§ 1136. Legal educational opportunity program
(a)
Program authority
The Secretary shall carry out a program to be known as the “Thurgood Marshall Legal Educational Opportunity Program” designed to provide low-income, minority, or disadvantaged secondary school and college students with the information, preparation, and financial assistance to gain access to and complete law school study and admission to law practice.
(b)
Eligibility
A secondary school student or college student is eligible for assistance under this section if the student is—
(c)
Contract or grant authorized
The Secretary is authorized to enter into a contract with, or make a grant to, the Council on Legal Education Opportunity, for a period of not less than 5 years—
(1)
to identify secondary school and college students who are from low-income families, are minorities, or are from disadvantaged backgrounds described in subsection (b)(3) of this section;
(2)
to prepare such students for successful completion of a baccalaureate degree and for study at accredited law schools, and to assist them with the development of analytical skills, writing skills, and study methods to enhance the students’ success in, and promote the students’ admission to and completion of, law school;
(3)
to assist such students to select the appropriate law school, make application for entry into law school, and receive financial assistance for such study;
(4)
to provide support services to such students who are first-year law students to improve retention and success in law school studies;
(d)
Services provided
In carrying out the purposes described in subsection (c) of this section, the contract or grant shall provide for the delivery of services through pre-college programs, undergraduate prelaw information resource centers, summer institutes, midyear seminars, and other educational activities, conducted under this section. Such services may include—
(2)
summer academic programs for secondary school students who have expressed interest in a career in the law;
(4)
prelaw mentoring programs, involving law school faculty, members of State and local bar associations, and retired and sitting judges, justices, and magistrates;
(5)
assistance in identifying preparatory courses and material for the law school aptitude or admissions tests;
(e)
Duration of provision of services
The services described in subsection (d) of this section may be provided—
(f)
Subcontracts and subgrants
For the purposes of planning, developing, or delivering one or more of the services described in subsection (d) of this section, the Council on Legal Education Opportunity shall enter into subcontracts with, and make subgrants to, institutions of higher education, law schools, public and private agencies and organizations, national and State bar associations, and combinations of such institutions, schools, agencies, organizations, and associations.
(g)
Fellowships and stipends
The Secretary shall annually establish the maximum fellowship to be awarded, and the maximum stipend to be paid (including allowances for participant travel and for the travel of the dependents of the participant), to Thurgood Marshall Fellows or Associates for the period of participation in summer institutes, midyear seminars, and bar preparation seminars. A Thurgood Marshall Fellow or Associate may be eligible for such a fellowship or stipend only if the Fellow or Associate maintains satisfactory academic progress toward the Juris Doctor or Bachelor of Laws degree, as determined by the respective institutions (except with respect to a law school graduate enrolled in a bar preparation course).
(h)
Authorization of appropriations
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2009 and each of the five succeeding fiscal years.