The Legal Beat

Stanford Law Just Made It A Little Easier To Afford A Quality Education
Posted on Tuesday May 17, 2022

On the outside looking in, law is one of those fields that seems impenetrable to get in to. It remains a boy’s club — about 37 percent of American lawyers are female, and its hard to break into the profession without knowing somebody who knows someone. Lawyers often come from a line of lawyers and from families where going to college is part of the tradition. When you don’t have those connections, on prestige becomes all the more important. Thankfully, Stanford Law will make it a little easier for aspiring lawyers from low-income families.

According to an email sent to students by professor of law and SLS Dean Jenny Martinez:

I am most excited to let you know that, beginning next year, SLS will cover all of the tuition costs for JD students (including current students) with family income below 150% of the poverty line. 

An email will follow with the specific details of all the changes we have made, but I can share with you that overall they represent an increase in financial aid support of 10% and an increase in our LRAP funding of almost 40% for the upcoming fiscal year. Among other things, these increases will enhance scholarships for students with financial need, including JSD students, bump up our summer public interest funding, and result in significant improvements to our loan repayment assistance program, which is supported by the Rubin Public Interest LRAP Fund and the Anonymous Public Service LRAP Fund, each established thanks to generous SLS alumni.  

We will continue to seek improvements and enhancements moving forward but I wanted to share this good news with the community about what we have been able to achieve this year with the support of the University, very generous donors, and through the hard work of our staff and administrators.  

While I don’t have the data to support it, I have a very strong hunch that over time many students who were accepted to phenomenal institutions of learning passed on the opportunity because the cost was prohibitive. Stanford’s decision to follow Yale in covering some brilliant minds with less than rich parents is a step toward equity in the field. Two steps even, considering Stanford’s coverage casts a wider net than Yale’s. At least for now. Sure would be nice if Yale or Harvard were to match or exceed Stanford’s recent scholarship coverage.

We cover Biglaw firm’s matching frenzies all the time at Above the Law — I hope one day we can do the same for schools that prove their dedication to inclusion with money in hand.

Cheers to one of the students who benefits from this being the next Ketanji.

Stanford Law Announces Elimination Of Tuition Based On Family Income [ABA Journal]

For more details on Stanford’s financial coverage, turn to the next page.

Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s.  He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who cannot swim, a published author on critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at [email protected] and by tweet at @WritesForRent.

Dear Students: 

As follow up to Dean Martinez’s email, the Ad Hoc Committee on Financial Access is pleased to provide more information about the law school’s additional investments in support for our students.  

Beginning next academic year, we will: 

1. Cover all of the tuition costs for JD students (including current students) with family income below 150% of the poverty line. 
2. Provide a $3,000 supplement for relocation and travel costs for incoming first-year students receiving need-based scholarships. 
3. Cover the cost of enrollment in Cardinal Care for JSD students. 
4. Increase JSD scholarship funding. 
5. Fully fund at least 12 post-graduate public interest fellowships. 

In addition, we are making significant improvements to our Loan Repayment Assistance Program to support our graduates pursuing public service and public interest careers. These will include: 

1. Adjusting the salary bands so that any graduate working in eligible employment with a salary of $75,000 or less will have their loans entirely paid by SLS. Participants will pay 25% of their salary over $75,000 and up to $90,000. And, graduates will pay only $3,750 + 50% of their salary from $90,000 to $105,000. 
2. Including our graduates pursuing academic careers in law schools. 
3. Increasing the annual seniority deduction to $1,500. 

Finally, beginning this summer, SLS will: 

1. Increase summer public interest funding by $500. First-year and JSD students will receive up to $7,500 and second-year and returning JSD students (who also worked in public service their first summer) up to $8,500, if they intern at a nonprofit organization or governmental agency in a law-related endeavor designed to further the public interest and have financial need. Students can receive the full amount if they work a 9-week, full-time work schedule (360 hours total). Students who work fewer weeks will receive a prorated grant. Some private public interest firms may also be eligible after review by Levin Center staff.  
2. We will increase the summer living allowance from $7,000 to $7,500.
3. Increase the rate of pay for students hired as legal assistants by 11%, from $18 per hour to $20 per hour. 

We estimate that the entire new financial investment that the law school is making to increase support to our students is approximately $3.1 million dollars annually.

We thank the students who have continued to provide us with feedback and information about their experiences and needs. We are excited that the law school is able to provide these additional resources and grateful to Dean Martinez for her tireless efforts to attain them. The school will continue to seek improvements and enhancements moving forward in future years. 

Best, 

Diane Chin (on behalf of Faye Deal, Amalia Kessler, and Alison Morantz) 

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