As part of our ongoing mission to support our Law Student members, the Student Support Committee of the Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association awards three scholarships annually: The Fletcher “Flash” Wiley MBLA Legacy Award (up to $10,000), The Honorable Chief Justice Roderick L. Ireland Leadership and Juvenile Advocacy Award ($1,500), and The Honorable Reginald Lindsay Public Service Award ($1,000). Awards are only open to MBLA Law Student Members. Although students may apply for more than one of the above named scholarship, no student will be awarded more than one scholarship in any given year.
The Fletcher “Flash” Wiley Award seeks to support the development of students who, like Past MBLA President Fletcher “Flash” Wiley, display academic and professional excellence, exhibit a commitment to diversity and inclusion through leadership and volunteerism, and demonstrate a conviction to “lift as they climb.”
To apply for this award, the applicant must be a second-year law student, or the equivalent in a dual-degree J.D.-granting academic program, at the time of application, and must submit the following:*
• Cover Letter
• Resume
• Law School Transcript
• Two (2) Letters of Recommendation (Must be from an Employer or Professor)
Recommendation Letters should include:
▪ How long and in what capacity the recommender knows the applicant
▪ Evaluation of the applicant’s commitment to diversity and inclusion
▪ Evaluation of the applicant’s leadership abilities and volunteerism
▪ Evaluation of the applicant’s commitment to the principle of “lift as you climb”
▪ Any other relevant, special skills possessed by the applicant
Applicants for this award should be prepared to participate in an interview with a panel of MBLA members, should the applicant be selected as a Finalist for this scholarship.
The Honorable Chief Justice Roderick L. Ireland Leadership and Juvenile Advocacy Award seeks to support the development of students who, like Chief Justice Ireland, have exhibited a commitment to developing strong leadership skills and a passion for juvenile advocacy. In his honor, the MBLA established this annual award for such students who have demonstrated their commitment to juvenile justice and who have exhibited outstanding leadership.
To be apply for this award, the applicant must submit the following:*
• Cover Letter
• Resume
• Law School Transcript
• One (1) Letter of Recommendation (Must be from an Employer or Professor)
Recommendation Letter should include:
▪ How long and in what capacity the recommender knows the applicant
▪ Evaluation of the applicant’s commitment to juvenile advocacy
▪ Evaluation of the applicant’s leadership abilities
▪ Any other relevant, special skills possessed by the applicant
The Honorable Reginald Lindsay Public Service Award seeks to support the development of students who, like Judge Lindsay, have overcome adversity to use their outstanding academic ability and skills in public service.
To be apply for this award, the applicant must submit the following:*
• Cover Letter
• Resume
• Law School Transcript
• One (1) Letter of Recommendation (Must be from an Employer or Professor)
Recommendation Letter should include:
▪ How long and in what capacity the recommender knows the applicant
▪ Evaluation of the applicant’s commitment to public service
▪ Evaluation of the applicant’s ability to serve the interests of groups that lack access to legal services
▪ Any other relevant, special skills possessed by the applicant
*All scholarship application materials should be emailed to scholarships@mablacklawyers.org as a single PDF document. In the title of your PDF document, please indicate your name and the scholarship for which you are applying.
The deadline for submission of scholarship application materials is 5:00PM on Monday, January 20, 2020. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Questions regarding the MBLA Scholarships or the scholarship application process may be directed to the Co-Chairs of the Student Support Committee, Michael Kippins, at mkippins@seyfarth.com or D’Andre Fernandez, at dtfernandez@gmail.com.
If you would like to support our scholarships you can do so by making a contribution to the MBLA Building The Legacy Scholarship Fund. This fund was created through a partnership with the Boston Bar Foundation. As the BBF is a 501(c)(3) organization, all contributions to the fund are tax-deductible to the extent provided by law.
