July 20, 2009
The
Summer Law School Prep Program for College Students, sponsored by
St. John’s University School of Law’s Ronald H. Brown Center for
Civil Rights and Economic Development (“Ronald H. Brown Center”),
welcomed 62 college students to its 2009 Orientation on May
29. Designed to encourage first generation college students
from backgrounds underrepresented in the legal profession to
consider a career in the legal field, the program enrolled 40
sophomores and 22 juniors, all eager to learn more about law school
and careers in law.
Under the guidance of Professor Leonard M. Baynes, Director of
The Ronald H. Brown Center, the School of Law has partnered with
three CUNY schools - John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Medgar
Evers College and York College, and the United Negro College Fund
to identify students from underrepresented backgrounds who have
expressed an interest in attending law school. After a
rigorous selection process that aims to identify those students
with a true commitment to their studies, each undergraduate college
nominates students from their sophomore class for the first year of
the Summer Prep Program and those who excel, are invited back
following their junior year. The students enrolled will
receive assistance in planning their remaining undergraduate
courses, as well as LSAT preparation.
Now in its third summer of full operation (the program began as
a two-year pilot in 2005 with a class of sophomores and a four-day
long program), the Summer Prep program has continued to grow and
now boasts over 62 students. After completing their sophomore
year, the participants embark on an 8-10 week program consisting of
law classes and judicial and other legal internships. They return
as juniors for a comprehensive LSAT Prep course, given for eight
hours a day, five days a week for the length of the Summer Prep
program.
Professor Baynes noted “There are a lot of really smart students
of color out there; they just need the tools in order to succeed.
The Prep Program gives them those tools, which involve old
fashioned values of hard work and persistence. With rigorous
preparation, we have seen real increases in the students’ LSAT
scores and law school acceptances.”
In 2008, the Summer Prep Program saw its greatest success as 21
participants were accepted to law schools throughout the
country. Among them was St. John’s University student Jomaire
Crawford (‘09 SJC), who graduated with a degree in English and will
attend Yale Law School in the fall. Crawford, who was
attracted to St. John’s due to what she described as an
“all-inclusive” atmosphere with many different cultures making up
the student body, always knew she could accomplish whatever she put
her mind to, but the Ronald H. Brown Summer Prep Program gave her
the confidence she needed to excel.
“Sitting in those classes and knowing what it feels like to be
in law school confirmed for me that ‘I can do this,’” Crawford
said. “I think knowing in your mind you want a great score on your
LSAT’s and actually seeing it on paper next to your name are two
different things.”
Crawford’s first acceptance letter came from Duke University and
was followed by various acceptances from the Nation’s top law
schools including Georgetown University Law Center, NYU School of
Law, St. John’s University School of Law, University of Michigan
Law School, University of Pennsylvania Law School and the school of
her choice, Yale, where she plans to prepare for a career in
academia.
Over the past three years, the students who have participated in
the Ronald H. Brown Program have seen dramatic average
increases in their LSAT scores, resulting in acceptances to some of
the most competitive law schools in the
country.
The current class of the Summer Prep Program will also benefit
from newly formed partnerships with AXA Equitable Legal Department
and Hughes Hubbard & Reed, established to offer internships and
mentoring to students and graduates of the Ronald H. Brown Summer
Law School Prep Program. The partnership has provided
approximately 25 legal professionals from AXA Equitable and Hughes
Hubbard who have volunteered to mentor the Summer Prep Program
students. Mentors will provide insight and support to students
through the LSAT prep course and exam and law school application
process, such as assistance in personal essay and résumé writing,
as well as important experience-based guidance on entering and
succeeding in the legal profession.
For more information about the Ronald H. Brown Center for Civil
Rights and Economic Development, please visit www.stjohns.edu/law/ronbrown.
Please direct media inquiries to Elizabeth Reilly, Assistant
Director of Media Relations at St. John’s University, by calling
(718) 990-5789, or by e-mail to reillye@stjohns.edu.