Article Originally Published in the June 2024 edition of the Alabama Association for Justice Journal
In Fall 2021, University of Alabama School of Law Professor Anil Mujumdar and former Dean Mark Brandon began a discussion about finding a new way to increase awareness of and access to the legal profession for undergraduate students. A few years earlier, Alabama Law had received temporary grant funding to run a prelaw program to help aspiring legal professionals experience a taste of law school in preparation for becoming law students. The feedback from those who participated was overwhelmingly positive, and many eventually ended up studying law in the state of Alabama.
However, the grant for that prelaw program was for a limited time, so Alabama Law began to seek out more sustainable sources of financial support to build a new prelaw experience for rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors—especially those who may face social, economic, or other barriers that otherwise may prevent them from considering or pursuing a career in law. Former Assistant Dean of Administration Martha Griffith successfully applied for funding through the McMahon-Pleiad Prize, administered by The University of Alabama System, to help build a new prelaw program. This grant, along with funding from the Alabama Civil Justice Foundation, as well as generous support from Derrick (Alabama Law Class of 2003) and Tamesha Mills, provided the financing that allowed Professor Mujumdar to develop and run a pilot of the new Summer Scholars Prelaw Program at Alabama Law in June 2022.
During its first year, the program admitted 25 undergraduate students from Alabama and throughout the United States to spend the month of June on the Law School’s campus. The students took law classes, presented a case in mock trial, participated in a mediation simulation, met dozens of legal professionals, and visited several historically significant places throughout the state of Alabama. In total, the cohort heard from over sixty presenters who offered advice and helped the participants explore a range of possibilities for pursuing a legal career.
From the Eyes of a First-Generation Law Student
Alex Martinez of Montevallo, Alabama, was a member of that first Summer Scholars class. Introduced to the program by an advisor at the University of Montevallo, Martinez decided to apply to Summer Scholars because others had told him he would do well in law school, but he knew nothing about what that would entail. At the time, he was an undergraduate student who had switched from majoring in computer engineering to sociology and political science in pursuit of finding a career path that better aligned with his interests.
“Summer Scholars was an opportunity to see what law school was like and understand if it was something I was truly interested in,” said Martinez.
Before attending the program, Martinez didn’t know any lawyers. The legal field, even as portrayed in the media, was entirely new to him. For example, Martinez acknowledged that it wasn’t until after his time in Summer Scholars that he finally watched the film Legally Blonde.
“Because nobody in my family is a lawyer, I came in knowing nothing about law school,” said Martinez. “Summer Scholars does an amazing job helping participants become familiar with what law students do and the various career paths available to attorneys after they graduate. The program was invaluable to me—it helped me realize law school was somewhere I could truly excel.”
Since completing Summer Scholars, he earned a perfect score on the LSAT and will attend the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School this fall. While these achievements are largely due to his own brilliance and the many, many hours he committed to preparing, taking, and retaking (a total of three times) the LSAT, Martinez was not hesitant to point to the role Summer Scholars played in his success.
“I took my first practice LSAT while in Summer Scholars,” said Martinez. “Obviously, I didn’t do well that time, but it provided my first exposure to the test and helped me build confidence that it was something I could do.”
Martinez eventually hopes to practice labor rights, civil rights, or some other form of public interest law in Alabama after gaining his footing by working in Big Law following his law school graduation.
In his final reflections about the Summer Scholars program Martinez said, “I came in knowing nothing about law school. . . but now I feel like I have a law school family. The program has helped me prepare for the [law school] application process. And because [of the Summer Scholars experience], law school doesn’t feel like a scary thing. That’s the goal for the program, and it is doing a good job.”
An Early Start
Isabela Malo, an undergraduate student at The University of Alabama who is triple majoring in International Studies, English, and Spanish, shared the influence the Summer Scholars program had on her career trajectory.
“I wanted to hit the ground running as I was preparing for the summer before my sophomore year at The University of Alabama,” said Malo. “While I was exploring opportunities the University had to offer, I saw that the Law School had a prelaw program. Up to that point, I had never really considered studying law. Sure, people had told me I could become a lawyer, but it wasn’t something I seriously considered before learning about the Summer Scholars program.”
She continued, “I knew that it was an opportunity for people who were on the fence—especially those like me who didn’t have family history or ties to the legal field—so I applied. And it turned out to be that clarity I needed.”
Malo is no longer on the fence about attending law school. While she doesn’t yet know what areas of law she wants to pursue, she did point out that the Summer Scholars program helped her start to narrow down her interests.
“I know I want to be a lawyer—which I didn’t know before Summer Scholars—but I still don’t know what area of law I want to work in. However, thanks to some illuminating testimonials from professionals in the program, I know I don’t want to do family law,” said Malo.
While in Summer Scholars, she had the opportunity to meet with an individual who practiced family law. As the lawyer explained her work, Malo realized that family law wasn’t what she wanted to do. She emphasized that this lecture was just as important and helpful as other sessions, because knowing what she didn’t want to do let her focus on other specializations.
Malo is now starting her senior year and preparing to take the LSAT. In the coming months, she’ll be applying for law school at Alabama Law and other universities throughout the South.
Relationships Matter
Pierrerasha Goodwin, a third-year student at the University of Alabama School of Law, was initially introduced to the State of Alabama through the predecessor program to Summer Scholars at Alabama Law. Born and raised in Chicago, Goodwin traveled to Mississippi to pursue an undergraduate degree in psychology and a minor in law at Tougaloo College. While there, Goodwin’s professor—Dr. Daphne Chamberlain—told her about the precursor prelaw program at Alabama Law and encouraged her to apply. Her application was accepted, and she made plans to travel to Tuscaloosa to begin the program in early June.
However, a few weeks before the program began, on Mother’s Day, Goodwin’s mom unexpectedly passed away. “My mother was aware her health was beginning to decline, but I doubt she was aware of the extent,” said Goodwin.
Many members of her Chicago community were generous in providing donations and support during this time of loss, but those contributions did not cover the full financial burden Goodwin and her family would face. To make up the immediate difference, Goodwin received an advance from her summer job as a legal intern to fund her mother’s funeral and the remainder of the family’s summer bills. She also temporarily took on caretaking responsibilities for her younger brother in the weeks following their mother’s passing.
“My sister and I . . . took over the duties of ensuring my younger brother’s life did not skip a beat. I primarily took care of him the month before the prelaw program began—walking to and from school, dinner, any additional activities, delivering the news, etc.— and then he moved in with my sister, and she has raised him along with my two nephews since then,” said Goodwin.
Her mother’s service was held at a family friend’s funeral home on June 1. Goodwin traveled to Tuscaloosa to attend the prelaw program the following day.
“I showed up on the first day of the program just as everyone else did; with excitement and a smile,” said Goodwin. “It was the first time I realized how strong my compartmentalizing skills were. I believe I told Dr. Steele (then director of the prelaw program) a couple weeks in . . . but I never ‘wore it on my sleeve.’”
Goodwin admitted, “It was difficult knowing that I was experiencing a piece of my future career without [my mother’s] presence or guidance. . . It would be the first of many times where I felt like I was missing something.”
Attending Law School
Three years after completing the prelaw program, Goodwin was a first-year student at Alabama. It was Halloween, and she had just finished hosting a ‘Family Friday: Study Session’ with her fellow classmates, when she received the news that her father had unexpectedly passed away.
“Shortly after walking everyone to their cars, I came back inside, and received a call from my aunt telling me my father had been shot in the head and leg as he stood in the crowd of a neighborhood vigil for a young woman,” said Goodwin.
Through the grief, Goodwin planned her father’s funeral while continuing her schoolwork throughout the semester, so she could “show up for herself.” Though individuals were supportive, many questioned her decision to finish the semester—returning after the funeral to take her finals—and continue law school.
“However well intended it may be, I winced every time a classmate randomly told me they were surprised I came back and took finals; or [shared they were] inspired, and explained how they could never do that,” said Goodwin. “My family never questioned whether I’d continue school and never brought up the idea of me taking a break. Both [sides of my] family expected me to return to school. Why would I not?”
Continuing forward
Losing both parents, living away from family and the community she grew up in, and navigating law school and relationships with peers through these challenges is accompanied with a form of long-term grief that doesn’t simply go away once the funeral services end or the seasons change.
“I do not get to experience the pride of two people who didn’t receive a high school diploma, witness their child become a Doctor of Law. I do not get to talk about life with my dad . . . or get refocusing statements from my mother reprioritizing [my reasons for being in law school],” said Goodwin.
At the close of her 1L year, Goodwin chose to be a Teaching Assistant (TA) working with Professor Anil Mujumdar during the Summer Scholars program. As a beneficiary of a prelaw experience at Alabama Law, and a current law student, Goodwin had a lot to offer as a mentor and friend to the new group of Summer Scholars participants. Working alongside Professor Mujumdar also became a healing and restorative process for Goodwin.
“During a period where I felt isolated, I took some time to conduct a genealogical search on my family’s history, and learned that I have roots in Lowndes County, Alabama,” said Goodwin. “Following Summer Scholars, [Professor Mujumdar] made sure that we took a Sunday trip to attend a church service at the historic Mount Gillard Baptist Church, followed by a meal, and a ride through other areas listed on the census where my ancestors resided. I think this experience of a monumentally supportive faculty is very unique to this law school, and I’m grateful to be here for that if nothing else.”
Goodwin recently finished up her externship in Washington, DC, and has returned to Alabama Law to complete her 3L year and graduate in May.
When asked about her thoughts about the Summer Scholars program after serving as a TA, she shared, “The experience is literally unmatched. It gives such an intimate seat and preview of what Alabama’s legal industry has to offer. Being in front of so many judges and legal professionals, while also being in law school classes taught by law school professors, allows you to gain a confidence that I don’t think any other prelaw program can necessarily provide.”
Personalization
The individualized and authentic experience Goodwin recounted was not a unique or uncommon occurrence for the students who have participated in Summer Scholars or have worked with Professor Mujumdar. His ability to help new students build meaningful relationships within the legal community is the essence of what drives the Summer Scholars program at Alabama Law.
“In addition to being accessible, approachable, and kind, Professor Mujumdar is also really intelligent and well connected within the legal field. He is an amazing resource and a very relatable attorney and scholar to work with,” said Alex Martinez, participant in the 2022 Summer Scholars program.
Students like Martinez and Goodwin are not alone in expressing their praise for the way Professor Mujumdar prioritizes and fosters relationships as he leads the Summer Scholars program.
“I am most impressed with the Summer Scholars’ faculty—especially Anil Mujumdar. He is the heart and soul of the program.” said Derrick Mills, an Alabama Law alumnus and program sponsor. “Not only does he facilitate the program every year, but he truly cares about each individual participant. I know this, because I have seen first-hand his passion for the students, not only inside the program, but outside of the program.”
New Year, New Experiences, Same Results
In June, following the success of the program in 2022 and 2023, the Alabama Civil Justice Foundation and Alabama Law alumni generously sponsored a new cohort of 15 Summer Scholars. During the four-week program, the students heard from guest speakers including active and retired federal judges, among other accomplished attorneys, judges, and community leaders. In a similar fashion to previous years, students toured the Federal Building and Courthouse and engaged in a mock trial, gaining hands-on experience in a courtroom setting. The Scholars also participated in workshops designed to equip them with the skills needed to navigate the law school admissions process.
To learn how to support the Summer Scholars program, please contact Jason Wear, Director of Development at Alabama Law.
“My wife [Tamesha] and I continue to be impressed with the University of Alabama Summer Scholars’ program,” said Derrick Mills. “Over the years, we have poured our money and time into the program, because we truly believe it is making a difference. I have seen first-hand the impact it has made on the future of the legal profession.”
Article written by: Josh Bird and Callie Jackson
Photos taken and video produced by: Callie Jackson, Josh Bird and Savannah Kelly