Monday, May 19, 2008
Page 3
Two Law Firms Support Public Interest Scholarship Program
By a MetNews Staff Writer
International law firms Reed Smith LLP and Sidley Austin LLP have pledged multi-year gifts in support of the California Bar Foundation’s Scholarship Program, which gives scholarships to graduating California law school students who intend to pursue public interest law careers, the foundation announced Friday.
The foundation said in a release that the two firms have committed a total of $30,000 to the foundation’s Rosenthal Bar Exam Scholarship Program over the next three years, which honors the memory of Imelda Rosenthal, a Guatemalan immigrant, small businesswoman, and community volunteer.
Theodore N. Miller, Vice Chair of Sidley’s Management Committee praised the program for providing “much needed financial support and recognition to recent law school graduates dedicated to critically important public service work, who will help ensure that all Californians, regardless of their ability to pay, have access to justice.”
Theodore T. Ting, a partner at Reed Smith and a member of the Foundation’s Board of Directors said that his firm was “thrilled” to support the scholarship program, adding, “this sort of investment in the justice system will benefit the public for years to come.”
The foundation is distributing scholarships to 17 students from nine California law schools. The the students were nominated by their law schools based upon their demonstrated commitment to public service, academic excellence, and financial need.
Five recipients will receive a California BAR/BRI Law Review Bar Exam review course and $1,000 to assist with the costs of taking the California Bar Exam, while the remaining eight students will each receive a $1,000 scholarship.
The Foundation has awarded more than $70,000 in cash awards and bar review courses to more than 200 graduates of 21 California law schools since 1997, the release stated.
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