BLSPI 2012 Bar Grant Application

To apply for a BLSPI Bar Grant, you must:

1. Be a student who is graduating from Brooklyn Law School in Spring 2012 or Fall 2012 and be sitting for any state’s bar exam in July 2012 or February 2013.
2. Complete and electronically submit the following application by 10 P.M., Sunday, April 15. Late applications will not be considered. The Committee expects to notify applicants of its decisions in early May.

If you have any questions about the application, please contact Matthew Allee.

Distribution of funding

15 Grants of $ 1,000 each will be disbursed by the Bar Grant Committee, which is made up of Brooklyn Law School professors and alumni. Applications will be anonymous and the Committee will evaluate and select Grant recipients based purely on the applicants’ merits.

Criteria and eligibility

Selection criteria will be based on:

1. Demonstrated commitment to the public interest,
2. Intent to pursue a legal career in the public interest, and
3. History of service to public interest organizations and pro bono projects at Brooklyn Law School (service to BLSPI is neither required nor prioritized).

Public interest is defined as the work of:

• 501(c)(3) organizations within the United States,
• Federal, state and city government organizations, including judicial chambers,
• International intergovernmental organizations not organized for monetary gain, and
• Foreign non-governmental organizations recognized by the committee as pursuing the public good.

The following is not considered work in the public interest:

• Employment that primarily benefits the members of a limited membership organization, such as a credit union, fraternal or religious order, or a cooperative,
• Work for which one’s political support or party affiliation is taken into account in the hiring decision, or
• Work for an organization whose sole purpose is direct lobbying on the federal, state or local government level.

Any question of what qualifies as public interest work will be resolved at the Committee’s sole discretion. Committee determinations are final.

Individuals who are receiving subsidization of their bar review course are eligible to apply. An awardee is encouraged to return the grant value if they are employed at a non-public interest job on the first anniversary of their graduation from Brooklyn Law School.

Application Instructions

• Provide your personal contact information to receive your anonymous application identification number.
• In a single document, type your application number at the top, paste in your current resume, and respond to the following prompts (make sure to indicate which prompt you are addressing for the ease of the Selection Committee):
  • Describe your involvement in student organizations during your time at Brooklyn Law School. Explain why you chose to do the work that you did. Feel free to use bullet point form. (500 word limit.)
  • Describe your involvement in non-student organization activities during your time at BLS, including internships, externships, clinics, employment, and non-legal activities. Explain why you chose to do the work that you did. Feel free to use bullet point form. (500 word limit.)
  • How do you view your role in serving the public interest upon graduation? How do you view your career as a public interest advocate in the near future and beyond? (500 word limit.)
• MAKE SURE TO REMOVE ALL PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION INFORMATION FROM YOUR APPLICATION, IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN THE ANONYMITY OF THE SELECTION PROCESS.
• Save that document as a PDF and upload it to this site.