Foundation awards 51 scholarships

Fifty-one law students received public service or diversity scholarships totaling $250,000 from the California Bar Foundation last month. The public service stipends — $120,000 to 28 students — were awarded for the 18th year; since 1992, the foundation has handed out more than 550 public interest scholarships. Five law firms support the program with multi-year gifts.

“The need for legal aid attorneys who provide critical assistance to low-income Californians is tremendous, but the high cost of law school, which can leave recent graduates with upwards of $100,000 in student loans, prevents many new lawyers from pursuing rewarding but historically low-paying public interest jobs,” said Foundation President Mario Camara, a partner at Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP, one of the sponsoring law firms.

The diversity scholarships — $130,000 to 23 incoming first-year students from communities historically underrepresented among California lawyers — were handed out for the second year. Thirteen law firms and corporations have made three-year, $10,000 per year commitments to the program.

“By recognizing top minority law students and easing the financial burden of attending law school, the diversity scholarship directly addresses this issue and makes these students’ path to becoming productive, practicing attorneys a little easier,” said bar President Howard Miller.

A complete list of the scholarship recipients is at calbarfoundation.org.