UCLI Education Program Overview

 UCLI’s Education Program, PLEDGE (Promoting Legal Education to Diverse Groups Everywhere), seeks to make legal careers accessible to all interested students, particularly those from historically underrepresented groups. The committee focuses its work in three areas: educational outreach, mentoring, and financial assistance.

Mentoring

UCLI’s Mentoring Program for diverse students is an evidence-based, comprehensive mentoring program that promotes equity and inclusion within Utah’s legal profession and justice system by providing students from underrepresented backgrounds with resources, opportunities, and networks of support aimed at facilitating their success in the legal profession.

Outreach

UCLI’s outreach program focuses on reaching diverse students across the state of Utah to promote equity and inclusion within Utah’s legal profession and justice system by connecting practicing Utah attorneys with current students of all ages. We provide curriculum for these attorneys that can assist in showing how the legal profession can be a realistic pathway for all of Utah’s students, and we follow up consistently to ensure longevity.

Scholarships

In recognition of the financial barriers to legal education that many students from underrepresented backgrounds face, the Financial Support branch of UCLI’s “Promoting Legal Education to Diverse Groups Everywhere” (PLEDGE) Program provides:

  1. Direct scholarships for costs associated with entrance exams for law school and the legal profession (LSAT and Bar, see below);
  2. Informational presentations at Utah’s educational institutions on financing education and legal education; and
  3. Feedback and advice on student applications for financial aid, mock trial funding, and other scholarships and grants to support diverse and underprivileged students. See UCLI’s database of external scholarships here.