Barnes & Thornburg Announces First Class of Prelaw Scholars

INDIANAPOLIS – Barnes & Thornburg has selected five undergraduate students interested in the legal profession as members of the inaugural class of its Prelaw Scholars Program, which aims to help students’ pursuit of a law degree.  

Barnes & Thornburg will cover the cost of the five students’ Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and the LSAT prep course. After successful completion of the LSAT, the firm will help them offset the cost of law school applications by providing funds for a credential assembly service.

The Prelaw Scholars Program also provides attorney mentors to help guide students through law school. Scholars selected for this program have demonstrated excellent academic and personal achievements, will be taking LSAT in the next 12 months, and have demonstrated a financial need.  

“We are very excited to welcome the inaugural class of Prelaw Scholars to the Barnes & Thornburg family. They are all amazingly accomplished individuals and we are thrilled to be a part of their journey to law school,” said Sarah Evenson, Barnes & Thornburg’s director of law school programs. “Our hope is this program not only lessens the financial burden and administrative obstacles of applying to law school, but also provides key mentoring connections helping to prepare them for law school and ultimately rocket them to the legal career they desire.”

The program is presented in conjunction with the firm’s Racial Justice Committee, an initiative created by the management committee tasked with finding ways to support diverse candidates interested in pursuing a legal career. William A. Nolan, member of the firm’s management committee and Racial Justice Committee, said: “Our core belief as a firm and as a committee was to identify ways to build relationships with a pipeline of diverse legal talent and to mentor these aspiring legal professionals as they prepare to enter law school. The Prelaw Scholars Program does just that and I’m proud to be a part of it.”

The first Prelaw Scholars class of undergraduate students are:

• Phillip Arrington IV, Loyola University Chicago 
  

“I am excited to be a Barnes & Thornburg Prelaw Scholar because I get to gain firsthand insight from practicing lawyers on the law school admissions process and life as a lawyer. I also get to do so alongside other students from diverse backgrounds with goals similar to my own,” said Arrington, who is expected to graduate in May 2021 with a B.A. in political science.

• Natalie Frazier, Emory University
  

“I am grateful for the scholarship Barnes & Thornburg is providing because it will aid me in overcoming some of the obstacles associated with applying to law school and help me pursue my aspirations of becoming a lawyer,” said Frazier, who graduated in December 2020 with a B.A. in women’s, gender and sexualities studies. “I am excited to learn from a Barnes & Thornburg mentor and to connect with other individuals passionate about going into the field of law.”

• Esther Oluwapelumi Durosinmi, Loyola University Chicago
  

“I am very excited to be a Barnes & Thornburg Prelaw Scholar because of the tremendous support the program offers. I am mostly excited about getting my own mentor who will guide me through this process of applying to law school,” said Durosinmi, who is expected to graduate in May 2021 with a B.A. in political science.

• Alexa M. Carpenter, Central State University, B.S. Criminal Justice
  

Carpenter, who is expected to graduate in May 2021 with a B.S. in criminal justice, said, “I can’t wait to learn and develop relationships with mentors from the firm.”

• Jasleen Gill, University of California Berkeley, B.A. Philosophy and Legal Studies
  

“I am excited to be a Barnes & Thornburg Prelaw Scholar because of the tremendous opportunity to learn and get closer to my goal of becoming a lawyer,” said Gill, who is expected to graduate in spring 2021 with a B.A. in philosophy and legal studies. “I also look forward to the opportunity to build community and connect with other people in the legal field.”

With more than 700 attorneys and other legal professionals, Barnes & Thornburg is one of the largest law firms in the country. The firm serves clients worldwide from offices in Atlanta, Boston, California, Chicago, Delaware, Indiana, Michigan, Minneapolis, New York, Ohio, Raleigh, Salt Lake City, Texas and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit us online at www.btlaw.com or on Twitter @BTLawNews.