AccessLex
Since launching our grantmaking activities in 2014, we have awarded over $26.4 million in support of our research priorities: access, affordability, and the value of legal education.
Awarded Grants
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Roger Williams University
Program:
Bar Success Research Grant Program
Date:
January 2020
Amount:
$125,000
Status:
Awarded
The project seeks to identify law schools that consistently overperform—and underperform—on their expected bar exam passage rates, controlling for the quality of the students they accept. The project plans to examine which state bar exams law graduates take and the difficulty of those bar exams. The project will also determine the school-specific characteristics leading to overperformance among law schools that consistently beat their estimated bar passage rate by interviewing deans at these law schools.
Wayne State University
Program:
Diversity Pipeline Research Grant Program
Date:
December 2019
Amount:
$59,400
Status:
Completed
The Damon J. Keith Pre-Law Summer Institute program targets undergraduate students who are graduates of the Detroit Public School Community District (DPSCD) and interested in attending law school. It will provide participants with LSAT preparation, academic skills-building, law school application and admissions support, and mentors.
St. John's University School of Law
Program:
Diversity Pipeline Research Grant Program
Date:
November 2019
Amount:
$125,000
Status:
Awarded
The Weekend Prep Program will support college graduates of diverse and/or disadvantaged backgrounds in their pursuit of a law degree. Participants will receive resources on the law school admissions process, including a comprehensively designed LSAT Prep course, motivational and informational workshops, and individualized advisement. The program will last 24 weekends specifically targeting college graduates who work full-time and/or have family obligations, plus college seniors.
Syracuse University College of Law
Program:
Diversity Pipeline Research Grant Program
Date:
November 2019
Amount:
$85,000
Status:
Completed
The Summer Jump-Start Program (SJSP) is a 3+3 program that will target undergraduate students from Spelman College, Morehouse College, and Clark Atlanta University to connect them to the Syracuse University College of Law, offering them a direct path to and through law school. Program participants will have early access to, and information from, law students, alumni, professors, administrators, and staff, all while introducing and strengthening key analytical and logical reasoning skills through LSAT prep, first-year law school basics (briefing cases, writing skills), and education on law admissions requirements.
Read more about The Summer Jump-Start Program.
University of Denver
Program:
Bar Success Research Grant Program
Date:
March 2019
Amount:
$125,000
Status:
Awarded
This grant, in partnership with the ABA Commission on the Future of Legal Education and Prof. Deborah Merritt (Ohio State University Moritz College of Law), will develop a fair, evidence-based definition of minimum competence. The grant will build on existing research, including the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System (IAALS)’ Foundations for Practice, and will use layered focus groups to deepen our understanding of minimum competence.
Read more here.
University of Cincinnati
Program:
Bar Success Research Grant Program
Date:
March 2019
Amount:
$125,000
Status:
Completed
The grant will conduct rigorous, multi-site analyses to develop a richer empirical model of bar passage and improve understanding through qualitative interviews of student graduates. The grant will use this information to extend existing literature and build research-practice partnerships that provide university partners with actionable insight into programmatic decisions, student interventions and supports, and advising.
View grant outcomes.
University of Texas at El Paso
Program:
Diversity Pipeline Research Grant Program
Date:
March 2019
Amount:
$120,954
Status:
Awarded
The Law School Preparation Institute College Summer Program offers undergraduate students an introduction to legal thought, legal research and writing, oral advocacy, and basic legal analysis. It is intended to prepare students for the LSAT, cultivates mentoring opportunities, and assists students with becoming more well-rounded, attractive law school candidates.
The Florida International University Board of Trustees on Behalf of Its College of Law
Program:
Diversity Pipeline Research Grant Program
Date:
March 2019
Amount:
$124,850
Status:
Awarded
The Path to the Profession Initiative is a nine-week summer program that targets undergraduate students in their sophomore year through their enrollment into law school. The purpose of the program is to both facilitate the increased enrollment of minority and other traditionally underrepresented groups into an ABA approved law school, and to further the development of skills necessary for a successful law school experience once enrolled.
To read more, please visit FIU Law Receives $124,850 Grant to Increase Diversity in the Legal Profession.
Northern Illinois University
Program:
Diversity Pipeline Research Grant Program
Date:
January 2019
Amount:
$124,842
Status:
Awarded
The Legal Education, Access, and Recognition (LEARN) Program provides students from underrepresented minority groups and economically disadvantaged backgrounds with tools to support law school matriculation including rigorous LSAT preparation, tutoring and access to materials to improve admission rates, review of personal statements and resumes, application preparation support, and practice interviewing, and mentorship.
To read more, please visit NIU Law creates innovative program to decrease barriers to law school