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Upcoming Outside Scholarship Opportunities

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SONOMA COUNTY WOMEN-IN-LAW HONORABLE GAYLE GUYNUP SCHOLARSHIP

The annual scholarship is offered by the Sonoma County Women in Law and administered by the Community Foundation of Sonoma County to assist a law student in completing his or her education. The scholarship committee will consider the following attributes:

Sonoma County residence, academic achievement, financial need, second or third-year law student status, and demonstrated interest in promoting equal opportunity and justice for all women.

 

MARIN COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION LEGAL EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIP

The Marin County Bar Association offers scholarships to Northern California law students who either graduated from a Marin High School or have lived in Marin County for the past three years.

Academic achievement, financial need, community service, career goals and special circumstances will be considered.

Upcoming outside scholarship opportunities

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U.S. Court of Federal Claims Bar Association Carole Bailey Scholarship

The U.S. Court of Federal Claims Bar Association is offering a scholarship of up to $5,000.00 to at least one law student with a demonstrated commitment to public service.  The scholarship is in honor of the Court’s recently-retired Chief Deputy Clerk of Administrative Services, Carole Bailey.  Carole’s commitment to public service was unwavering throughout her legal and professional career, and in furtherance of the their mission as a 501(c)(3) organization, the Bar Association seeks to aid law students in achieving their own accomplishments in pursuit of public service.

Details about the scholarship, including eligibility requirements and application guidelines, can be found on the Bar Association’s website at http://www.cfcbar.org/carole-bailey-scholarship.  The deadline for applications is October 31, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time.

 

Donald W. Banner Diversity Scholarship

The Donald W. Banner Diversity Scholarship is part of Banner & Wicoff, Ltd.’s continuing commitment to fostering the development of intellectual property lawyers from diverse backgrounds.  The scholarship is open to all law students pursuing a career in intellectual property law.  The applicant must be a member of a historically under-represented group (including race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and disability) and must have exemplary writing and oral communication skills.

Applications are available on the Banner & Witcoff website, and must be submitted by January 7, 2013.

Need help finding your student loan servicer?

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The processing of federal student loans is contracted out to one of several loan “servicers.” You can find the name and contact information for the servicer of your loans on the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) website.

After logging in, click on the individual loan number to access detailed information such as the “scheduled start of repayment” date and the servicer / lender contact information. The most common servicers for Boalt students are Direct Loan Servicing (ACS) and Department of Education (Pheaa). Regularly updated contact information for each servicer can be found on the Department of Education’s studentaid.ed.gov.

Some Boalt graduates reported that their federal student loans were transferred from Direct Loan Servicing (ACS) to another servicing provider without any notice or access information. The NSLDS website is the best place to find the new servicer’s information.

Direct Loan Early Repayment Problem

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The financial aid office has received word from a growing number of you that at least one of your Direct Graduate Plus loans has been placed into early repayment by the Direct Loan Servicing Center (ACS) due to an error in the ACS processing system. Some have been in repayment for some time and are now considered “past due” or may have had a payment deducted from your personal account.

We recommend that ALL students who have borrowed Graduate Plus loans view their loan record online at www.nslds.ed.gov. If Direct Loan (ACS) is your servicer and you find that your recent GradPlus loan(s) are in repayment, contact the ACS customer service center immediately at 1-800-848-0979. Ask to have the loan placed into forbearance until your graduation date and confirm your current address. It can take up to 7-20 days for the the request to be processed. For those of you who have had early payments deducted from your accounts, request that you be reimbursed. We are told it can take up to 6 weeks for the reimbursement to be processed.

If you find your interaction with the customer service representative unhelpful, ask to speak to a supervisor. Should you find that unhelpful as well, contact our office and we will contact them on your behalf.

Finally, we recommend that you report your loan servicing problem with ACS to the Consumer Financial Protections Bureau at 1-855-411-2372. We are hoping that enough students will submit a complaint with the CFPB to expedite the system-wide fix.

Farella Braun + Martel LLP Diversity Scholarship

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The firm provides Diversity Scholarships to support outstanding diverse law students attending Bay Area law schools. Applicants must be current first-year law students who are students of color, members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community, disabled, or whose background or experience would otherwise contribute to the diversity of the legal profession.  The firm awards a total of $25,000 to be divided between three to five scholarship recipients.

Applications must be postmarked by March 2, 2012.

Interested students are invited to attend the program reception on February 15.

For more information and to download the application, please visit the firm’s website.

How to file FAFSA to multiple schools and include parent information for Berkeley only

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As you may already know, the FAFSA application for 2012-13 is now available.

All students who wish to be considered for a need-based grant MUST submit complete parent information on the FAFSA and supplemental application unless they meet the requirements for financial independence for that academic year. Without complete parent information, the applicant will not be considered for grant eligibility.
Students who do not wish to include  parent information on the FAFSA for other law schools may want to consider submitting the FAFSA to those schools first, then resubmitting for Berkeley. This can be done once an e mail is received confirming receipt of the initial FAFSA submission.  Remove those school codes, add the information to complete your application to Berkeley and resubmit with Berkeley’s school code, 001312.

La Raza Lawyers Association of Fresno – Mario Olmos Scholarship

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La Raza Lawyers Association of Fresno awards scholarships to deserving law students who have demonstrated academic achievement, leadership ability, involvement in the Latino community, financial need, and ties to California’s Central Valley.  Since 1991, the scholarship fund has been dedicated to the memory of the late Superior Court Judge Mario G. Olmos, a Fresno County jurist and respected community leader. This year’s annual banquet will be held in Fresno on March 2, 2012, and scholarship recipients are expected to attend to receive their awards.

Applications must be received by January 20, 2012.  Please address any questions to Erica Gonzalez, Treasurer of La Raza Lawyers Association, or visit our outside scholarships page for more information.

Upcoming Scholarship Opportunities

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ABA Diversity Fellowships in Environmental Law

The American Bar Association is offering fellowships in environmental law for the summer of 2012. The program is available to law students of underrepresented groups, including age, disability, sexual orientation, and cultural backgrounds. The fellowship includes a $5,000 stipend for an 8-10 week internship at a government agency or public interest organization, participation in relevant ABA meetings, and a mentor from the ABA or California Bar Association.  Completed applications must be submitted by January 23, 2012.  More information is available at the ABA website.

Community Foundation of  Sonoma County – Michael F. O’Donnell Memorial Scholarship

This fund will award scholarships to students currently enrolled in law school or pursuing a law-related career. Applicants must be residents of Sonoma County or have attended a high school located in Sonoma County.  For more information, visit the Community Foundation website or email Dana Johnson, Program Associate.  Applications must be received by March 5, 2012.

JVS Scholarship Fund

The JVS Scholarship is available to Jewish students with verifiable financial need who are legal and permanent residents of Los Angeles County.  All applicants are required to file a “Free Application for Federal Student Aid” (FAFSA) in January.  Scholarship applications will be available on January 4 and must be received by March 16, 2012.  For more information, please visit the JVS website.

Minami Public Interest Fellowship

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The Dale Minami Public Interest Fellowship was created in 2007 to provide modest fellowship awards to Berkeley Law (Boalt Hall) students and alumni who have shown a strong commitment to serving the public interest.  Minami Fellows are selected for their diverse backgrounds, record of exceptional academic and professional accomplishment, leadership in community service, and commitment to social justice and public interest work.  Individuals working in any range of public interest jobs, including government work, are invited to apply.

The Fellowship recipient will be honored at the annual Dale Minami Public Interest Fellowship Dinner, which will take place on Friday, January 27, 2012 in San Francisco, CA.

Completed applications should be emailed to minamifellowship@gmail.com by January 12, 2012.  Applications are available for download here.

Scholarship Updates

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Linn Inn Mark T. Banner Scholarship deadline extended to November 23

The Linn Inn Mark T. Banner Scholarship is open to  minority (including race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and disability) law students pursuing a career in intellectual property law.  Applications will be accepted until November 23, 2011.  More information is available here.

Goodwin Bar Association Scholarship for law students from San Joaquin Valley

The Hugh W. Goodwin Bar Association will award a grant to a law student with a connection to one of the following counties: Calaveras, Stanislaus, Tuolumne, Mariposa, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare, Inyo and Kern.  Applications, along with a 250 word essay and up to two letters of reference, should be mailed to the following address: Hugh Goodwin Bar Association; c/o Connie A. Broussard; Deputy Attorney General; Office of the Attorney General; 2550 Mariposa Mall, Suite 5090; Fresno, CA 93721.  Applications must be received by December 31, 2011.

Roy A. Gustafson Memorial Scholarship for law students from Ventura County

Candidates must have graduated from a public or private high school in Ventura County, have completed the first year of law school at an accredited college or university in California, and demonstrate financial need. To access the application, students must visit the VCCF website and register to apply for scholarships by January 4.  The last day to apply is January 6, 2012.