Minority Student Program Participants and MSP Director Rhasheda Douglas (center)
Participants in the Minority Student Program at Rutgers Law School in Camden will have new opportunities to learn inside and outside of the classroom, thanks to a generous gift from Archer Law.
The Haddonfield-based firm of Archer Law has pledged $100,000 over five years to support new initiatives that include offering a 1L scholarship recipient an opportunity to interview for a summer associate position following their second year of law school, and scholarships for one 2L and one 3L student each year.
“Diverse law students often come from backgrounds that are not as exposed to members of the legal profession,” says Carlos Bollar RLAW’97, chair of Archer Law’s diversity committee. “The scholarship program was designed to help even the playing field financially and give diverse law students more experience in law firms.”
The initiatives offer students the experience of working and networking with Archer Law attorneys. The gift from Archer also provides funding for an annual pre-law conference hosted by Rutgers Law School in Camden, aimed at promoting diversity in the legal profession.
“The pre-law diversity conference helps us with filling the pipeline with law students to diversify not only the law school but also hopefully the legal profession,” says Rhasheda Douglas, director of the Minority Student Program in Camden.
Archer Law has provided support to Rutgers Law for more than 20 years, including funding the Archer Moot Courtroom, the MSP Judicial Internship Program, sponsoring a variety of events, and mentoring students.
“Archer has funded scholarships for diverse law students at Rutgers Law School in Camden for many years, and once the school’s campuses merged into one law school, it became important for us to continue our support for diverse students at Rutgers Law in Camden,” says Bollar. “We’re thrilled to be active with MSP. It’s both new and old at the same time.”