The AZ HSI Consortium is pleased to announce the LAWtina Mentoring Program as an AZ HSI Evidence Based Practice. After careful review from colleagues across the state of AZ, the LAWtina Mentoring Program was shown to be an effective program in moving the needle towards greater college access, persistence, retention, transfer, and degree attainment for Latinx students in Arizona.
Please read below to learn more about the LAWtina Mentoring Program at the University of Arizona.
Overview of Institution
The University of Arizona (UArizona) along with the College of Law are committed to diversity and providing opportunities for underrepresented students. UArizona has a reputation for collaboration and promoting interdisciplinary approaches to solving problems. The College of Law is a leading innovator in legal education, including by the initiation of the BA in Law program, the first of its kind in the country. '
With the creation of the BA in Law, we have been given a major platform to change the landscape of the legal community. The legal profession remains lacking in diversity, especially considering the race and ethnicity of practicing attorneys. The BA in Law has a diverse student population, which substantially exceeds the typical JD program. Approximately 55% of the BA in Law class is ethnically diverse, over 65% is female, and nearly 25% of the BA in Law class is Latina.
UArizona was federally designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution in 2018, and is actively engaged in work to ensure that the university maximizes all opportunities associated with this designation. Institutional commitment manifests in several ways. For example, the retention rate of first-time, full-time Hispanic freshmen was 82.8% in 2022 (overall UA retention rate of 85.6%).
Only 2% of U.S. lawyers are Latina, even though Latinas make up 12.5% of the American population. Building on the work of the HSI and the BA in Law at UArizona, the LAWtina Mentoring Program seeks to provide Latina students in the BA in Law program with a more engaging experience through additional support and preparation to pursue a career in law.
Overview of Program
The mission of the LAWtina Program is to leverage social networks & culturally-relevant programs to help undergraduate Latina students at the University of Arizona pursue careers in the law. The goals of the program are that students will be able to: 1) apply/gain admission to law school; 2) build professional relationships with peers and mentors; 3) develop skills to maintain financial, physical, and mental wellness while in law school; and 4) develop and pursue their own professional goals and visions.
Students who successfully complete the program will have the following tangibles: 1) A complete application to law school; 2) a list of professional and peer contacts and strategies for developing and maintaining their network; 3) wellness strategies for law school including financial planning, stress management; and building support from friends and family; and 4) a vision board for their professional goals that incorporate things that make them unique, like their culture and community. The program is important because the legal profession remains lacking in diversity, especially considering the race and ethnicity of practicing attorneys. Only 2% of U.S. lawyers are Latina, even though Latinas comprise 12.5% of the population. Consequences of disproportionate underrepresentation are not limited to workplace dynamics. Clients may feel misunderstood, unheard, or even excluded when their advocates do not look like them or share their experiences.
The LAWtina pilot launched at UArizona in Spring 2020. The pilot was designed as a 1-unit elective focused on community mentoring connections that could develop participants’ professional identities. The curriculum included growth-mindsets, professionalism, LSAT/GRE, the admissions process, financial wellness, cultural sensitivity, and networking. Students had access to one-on-one mentoring with female lawyers of color, job shadowing, panel discussions, advising on admissions, access to networking events, and free Kaplan LSAT/GRE preparation. This past year, several LAWtina students participated in a trip to Washington D.C., where they attended several networking events with esteemed UArizona Alumni. The students also toured historic sites, museums, and were exposed to the different careers and educational opportunities D.C.’s legal community offers.
To ensure the program served Latina students, we worked closely with the HSI. We also surveyed local Latina lawyers about the information they would have wanted in a program and developed a curriculum around this input. Mentors (who are women of color with JDs), projects, panel discussions (with Latina JD students and professors), & discussion groups with fellow Latina students also contributed to making the course culturally relevant. A mid-term evaluation and post-course evaluation provided helpful checks for alignment to program goals. The feedback about the pilot was overwhelmingly positive, with students requesting more activities and instruction.
Areas program seeks to make an impact and how
Enrollment: We hope to make the LAWtina Program a driving force in enrollment for both the BA in Law and Law school in general. In a recent survey of program alums, 25% are currently in law school or are admitted to law school, and 62% have plans to apply to law school. Students have also shared individual feedback with us. One student wrote: “I just wanted to take the time to really thank you...for preparing me for the real world! My dream of going to law school seemed far away and maybe at times inaccessible. But after taking this course and seeing how successful you guys are, along with the other amazing women I met on the way... I am beyonddddd excited for Law School!”
Graduate School/Professional School Pathways: Based on the survey mentioned above, LAWtina students were more likely to enroll in a LSAT/GRE prep course (61% vs. 22%), sign up for the LSAT/GRE (44% vs. 11%), and study for the LSAT/GRE (61% vs 50%). LAWtina students also completed personal statements for law school applications more frequently (44% vs. 28%) and prepared application resumes at significantly higher rates (94% vs. 61%).
Career Readiness: The LAWtina Program not only prepares students for graduate school, but focuses on skills needed for a legal career as well. Based on the survey mentioned above, LAWtina students were almost 33% more likely than their peers to report interest in a legal career (94% and 72%, respectively). Individual feedback we have received from students has also shown interest and genuine excitement for future legal careers. For example, one student shared: “After the networking discussion we had in class today, it got me thinking about what a great program this is. I am very glad I joined this course because it has given me a lot of insight to law school and what it is actually like to be an attorney. I just wanted to first share my gratitude and thank you for teaching this course!!”
How does this program center servingness?
The LAWtina program is designed to serve its students from the moment they enroll in the course to the indefinite future. As students, LAWtinas are taught the tools necessary to not only become successful law students, but legal professionals as well. Each class period focuses on a new skill that we hope the students will master. However, this acquisition of knowledge does not mean that their individual paths get easier, and support is needed for every step of their professional journeys. Many of our students still keep in touch with their mentors, classmates, and LAWtina professors and presenters. Every year, we watch students form friendships and a professional network that will aid them in achieving their dreams. Two of our LAWtinas from the 2020 cohort are currently 3Ls at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law and still look to the program for emotional support and professional advice.
Our program was designed to specifically serve undergraduate Latina students. Many of the students have no prior legal experience, and we strive to provide them with the resources necessary to make their goals a reality. Last fall, students even had the opportunity to visit Washington D.C. The students eagerly asked questions surrounding law school experiences, career choices, and the importance of work and personal life harmonization. At the trip’s conclusion, the students offered valuable feedback. One of our students thanked us for taking her on such an enriching trip, thinking that D.C. was not “the sort of place someone like [herself].” She stated that “after having met so many different people, hearing their stories, and seeing how much is actually going on in the Capitol,” she now knows D.C. is a place she will “work hard to visit again.”