LSAC’s Diversity Committee Announces a Writing Competition on Best Practices for Recruitment and Retention For Students of Color and Students From Other Underrepresented Groups in Law Schools
The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) is committed to fostering diversity in law schools and the legal profession. Currently, through its Diversity Committee, LSAC is operating at least eight diversity initiatives. These initiatives include organizing national and regional pipeline workshops that promote the development of outreach and early educational programs for students from diverse backgrounds; offering grants to support diversity initiatives at LSAC member law schools; maintaining databases and websites with information, resources and programs that encourage students of color, students living with a disability, and LGBTQ students to pursue a legal career and to equip them with the tools for successful admission and graduation from law school; and engaging in ongoing collaborative programs and projects with prelaw advisors and students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACUs), and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs).
For decades, studies consistently have shown that students of color, students living with a disability, and LGBTQ students are underrepresented in most law schools. As a consequence, smaller percentages of persons who represent these groups are graduating from law school and entering the legal profession. This writing competition is designed to reinvigorate the dialogue about the recruitment and retention strategies that law schools should deploy to yield a more diverse class of graduates that will enter the legal profession.
JUDGING:
A panel of legal writing instructors and LSAC staff will evaluate each submission and select the winning papers. If no paper meets standards set forth in this announcement, the panel may decide not to issue an award or to publish a paper. The panel’s decision will be final.
DEADLINE:
All papers must be uploaded no later than 5:00 PM EST on Thursday, May 1, 2014. No extensions will be granted. Papers submitted after the deadline will not be eligible for an award. All submissions become the property of LSAC.
TOPIC:
What techniques, resources and strategies should law schools utilize to recruit and retain students of color and other students who are from groups underrepresented in law schools and the legal profession?
ELIGIBILITY:
Current JD candidates who are in good standing at accredited LSAC-member law schools.
LENGTH AND FORMAT:
Up to 20 pages (5000 words or less), 8 112 by 11 inch paper, double spaced, I inch margins, Word format, 12 point font, with endnotes written in “A Uniform System of Citation” (The Blue Book) format.
EVALUATION CRITERIA:
Essays will be judged according to:
• Research and use of relevant sources and authorities (cases, law review articles; other secondary sources, including, but not limited to, books, newspapers, and magazines; and empirical and sociological studies);
• Quality and clarity of legal analysis, persuasion, and writing;
• Understanding, interpretations and conclusions regarding diversity and the implications of diversity in this context;
• Full compliance with all competition procedures.
For additional details, please visit Symplicity Posting ID#12491.