Law school outside scholarships can go a long way in supporting the cost of your law school education. We all know how expensive law school can be so taking charge of these external law school scholarships should not be a missed opportunity. I have compiled a long list of these scholarships below, read through and apply for as many as you can.
Scholarships offered by colleges and universities or law schools, in this case, are called internal scholarships or internal funding. These internal scholarships are usually competitive because of the huge monetary aid they provide. A single internal scholarship can cover the entire cost of your law school education and still offer more perks and many students want this so competition is high.
What many law students fail to notice is that there are also external sources of funding sometimes referred to as outside scholarships which can equally go a long way in financing their education. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in law school outside scholarships go to waste annually because many law students do not even know that they exist. It is like an untapped potential of resources to get free money and very few people know about this.
This article will also serve as an eye-opener to law students on law school outside scholarships that will support their journey into the legal profession. You will also find a long list of these scholarships which you can start applying for immediately.
So, do not put all your eggs in one basket by applying for just internal law school scholarships also divert your effort to external funding. And yes, you can absolutely make use of monetary aid from external sources for your law school degree, law schools accept them and even encourage you to apply for them.
If you visit the scholarships page of any law school you will find their own scholarships and still find resources of external law school scholarships provided by that same school encouraging you to apply for them. You are going to law school, trust me when I say you need all the free money that you can get so that you do not graduate with thousands of dollars in student debt.
With these outside law scholarships, you will graduate law school with as little student debt as possible or even none if you put in the effort to apply for as many as possible which you are eligible for. So, receiving funding from outside sources is an excellent way to finance your education while reducing total borrowing.
The sources of law school outside scholarships include law firms, charities, organizations, individuals, unions, and businesses. They all have varying application procedures, criteria, and deadlines, so if you want to apply for them, you need to know all these.
Another thing you need to know about outside law school scholarships is that they are divided into four different categories which are:
Table of Contents
· Diversity Scholarships
These are external scholarships targeted to students from diverse, underrepresented, and minority ethnic groups such as students of color or with disabilities. Under this category, you will find law school scholarships for minorities and also law school scholarships for Hispanics.
· General Scholarships
This type of scholarships are open to every law student and you can go ahead to apply if you meet the requirements.
· Location Specific Scholarships
Location-specific scholarships are open to students from a particular country, region, or state, for example, law school scholarships in Texas mean only Texan residents can apply for them.
· Practice Area Scholarships
This category of external law school scholarships is open to law students who demonstrate an interest in a particular area of practice, for example, public interest law scholarships.
Some law school external scholarships are offered once in a lifetime while others are offered annually, to curate a list of the best, I have only listed the ones that are offered annually so that you can always have an opportunity to apply for an external law school scholarship in each year.
Best Law School Outside Scholarships
Curated below are the best law school outside scholarships:
- Alpha Accident Lawyers Scholarship
- The 7Sage 7K Law School Scholarship
- American Bar Association Legal Opportunity Scholarship Fund
- One Lawyer Can Change the World Scholarship
- The Blanch Law Firm Scholarship Award
- Buckfire & Buckfire, P.C. Law School Diversity Scholarship Program
- Emery Reddy Worker’s Compensation Law Firm Scholarship
- The Judge John R. Brown Scholarship
- LMJ Scholarship Program
- Alaska Bar Association Law School Scholarships
- The Gutierrez Law Firm First of US Scholarship
- Russell Alexander Law Scholarship
1. Alpha Accident Lawyers Scholarship
Alpha Accident Lawyers law firm supports the education of students in law programs by providing each winner with a $2,500 scholarship award each spring and fall semester. This is one of the external law school sources that will help fund your law school education and reduce the amount of money you borrow for your education.
To be eligible, you must have outstanding academic performance and demonstrate leadership abilities. In addition, you must be a US citizen and have been accepted into law school, have a minimum GPA of 3.0 or higher, submit a transcript of your current school, and provide proof of enrollment like an acceptance letter or welcome letter into your current school.
2. The 7Sage 7K Law School Scholarship
7Sage offers scholarships to seven aspiring law students to help increase diversity at top law schools as half of the awards will go to underrepresented minorities. The scholarship is offered every year, the winner will receive $7,000, a pro bono 12-month subscription to 7Sage’s LSAT prep course, and a pro bono admission consulting package.
There are no special application requirements, it is open for all who plan to apply to a J.D. program in the US within the next three years.
3. American Bar Association Legal Opportunity Scholarship Fund
The American Bar Association (ABA) established the Legal Opportunity Scholarship Fund as one of its missions to increase the number of minority ethnic groups in the legal space. Every year, ABA supports up to 20 minority students with $15,000 of financial aid for each student over their three years in law school.
This funding aims to encourage students from minority ethnic groups to apply to law school and get the funding they need to complete their education. The ABA Legal Opportunity Scholarship Fund is one of the law school outside scholarships under the diversity scholarship category.
4. One Lawyer Can Change the World Scholarship
One Lawyer Can Change the World Scholarship was established by Barbri Law Preview to help pay for the first year of law school for 10 students who intend to pursue a law degree. To be eligible, you must be an incoming law student in your first year and submit a 500-word essay.
The award goes to 10 students, first place receives $10,000, second place gets $5,000 and the right runners-up receives $1,000 each. The scholarship is provided annually.
5. The Blanch Law Firm Scholarship Award
Are you a law student seeking a scholarship? Are you also an excellent writer? Here is an opportunity for you to showcase your writing skill and stand a chance to win a $5,000 cash prize to apply towards your law school tuition and also an opportunity to work with Blanch Law Firm.
You will be given a topic in the criminal law field that applies to a federal or state legal issue. The essay has to be a minimum of 2,500 words and links to all sources must be included in a footnote. You will also be given an outline to guide your research and writing. The writing contest is open to all students.
6. Buckfire & Buckfire, P.C. Law School Diversity Scholarship Program
Buckfire Law is a law firm in personal injury, accident, and medical malpractice. In a bid to support the education of law school students, Buckfire Law offers financial assistance of $2,000 to one student. To be considered, you must belong to an ethnic, racial, or other minority, or demonstrate a commitment to issues of diversity within their community.
In addition to the above criteria, you are required to be in good academic standing with a minimum of 3.0 GPA and have completed at least one semester of classes at an accredited law school. A one-page typed essay and an official copy of a law school transcript are also required. The scholarship is provided annually.
7. Emery Reddy Worker’s Compensation Law Firm Scholarship
Here is another awesome external law school scholarship that you can apply for whether you are a current or incoming student. Emery Reddy offers an annual scholarship of $5,000 to one selected law school student and three selected undergraduate students.
To be eligible, you must be a citizen or permanent resident of the US, currently enrolled in an accredited law school in the US, and provide proof of residency and enrollment. An essay is also required as a part of the application.
8. The Judge John R. Brown Scholarship
If you are a law student enrolled in an ABA-accredited law school in Texas seeking a J.D. or LL.B. degree and have superb writing skills then you should by all means participate in this writing competition and win a cash prize. Scholarships are awarded to law students with excellence in legal writing.
To be considered, you must submit two copies of current legal writing with a letter of recommendation from a law school faculty member or legal professional other than the author of the paper. A separate paper will contain the personal information of the student and the email address of their sponsor.
First place will receive $15,000, second place will receive $7,500, third place will receive $5,000, finalist one will receive $2,500, and finalist two will receive $2,500 and $5,000 to the scholarship fund selected by the Dean of the Law school in which the First-Place candidate is enrolled.
9. LMJ Scholarship Program
LMJ Scholarship Program was established in 2004 by MCCA as a diversity pipeline program to nurture the academic and professional careers of outstanding law students. The scholarship is targeted at women and students from diverse backgrounds who have been accepted into a full-time law program at an ABA-accredited law school.
Applicants for the LMJ Scholarship Program must have outstanding academic records, demonstrate an interest in corporate law, be involved in community service, demonstrate leadership qualities and financial need, and have a commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equity. The scholarship value is $10,000 granted to students for their first year of law school.
10. Alaska Bar Association Law School Scholarships
Law students in their first and second year of law school with ties to Alaska and who intend to return to Alaska within two years of graduation are eligible for the Alaska Bar Association Law School Scholarships. To apply, you will need a completed application form, proof of acceptance into law school, a resume, proof of Alaskan residency, and a personal statement.
11. The Gutierrez Law Firm First of US Scholarship
The Gutierrez Law Firm First of US Scholarship is one of the external law school scholarships offered to first-generation students. The scholarship is set up by this law firm to assist and encourage students who are first in their families to pursue a college degree. To qualify for the award, you must, of course, be a first-generation college student, have a minimum of 3.0 GPA or higher, and be a citizen or permanent resident of the US.
Other documents for application include an essay and transcript from your current school. The scholarship is open to current high school seniors, vocational students, college students, or graduate students. The scholarship award is $1,000.
12. Russell Alexander Law Scholarship
The Russell Alexander Law Scholarship was established in 2017 by the Russell Alexander Collaborative Family Lawyers. It is awarded annually to support students who want to pursue a legal career in Canada or are already enrolled in a law degree program. In addition to the criteria, you must have an average of 80% or higher to be eligible for the award.
The scholarship value is $2,500 in total where $2,000 is directed towards tuition and $500 is directed towards school supplies of your choice such as textbooks and notebooks.
Conclusion
Applying for outside scholarships or external sources of funding aside from the ones provided by your host institution is a good idea and even your school will encourage you to apply for them and to apply for as many as possible as long as you meet their requirements and eligibility criteria. Law school is expensive, so try and gather as much free money as possible to help offset the cost so that you don’t graduate with so much student loan.
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