Minority applicants have access to a wide range of resources to help them consider, prepare for, choose, and apply to law schools. This assistance is strengthened further by on-campus resources to help students, and followed by alumni- and career-outreach entities to ensure their future success in the legal profession.

Today, according to the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC), "No single minority group accounts for more than four percent of the lawyers in the United States." The legal profession and law schools that fuel them with new lawyers are both working to address this underrepresentation.

Ethnic groups commonly associated with the term "minority candidate" include Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cuban Americans and other Latin Americans, African Americans, and Native Americans (a group which includes Native Alaskans as well as U.S. Pacific and Virgin Islanders). Asian students are usually included in statistics regarding diversity on campus, yet Asians are not always considered an underrepresented ethnic group in the judgment of some admissions offices. Women as a gender are considered minorities, and members of gay, lesbian or transgender groups also feel entitled to some of the considerations that come with a minority status.

But the existence of any special consideration, based on race or any other criteria, continues to be hotly debated on constitutional grounds. Many schools, careful not to open themselves up to such lawsuits, no longer ask for your ethnicity on their applications.

Regardless of the presence of any checkbox on an application form however, the continued availability of supplemental and personal statements on the application grant all applicants a forum to tell their story, ethnic or otherwise. Still, there remains a common perception that grades and test scores have become even more weighty in the admissions process. While a high LSAT score can make you a virtual shoo-in at many top schools, the test carries a history fraught with efforts to remedy cultural biases that have negatively impacted the scores of minority test takers.

Take Advantage of Early Opportunities
Outreach programs can help high school and college students prepare to be better candidates. The MILE project is an effort on the part of the LSAC to increase the opportunities and information available to minority students planning to attend law school. Registration in the program is free.

During high school, depending on your area, local outreach programs can put you on track as well. In Harlem, for example, Legal Outreach, started in 1982 by a Harvard Law School graduate named James O'Neal, aims to teach junior-high students about legal issues to help them improve the quality of life in their communities.

Research Support & Networking Organizations Available on Law School Campuses
The quality of academic and extracurricular opportunities for minority culture, networking, and outreach on campus can be decisive in many applicants' choice of schools. Events such as open house weekends allow you to meet and observe the programs and clubs at various campuses that can support you throughout law school and beyond. Take advantage of minority prospective student weekends and other outreach events that may take place near your home.

The Advanced Law School Search on PrincetonReview.com lets you filter schools by percentage of women, minorities, and international students in your class, yielding a great starting point for your research.

Don't Lose Steam on Your Application
Like that of any applicant, your mission on the application is to do a great job presenting your story as a worthy candidate. The degree to which your ethnic identity plays into that story is up to you, and will vary from person to person. Supplemental statements, which can be made for almost any aspect of your application that you feel deserves additional explanation, can also be an opportunity to paint a clearer picture of your unique character, ethnic and otherwise.

As with the essays, use your best judgment and that of other proofreaders to decide how much detail is enough. Advice from the LSAC on the matter is clear: "Especially because your race may not be asked, or because the part of the form that indicates your race may not be seen by all who review your application, it is imperative that you include in your personal statement just how significant your racial identity has been for you."

Educate Yourself About Financial Aid Resources
To afford the costs of attending school, you have options ranging from free federal aid to specialized merit- and need-based scholarships, fellowships, and grants designed to empower the minority applicant. Many deadlines for these opportunities fall before the day you have to decide to attend, and January 1 in the year you plan to attend is the first day you can (and should) fill out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).

Each school has its own scholarships and grants that you should consider in addition to nationally and regionally available opportunities. If you are unsuccessful in your quest for a fellowship or scholarship, don't overlook government and private loans. Many of these loans are need-based and offer favorable interest rates and repayment schedules. When investigating loan options, remember that you'll want to balance your potential debt burden with your future salary expectations. The Princeton Review can help you identify great loan offers through its partnerships with a select group of educational loan providers. Just fill out the Financial Aid Profile to receive information on different loan options.

Once on Campus, Get Involved
"Most law schools wrestle with whether to grant some leeway to minorities in order to give them an opportunity to study law," concedes one former Dean of an East Coast Law School. But once these applicants have accepted the offer to attend, "as with anything else: 'You can get something on pull, but you have to keep it on merit.'"

Minority law students have growing networks of support groups to help them succeed in class and in expanding their network of professional contacts. Groups such CLEO, (Council on Legal Education Opportunity), provide low-income, economically disadvantaged, otherwise disadvantaged, and minority students the educational tools and financial resources to excel in law school and pass the bar examination.

Every campus has individual groups that coordinate with regional and national organizations to strengthen the networks among various ethnic minority groups. The links below suggest some other places to continue your research. In addition, check out our article, Advice to Incoming Minority Students.

Additional Resources
ABA Commission on Opportunities for Minorities in the Profession

African Americans
NAACP Legal Defense Scholarship Fund
National Black Law Student Association (NBLSA)

Latin/Hispanic Americans
Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA)

Native Americans
National Native American Law Students Association
Native American Rights Fund (NARF)

Asian and Pacific Islanders
API Legal Outreach (formerly Nihonmachi Legal Outreach)
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA)
NAPABA Law Foundation Scholarship