LOS ANGELES – MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) is proud to announce the recipients of its 2019-2020 Law School Scholarship Program. Since its founding in 1968, MALDEF has awarded scholarships to law students committed to furthering our mission of promoting and protecting the civil rights of the Latino community in the United States.

“As is true every year, the caliber of applicants to our scholarship program predicts a bright future for Latino civil rights,” said Thomas A. Saenz, MALDEF president and general counsel. “Our scholarship committee has chosen a cohort of scholarship recipients who will become the legal leaders of tomorrow, and they will lead with compassion, creativity, and great intellect.”

MALDEF’s Law School Scholarship application is open to any student enrolled at an accredited U.S. law school. The recipients are selected by a national Law School Scholarship Committee of leading attorneys.

In recent years, MALDEF has awarded five to 15 deserving students with scholarships of $2,000 each. This year, there are 10 recipients, studying law at the University of California at Berkeley, Davis, and Irvine; the University of Texas; New York University; Southwestern; the University of San Diego; and Yale. The recipients include the children of immigrants and DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipients who have a passion for immigration law and civil rights.

“It is an honor to recognize the exceptional talents of these students. MALDEF’s Law School Scholarship Program is proud to support this next generation of Latino legal advocates and leaders.  Our country will benefit from their leadership and advocacy.” said Jose Sanchez, MALDEF board member, Deloitte Global’s Senior Managing Director and Americas Lead Counsel, and chair of this year’s committee. “We thank the major funders of MALDEF’s Law School Scholarship and the program’s committee members for their dedication to these scholars and to the future of our legal profession.”

The scholarship committee assesses applicants based on four factors:

  • Personal background and financial need.
  • Academic and extracurricular achievement.
  • Demonstrated commitment to serving the Latino community, shown through academic, extracurricular, or professional record of
    service.
  • Future plans to advance the rights of Latinos.

Applications for MALDEF’s 2020-2021 MALDEF Law School Scholarship Program, are available for download at our website, www.maldef.org. The deadline to apply is February 26, 2021.

Donations may be made to MALDEF’s Law School Scholarship Program HERE.

A complete List of MALDEF’s 2019-2020 Law School Scholarship recipients and brief bios of each can be found HERE.