preLaw Magazine - Spring 2008 - (Page 28)

courts. In a case that was originally filed in 1992, the Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals struck down the University of Texas’ admissions policy in 1996. That same year, the University of California system abolished race-based admissions policies at its three law schools, in response to a state proposition. That led to only one black student in the fall 1997 entering class at UC-Berkeley Law School. Then in 1997, The Center for Individual Rights filed a lawsuit against the University of Michigan on behalf of Barbara Grutter, a white student who was denied admission. That case, along with a companion case, worked its way to the Supreme Court. In 2003, the Court held that quotas and point systems were unconstitutional, but that diversity could be considered as a factor in the admission process. The ruling, while celebrated as a victory by diversity advocates, nonetheless forced law schools to be creative in their approach to building minority enrollment numbers — instead of simply focusing on LSAT and GPA numbers. But that has been in direct conflict with rankings. A school that does not concern itself with LSAT scores could see its rankings drop in U.S. News & World Report. “Law schools see the need to bolster their rankings as really connected directly to their financial and economic survival,” Kransberger said. “But the LSAT is such a small part of the ranking, so it really doesn’t explain why law schools don’t admit a diverse [student body].” Yet, despite the statistics, some law schools have found ways to buck the trend and increase minority enrollment. And most experts agree it takes a broad-based approach on a school-by-school basis to increase minority enrollment. What’s working — the personal approach to admissions While law schools have tried to adjust to a world without affirmative action admissions, many have clearly not been success- ful — leading to the lower minority enrollment numbers. But some law schools have succeeded by taking different approaches. For the class of 2007, the admissions office at the Louis D. Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville set a goal for itself. It wanted to double its minority enrollment from five minority students to 10. The law school’s staff and students were amazed when their efforts took minority enrollment from 5 percent to 17 percent, or 28 students, for the Class of 2007, said Jack Cox, assistant dean for admissions. The approach was simple, Cox said. The admissions office worked with its Black Law School Student Association and others to create a group of volunteers who met four nights a week, shared a pizza and started making calls. They used the school’s database of minorities who had reached out to the law school for information. The students then called these potential classmates and talked to them about Brandeis. “In many scenarios, we would be the SOUTHWESTERN LAW SCHOOL Where diversity is real. At Southwestern Law School, DIVERSITY IS more than just a buzz word – it’s PART OF WHO WE ARE. Located IN THE HEART OF LOS ANGELES, Southwestern attracts A VIBRANT MIX OF STUDENTS – from virtually every state and more than a dozen foreign countries – who are fluent in more than 30 languages. Minorities represent over 35% OF OUR STUDENT BODY and 23% OF OUR FACULTY. For nearly 100 years, diversity has made Southwestern a dynamic place to study law. “The best thing about the students at Southwestern is the diversity. There’s no one ‘persona,’ and I think that adds a lot to the character of the school.” – An Mai Nguyen, Southwestern Graduate 3050 Wilshire Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90010 Tel: 213.738.6834 admissions@swlaw.edu www.swlaw.edu/about/diversity 28 preLaw http://www.swlaw.edu/about/diversity http://www.swlaw.edu/about/diversity

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of preLaw Magazine - Spring 2008

preLaw Magazine - Spring 2008 Contents From the Editor For the Record Large Gender Gap Remains Among Political Hopefuls Man Charged in LSAT Scam Barry Dean Recognized New Report Examines Legal Ed Drexel Receives Accredidation New Mexico No. 1 for Hispanics A Film Journey in Law A Law Student at Last Debt Salvation Great Law Schools for Minorities Grad Opts Out of Big Firm Job Specialties Helpful Advice

preLaw Magazine - Spring 2008

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