The Forrester Law Firm, which specializes in criminal defense law in New Jersey, is now accepting applications for its Forrester Law Firm Women in Criminal Defense Scholarship. 

In an effort to help female law students pursue careers in criminal defense, the firm plans to award one $2,000 scholarship to a law student who will be a 3L in the 2022-23 academic year.

According to the eligibility criteria, applicants must be students in accredited U.S. law schools who identify as female, reside in the United States, and are interested in pursuing a career in criminal defense. 

Those interested must apply by May 31, 2022. To apply, applicants must submit an essay of 500 words or more on what has inspired them to pursue a career in criminal defense.

“I had criminal defense in mind when I sat for the LSAT and applied to law school, but it became clear in my first year that for as much focus as it enjoys in pop culture, criminal defense is a particularly small niche practice in the real legal world,” said Amber Forrester, principal at the Forrester Law Firm. “In both the public and private domains, the opportunities are limited. A law student with similar aspirations to the ones I had can be dissuaded from the pursuit upon realizing that there are often not many openings in public defender agencies or that the available jobs offer salaries that are not even sufficient for a young lawyer to afford their student loan payments. A student might also be disheartened to realize that the majority of firms boasting multiple practice areas generally do not have a robust criminal defense department, that is if they have one at all.”  

“After a dozen years of working exclusively as a criminal defense attorney, I can say anecdotally that of those who persevere, women criminal defense lawyers (although significantly outnumbered by men) are, in my experience, often some of the most creative and thoughtful practitioners in this area of law,” she added. “This scholarship is intended to bolster a woman in her third year of law school who intends to pursue a career in criminal defense, notwithstanding the factors that might discourage her along the way, with an aim toward someday being a part of a criminal defense bar that is more inclusive.”

To apply for the scholarship, click here.

For more scholarships, check TUN’s Scholarship Search Engine.