New Trials program prepares pre-law students with summer at Harvard or NYU; applications due Mar. 1

A partnership of New York University School of Law, Harvard Law School and the Advantage Testing Program has resulted in the launch of a new residential scholarship program, Trials, that helps talented and motivated undergraduates of modest means earn acceptance to the nation’s leading law schools. The program is intended to promote diversity in the field of law by reinforcing the skills and focusing the goals of college students whose backgrounds are underrepresented in the legal profession.

Trials is a unique collaboration of New York University School of Law, Harvard Law School and the Advantage Testing Foundation, a public service organization dedicated to expanding opportunities for higher education.

For five weeks in July and early August, Trials students reside at Harvard or NYU to receive intensive LSAT instruction and a series of lectures by prominent lawyers and scholars to introduce them to the legal profession. Students have no expenses associated with the program and will receive a $3000 stipend to supplement their summer income. Applications for the inaugural 2009 session are due March 1st. Students can apply online by visiting our program’s Web site.

Trials welcomes applications from aspiring students of any background whose personal circumstances, self-identifications and unique perspectives might place them outside the mainstream of typical law school applicants. Students with strong academic credentials, well-articulated ambitions and documented financial need will compete for twenty spots in the 2009 class. Each year, a majority of Trials students will hail from colleges and universities that have no more than one graduate currently attending each partnering law school.

Trials represents a unique opportunity for high-achieving undergraduates to cultivate their aspirations. Students emerge from Trials with a concrete set of goals and a realistic plan for achieving them, along with a strong sense of purpose and commitment to social service.

Posted February 2, 2009