Hey MrOrange,
Since most scholarships are need- or merit-based (or a combination of both), there really aren't very many "tricks" that I can mention (outside of forging your transcripts or your taxes, neither of which I endorse or recommend
). However, I can definitely provide you with a few tips that might guide your law school cash search:
► Applying EARLY is a surefire way to more scholarship and grant money. The earlier you apply, the more money's left in the pot, and the more generous schools tend to be. The later in the season you go, the less money that's available. Simple supply and demand, but surprisingly few students make the connection.
► Rock out the LSAT. There are a LOT of schools out there willing to give $$$ to applicants with stellar LSAT scores.
► Go through each law school's website and apply to all the scholarships you can. Schools don't make a secret out of the scholarships, grants, and fellowships they have available, but they also don't hand them out on a silver platter. Take the time to go through each school's Financial Aid page and see if there are any schollys you qualify for, and then submit the appropriate paperwork. Here's a list of all ABA-accredited law school's financial aid websites:
http://powerscore.com/lsat/admissions/c ... ialaid.cfm
► Don't limit your search to school-specific scholarships. Seek out national opportunities, too. There are a few resources available to you:
AdmissionsDean's Scholarship Finder
http://www.admissionsdean.com/paying_fo ... hip-finder
www.FastWeb.com
They cater mostly to prospective college students, but there are a few graduate school scholarships in there.
The American Bar Association (ABA)
It has a number of scholarship opportunities listed on its site (they're not all in one single page, but a search for "scholarship" yields quite a few hits):
http://search.abanet.org/search?sort=da ... ps&btnG=Go <-- if that doesn't work, just go to
http://www.abanet.org and search for "scholarship" in the search box on the upper right corner
Your undergraduate institution's Career Services Office
They will likely know about outside scholarships you can apply for. In addition, ask your parents' employer(s) -- they may have scholarships for children (either dependent or not) of their employees. The Rotary Club, Kiwanis International, the Knights of Columbus and a number of other clubs like those may have scholarships available, too, as will national organizations like the Black Law Students Association.
Also, do a general Google search on "law school scholarship" or "law school outside scholarships" and see what you come up with. Some of these scholarships aren't listed anywhere but the organization's website, so a Google search might be the best way to go about finding them.
Hope that gives you a good starting point! Let me know how else I can help!
