Law Student Profile
Sadia Aslam, UMKC School of Law By Teresa Cajot In an ambitious undertaking, Sadia Aslam spent her undergraduate years working toward her bachelor’s degree while simultaneously taking law courses. As a result, she graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) School of Law with bachelor’s degrees in both history and chemistry and one year of law school under her belt.
Through the 90+ Program, a partnership between the UMKC School of Law and the College of Arts and Sciences, Aslam saved valuable time while also saving in costs. The program gives students with 90 or more undergraduate credits the option of taking on law school courses that can also be credited toward the undergraduate degree. But the program serves students in other ways too. Through the law school, Aslam had the opportunity to network with attorneys through professional receptions and other events. Rather than merely attending classes and listening to lectures, she became a participant in the field. She gained practical experience through participation in VITA, the law school’s volunteer income tax assistance program and also became a member of the Association of Women Law Students (AWLS), which promotes the success of women within academics and the legal community.
practice law,” said Aslam who credits UMKC’s law school with presenting the opportunity to “get involved with law firms, to attend receptions, and to actually get to know the lawyers.” The 90+ Program gave Aslam a head-start in law school and she hasn’t slowed down since. The prospective 2012 graduate spent her 2010 summer interning for Legal Aid of Western Missouri. Through the Diversity Writing Program she also spent four months of 2010 as a law clerk with Shook, Hardy & Bacon in Kansas City, Missouri. She joined the firm again as a summer associate in 2011. Additionally, Aslam’s “Hijab in the Workplace: Why Title VII Does Not Adequately Protect Employees from Discrimination on the Basis of Religious Dress and Appearance,” was published in the UMKC Law Review. (80 UMKC L. Rev. 221 (2011))
“I really enjoyed getting to help clients one-on-one and meeting individuals, because that’s what I want to do when I
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