Tuesday, February 25, 2014
An immediate and renewable $18,000 scholarship available to all incoming JD students from a 12-state region
Today, The University of Tulsa College of Law announces the commitment of major new funding to establish the Access to Legal Education Scholarship (ALES). This new program awards an immediate and renewable $18,000 annual scholarship to qualified first-year College of Law students from a 12-state region beginning in fall 2014.
The new funding will provide entering students access to a legal education from a top 100 law school for less than the cost of attending other private and most public law schools in the region.
The newly established ALES program will create more than $50,000 in tuition savings for each entering JD student from Oklahoma, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming.
“The ALES program directly responds to rising tuition, mounting student debt, and a challenging job market for law school graduates. A report released just last month by the American Bar Association Task Force on the Future of Legal Education encourages innovation among law schools, and TU Law is responding swiftly to this call to action with major new funding,” said Janet K. Levit, Dean and Dean John Rogers Endowed Chair of TU College of Law.
State bar associations and local governments report a need for more attorneys to serve their rural populations. At the same time, there is a growing need for lawyers to advocate for children and families, military veterans, and small companies.
“TU Law is at the forefront of an important shift to align the demand for legal services with a steady supply of exceptionally qualified lawyers,” Levit said. “We offer an excellent, highly individualized legal education rooted in practical experience. TU Law graduates, with less debt, will be prepared and willing to represent underserved populations in our region. This shift has the potential to fundamentally change the landscape of available options for those who practice law and those who need qualified legal assistance.”
TU College of Law is a leader in energy and natural resources law and Native American law, and it currently offers two active clinics in immigration law and family advocacy. In addition, its expanding experiential learning program is readying TU Law students for the practical responsibilities of public interest and small firm practice within the profession.
For more information and to apply, visit law.utulsa.edu or contact The University of Tulsa College of Law Office of Admissions at lawadmissions@utulsa.edu or 918.631.2406.