Faruki PLL, CareSource, the Dayton Legal Heritage Foundation of The Dayton Foundation and Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, Inc. have joined the University of Dayton School of Law’s Flyer Legal Pathways Program to recruit underrepresented and underserved students to law school; and provide them full law school tuition, a $15,000 stipend for living expenses, mentors, summer clerkships and a job following graduation.

Faruki PLL and CareSource are partnering to select and support one student. ABLE, with the support of the Dayton Legal Heritage Foundation, will select another.

"Faruki and CareSource are, and have always been, committed to identifying and retaining talented legal professionals here in the Dayton community — especially those representing traditionally underrepresented populations. Identifying and nurturing talent early, ensures a strong pipeline of diverse legal professionals committed, not only to the practice of law, but to the Dayton community. To that end, we are honored and excited to partner with CareSource, and participate in The Flyer Legal Pathways Program," said Erin Rhinehart, co-managing partner of Faruki PLL.

The selected students will enter the UD School of Law in fall 2023.

"ABLE is unique in that it is one of a few non-profit law firms in greater Dayton that focuses exclusively on representing low-income individuals," Matthew Currie, a managing attorney at Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, Inc, said. "We believe in diversity, equity and inclusion in all of our work, especially in providing opportunities to underrepresented populations in the legal field. We are honored to partner with the Dayton Legal Heritage Foundation and excited to participate in the University of Dayton School of Law’s Flyer Legal Pathways Program."  

The UD School of Law announced the Flyer Legal Pathways Program in October 2021 with inaugural partners Thompson Hine and Taft Law, and selected the first two students — Jessica Gassett and Lizzy Dobbins — in June 2022.

"We are extremely excited to have such prominent organizations joining the Flyer Legal Pathways program," said Andrew Strauss, UD School of Law dean. "Faruki PLL and CareSource, as well as ABLE, with support from the Dayton Legal Heritage Foundation, will expand the range of career paths available to Pathways scholars in very interesting ways."

Any firms interested in being a partner of the Flyer Legal Pathways Program can contact Katie Wright, visiting assistant professor of lawyering skills, at wrightk7@udayton.edu.

The University of Dayton School of Law is committed to admitting people from diverse backgrounds and experiences. The School of Law was named one of the best law schools for African Americans in the winter 2020 issue of National Jurist’s preLaw magazine. A third of the school's 2022 entering class were students from underrepresented and underserved populations. Students can participate in the Summer Diversity Clerkship Program, Minority Summer Externship Program, the Black Law Students Association, the Asian and Pacific Islander Law Student Association, and the Hispanic Law Student Association, to name a few.

The School of Law has been riding a recent wave of success, posting improvements in selectivity, median Law School Admission Test scores, GPAs of incoming students and job placement. The School of Law attracted more applicants and more academically accomplished students by offering flexibility with options like an online hybrid J.D. program and a Leadership Honors Program featuring full tuition scholarships, custom-designed leadership training, and mentoring by prominent judges and lawyers. 

Once here, all law students participate in a curriculum and support system geared toward passing the bar exam, plus programs that allow students to immerse themselves in specific areas of the law like the school's Program in Law and Technology and collaboratives with UD's Human Rights Center and Hanley Sustainability Institute.

To apply to the University of Dayton School of Law, visit https://udayton.edu/law/admissions/apply.php. 

For more information on the program, email Katie Wright, visiting assistant professor of lawyering skills, at wrightk7@udayton.edu. For interviews, contact Shawn Robinson, associate director of news and communications, at srobinson1@udayton.edu.