Minority Corporate Counsel Association Lloyd M. Johnson, Jr. Scholarship Program

LLOYD M. JOHNSON, JR. SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

The Minority Corporate Counsel Association is pleased to announce the continuation of an initiative designed to support entering first year law students nationwide who have been accepted into an accredited law school. The program is open to all students entering law school in fall 2007.

The Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA) was founded in 1997 to advocate for the expanded hiring, retention, and promotion of minority attorneys in corporate law departments and the law firms that serve them. MCCA accomplishes its mission through the collection and dissemination of information about diversity in the legal profession. Now in the third year of its scholarship program, MCCA invites applications from students planning to attend law school beginning in the fall of 2007.

MCCA will award 10 fellowships @ $10,000 per year for each of three years in law school. The total commitment per student fellow will be $30,000. In addition, approximately, 7-8 students will also receive a one-time scholarship gift of $10,000 in support of their law school education. MCCA intends to foster mentoring opportunities for all selected winners as well as assist in the placement of the fellows and scholars in paid summer internship positions at leading corporations.

Deadline for receipt of completed applications is June 1, 2007. Application information is available at www.mcca.com. The application process is administered for MCCA by UNCF and students may apply online at www.uncf.org.

Direct all questions regarding the application process to Kimberly Hall at UNCF at(703) 205-3443.

College Student Division Law Camp

******* MARCH 9-11, 2007 ******* DATE CHANGE
Click here to register for Law Camp and for more information

Western Region College Student Director
Na'Shaun Neal
neal2008@lawnet.ucla.edu

Black Women Lawyers of Los Angeles - Scholarships/Bar Grants available

Black Women Lawyers of Los Angeles - Scholarships/Bar Grants available

The Black Women Lawyers Foundation is pleased to announce its 2007 scholarship program. The BWL Foundation held its first scholarship fundraising event in 1975. Since then, the Foundation has awarded more than $100,000 in scholarships to law students based on their academic excellence, extracurricular activities, community service and financial need. Those scholarship recipients have become judges, law firm partners, government attorneys, in-house counsel and public interest attorneys.

Scholarship applications are now available online at www.blackwomenlawyersla.org . To be eligible for a scholarship, students must be second or third year law students in full-time programs or fourth-year students in evening or part-time programs. In addition, they must intend to practice law in Southern California after graduation.

Scholarship applications must be postmarked on or before March 30, 2007 in order to be considered. The applications will be reviewed by April 7, 2007 and selected applicants will be interviewed April 14, 2007. The scholarship recipients will be announced at the BWL Foundation's Annual Scholarship and Awards Luncheon on May 5, 2007 in Los Angeles, California.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email or call me at (818) 954-3099. Thank you and we look forward to receiving applications from your students.

The Chapter Award for Social Consciousness

Dear Chapter Presidents,

As you register for the Western Regional Conference taking place February 14-18 in San Francisco, CA, don’t forget that this is the first year in which “Chapter Award for Social Consciousness” will be awarded! Below are the criteria for the award:

The Chapter Award for Social Consciousness

Each year, in addition to participation in community service programs, many BLSA chapters strive to increase the awareness of issues that affect the Black community. This year NBLSA will recognize these chapters by presenting the “Chapter Award for Social Consciousness.” This award will be presented on both regional and national levels to those chapters that follow the national agenda (below).

Now is the time to begin thinking about entering the competition for the Chapter Award for Social Consciousness. The Chapter Award will be chosen by a committee of one executive board member from each region to ensure integrity in the selection process. Each chapter will be graded on a numeric scale and can receive a total of 100 points. While the criteria are subjective, the burden is on the chapter to demonstrate its commitment to and execution of the criteria below. Each chapter is encouraged to scrapbook and/or document its activities online or otherwise. The great value in this competition is that there is no loser. Everyone wins when we take it upon ourselves to empower our community.

National Social Consciousness Agenda Points Breakdown

• Reaching Back – Grass Roots School Initiatives (25 Points)

Local chapters throughout NBLSA are encouraged to visit a predominantly Black middle or high school in their area to speak to students about experiences as a law student. Local chapters are also encouraged to bring students to campus and allow them to sit in classes and experience law school first hand. We hope to inspire the youth by exposing them to positive role models and learning environments.

• Katrina Initiative (20 Points)

Our organization will continue our support of Katrina survivors by supporting both the survivors at ground zero and the survivors spread across the U.S.

• LSAT Preparation (15 Points)

Local BLSA chapters are also encouraged to provide at least one LSAT Test Prep scholarship to an undergraduate of their choice. The scholarship may provide full or partial funding which may come from solicitation or fund raising. This initiative seeks to increase Black presence in law schools by inspiring and providing support for those who may apply.

• Reparations / INTERNATIONAL DAY OF SERVICE (10 Points)

Each region will participate in reparations and an international day of service. Local chapter support of these initiatives is vital to its success.

• Black History Month Programming (5 Points)
• Individual Chapter Initiatives (10 Points)

Any chapter initiative that furthers the goal of Social Consciousness while supporting the NBLSA "Purpose" as outlined in our Constitution can be considered under this category.

• Health & Fitness (10 Points)

You can separate and pick any of these categories or leave as a group.

a. HIV Aids Awareness

b. Diabetes

c. Breast Cancer

d. Obesity

e. Health & Wellness

• Event Documentation / Scrapbook and/or Chapter Video (5 Points)
• Special consideration will be given to those chapters who have members that participate in supporting the NBLSA death penalty moratorium.

If you have any questions, you can contact me at ag@nblsa.org. Good luck in completing these initiatives, and remember to bring your scrapbook to the Regional Convention!

Sincerely,

Marlon Monroe
St. Thomas University School of Law, Miami
National Black Law Students Association
National Attorney General 2006-2007

Thelen-Kaiser 1L Diversity Fellow Program

For More information:
Sela Seleska
National Recruiting Manager
Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner LLP
101 Second Street, Suite 1800
San Francisco, CA 94105
Or by e-mail to: sseleska@thelen.com

Black History Month Oakland Walking Tour

Please distribute widely, and stay tuned for more events this month in
celebration of Black History and Heritage.
****************************************************************************
In honor of Black History Month,

Law Students of African Descent (LSAD) at Boalt Hall invite you to join us for the New
Voices/New Era Oakland Walking Tour.

Stroll through downtown and discover the places where Oakland¹s
African-American leaders made their mark. Learn how Lionel Wilson, Delilah
Beasley, Robert Maynard, the Dellums family, Josephine Baker, and others
changed the Bay Area and California.

Saturday, February 3
10:00 am
Tour begins in front of the African American Museum and Library at 14th
Street and Martin Luther King, Jr. Way.

Please contact C'Reda Weeden at cjweeden5@berkeley.edu by Thursday, February
1 to RSVP for the tour.

24th ANNUAL NATIONAL BLACK PROSECUTORS ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE

Greetings! Please spread the word to your members and your regional chapters!

In the past we at NBPA have found that the word was not passed about our ANNUAL Job Fair by the Law Schools until it was nearly the registration deadline.

We normally have approximately 40 prosecutors offices specifically looking for minority applicants! We also offer a meet and greet reception afterwards for the students and our members. Many contacts have been made at this reception, and we hire many of your members.

24th ANNUAL NBPA CONFERENCE & JOB FAIR
Sunday, July 15, 2007 through Saturday, July 21, 2007 , JOB FAIR DATE IS JULY 17, 2007

HOST HOTEL: BELLEVUE HILTON HOTEL
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

FOR UPDATES CHECK OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.BLACKPROSECUTORS.ORG MEMBERSHIP IS FREE FOR LAW SCHOOL STUDENTS.

*** In addition, Our members are willing to sit on panels during your Regional events, please reach out to the Regional Directors and members of your Executive Board.****

Carmen Lineberger
VP of Programs NBPA
Assistant District Attorney Phila. DA's Office Homicide Unit

Officer Applications Now Available

Western Region Officer Applications are now available. You can request your plenary packet from Patrice Williams via patricewhall@hotmail.com.

We sent copies of the Plenary packet to all Western Region presidents. The document includes the following: (1) Regional Officer Application Form with general job descriptions; (2) Regional Constitution and Bylaws amendment forms; and (3) Chapter of the Year form.

Positions up for election include:

• Western Region Chair (also serves on the NBLSA National Executive Board)
  
• Executive Director
• all Sub-Regional Directors
• Secretary
• Treasurer
• Academic Retreat Coordinator
• Membership Director
• College Student Division Director
  
• Corporate Relations/Fundraising

Any unfilled position will be appointed by the 07-08 Regional Chair. Appointment Applications will be available in March or April.

************ DEADLINE: THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2007. **********

Email Patrice Williams via patricewhall@hotmail.com

Help Start a NBLSA College Student Division Chapter

Western Region Convention Events

Click each image to view larger version.

To RSVP: Send an email to Bari Williams via bari.williams@gmail.com

To purchase Gala Tickets: http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaID=124037

Western Region Convention, February 14-18, San Francisco, CA

Greetings NBLSA Family:

Happy New Year! We hope this email finds you in great spirit and ready for the next semester. WRBLSA is pleased to announce that registration is now open for the Western Region Convention to be held in San Francisco, CA, Wednesday, February 14 through Sunday, February 18. To register for the convention, please go to: http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaID=124037.

The link for making your hotel reservations with the convention hotel, Marriott Fisherman's Wharf, is now available. Please go to: http://marriott.com/property/propertypage/sfofw Group Code: NBLNBLA

Room rates are $169 per night for a standard double.

You can expect great workshops, an elegant reception hosted at the Museum of the African Diaspora and a fabulous Banquet Gala. To maximize your time spent in the Bay Area, we left Thursday open to allow students time to schedule interviews with prospective employers.

Are you interested in serving on the Western Region Board? All officer positions will be up for election. Western Region Chair will serve on the National Board. To submit a candidate statement, please email me at western@nblsa.org for an application. Candidate submissions will be due no later than Thursday, February 15.

More details about convention will be available soon.

For questions about convention, you can contact the convention coordinator, Bari Williams, at bari.williams@gmail.com.

In NBLSA Love,

Jamila Taylor
Western Region Chair

Conference on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Legal Profession

A conference for pre-law students, Law Students, and Lawyers

February 24, 2007

Pepperdine University ~ Malibu, CA

For More information contact Kimberly Retts via Kimberly.Retts@pepperdine.edu.