Diversity Scholarship Program

Farella Braun + Martel recognizes the value of increasing diversity within the legal profession, and as part of our commitment to diversity, we award Diversity Scholarships to support outstanding diverse Bay Area law students. For the past seven years, Farella Braun + Martel has awarded over a total of $120,000 in scholarship grants to twenty-nine Bay Area law students, and we have selected five law students as our 2008 Diversity Scholarship recipients.

Scholarship applicants must be current first-year, full- or part-time (attending first-year classes) law students who are students of color, members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community, disabled, or whose background or experience would otherwise contribute to the diversity of the legal profession. Recipients must currently attend one of the following local law schools: University of California, Berkeley (Boalt Hall); University of California, Davis (King Hall); University of California, Hastings College of the Law; Golden Gate University; Stanford University; Santa Clara University; or the University of San Francisco.

Our scholarship committee is composed of attorneys at the firm, and scholarship recipients will be selected based upon a combination of merit and financial need. With respect to merit, the committee will consider each applicant's academic and extracurricular accomplishments, background, activities, obligations and commitment to community service. Need, as interpreted by the committee, will be determined based upon the applicant's and the applicant's family's income; the applicant's sources of financial aid, including loans, grants, fellowships and scholarships, if any; assets, if any; expenses; and expected income during the summer following their first year of law school. Preference will be given to applicants who demonstrate a commitment to working and living in the Bay Area.

The Diversity Scholarship Program is usually held at the beginning of each year; for more information, please contact Jennifer Peneyra, Recruiting and Diversity Manager.