AccessLex Institute has partnered with over 30 law schools to enter students from underrepresented backgrounds into its LexScholars Post-Baccalaureate Program, an online law school prep program.
Students who take the one-year program are guaranteed admission to the law school that entered them into the program in addition to a renewable scholarship and an annual stipend. The curriculum focuses on LSAT preparation, financial education and building critical thinking skills.
“Through LexPostBacc, AccessLex and partnering law schools offer Scholars the opportunity to develop core knowledge and skills while also lowering their cost of law school attendance,” said Aaron Taylor, Executive Director of AccessLex Center for Legal Education Excellence. “The goal is to position Scholars for success at every stage of their progression to the legal profession. The program is rigorous; not every Scholar will successfully complete it. But those who do will be ready to thrive as law students with support from their law school and AccessLex.”
The first cohort of students enrolled in the summer of 2022. The next program will start in July 2023. It is a free program for students and law schools.
“Almost every admissions cycle, we have a number of applicants from backgrounds that are underrepresented in law school and in the legal profession who, for various reasons, we believe would benefit from additional preparation prior to starting law school,” said Barbara DiGiacomo, the University of Akron School of Law’s Associate Dean of Administration and Enrollment Management.
Akron Law is one of the seventeen schools that will be referring students for the 2023-2024 summer program. Students must first be referred by a law school they have already applied to.
“We are happy to discuss students’ potential qualifications for the program as they are considering applying to Akron Law,” DiGiacomo said.
Students who successfully complete the LexPostBacc curriculum receive a non-conditional, renewable scholarship of at least 20% tuition, a $3,000 stipend from AccessLex Institute, and access to a Helix Bar Review by AccessLexSM course, upon graduation, according to Akron Law’s website.
Participating schools in the 2023-2024 program are:
- California Western School of Law
- Campbell University Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law
- Chicago-Kent College of Law
- City University of New York School of Law
- Creighton School of Law
- Florida International University College of Law
- Golden Gate University School of Law
- Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law
- Liberty University School of Law
- Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law
- Mississippi College School of Law
- Northern Illinois University College of Law
- Northern Kentucky University Chase College of Law
- Oklahoma City University
- Penn State Dickinson Law
- Quinnipiac University School of Law
- Roger Williams University School of Law
- Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law
- Southwestern Law School
- Suffolk University Law School
- The Catholic University of America
- The University of Akron School of Law
- Touro Law Center
- University of Cincinnati College of Law
- University of Detroit Mercy School of Law
- University of Idaho College of Law
- University of North Texas College of Law
- University of South Dakota Knudson School of Law
- University of St. Thomas School of Law – Minneapolis
- University of the District of Columbia – David A. Clarke School of Law
- University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law
- Vermont Law and Graduate School
- Western New England University School of Law
- Widener University Delaware Law School
- Willamette University College of Law