RRhode Island Bar Foundation “Thomas F. Black, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund

The scholarship is a one year, non-renewable award for full-time students who are Rhode Island residents entering their first year of law school in September 2020.  The deadline for filing the enclosed application with the Rhode Island Bar Foundation is March 27, 2020.  Forms are also available on our website: www.ribar.com.      

For the academic year 2020 - 2021, the Foundation intends to grant two scholarships in the amount of $25,000.00 each.  The Foundation’s Scholarship Committee seeks applications from candidates without regard to race, color, religion, country of ancestral origin, handicap, age, sex, or sexual orientation.  The Committee will endeavor to make awards to assure that, over time, the recipients reflect the diversity of the Rhode Island population.

The objective of the Bar Foundation’s Scholarship Program is to support high legal practice standards in Rhode Island by providing financial assistance to Rhode Island residents who show promise that they are likely to become outstanding lawyers, hopefully in Rhode Island, who will adhere to such standards and who will need such assistance in order to study law at quality law schools. 

Scholarship awards shall be exclusively for tuition and related expenses for persons who enroll as full-time students in programs leading to the award of the L.L.B. or J.D. degree offered by law schools located in one of the United States or in the District of Columbia and which are accredited by the American Bar Association.  Each Scholarship award will be made on the basis of:

1.                    Demonstrated financial need, based upon your personal and family financial circumstances, as well as the extent in which you have helped to finance your undergraduate career by past and present

             part-time and/or fulltime work efforts;

2.               Superior academic performance;

3.               Community and public service, and

4.               Details as to the reasonable likelihood that you will in the future provide and contribute highly professional legal services to the citizens of Rhode Island.

If further information is needed, please contact me at the Rhode Island Bar Foundation office at (401) 421-6541 or email: gcaldwell@ribar.com.