Application Period Open for the 2021 Anderson & Kreiger Legal Diversity Fund Stipends

Application Period Opens Wednesday, May 5, 2021, to Tuesday, June 15, 2021

Anderson & Kreiger will award financial stipends to aspiring lawyers who demonstrate financial need and who identify as part of a racial or ethnic group that is underrepresented in the legal profession. The firm will award one $50,000 stipend to a current law school student and ten $5,000 stipends to college students with an interest in pursuing a legal career. The stipends are intended to help address the challenges faced by students who lack the financial capital to focus exclusively on schooling like some of their peers and whose financial situation may limit their range of legal career options. The program also aims to address systematic weaknesses in connecting these students with other members of the legal community, potential employers, mentors, and clients, which is a strong predictor of success in the legal profession.

 

How to Apply

Applicants must download the application form (https://bit.ly/3v6mP8P) and submit it along with a personal statement, a brief statement of financial need explaining how support from the fund would further their education and career, and a current resume, to [email protected] by no later than Tuesday, June 15, 2021. A transcript and letters of recommendation, which may be written by anyone who knows the applicant including a community member or family member, are optional.

 

Selection Committee

An independent selection committee consisting of lawyers from the public, non-profit and private sectors will make final award decisions. The members of the 2021 selection committee are:

  • Joseph Kaigler, Associate Chief Counsel - Litigation, Massachusetts Port Authority
  • Lauren Sampson, Staff Attorney, Lawyers for Civil Rights
  • Keri Sweet Zavaglia, Vice President and US General Counsel at National Grid

 

Award decisions will be made by August 1, 2021.

 

Other Benefits

In addition to the stipend, the law school recipient will receive the following benefits:

Baystate Financial has agreed to provide pro bono financial planning advice to help recipients evaluate options for utilizing the stipend. vThe recipient may, but is not required to, participate in Anderson & Kreiger’s mentoring and training programs and firm-sponsored networking and social events.

The recipient may, but is not required to, perform at least 20 hours of pro bono work with Anderson & Kreiger lawyers prior to graduation in order to gain hands-on experience and training.

The recipient may, but is not required to, apply for a paid internship at Anderson & Kreiger during their first or second summers if enrolled in a three-year JD program, or during their second or third school summers if enrolled in a four-year JD program. Any recipient hired by Anderson & Kreiger for an internship will be paid in accordance with the firm’s standard intern salary scale, over and above the $50,000 stipend paid from the Legal Diversity Fund.

 

In addition to the stipend, the college recipients will receive:

An Anderson & Kreiger mentor to help:

  • Evaluate whether a legal career fits their personal goals;
  • Navigate the process of law school admissions;
  • Identify meaningful internships; and
  • Network in the Greater Boston legal community.

The opportunity to participate in firm-organized events with the other recipients, Anderson & Kreiger training programs, and firm-sponsored networking and social events.

 

Anderson & Kreiger LLP | www.andersonkreiger.com