Our sponsors
A word from our sponsors
Prominent law firms & legal services providers award full-tuition scholarships
BARBRI Law Preview, together with leading law schools, law firms, companies and bar associations, has created an innovative partnership to improve the academic performance of law students.
These sponsoring organizations generously fund full scholarships for incoming law students to attend a BARBRI Law Preview summer session so they can learn from the nation’s leading law school professors and attorney lecturers what to expect and how to succeed in law school. Some sponsors also make further investments by mentoring scholarship recipients throughout their 1L year.
Yusuf Zakir
Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer
Davis Wright & Tremaine LLP
“Before I went to law school, I was fortunate to be a student in the Law Preview program. I did not have anyone to rely upon to help me understand how to succeed in law school. Law Preview provided that guidance and knowledge. The program gave me the tools, information, and confidence to hit the ground running on my first day of law school and significantly improved my trajectory. Law Preview is one of the solutions to the challenge of inequity in access to information. That’s why we’re proud to support this important program.”
CRISTINA RODRIGUEZ
Hiring Partner & Diversity Committee Member
Baker Botts LLP
“Baker Botts is committed to improving diversity both at our firm and in the legal profession in general. Over the years, we have sponsored several pipeline programs that help introduce minorities into the legal profession. The scholarship opportunity available through Law Preview simply expands that pipeline by providing admitted law students with a solid foundation upon which to begin their studies. If you plan to attend Duke University School of Law and are a member of a group that is traditionally underrepresented in the legal profession, I strongly encourage you to submit an application.”
JASON YOUNG, ESQ.
Partner & Chair of the U.S. Diversity Committee
Clifford Chance
“Recruiting for most large, global law firms takes place during the fall semester of a law student’s second year and students really need to finish in the top half of their 1L class to get an interview. Given the substantial investment that most students make in their legal education, it is wise to do all that you can to ensure you do well your first year. When Clifford Chance first explored options for helping diverse law students who were heading to law school, we wanted to support a program that helped students achieve academic excellence during that all-important first year. Over the years we received very positive feedback from interview candidates who had attended the Law Preview class and that is why Clifford Chance decided to partner with Law Preview and offer scholarships to diverse students entering law school. Since 2009, we have been sponsoring entering 1Ls to attend the Law Preview class and the response we’ve received from scholarship recipients has been overwhelmingly positive. If you are planning to attend a law school we sponsor and meet the scholarship criteria, I strongly encourage you to submit an application.”
HAROLD FRANKLIN
Partner & Diversity Committee Chair
King & Spalding
"The legal profession undergirds the very foundations of our democracy. Representation matters, and enhancing diversity by expanding the pipeline to the legal profession in addition to enhancing opportunities for the success of underrepresented groups in law school are key components of achieving and sustaining progress. King & Spalding recognizes the importance of excelling during the 1L year of law school, a primary gateway to key employment opportunities during and after law school. That is why we are pleased to support and invest in the Law Preview Program, given its proven effectiveness in helping prepare and position students for success."
JAFFE DICKERSON
Shareholder & Diversity & Inclusion Council Co-Chair
Littler Mendelson P.C.
“Law school is an investment in your future. In order to get the most out of that investment you really need to excel during the first year. A student’s 1L grades can earn not only academic honors like law review, but they largely determine whether the most selective legal employers will invite a candidate to interview for a Summer Associate position after the second year. When Littler Mendelson began investigating ways we could help diverse students prepare for the rigors of law school, we spoke to some of our lawyers who attended pre-law programs and reflected fondly on that experience. Proper preparation before law school can have a dramatic impact on a person’s academic and professional opportunities and we are thrilled to be in a position to help make a difference in the lives of entering law students by underwriting the cost of their Law Preview tuition. If you are attending a law school we support, and meet the scholarship criteria, I strongly encourage you to submit an application.”
JACQUELYN E. STONE
Hiring Partner and Diversity Committee Member
McGuireWoods LLP
“McGuireWoods’ commitment to improving diversity in the legal profession is unparalleled. As part of this commitment, we want to help diverse students who are about to enter law school be as successful as possible, which is why we have chosen to partner with Law Preview. Based on our research and the high marks from our own associates who are Law Preview alumni, we decided this would be a good partnership. We are pleased to provide scholarships to help prepare diverse students for their first year of law school at GULC. If you meet the scholarship criteria, I encourage you to submit an application.”
CYNTHIA HASSON
Director, Talent Acquisition
Paul Hastings LLP
“We have decided to invest in the Law Preview Scholars Program because it helps position students to excel during the all-important 1L year and supports the last, critical section of the diversity pipeline by providing a solid foundation upon which students can launch their legal careers. Paul Hastings is proud to participate in this scholarship program and hope to make a real difference in the lives of diverse students attending Penn Law.”
NICHOLE DOTSON-OLAJUWON, ESQ.
Chief Diversity Officer
Thompson & Knight LLP
“A student’s grades during the first-year of law school are extremely important. It is a plain and hard fact that the most selective legal employers rely almost exclusively on students’ 1L grades when deciding who to interview and hire for their Summer Associate programs. We are proud to join our peer firms in helping diverse students achieve their optimal level of success during that all-important first year by sponsoring their participation in Law Preview. The value of properly preparing for the law school experience cannot be understated and Thompson & Knight is happy to subsidize the cost of Law Preview in order to provide a solid foundation upon which students can begin their legal studies.”
MEYER G. KOPLOW
Executive Partner and Chair, Diversity Committee
Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
“Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz shares the belief that for the legal profession to prosper, law schools must be as diverse as the nation’s undergraduate campuses. While expanding the diversity pipeline will go a long way towards curing the current imbalance, we also know that to truly make a difference, the students who enter law school must be prepared to excel academically when they begin their classes. The Law Preview Scholars Program is an opportunity to help students by providing them with an overview of the subjects they will take and, perhaps most importantly, teaching them the skill set they will need to master their 1L courses. Wachtell Lipton is excited to participate with this unique partnership with Law Preview and we are hopeful that the students we sponsor today will become the next generation of leaders who help the legal profession achieve real diversity.”
SEAN MURPHY
Hiring Partner
Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP
“As the hiring partner at a top international law firm, I know firsthand how students’ 1L grades often dictate the employment opportunities available to them after graduation. The vast majority of law firm recruiting takes place during the fall semester of law students’ 2L year — and at that time, 1L grades and things like law review/journal membership are all that firms use when deciding who to interview for there their summer associate programs. This places a large amount of pressure on law students to perform ‘out of the gate’ and keep missteps to a minimum in order to earn the highest 1L GPA possibly. Because trial and error is not a wise strategy during such an important time, we are proud to provide scholarships to students entering law school in order to help them begin their studies on the right foot with a solid foundation.”
MAY WALL, PARTNER
Hiring Committee Member & Diversity Committee Member
Winston & Strawn LLP
“It is a harsh reality that first-year grades often dictate the employment opportunities available to students when they graduate law school. So, when Winston & Strawn‘s Diversity Committee began exploring ways that we could better support the pipeline of diverse law students seeking to join the legal profession, we wanted to make sure we invested in programs that positioned students to excel academically. Our firm has a long history of sponsoring deserving students in their pursuit of higher education. Winston & Strawn is excited to participate in the Law Preview Scholars Program because it complements our other diversity initiatives and provides a unique opportunity to have a meaningful impact before students begin the all-important 1L year and, hopefully, helps set them on a path towards a rewarding legal career. If you are planning to attend one of the law schools we support, I strongly encourage you to submit an application.”
STEVE GILL
Partner & Talent Management Chair
Vinson & Elkins LLP
“First-year grades are critical to a student’s success throughout law school and for getting a strong start on their career. Vinson & Elkins is proud to be the first law firm to partner with Law Preview/Barbri on its Scholars Program, giving underrepresented students opportunities to succeed going into their first year. Supporting students through these scholarships, as well through our V&E Law Preview Scholars mentor program, reflects V&E’s strong commitment to Diversity & Inclusion in the legal profession.”