Funding Opportunities for Aspiring and Current Law Students
Note: This directory provides general scholarship information for aspiring and current law students. Scholarship deadlines and eligibility criteria may change each year. Please visit each organization’s website for the most up-to-date details.
Bright New Beginnings was born out of my desire to provide a space for those considering law school to access guidance, resources, and inspiration. Over the years, I’ve shared tools, tips, and insights to help students navigate the complexities of law school, career planning, and financial wellness.
In California and throughout the United States, law school tuition is expensive. I have heard from many that they would like to go to law school but they can’t attend because they don’t have wealth, come from a family with wealth, or they’re the first in their families to go to college and feel like law school is out of reach.
I’m here to tell you that if graduating from law school is truly your goal, then you should seriously consider pursuing that goal. While law school is expensive, there are ways to finance it so that you can, hopefully, avoid taking on massive student loan debt. Scholarships are one strategy to make law school more financially accessible by helping you pay for tuition, books and materials, living expenses, and bar preparation. To help you research where to look for scholarships, I created this Law School Scholarship Directory!
This Law School Scholarship Directory provides you with a launching point to learn about and start tracking scholarships that you can apply to either before law school, during law school, or after law school to prepare for the bar exam.
In this guide, you’ll find a list of scholarships tailored for law students, especially those from historically underrepresented communities in the legal field, and a few for pre-law students who are undergraduate or college students who will later apply to law schools. I’ve included scholarship opportunities from legal-related non-profit organizations, bar associations, and also law firms that offer funding for students who demonstrate their passion and commitment to the legal profession through essays and personal statements.
Before we dive in, a quick disclaimer: This directory is meant to provide helpful information, but applying for a scholarship doesn’t guarantee you’ll receive it. Although I’m an attorney, please note that nothing in this guide should be considered legal advice. Downloading or using this guide does not establish an attorney-client relationship.
Organizations can often change their funding cycles based on a variety of factors so be sure to visit their websites for the most up-to-date information about their scholarship requirements and deadlines.
I am so excited to be part of your journey. If you ever need additional guidance, you can reach out to me via my blog at www.BrightNewBeginnings.blog, on Instagram, or LinkedIn.
You can also purchase my workbook, Do You Want To Be A Lawyer? if you want to reflect on your passions, interests, and career goals, explore legal career paths, or get networking tips.
Good luck and happy scholarship searching!
Nationwide Scholarships for Law Students
These scholarships are generally open to students enrolled (or who will enroll) at an ABA-accredited law school in the United States. Many are offered by bar associations, legal foundations, and advocacy groups working to diversify the legal field.
American Association for Justice
If you are interested in being a civil trial lawyer, then you should check out the American Association for Justice. The association offers a law student membership and law student members are eligible to apply to AAJ’s two scholarships. They also host a Student Trial Advocacy Competition.
Leesfield Law Student Scholarship: This $1,50 scholarship award is open to a first- and second-year law student to subsidize the Law Student Member’s attendance at the American Association for Justice’s (AAJ) Annual Convention. To be eligible for the scholarship, th applicant must be an AAJ Student Member, be enrollled in an ABA-approved law school, and complete the application package, which includes a 500-word essay outlining the applicant’s commitment to preserving the civil justice system and up to three (3) letters of recommendation. Applications for the 2026 applications will open in spring 2026. Learn more here.
Law Student Convention Scholarships: This scholarship is open to AAJ Law Student Members to attend the AAJ Annual Convention. The application deadline was May 30, 2025. Learn more here.
The American Bar Association’s Legal Opportunity Scholarship provides up to $15,000 over three years to 20-25 students entering law school who are committed to improving diversity in the legal profession. The application window for the 2026 ABA Legal Scholarship Fund opened February 2026. Applications are due April 15, 2026. Learn more here.
The Overcoming Challenges Together Scholarship awards $2,500 to a student – from any undergraduate or graduate program – who creates a moving video about how you’ve overcome challenges. Applications were due November 15, 2025.
The IP Law Foundation’s Sidney B. Williams, Jr. Scholarship Program supports future patent lawyers with up to $30,000 in law school tuition grants plus mentorship, coaching, and career-readiness resources. Eligible applicants plan to attend an ABA-accredited U.S. law school and have a STEM/technical background sufficient for USPTO patent bar eligibility, with a demonstrated interest in advancing diversity in the profession. Applicants are reviewed on a rolling basis; early admission typically by December 15, tuition-grant priority by January 31, and general consideration by March 31 of the year you intent to start law school.
Ms JD offers two scholarship opportunities for law students interested in public interest and civil rights careers. You can join their mailing list to be notified when applications open. Learn more here.
Herbert Lehman Education Fund Scholarship: The Fund offers scholarships to law students committed to pursuing careers in public interest law. Applications for law school students must be completed by May 1, 2026.
Earl Warren Scholarship: According to LDF’s website, “Earl Warren Scholarships are awarded annually to rising law students whose commitment to racial justice reveals outstanding potential for training as civil rights and public interest attorneys. Eligible law students include those entering their first or second year of full-time legal study at an accredited law school.” Applications are due May 1, 2026.
Applications for both scholarships will open on November 30, 2025.
National Latino/a Law Student Association
NLLSA is awarding two scholarships in 2026 for current law students: a $500 Varnum LLP Scholarship and a $500 LSAC Scholarship. Applicants must have an interest in pursuing a career in law in the United States; demonstrate financial need; have a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or higher; and show a commitment to supporting the Latino community. Applications for both scholarships are due March 6, 2026.
According to their website, the “SEO Law Impact Scholarship is awarded annually to support promising incoming students in their pursuit of legal education. Each year, SEO Law awards one $10,000 scholarship and two $5,000 scholarships to help students cover the costs of tuition, fees, and books, enabling them them to focus on their studies and future careers in law.” The 2026 SEO Law Impact Scholarship application deadline is Sunday, March 1, 2026. Learn more here or follow @SEOLawProgram on social media for updates and application information.
Susman Godfrey LLP provides scholarships to up to 25 law students of color annually who are finishing their first or second year of law school at eligible law students. The 2026 nomination window closed on February 17, 2026. Learn more on the law firm’s website.
Sutliff & Stout, Injury and Accident Law Firm sponsors a nationwide scholarship contest for minorities pursuing a legal career. Scholarships awards are $1,500. Applicants submit an essay answering the question, “How will your law degree help your community?” Applications are due July 25, 2026 and winners are selected no later than August 1, 2026. Learn more here.
Swenson & Shelley Scholarship:
Swenson & Shelley Law offers three annual scholarships to support students beginning their legal education journey. For the 2026 cycle, the firm will award one $1,000 scholarship and two $500 scholarships to students preparing to enroll in school in Fall 2026 as either pre-law undergraduates or first-year law students. Applications are due June 5, 2026. Learn more on the law firm’s website.
Scholarships for California Law Students
These scholarships are generally opened to students enrolled (or who will enroll) at an ABA-accredited law school in California or in specific parts of California. Many are offered by bar associations, legal foundations, and advocacy groups working to diversify the legal field. Be sure to review the eligibility requirements.
Bay Area Underserved Law Student Scholarship Program
The Bay Area Underserved Law Student Scholarship Program hosted by the Bar Association of San Francisco’s Justice & Diversity Center is open to law students admitted to law schools in the California Bay Area. (So, for example, this may include UC Berkeley School of Law, Stanford Law School, UC Hastings College of Law, Santa Clara University School of Law, and the University of San Francisco School of Law.) The scholarship award is $10,000 per year. Applications are due May 31, 2026. Learn more here.
Black Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles (BWL) Foundation – Law Student Scholarship
The Black Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles (BWL) Foundation offers a Law Student Scholarship for eligible second- and third-year law students (and fourth-year students enrolled in part-time or evening programs) who attend an accredited law school and intend to practice law in the greater Los Angeles metro area. Recipients must be available to attend an in-person scholarship luncheon in Los Angeles on Saturday, June 6, 2026.
Applications and all supporting documents must be submitted via email to bwlscholarship@gmail.com by 5:00 PM (PST) on Monday, March 15, 2026. Interviews are expected to take place in early May 2026.
Be sure to review all application requirements carefully, including transcript, financial aid documentation, and required essays.
Next Gen Scholars Program: This program provides $15,000 for each of the selected scholar’s three years of law school plus a $5,000 award to prepare for the bar exam, totaling $50,000. Selected scholar also receive leadership development support. Learn more here. Applications are due March 26, 2026.
1L Scholarship: According to the website, the “2025 cycle is paused as we design a new and improved program for 2026.” Stay tuned on their website for updates.
Legal Empowerment Fund: Created “as a response to the deepening public consciousness about the importance of law on social justice issues and the need for lawyers of all backgrounds to rise to the challenges posed by the ongoing racial reckoning and the lack of equal justice under the law.” Applications were due in early 2025. Stay tuned on their website for updates.
California Lawyers Foundation & Labor and Employment Law Section Scholarships
The Labor and Employment Law Section of the California Lawyers Association and the California Lawyers Foundation award joint scholarships to law students of up to $8,000. According to the website, [t]he purpose of the scholarships is to provide funding to diverse law students to engage in legal endeavors in an employment or labor related field that are non-compensated or under compensated.” Last year, applications were due March 31, 2025. The application is now open and you can apply on their website but the deadline is unclear so apply soon! Learn more here.
In addition to the scholarship for those clerking or interning with labor or employment firms or organizations, the Labor and Employment Law Section of CLA and the California Lawyers Foundation also has a bar studies scholarship! Details and application are on their website at https://calawyers.org/section/labor-and-employment-law/scholarships/.
East Bay La Raza Lawyers Association Scholarship
EBLRLA partners with California ChangeLawyers to provide scholarships to law students. The association also provides funding for a Public Interest Law Summer Stipend. Learn more about these funding opportunities here.
Latina Lawyers Bar Association Scholarship
The Latina Lawyers Bar Association (LLBA) is a bar association in Los Angeles County committed to supporting Latinas throughout their legal careers. Each year, LLBA awards scholarships to law students. The 2026 eligibility requirements include California residence/domicile with the intent to practice law in California; demonstrated community service; demonstrated overall commitment to the Latina community; demonstrated desire and commitment to be a leader in the legal profession; and financial need. Applications were due September 12, 2025. Be sure to check their website periodically for updates, including the application when the application window opens. Learn more here.
Lawyers’ Mutual Insurance Company Scholarship Program
In cooperation with the Daily Journal, the Lawyers’ Mutual Insurance Company hosts the Lawyers’ Mutual First-Generation Student Scholarship to provide support to law students who are the first in their families to pursue higher education and a legal careers. The scholarship is open to students who attend eighteen (18) law schools throughout California: California Western School of Law, Chapman University Fowler School of Law, Golden State University School of Law, Loyola Law School, Pepperdine University Rick J. Caruso School of Law, Santa Clara University School of Law, Southwestern School of Law, Southwestern Law School, Stanford Law School, University of California Berkeley School of Law, University of California Davis School of Law (King Hall), University of California Law, San Francisco, UCLA School of Law, University of San Diego School of Law, University of San Francisco School of Law, University of Southern California Gould School of Law, University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law, and Western State College of Law at Westcliff University. The application was due February 1, 2026. Be sure to check the Daily Journal’s website in the fall for the 2026-2027 deadlines!
Mexican American Bar Foundation Scholarship
The Mexican American Bar Foundation (MABF) Scholarship is open to law students at select law ABA-accredited law schools in Los Angeles County (Loyola, Pepperdine, Southwestern, UCLA, and USC) and Orange County ( UC Irvine School of Law). Scholarship award amounts vary. The application deadline was February 9, 2026. Learn more here.
Women Lawyers of Los Angeles: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Scholarship
The Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles (WLALA) Foundation offers a scholarship to law students who “plan to follow in the footsteps of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg by fighting for social justice, equality and inclusion, and have a demonstrated commitment to issues affecting women, children, minorities, or other historically marginalized groups.” Open to applicants who are enrolled in an accredited law school and plan to practice law in Los Angeles County or engage in legal work that affects Los Angeles County, and be in the top fifty percent of their class. Application deadline was April 30, 2026. Learn more here.
Women Lawyers of Sacramento Scholarships
All scholarship awards are up to $2,500.
Margaret A. Flynn Scholarship: According to the website, “The Margaret A. Flynn Scholarship is awarded to a financially needy first or second year law student who has engaged in exemplary community service.” Applications are due April 3, 2026. Access the application here.
Frances Newell Carr Scholarship: According to the website, “The Frances Newell Carr Scholarship is awarded to a financially needy first or second year law student with an outstanding academic record. Special consideration is given to candidates who have overcome personal adversity.” Applications are due April 3, 2026. Access the application here.
Karen Pederson Stevens Scholarship: According to the website, “This scholarship will be awarded to a financially needy student who is currently a first or second year law student (or third year in a four-year program). The successful candidate will have an interest in pursuing a legal career in family law and/or has assisted women and/or children (i.e. dissolution process, adoptions, etc.). Special consideration will be given to individuals who have a desire to start their own family law practice.” Applications are due April 3, 2026. Access the application here.
Women Lawyers of Sacramento Scholarship: This scholarship supports a 1L or 2L student, or a 3L student in a 4 year program, who demonstrates financial need and whose achievements match the association’s commitment to advance the position of women in law and society. Applications are due April 3, 2026. Access the application here.
One of the things I appreciate most about the Women Lawyers Association of Sacramento’s scholarship page is that it doesn’t just list awards—it tells stories.
Each scholarship is named after a founding member or past president of WLAS—women who helped open doors in the legal profession when those doors were not easily opened. They were advocates, leaders, and trailblazers in their own right.
Reading about their journeys is a reminder that the path many of us walk today was paved by women who showed up with courage and conviction.
If you’re applying for scholarships, take a few extra minutes to read about the women behind these awards. Their stories are powerful—and inspiring.
Bar Exam Support Scholarships
These opportunities generally help graduating law students cover bar exam fees, prep courses, and living costs during study months.
Black Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles (BWL) Foundation – Bar Grant
The BWL Foundation also offers a Bar Grant to support graduating law students who need financial assistance to prepare for the California Bar Exam. Applications and supporting documents must be emailed to bwlscholarship@gmail.com by 5:00 PM (PST) on Monday, March 15, 2026.
California Change Lawyers
3L Scholarship: According to the website, the “2026 cycle is paused as design a new and improved program for 2026.” In the past, this scholarship supported law students committed to becoming legal changemakers, recent law schools graduates, or soon-to-be-law grads who were going to take the California Bar Exam for the first time. Awards reached up to $5,000. Stay tuned on their website for updates.
Latina Lawyers Bar Association
Latina Lawyers Bar Association (LLBA) offers a bar stipend to outstanding law students to use towards the expenses related to preparing for the California Bar Examination. The bar stipend application is open to California residents or those domiciled in California who are applying for admission to the California State Bar; demonstrate community service; demonstrate overall commitment to the Latina community; demonstrate desire and commitment to be a leader in the legal professional; and demonstrate financial need. The application deadline was April 25, 2025. Stayed tuned to their website for updates.
Virginia S. Mueller Scholarship: This bar scholarship is available for third year day or fourth year evening students who will soon take the California bar examination. According to the website, “Special consideration is given to candidates who have worked to expand opportunities for historically disadvantaged persons, including women.” All scholarships are up to $2,500. Applications are due April 3, 2026. Access the application here.
Pre-Law Scholarships
These scholarships are generally open to undergraduate or gap-year students preparing to applying to law school, and select few are open to high school students.
Scholarships for College Students or College Graduates
National Latino/a Law Students Association (NLLSA)
NLLSA offers one pre-law scholarship for college students or college graduates who have not yet enrolled in law school. The deadline to apply to the AccessLex Institute Scholarship ($500 award) is March 6, 2026. Details here.
Scholarships for High School Students
The Ninth Circuit is a part of the federal court system. The circuits are based on geography and California and several other states and territories are in the Ninth Circuit.
If you are a high school students attending any type of secondary school including home school, public school, or private school and you live in Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington state, the U.S. Territory of Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, then you are eligible to participate in the Ninth Circuit Civics Contest. This contest requires that you respond to a prompt about civics. You may respond to the prompt by either video or essay. This contest usually opens at the beginning of the year.
In 2026, the application is due March 6, 2026 and there are three cash prizes for the winners ranging from $1,000 to $3,000. Learn more about the civics contest here.
Women’s Lawyers Association of Los Angeles (WLALA) Foundation
WLALA Foundation offers the 2026 Judge Beverly Reid O’Connell Scholarship. According to WLALA’s website, “[t]his scholarship is awarded annually to a high school senior who identifies as a woman, who is interested in the field of law or public service, and who was inspired in this career choice by the WLALA Foundation’s Power Lunch Program, the WLALA organization, or by a WLALA leader.” The scholarship recipient will receive up to $5,000. The scholarship application deadline is April 30, 2026.
Scholarship Search Tools
You should continue searching for scholarships besides those listed here. As a reminder, you should use this directory as a starting point, as it is not an exhaustive list. Use these databases or lists to find additional scholarships for law students or law graduates preparing for the bar exam:
- AccessLex Institute: Law School Scholarship Databank – A comprehensive resource offering a wide range of scholarships for law students. Learn more here.
- American Bar Association: Academic Scholarships for Young Lawyers and Law Students – The ABA’s website provides information on ABA entity-sponsored scholarships. Learn more here.
- College Board: Big Future Scholarship Search – A large scholarship database. In the filters, you can filter “Academic Stage” to “Postgraduate Law School” to search for scholarships open to law students. Learn more here.
- Immigrants Rising: List of Scholarships and Fellowships – This is a great list of scholarship and fellowship opportunities that do not require proof of U.S. citizenship. Learn more here.
Want to Make a Financial Plan That Supports Your Dreams of a Legal Career?
Finding scholarships is just one part of the journey – planning how to pay for law school, bar prep, and your early legal career is next.
That’s why I created Financial Planning for Aspiring and New Lawyers – a practical workbook designed to help you:
- Understand the true cost of law school – tuition, living expenses, and bar prep
- Find and track scholarships and grants to minimize debt
- Build a personalized budget that aligns with your life and career goals
- Plan ahead for bar exam expenses and your first year as a lawyer.
Get the workbook here and start building a plan that turns your law school dreams into long-term financial stability.
Get Updates From Me
I sometimes learn of scholarship opportunities on social media and may repost some of these opportunities to my channels. Be sure to follow me on LinkedIn or Instagram to see my posts.
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