The statistics regarding minorities in law school and the legal profession are sobering. Of about 1,352,027 active lawyers in the United States, about 85% are white. Last year, the American Bar Association reported that 15% of lawyers at major U.S. firms are minorities; about 3% black, 3.6%Hispanic and the rest identified as Asian American or other minorities. Adding another percentage point to include the lawyers at smaller firms or in private practice does not have much impact on the figures. These rates are starkly lower than for other professions. These statistics regarding specific minority percentages have changed very little over the past decade, even though the overall minority populations in the U.S. have increased over that same time frame (minorities now total about40% of the U.S. population). African American, Hispanic and Native American youth in particular need to become more aware of the opportunities that a legal education can provide. After all, a law degree will help take you to the top of many different fields—even if you don’t want to practice in the courtroom. Minority students often are not familiar with college, the law school admission process, the LSAT test, and the Bar exam, but there are organizations that will help assist interested students. Pipeline programs, scholarships, internships and information are out there and there are many people in the legal profession who are helping to increase minority interest in the field. The Council On Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO) is a great organization that helps students of all ages to pursue a legal education. CLEO has a more than 40-year tradition of being in the forefront of diversifying the legal profession. In 1968, CLEO was founded as a non-profit project of the ABA Fund for Justice and Education to expand opportunities for minority and low-income students to attend law school. Since its inception, more than 8,000 students have participated in CLEO's pre-law and law school academic support programs, successfully matriculated through law school, passed the bar exam and joined the legal profession. CLEO alumni, many who had less than traditional academic indicators of success, yet were given an opportunity to attend law school, are represented in every area of society, including: private law firms and corporations, law schools, federal and state judiciaries, and legislatures across the country. The influence of CLEO alumni in the legal profession, in particular and throughout the country in general, is an indication of the important role CLEO has played in helping to provide a voice to underrepresented groups. Cause Magazine Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO) Helping Minority Youth Attend Law School (NASA)
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