For more than two decades, the J. L.Turner Legal Association Foundation has awarded scholarships to minority law students attending law school or who are from the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Sponsorships from the Annual Scholarship and Awards Gala are used to fund the scholarships. There are two distinct types of JLTLA Foundation Minority Law Student Scholarships: MERIT-BASED and FINANCIAL NEED.
Merit-Based Minority Scholarships: There are four (4) JLTLA merit-based scholarships that may be awarded in a given year. These are primarily academic scholarship awards. The merit scholarships are as follows:
The Barbara Jordan Scholarship - awarded to the most outstanding female minority law student applicant.
The Fred Finch Scholarship - awarded to the most outstanding male minority law student applicant.
The Marie Trahan/Susman Godfrey Scholarship - awarded to an outstanding African-American male or female law student born or raised in the state of Texas.
The Judge's Scholarship (Phyllis Lister Brown Memorial Scholarship) - awarded to a male or female minority law student who has excelled academically.
Financial Need Minority Scholarships: Although JLTLA Foundation encourages academic excellence, the need-based scholarships focus on financial need and are not primarily academic scholarships. In selecting financial-need scholarship winners, we will consider an applicant's need, disadvantaged circumstances, community involvement, and other factors, in addition to merely, academic standing.
NEW Karen McCloud Memorial Scholarship –awarded to a deserving and diverse law school student displaying financial need, a commitment to inclusion and excellence within the legal profession, a dedication to service in the community, and a relentless focus on justice for all.
NEW Teegan Hill Memorial Scholarship – awarded to a female minority law student from the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, with demonstrated financial need who (1) has a record of community service and/or bar service; (2) has expressed an interest in litigation and/or the court system through participation in moot court, mock trial, or course work; and (3) plans to practice law in Dallas upon graduation. (sponsored by The Bassett Firm)
Capt. Richard Stewart, JAG Corp. U.S. Navy (Ret.) Legal Education Scholarship– awarded to an outstanding minority law student with demonstrated financial need who: (1) currently serves or was honorably discharged from a branch of the U.S. military, as evidenced by a valid DD214; (2) is a child of a U.S. military veteran, as evidenced by a valid DD214; or (3) is a current member of, or has been accepted and plans to enter, the U.S. JAG Corp.
General Financial Need Awards – awarded to minority law students with demonstrated financial need and connection to the DFW metroplex.