NCCU School of Law’s Legal Pipeline Programs: Increasing Diversity of the Legal Profession One Student at A Time — Associate Dean Angela A. Gilmore

NCCU School of Law’s Legal Pipeline Programs: Increasing Diversity of the Legal Profession One Student at A Time

ANGELA GILMORE Associate Dean for Pipeline and Non-J.D. Programs

Law remains one of the least diverse professions in the United States. In fact, in 2020, the American Bar Association (“ABA”) reported that “[n]early all people of color are underrepresented in the legal profession compared with their presence in the U.S.” Law school enrollment also fails to reflect the diversity of the U.S. population. ABA data shows that, in the fall of 2020, Black Americans comprised approximately 8% of the students who were beginning their first year of law school, while making up 13.4% of the U.S. population. The numbers for other communities of color are equally disheartening. Latinx individuals comprise 18.5% of the U.S. population, but only 13% of first-year law students, and Native Americans comprise 1.3% of the U.S. population and just 0.4% of students in their first year of law school.

A low number of law school applications from underrepresented individuals is not the reason for the enrollment disparity. AccessLex, an organization that “fosters broad-based access to quality legal education for talented, purpose-driven students and works to maximize the value and affordability of a law degree through policy advocacy, research and student-focused initiatives” reports that law schools offer admission to applicants from underrepresented communities at a lower rate than their White counterparts. According to AccessLex, the following are the law school admission rates for fall 2019: Seventy-eight percent for White applicants, 66% for Asian applicants, 62% for American Indian/Alaskan Native applicants, 61% for Latino applicants, 60% for Puerto Rican applicants,59% for Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander applicants, and just 48% for Black applicants.

The clearest way to increase the racial and ethnic diversity of the legal profession is to increase the number of individuals from underrepresented communities who graduate from law school. A related way to improve diversity is to increase the law school acceptance rate for members of underrepresented communities. Professional pipeline programs have had success in increasing the diversity of certain professions, such as engineering and health care. Some legal pipeline programs are doing the same for the legal profession.

There are three main types of legal pipeline programs: awareness-heightening, law school preparation and admissions assistance. The first type is designed to create awareness and interest in the legal profession in students when they are young. For example, NCCU School of Law hosts the Legal Eagle Law Camp. For two weeks during the summer, middle school students are exposed to the field of law by meeting attorneys and judges, visiting a courthouse, participating in a mock trial, and using the NCCU Law Library to perform legal research.

Other legal pipeline programs nurture and encourage students who have already identified law as a possible future career. These programs are often designed for high school and college students and provide the participants with resources that will assist them as they contemplate a legal career. NCCU School of Law is putting the finishing touches on its Future Law Students Pipeline Program. The goal of this program is to prepare undergraduate students at NCCU for law school. Through curricular and co-curricular pre-law initiatives, students will acquire information, skills, and knowledge that will benefit them as they complete their education and begin their professional lives. During the Spring and Fall semesters, students will participate in workshops that focus on professional development skills such as time management, resume drafting, networking strategies, and interviewing techniques. During the summers, they will attend camps that introduce them to the study of law and the work that lawyers do. Students will also enroll in an LSAT preparation course and receive assistance as they navigate the law school application process.

The third type of legal pipeline program targets individuals who have demonstrated a commitment to enter the legal profession by applying to law school, but whose applications have not resulted in offers of admission. These programs are not focused on increasing the number of applications to law school; rather, they aim to increase the law school acceptance rate for members of underrepresented communities. The programs work with initially unsuccessful applicants to identify the weaknesses in their law school applications and to craft strategies that address the weaknesses in their subsequent efforts. For many applicants, this means improving their LSAT score. For others, it means drafting a more authentic and effective personal statement. For still others, it means directing their law school applications to schools that are a better fit for them.

The NCCU School of Law’s unique Emerging Technology Leadership (ETL) Program is a pipeline program for applicants denied admission to the NCCU School of Law. Through an agreement with NCCU’s School of Library and Information Sciences (SLIS), these applicants are invited to apply to SLIS’s Master of Information Science (MIS) program. Those who enroll in the MIS program, and who remain interested in attending law school, are provided with assistance with preparing for the LSAT and completing their law school applications. Those who are subsequently admitted to law school are invited to participate in a bridge program designed to assist them with their transition to law school. Participants who subsequently matriculate at NCCU School of Law are recognized as dual degree, J.D./MIS, students.

As our mission proudly states, NCCU School of Law “provide[s] a quality, personalized, practice-oriented, and affordable legal education to historically underrepresented students from diverse backgrounds to increase diversity in the legal profession.” Our pipeline programs are just one of the ways that we demonstrate that this mission is more than mere words.