National law firm Ballard Spahr signed on as a supporter of George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School’s pipeline program for Hampton University undergraduates interested in law school, the firm announced.
At the core of the program is a summer immersion experience that teaches students from underrepresented backgrounds about the benefits of a legal education and provides networking sessions, coaching on legal writing and oral communications, LSAT preparation, and guidance from a practitioner-mentor in applying to and succeeding in law school.
Hampton University undergraduates who receive admission to the law school are eligible to receive financial assistance, career counseling and continued support from their practitioner-mentor.
The program includes classroom courses, panel discussions and law-related experiences, including visiting law firms, the U.S. Supreme Court and government agencies.
“Our student body includes many who are first-generation lawyers in their families, and we are committed to providing opportunities for such students to pursue a legal education,” said Ken Randall, dean and professor at George Mason University’s law school. “The Hampton program advances that goal.”
“We’re excited to work with and support the Summer Immersion Pipeline Program,” said Virginia Essandoh, chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer at Ballard Spahr. “We’re committed to enhancing diversity in our firm and the legal profession, including by supporting the pipeline of talented and motivated Hampton University undergraduates interested in going to law school.”
The Antonin Scalia Law School was founded in 1972 as the International School of Law in Washington, D.C. It merged with George Mason Law School in 1979, and in 2016 was renamed after the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
George Mason University’s law school offers J.D., LL.M. and J.M. degrees and is home to seven nationally acclaimed centers, including the Law and Economics Center, the National Security Institute and the C. Boyden Gray Center for the Study of the Administrative State.
In December 2023, as previously reported on The National Jurist, the American Bar Association issued a Notice of Substantial Noncompliance regarding Scalia Law School’s current and anticipated financial resources absent additional information.
After its February meeting in March, the ABA informed the law school that it is now in compliance with all standards regarding financial resources, issuing a Notice of Compliance. As a result, Antonin Scalia Law School remains a fully accredited law school under ABA standards.
Located in Hampton, Virginia, Hampton University is a historically Black, research-focused institution under the leadership of its 13th president, LTG (ret) Darrell Williams.
Consistent with its mission, Hampton University’s Pre-Law Institute — under the directorship of Hampton University and Seton Hall Law School graduate, Damien Bevelle, Esq. — features a prelaw concentration highlighted by an 18-credit-hour curriculum and professional LSAT preparation.
