Brief Description:

Description:

The purpose of the Sarasota County Bar Association Richard R. Garland Diversity Scholarship is to provide a Summer Associate opportunity for second year law students of underrepresented minority backgrounds (e.g. race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, or physical disability), who have an interest in practicing law in Sarasota County upon graduation, to obtain summer placement in private law firms and governmental agencies in Sarasota County. The scholarship application is open to those aforementioned law students enrolled in Florida law schools and those enrolled in out-of-state law schools, but who have or having had family, school, or community ties to Sarasota County and/or are interested in practicing law in Sarasota County. Finalists for this scholarship may be invited to an interview after the committee has reviewed their application. If invited to interview you must take part in the interview in order to be further considered for this scholarship.

The Diversity Scholarship aims to foster an employment and collegial relationship between law students and legal employers, consequently enhancing the diversity of the Sarasota legal community. At the conclusion of the student’s summer employment, the law school where the student matriculates will receive scholarship funds of $1,000.00 up to $5,000.00, to be used by the student for their law degree. The Diversity Summer Associate also earns wages from the Employer during their summer associateship.

The SCBA Council for Diversity and Inclusion assigns an attorney mentor to each Diversity Scholarship Summer Associate. Along with the Summer Associate Employer, the SCBA mentor coordinates activities promoting the Diversity Scholarship Summer Associate’s professional development during the summer associate period. The Diversity Scholarship Summer Associate and the Diversity Scholarship Employer will be welcomed and recognized, respectively, at a reception by the SCBA and representatives from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County.

Information regarding housing alternatives may be obtained from the SCBA Council for Diversity and Inclusion.

Special Eligibility Requirements:

FLORIDA BAR CERTIFIED LEGAL INTERN

Becoming a Florida Bar Certified Legal Intern (CLI) may increase your employability among potential employers. A CLI may appear in any court or before any administrative tribunal in Florida while under the supervision and written approval of a licensed attorney. A CLI may also engage in other activities such as preparing pleadings, briefs, abstracts and other documents and may also participate in oral arguments in appellate courts.

Obtaining your CLI designation is strictly voluntary and is not a requirement to qualify for the Richard R. Garland Diversity Scholarship. However, becoming a CLI will enable you to accept employment with a wider variety of potential employers, particularly government employers such as the State Attorney’s Office and the Public Defender’s Office, which typically require their applicants to be CLIs

Contact Information:

For questions about this application, please contact the Community Foundation of Sarasota County Scholarships Team at Scholarships@cfsarasota.org

Begin Accepting Applications Date:

7/01/2022

Deadline Date (EST Time Zone) :

8/31/2022 11:59 PM