Haynes and Boone, LLP has partnered with PracticePro and 8 other law firms to form the Pre-Law Founding Circle, which will award at least nine Pre-Law Diversity Scholarships. The Founding Circle hopes these scholarships will provide support and guidance to underrepresented students looking to join the legal field.
“Businesses want to hire innovative and creative legal teams, and the best team made of the best people is a diverse group of attorneys,” Brian Kwok, Administrative Partner of the Haynes Boone San Francisco office, said. “No one benefits from cookie-cutter versions of the same attorney, so we also need to acknowledge that there are different ways to think about and approach the law. This takes people of different genders, backgrounds and cultures.”
Last year, PracticePro created the Pre-Law Diversity Scholarship to provide underrepresented students with strategic guidance and financial support as they navigate the law school admissions process and prepare for legal careers. PracticePro ultimately provides scholarships to three students from Howard University, UC Riverside, and UT Austin.
“Having the privilege of working with underrepresented law students for almost a decade and hearing their stories of overcoming immense challenges, I knew there would be a need for the Pre-law Diversity Scholarship, but we were absolutely stunned by the quality of the 100+ applications that we received,” said Niki Khoshzamir, Founder and CEO of PracticePro.
Haynes Boone is PracticePro’s first Diversity Founder, underscoring the firm’s commitment to PracticePro’s diversity initiatives. The firm funds scholarships, hosts conferences, collaborates on new diversity initiatives, and provides support to the Diversity Scholars through its offices across the United States. Haynes Boone is also proud recipient of the Diversity Leadership Award from PracticePro, awarded based on a firm’s overall track record with diversity initiatives; demonstrated use of innovative methods of recruiting and developing diverse talent; and providing invaluable support for PracticePro's nationwide Diversity Scholars program.
The 2023 Pre-Law Diversity Scholarship recipients will receive:
- $1,200 LSAT stipend
- $500 law school application fee reimbursement
- Law school admissions coaching, which includes application strategy, personal statement generation and review, legal resume drafting, and scholarship negotiation
- Career coaching, which includes an introduction to the legal industry and recruiting, and preparation for first-year summer legal internship opportunities
- Mentorship from Founding Circle firms and companies
On March 10, 2023, PracticePro and the Founding Circle will hold an information session for pre-law students to share law school admissions advice and answer questions about the scholarship. The deadline to submit a completed application is Friday, March 31, 2023. To learn more about the scholarship program, visit the PracticePro website.
