Fostering First Gen Success and Inclusion: A Guide for Law Schools - Brittany L. Raposa

Fostering First Gen Success and Inclusion: A Guide for Law Schools Brittany L. Raposa ISBN 9781531023935

Fostering First-Gen Success and Inclusion equips law schools with practical, research-informed, and experience-based strategies to support first-generation law students. For purposes of this guide, a “first-generation law student” is defined as a student whose parents did not attend college. While first-generation students often face distinct structural and cultural challenges in legal education, they also bring valuable perspectives, resilience, and strengths that enrich law school communities.

The book explores the shared challenges and diverse experiences of first-generation law students across a wide range of backgrounds and identities. It offers concrete guidance to help institutions create inclusive, supportive environments that foster student success at every stage of the law school journey—from admissions and orientation through academic achievement, experiential learning, career development, bar preparation, and post-graduate success.

Featuring contributions from more than 45 authors, many of whom are themselves former first-generation law students, the book blends personal insight with institutional best practices. Contributors share strategies for supporting first-generation students in contexts such as doctrinal and legal writing classrooms, academic support programs, experiential education, professional identity formation, and career services.

Throughout the volume, the voices of first-generation students remain central, offering authentic perspectives that underscore both the challenges they face and the pathways to thriving in legal education. Fostering First-Gen Success and Inclusion is an essential resource for law faculty, administrators, and staff committed to advancing equity, belonging, and student success in legal education.

Fostering First Gen Success and Inclusion: A Guide for Law Schools Brittany L. Raposa ISBN 9781531023935, 978-1531023935 & 9781531023942

Author:
Brittany L. Raposa