TaxProf Blog: Law School Recruiting Without Affirmative Action

Wednesday, July 19, 2023

Law School Recruiting Without Affirmative Action

Law.com, The U.S. Supreme Court’s Affirmative Action Ruling Has Created a Perception Problem for Law Schools:

In this week’s column, we examine law school leaders’ [Rick Banks (Stanford), Dayna Bowen Matthew (Dean, George Washington), Eboni Nelson (Dean, Connecticut), Angela Onwuachi-Willig (Dean, Boston University), Robert Schwartz (Assistant Dean of Admissions, UCLA)] fears that the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision invalidating affirmative action in higher education could lead to demoralization among potential law school applicants.

Law.com, ‘The Supreme Court Made It Harder, Not Impossible’: Law School Leaders Talk Recruiting Without Affirmative Action:

“The Supreme Court made it harder. It didn’t make it impossible,” Timothy Lynch, vice president and general counsel for the University of Michigan, said during the recent AALS affirmative action conference. “So that means we all have to work harder and that is just one of the challenges in life.” [Additional comments from Kevin Johnson (Dean, UC-Davis), Robert Schwartz (Assistant Dean of Admissions, UCLA), Erwin Chemerinsky (Dean, UC-Berkeley)]

LSAC’s FlexApp contains the following race-neutral questions, which were not created in direct response to the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action, that law schools can use, according to an LSAC spokesperson.

Are or were you a first-generation college/university student?

Will you be a first-generation law student?

Since starting college, have you ever participated in a pre-law program designed for individuals underrepresented in the field of law (such as a pipeline program)? Enter name of program(s).