Third-year student Gregory Franklin is one of the nine recipients of the 2016 Texas Young Lawyers Association (TYLA) Diversity Scholarship worth $1,000.
According to the TYLA website, the scholarship “promotes diversity in the legal profession by assisting members of diverse populations within the bar to (1) enter the legal profession, and (2) participate more fully in the programs and activities of TYLA and the State Bar of Texas.”
Franklin said he hopes to join the TYLA when he passes the bar.
“It’s important to me because it goes hand in hand with one of our core values – selfless service,” he said. “Selfless service is fundamental to being an Aggie Lawyer.”
Franklin is no stranger to selfless service. He is currently the president of the Public Interest Law Fellowship, president of the International Law Society and Black Law Student Association advocacy chair.
He also serves as a Texas A&M Law Review staff member, Academic Support Program teaching assistant, Student Ambassador and Dallas Bar Association student liaison.
Franklin advanced twice to the national finals as a member of the Advocacy Program mock trial and alternative dispute resolution competition teams. In addition, he served as a pupil of The Honorable Barbara M.G. Lynn Inn of Court and The Honorable Patrick E. Higginbotham Inn of Court.
This will be the second scholarship Franklin has received from the TYLA. In summer 2016, he was awarded the Joseph M. Pritchard Inn Scholarship.
For the selection process of the Diversity Scholarship, applicants had to answer, “What can the Texas Young Lawyers Association and the State Bar of Texas do to promote and support diversity in the legal profession?”
Franklin’s answer included two points.
“First, we have to expand the pre-law education pipeline to communities that reflect the changing demographics of Texas,” he said.
He said it’s important to reach students at an earlier age and make them aware of the different possibilities in the area of law.
“Most students believe that you must be in a courtroom to be an attorney, but there are so many other things you can do,” he said. “Secondly, TYLA can use law students to assist with these efforts. Law students can engage students from targeted demographics through mentoring and hosting law related activities such as debates and mock trials.”
This is the third scholarship Franklin has received. In addition to the two TYLA scholarships, Franklin also received this year’s Fred Finch Scholarship, presented by the J.L. Turner Legal Association, the African-American bar association of Dallas. The Fred Finch Scholarship is awarded annually to the top male minority law student enrolled at an ABA accredited law school in the DFW Metroplex.
“It’s an honor to be considered for any scholarship,” he said. “The TYLA Diversity Scholarship is particularly special because they appreciated my ideas, and I hope one day that I'll be able to lead those efforts as a part of TYLA.”
View the full list of scholarship winners.
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Article by Jennifer Nassar, Communications Specialist, Texas A&M University School of Law