Know a Female Law Student Who Could Use $10K for School?

There are shortcomings in plaintiffs’ law that I want to do my part to change. In 2021, only 37% of all attorneys were women – a statistic that has barely moved in the past decade. In addition, law students are rarely encouraged to pursue a career on the plaintiff side of trial law, so the number of incoming women plaintiff trial lawyers is critically low. Civil justice can only function optimally if we get better diversity in the courtroom for plaintiffs.?

On top of the bothersome statistics, settlement planning is still not the standard of care in many law firms across the nation. The problem starts in law school, where settlement planning is not typically a required course subject or even a topic that is widely discussed. New attorneys enter the space with a minimal understanding of how a successful lawsuit will impact their clients’ financial well-being – at no fault of their own, because they haven’t been exposed to the critical nature and myriad advantages that proper settlement planning presents to both plaintiffs and trial lawyers. Milestone is looking to introduce this elevated level of client care to the next generation of plaintiffs' attorneys.

The Trial LawHER Scholarship is a $10,000 annual scholarship open to 3L female law students who intend to become plaintiff trial lawyers. The intent is to enact change on two fronts: to elevate rising women leaders in plaintiffs' trial law, and to help educate attorneys around the importance of settlement planning.?

Eligible candidates should submit an essay exploring the implications of settlement planning in the context of civil justice. We're also asking for a video of the applicant speaking to the contents of their essay and serving as the essay’s closing argument. The submission window closes August 31, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. ET. All the details are available here.

I know that many of you out there have a law student in mind who might be a perfect fit for this scholarship. Please share our scholarship page, this newsletter, and/or our posts on social media with anyone who may find them useful.?