LACA offers various opportunities for current students to connect with alumni and takes great pride in honoring their achievements. LACA also offers stipends to prospective students to attend the annual Spring Dinner, a great occasion for them to connect with current members and alumni.
The Derrick Bell Scholarship for Public Service
Since 1994, LACA has awarded a Public Service Scholarship to promote the practice of law in the public sector by graduates of color. A $15,000 scholarship is awarded each year to a rising 2L or 3L student who is a member of APALSA, BALSA, LaLSA, MENALSA, NALSA, or SALSA, has proven a dedication to public service, plans to pursue a career in public interest law, and demonstrates a commitment to social justice.
Applications are available now and consideration by the LACA Board occurs in March. Recipients are required to serve as student liaison to the LACA Board during the remainder of their time at the Law School and are expected to facilitate and strengthen the relationship between LACA and the ALSAs.
Completed applications are due at 4:00 p.m. on Monday, December 2, 2024.
Mentoring
We encourage all students to find professionals who they can reach out to for guidance, advice, and support. But we know that finding good mentors can sometimes be a difficult experience, especially for students who may not come from a background where they’ve had significant exposure to people in the practice of law. The strength of LACA lies in our deep pool of alumni of color ¬ in every practice area and specialty imaginable ¬ and the connections that we can facilitate among the people within the LACA family. For this reason, LACA has worked to create two distinct mentoring programs aimed at connecting current law students of color with NYU Law alums of color. Students may sign up for either, or both, programs.
- LACA POD MENTORING PROGRAM
First, LACA offers a direct mentoring program that utilizes a “pod” system. Each pod consists of a mentor, who is a senior attorney and serves as convener, and two to four mentees comprised of one to two junior to mid-level attorneys and one to two students. This mixture of experience levels is designed to provide a more robust and valuable exchange for all members of the pod. Mentors in this program commit to providing general wisdom, advice, and support to their small “pod” of students and lawyers for a one-year term (which can be done in person or virtually). Students and lawyers will be matched with mentors with similar professional interests and geographical preferences, to the extent possible.
- THE VIOLET NETWORK
The Violet Network is an easy-to-use platform for NYU community members to engage in mentoring activities, connect with each other, share professional expertise, and contribute to discussions. A Law Group has been created within the Violet Network to allow current NYU Law students to connect with NYU Law alumni in an otherwise unstructured manner where mentors and mentees may set the parameters of their professional relationship. To join the Law Group, please activate your profile and go to the Groups tab to begin exploring. For questions, please email violetnetwork@nyu.edu.
Alumni-Student Committee
The Alumni-Student Committee, which consists of members of the LACA Board and the leadership of the all-ALSA Coalition, works diligently to stay abreast of and address the needs of students of color through meaningful programming.
Admitted Students Days and Spring Dinner Subsidies
LACA offers various opportunities for current students to connect with alumni and takes great pride in honoring their achievements. LACA also offers stipends to prospective students to attend the annual Spring Dinner, a great occasion for them to connect with current members The Alumni-Student Committee, which consists of members of the LACA Board and the leadership of the all-ALSA Coalition, works diligently to stay abreast of and address the needs of students of color through meaningful programming.
LACA provides transportation subsidies to a select number of admitted students each year. Our subsidy program gives students who would not otherwise be able to visit the Law School during Admitted Students Days the opportunity to do so. Many of these students also attend LACA’s Spring Dinner, which is traditionally scheduled during an Admitted Students weekend. If you have been admitted to NYU Law and would like a subsidy, please contact the Office of Admissions for information about how to apply.
Clerkship Travel Subsidy Fund
To alleviate some of that financial impact and encourage more diverse clerkship applicants, LACA has established the Clerkship Travel Subsidy Fund, which will assist current NYU Law students who are members of APALSA, BALSA, LaLSA, MENALSA, NALSA, and/or SALSA as well as recent LACA alumni—up to 3 years out, by providing travel awards for interviews with judges. The maximum award to be granted per recipient is $500. For more details on the Fund, eligibility, and to apply, please follow this link.
Convocation Awards
LACA awards three prizes to graduating members of APALSA, BALSA, LaLSA, MENALSA, NALSA, or SALSA: the Award for Clinical Service, the Public Service Convocation Prize, and the Kim Barry Memorial Convocation Prize. In 2017, the Calisha Myers Memorial Convocation Award was established in her memory to be awarded to a graduating member of AnBryce, Law Review, the All ALSA Coalition (APALSA, BALSA, LaLSA, MENALSA, NALSA, and SALSA) and/or Women of Color Collective (WoCC). Applications and descriptions can be found here and awards are presented during Convocation.
Graduation Events
Related to the NYU School of Law Convocation, in conjunction with the Law School and the All-ALSA Coalition, LACA serves as co-sponsor for:
- All-ALSA Graduation Reception: During the afternoon following Convocation, LACA and the ALSAs hold a reception at the Law School for graduates of the ALSA community along with faculty, staff, family, and friends as they celebrate the graduating All ALSA Class.