Location: Charlottesville, Virginia
Founded: 1819
Joined AALS: 1916
Dean: Risa Goluboff
Founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819, the University of Virginia School of Law is one of the nation’s oldest continuously operating public law schools. UVA Law is a world-renowned training ground for distinguished lawyers and public servants, instilling in their 315 first-year JD students a commitment to leadership, integrity, and community service. At UVA Law, their students engage in an academically rigorous environment with a cooperative spirit, both in and out of the classroom, and build a network that lasts well beyond their three years at UVA Law.
The 2022 UVA UVA Law Roadmap Scholars Initiative Participants
A new pipeline initiative at UVA Law offers a path to preparing first-generation and low-income undergraduate students to become competitive applicants to the nation’s leading law schools.
The UVA Law Roadmap Scholars Initiative — distinguished by its residential summer program introducing participants to law school and the legal profession and an internship in the legal industry, with generous financial and counseling support throughout — welcomed its first cohort in June 2022.
The initiative received seed funding from the Jefferson Trust, a donor-led initiative of the UVA Alumni Association that makes grants to fund innovative ideas that enrich the University and the student experience. Since that time, the program has attracted additional support from the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation and many UVA Law alumni.
“We wanted to make every effort to level the playing field for under-resourced students who seek entry into the legal profession,” Dean Risa Goluboff said. “Though there are existing programs that offer pieces of what we are offering with Roadmap Scholars, what sets this initiative apart is how comprehensive it is. We plan to support our Roadmap Scholars at every stage — from learning about law school and gaining first-hand work experience in the law to preparing for high-stakes testing and navigating the law school admissions process. This is a holistic approach to improving outcomes for first-generation and low-income students.”
