Puerto Rican Bar Association Scholorship Fund: How to Apply
Our Scholarships are open to Puerto Rican and Latino law students
Who We Are
The Puerto Rican Bar Association, Inc. (“PRBA”) was established in 1957 with the purpose of offering both personal and professional support to Puerto Rican and Latino attorneys in an effort to address the concerns of a rapidly growing Latino community in New York City.
In 1978, the PRBA founded the Puerto Rican Bar Association Scholarship Fund, Inc. as a separate corporate entity registered under New York State Not-For-Profit Corporation Law by the then PRBA President, the late Donald Grajales, a distinguished New York State Court of Claims Judge.
The Scholarship Fund was created for the purpose of raising funds to award financial scholarships to deserving law students. Through the generosity of our corporate sponsors and the contributions of our members at the Annual PRBA Scholarship Fund Gala Banquet, the Scholarship Fund has been able to award thousands of dollars in scholarships to various law students throughout the years.
Our scholarship recipients are employed in diverse legal settings: state and federal courts, city and state agencies, law firms, corporations, not-for-profit organizations, law schools, solo practitioners and also as elected officials.
Save the Date
Join us for a night of elegance on September 10, 2024 at Tribeca Rooftop for our Puerto Rican Bar Association Scholarship Fund Gala! The Gala is an occasion dedicated to celebrating the Scholarship Fund’s mission to financially empower and support deserving law students on their educational journey to making an impact as future leaders of the Latina/o legal community.
Past award recipients include former New York Court of Appeals Justice Carmen Beauchamp Ciparick, presiding Court of Appeals Justice Jenny Rivera, Chief Administrative Judge of the New York Unified Court System, The Hon. Joseph A. Zayas, and the late Carols Robles-Roman, Chief Executive of the Women’s Legal Defense Fund and served as Deputy Mayor to Mayor Bloomberg.
How To Apply
The Puerto Rican Bar Association Scholarship Fund, Inc. is accepting applications for its annual scholarships. The Scholarship Fund was established to promote diversity within the legal profession by providing scholarships to law students from ABA-accredited law schools who can demonstrate contributions or a commitment to the Puerto Rican and Latino community.
Applicants must be enrolled in the upcoming 2024-2025 academic year and demonstrate financial hardship.
Submission Deadline: June 30, 2024
Scholarships towards the legal education of applicants will be awarded based on one or more of the following factors:
- Academic Excellence
- Community Involvement
- Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion within the Legal Profession
- Financial Need
In order to be eligible for the Scholarship, applicants must also evidence one of the following connections to New York or New Jersey:
- Resident of either the State of New York or State of New Jersey.
- Enrolled in an ABA Accredited New York State Law School.
- Stated commitment to work in New York State after completing their law school education.
Click below to download an application for completion & submission to the Scholarship Fund
Submission Deadline:
June 30, 2024
Donate or Sponsor
Over the years we have provided financial scholarships to well deserving law students. Our scholarship recipients are employed in diverse settings: state and federal courts, city and state agencies, law firms, corporations, non-profit organizations, law schools, as elected officials and as solo practitioners. Yearly, our sponsors help fund the PRBA Scholarship Fund with generous contributions.
Our Sponsors include private businesses, law firms, and individuals who want to give back to the legal community and share our ideals of a diverse legal practice. We are extremely grateful to all of our current and past sponsors, without your support our dream of a more diverse and inclusive legal community would not be possible.
Thank you for your support!
