Main Foundation
NLF Mission
Fellowships and Internships
Past Scholarship Recipients

Only a student enrolled as a law degree candidate in an accredited law school in the U.S. at least half time as determined by the school is eligible for a NAPABA Law Foundation Scholarship. The law school must be accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) or the Association of American Law Schools (AALS).

Each applicant must submit a completed and signed NAPABA Law Foundation Scholarship Application form. (A single application is needed to be considered for all scholarships.)

Each applicant must submit with the application form (a) an official copy of the applicant's most recent law school transcript (or for first-year law students, a statement from their law school certifying that they are law degree candidates enrolled at least half-time); (b) a resume; and (c) two letters of recommendation from persons not related to the applicant. Applicants who wish to demonstrate financial need may also submit a copy of their law school application for financial assistance.

One or more members of the Scholarship selection committee may interview finalists.

The application and all required attachments must be postmarked by September 3, 2010. Scholarship recipients will be notified before the 2010 NAPABA Annual Convention and will be invited to attend.

The NAPABA Law Foundation (NLF) is a non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization established by the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association.

Scholarships are awarded each fall to law students who demonstrate a commitment to serve or contribute to the Asian Pacific American community as future leaders. Since 1995, the first year in which Foundation Scholarships were granted, over 75 students have received scholarships totalling over $300,000.

NLF welcomes corporate, foundation, community, and individual donations to support its educational and charitable activities. All donations are tax-deductible to the maximum extent permitted by law.

In addition to the scholarships listed below, NLF will award $2,000 scholarships with reference to the quality of the applicant pool. In recent years, eight to ten such additional scholarships have been awarded each year.

Each year, two Anheuser-Busch/NLF Presidential Scholarships of $7,500 are awarded to the law students who demonstrate particularly outstanding leadership potential to serve the Asian Pacific American community, as selected from all of the scholarship applicants by the Foundation in consultation with the President of NAPABA. These scholarships are made possible through the generous support of Anheuser-Busch.

UPS and NLF are pleased to offer once again the UPS/NLF Gold Mountain Scholarship for law students dedicated to the Asian Pacific American Community who are the first in their family to attend law school.

Two scholarships in the amount of $2,500 each will be awarded annually to two law students who meet the following requirements:

• First in their immediate family to be currently enrolled in, and in good standing, at an American Bar Association (ABA) or Association of American Law Schools (AALS) accredited law school in the United States
• Submission of a completed NAPABA Law Foundation Scholarship Application
• Demonstrated commitment to pro bono and/or public interest legal work
• Demonstrated financial need
• Permanent resident or U.S. citizen
• Commitment to serving the needs of the Asian Pacific American Community

Previous winners of the UPS Gold Mountain Scholarships and immediate family members of UPS employees are ineligible for the UPS Gold Mountain Scholarships.

In 2003, the Foundation named one of these scholarships in memory of Chris Nakamura, a leader of the Asian Pacific American legal community of Arizona. The Chris Nakamura NAPABA Law Foundation Scholar will be awarded $2,500.

In 2004, the Foundation established the Lim, Ruger & Kim Scholarship in the amount of $2,500 through the generosity of the law firm of Lim, Ruger & Kim in Los Angeles.

Diane Yu is a long-time supporter of NAPABA and the NAPABA Law Foundation and generously funded a program in 2004 to assist recent law graduates who are working in Asian Pacific American legal service organizations to repay a portion of their student loans. The recipient of this award receives $5,000 for each of two years to be applied to their educational debt.

The Foundation considers all of the materials submitted by the applicant, with particular weight given to the applicant's essay. Letters of recommendation should be furnished by individuals who can provide relevant information and who can be contacted by the Foundation. The applicant must be in good standing at his or her law school. The Foundation considers factors including, but not limited to, the applicant's:

• demonstrated commitment to and interest in pro bono, public interest and/or public service legal work
• financial need
• leadership potential
• maturity and responsibility
• commitment to serving the needs of the Asian Pacific American community

It is the policy of The NAPABA Law Foundation not to discriminate on the basis of age, gender, disability, race, color, creed, religion, ethnicity, national origin, veteran status, or sexual orientation. Officers and directors of NAPABA, The NAPABA Law Foundation, members of the Scholarship selection committee, and their immediate families are ineligible for the Scholarships. All application materials submitted will become property of the Foundation.

For more information, please contact Priya Bose at foundation@napaba.org or (202) 775-9555