FILSAA

Fund Bar Preparation Grants for Formerly Incarcerated Students

Every student feels the financial strain of graduate school, but this is amplified for students coming out of incarceration with debts, fees, and probation or parole restrictions. The Formerly Incarcerated Law Students Advocacy Association (FILSAA) seeks to ease that burden so that the criminal legal system can be placed within reach of those most affected by it.

More formerly incarcerated students are enrolled at CUNY School of Law than at any other law school in the country. FILSAA is creating a supportive environment to address the unique concerns of these students and helping to remove the additional barriers in their legal educational pursuit. Your donations to FILSAA will give formerly incarcerated students at CUNY Law opportunities to:

• Study full-time for the bar exam after graduation.  Alleviating the cost-of-living expenses allows them to focus on studying, thereby increasing their chances of passing.
• Prepare for character and fitness evaluation to obtain a law license. This can cost upwards of $1K for students with criminal records or substance treatment histories.

Unsurprisingly, students with arrests and convictions in their backgrounds generally do not come from elite academic environments or from wealthy families, and they face additional challenges in navigating the scholarships and financial aid process. Your contribution today helps provide a chance for formerly incarcerated students to compete on the same level as their peers. 

MISSION: FILSAA seeks to build a pipeline from prison to the legal workplace so that the people most affected by the criminal legal system can have a hand in changing it. We recruit prospective students, provide academic and social support during law school, and advocate for easier transitions into the legal field. To learn more about our initiatives, events and efforts please follow us on social media.

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