contacts with attorneys either among their family members, friends, or acquaintances) to get to know Bay Area attorneys, and get advice about the profession and how to become a part of it. Effective mentoring is critical to individual student development, advancement, and success. In order to sustain and improve diversity within the educational pipeline to a legal career, mentorship is needed along the way.
Students and attorneys are matched, as much as possible, based on the participants’ expressed preferences and interests. Once matches are made, mentors and mentees can decide how often to meet and what activities would be best suited for them to engage in. BASF will provide program guidelines, tips for mentoring, and suggested activities for participants. It is recommended that pairs meet or get in touch with one another at least once a month for a year. More frequent contact and continued contact after the first year are encouraged.
We are currently accepting applications for mentors and mentees who are interested in participating in the program! If you would like to be paired with a mentor or mentee, please complete the applicable application below.
Application for Students (18KBPDF)
Application for Mentors (18KBPDF)
If you have any questions about this program, please do not hesitate to contact Jayne Salinger at jsalinger@sfbar.org, or (415) 782-9000 x8710.
Law School Admissions Workshops
For People of Color, Inc. presents Academic Success Workshop: How to Excel in Law School
Saturday, September 18, 2010, 12:30 - 3:00 p.m.
This workshop will be held in San Francisco. Details regarding the venue (i.e. location) will be sent upon registration.
Registration: Due to limited seating, ONLY current law students can register to attend this event.
For People of Color, Inc. presented the following Law School Admissions Workshop in Feb. 2009 at The Bar Association of San Francisco. View the workshop.
To check and see when the next workshop is, visit www.forpeopleofcolor.org and click on "Events."
Download a copy of "A Guide to the Bar Examination for People of Color," a free, digital publication that provides law students with a collection of tips and advice on how to study for the bar exam.
Career Fairs
BASF Bay Area Diversity Career Fair - The 7th Annual Bay Area Diversity Career Fair will be held in late July 2011. For more information, please visit the Diversity Career Fair web page.
Scholarships and Stipends
Check back early next year for BASF's 2011 Bay Area Minority Law Student Scholarship application.
Find out more about the scholarship.
PG&E Employee Resource Groups Sponsor Scholarship Programs
The Employee Resource Groups at PG&E are an essential bridge of communication between our employees and customers. One of their key roles is to reward college-bound students for their academic achievements and community service with scholarships.
PG&E To learn more, visit: http://www.pge.com/about/community/scholarships/
ABA Legal Opportunity Scholarship Fund
The scholarship fund awards $5,000 annually. To find out how to apply, visit the ABA web site at www.abanet.org/fje.
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.
The Earl Warren Legal Training Program Scholarship include the
Earl Warren Civil Rights Training Program Scholarships and the
Earl Warren Shearman & Sterling Scholarships.
More information is available on the NAACP Web site.
Find out how to apply.
Internship, Clerkships, Fellow and Summer Opportunities
Equal Justice Society Legal Internships
The Equal Justice Society (EJS) is a national strategy group heightening consciousness on race in the law and popular discourse. Using strategies including legal advocacy, public policy, communications and alliance building, EJS seeks to restore race equity issues to the national consciousness and foster a society where race is no longer a barrier to opportunity. Our more than 5,000 members throughout the country include advocates, attorneys, jurists, scholars, social scientists, and communications experts.
View the internship opportunities. (131KBPDF)
For more information on EJS, visit www.equaljusticesociety.org.
New Edition of A Guide to the Judicial Clerkship Application Process by For People of Color, Inc.
For People of Color, Inc. proudly announces the release of the second edition of its newest publication, entitled: "A Guide to the Judicial Clerkship Application Process For People of Color." The guide is authored by Ms. Norma Nava,, Vice President & Board Member of For People of Color, Inc.
Clerkships offer a unique and invaluable opportunity to learn about the judicial system. They also provide an unparalleled training opportunity. It is an unfortunate fact, however, that relatively few students of color pursue judicial clerkships because they erroneously assume that grades alone will prevent them from securing a valuable position. The purpose of this guide is to provide students of color with a useful and practical tool that will assist them in obtaining a judicial clerkship.
Download the guide on the For People of Color web site.
Office of the Assistant Attorney General of the U.S. Department of Justice Internship
The Office of the Assistant Attorney General of the U.S. Department of Justice is seeking a student who is currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate non-law program to assist attorneys and other professional staff in areas such as public outreach and education, communication, and event preparation projects for the Civil Rights Division. Students who are majoring or have obtained a major in communications areas are preferred. The student must have excellent writing skills.
Find out how to apply.
Law Student Related Articles from the ABA Journal
Untruths, Exaggerations and Bad Recommendations Mar Law School Applications
Magazine Names Best Value Law Schools
Law School Applicants Up 3%, Lawyer Positions at Top Firms Down 4%
How Law Schools Can Produce Happier Students and Satisfied Lawyers
A Sense of Entitlement Can Cost You a Job at Jones Day
Have JD, Now What? Many Law Grads Get Jobs But not Dream Careers
New Two-Year College Is Designed as Path to Law School for Onetime Underachievers
Law Students Push For More Transparency, More Info Re: Law School Employment Stats
Health Care Law Will Make Student Loan Repayment Easier for Some Future Law School Grads
Researcher Says Law Students Need to Learn to Read Like Lawyers
US News Warns of Tough Times for Law Grads
Students with Disabilities
Golden Gate University Guide to Disability Services for Law School Applicants
Law school is a challenging and rigorous environment for every student regardless of background and experience. Due to law school's driven and fast paced nature, it is often critical that every student has the opportunity to perform at his or her potential.
For this reason, the decision of where students with disabilities attend law school may be weighed by the quality of reasonable accommodations provided. A guide for law school applicants with disabilities to familiarize themselves with the resources available to them in order to facilitate their search for an accommodating and successful law school experience is available.
The Bar Association of San Francisco (BASF), Diversity Program in Disability Rights
In addition to the interesting curriculum and activities offered at law schools, bar associations can be a great way to get involved with local attorneys and programs. The Bar Association of San Francisco sponsors a Diversity Program in Disability Rights. The program includes a Disability Rights Committee which hosts conferences dealing with the employment of lawyers with disabilities and other pertinent topics each year. For more information, visit the Disability Rights Committee page.
Publications
A Guide to the Judicial Clerkship Application Process For People of Color
To download the guide, visit http://forpeopleofcolor.org/.
For People of Color, Inc. proudly announces the release of its newest publication authored by Ms. Norma Nava , Vice President & Board Member of For People of Color, Inc.
Clerkships offer a unique and invaluable opportunity to learn about the judicial system. They also provide an unparalleled training opportunity. It is an unfortunate fact, however, that relatively few students of color pursue judicial clerkships because they erroneously assume that grades alone will prevent them from securing a valuable position. The purpose of this guide is to provide students of color with a useful and practical tool that will assist them in obtaining a judicial clerkship.
Networking Events
BASF and other local associations host a number of networking and fundraising events that are relevant for law students, including:
Check our calendar for a list of current BASF events and visit the Barristers Club web pages for a list of upcoming networking events.
Continuing Legal Education and The Barristers Club
Continuing Legal Education at BASF
If you are a member of The Bar Association of San Francisco and also a law student you are automatically enrolled in the Barristers Club. The Club offers a variety of practice-specific sections which offer
a core curriculum of CLE classes and networking opportunities.
For more information about Club activities, please call (415) 982-1600 and ask for the Barristers Club.
Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteer Legal Services Program
BASF's Volunteer Legal Services Program offers law students numerous opportunities to volunteer. Some of those projects include the Legal Advice and Referral Clinic (LARC), the Family Law Assisted Self Help Project (FLASH) and the Homeless Advocacy Project (HAP).
Download the flyer (36KBPDF) that lists all non attorney volunteer opportunities with VLSP.
Find out how to volunteer with VLSP.
Pipeline Programs
Additionally, BASF has some diversity pipeline programs that also need volunteers. Those programs include the Law Academy and School-To-College programs.
For more information about volunteering with these programs, contact Jayne Salinger at jsalinger@sfbar.org.
Joining The Bar Association of San Francisco
Law students can join BASF for just $30 a year. Join now.
Organizations
For People of Color, Inc. is a nonprofit organization founded by Anthony Solana, Jr. The organization's mission is to empower people of color who want to enter the legal profession. For People of Color, Inc. has vast knowledge and expertise in assisting diverse law school applications gain admission to the law school of their choice. Also, the organization is keenly focused on providing mentorship and professional development opportunities to current diverse law students, and law school graduates.
Web site: http://www.forpeopleofcolor.org/
The Pre-Law Student of Color Network
The JD Project manages the Pre-Law Student of Color Network, which provides discussion forums, chat sessions and resources on preparing for law school in high school; preparing for law school in college; preparing and taking the law school admission test (LSAT); applying to and choosing the right law school; and preparing the summer before admission.
Web site: http://thejdproject.org/GettingIn/tplscn.htm
The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) is committed to increasing the number of lawyers from underrepresented minority groups. To affirm that commitment, the Council conducts ongoing programs and initiatives designed to increase the quality and quantity of the minority applicant pool.
Web site: http://www.lsac.org/SpecialInterests/minorities-in-legal-education.asp
In 1968 the Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO) was founded as a non-profit project of the ABA Fund for Justice and Education to expand opportunities for minority and low-income students to attend law school. In 1998, Congress passed the Higher Education Amendments Act, creating the Thurgood Marshall Legal Educational Opportunity Program, which is administered by the Council on Legal Education Opportunity. CLEO is committed to diversifying the legal profession by expanding legal education opportunities to minority, low-income and disadvantaged groups.
Web site: http://www.cleoscholars.com/
Building a Better Legal Profession
Building a Better Legal Profession (BBLP) is a national grassroots movement that seeks market-based workplace reforms in large private law firms. by publicizing firms' self-reported data on billable hours, pro bono participation, and demographic diversity, we draw attention to the differences between these employers. we encourage those choosing between firms - students deciding who to work for after graduation, corporate clients deciding who to hire, and universities deciding who to allow on campus for interviews - to exercise their market power and engage only with the firms that demonstrate a genuine commitment to these issues.
www.buildingabetterlegalprofession.org
Building a Better Legal Profession's Guide to Law Firms: The Law Student's Guide to Finding the Perfect Law Firm Job
American Bar Association Legal Technology Resource Center
The ABA's Legal Technology Resource Center is staffed by professional librarians and legal professionals with a wide range of expertise and experience. Librarians and legal professionals regularly publish articles here. Visit the Legal Technology Resource Center at http://www.abanet.org/tech/ltrc/publications/home.html.
Some of articles of interest on the ABA Web site include:
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