Kentucky’s three law schools, which typically compete for prospective students, recently joined ranks in a new effort to increase diversity at all of their institutions.
The University of Kentucky College of Law, Northern Kentucky University Salmon P. Chase College of Law, and the University of Louisville’s Louis D. Brandeis School of Law hosted “Become the Change: HBCU Law School Preview.”
Held at the UK law school in Lexington in late November, the first of what is planned as an annual event brought undergraduates from nearby historically Black institutions Central State University and Kentucky State, along with other schools to help the students navigate the application process and learn what lies ahead in law school and the legal profession.
Jimmi Nicholson, director of admissions at UK College of Law, organized the program with the help of a $3,000 Diversity Matters Grant from the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC). Nicholson said the idea of involving all three schools grew out of conversations with her counterparts at the other law schools.
“We have a close-knit bond and we talk about how we can increase diversity at Kentucky law schools,” she said. Each year similar programs are slated to be offered at the other two Kentucky law schools as well.
The participants heard from alumni attorneys and current law students who served as speakers and panelists. One of the popular features of the program was a mock class conducted by Dr. Melynda J. Price, a law professor at UK.
“I gave them readings, using the notes that I use in first-year tort and I asked them the same questions that I ask my students. It was great,” said Price, who graduated from Prairie View A&M, an HBCU, went on to earn a J.D. from the University of Texas and a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Michigan.
