The American Law Foundation: The American Law Foundation Announces Launch of Major Programs for Law Students

The American Law Foundation is proud to announce the launch of affordable resources and practical tools for law students, at every stage of their legal education.

With a focus on making sure tools are modern, of high quality, and resonate with today’s diverse learners, The American Law Foundation’s goal is to create assets that allow for all law students to succeed. And with specific programs now in place for 1L students, students interested in transferring, and 2L and 3Ls who need career advice, that goal is on its way to being realized.

The American Law Foundation’s founder David Wilson, a former Teach for America educator, recognized the accessibility and affordability challenges that students have to overcome to succeed in higher education. In the law school space, where students incur significant debt and where earning a degree doesn’t automatically guarantee top placements or salaries, Wilson set out to positively affect the next generation of law students and legal scholars.

« To think about top students making significant sacrifices to achieve their educational goals, and then to realize they’re not getting a whole lot out of it just didn’t make sense to me, » Wilson explained. « The American Law Foundation strives to maintain the integrity of the law school education but enhance it through very relevant and valuable tools. »

Among those tools is LawStudentSuccess. Because first-year performance impacts transfer options, bar passage, career placement, and how skills and credentials are perceived in the profession, a program training students how to succeed in their first year is essential.

LawStudentSuccess features a blend of video instruction and tools on essential 1L topics like legal writing, law skills, and the U.S. legal system. Unlike pre-law training courses, which can be costly and static in nature, LawStudentSuccess is offered asynchronously online, so that students can log on and prepare on their own schedule.

Instruction is provided by both law school faculty and student instructors, offering « a mix of perspectives, both from behind the desk and in front of it, » explains Wilson.

« Our instructors are carefully vetted and from top law schools across the country, » said Wilson. « But what they’re talking about applies to all first-year students, regardless of school rank or region. »

LawTransferUp, another of The American Law Foundation’s pillars, supports law students in the spring of their 1L year who seek to increase the value of their legal education investment, regardless of LSAT or undergraduate GPA.

« Many students don’t know that they can change their future or not be pigeon-holed into a law school that they’re not happy with, » said Wilson. « We can help students make good on a second chance to get to their dream school. »

LawTransferUp provides one-on-one coaching guidance on personal statement or resume writing, analyzing transfer options, and managing the transfer process. Access includes a unique online app that determines best-match schools based on region, setting, specialization, class rank, and other criteria. Additional tools assist with facilitating the transfer process effectively.

All coaches successfully transferred to top-ranked schools.

« Many students told us transferring schools was an arduous and often difficult process where they would have benefitted from a personal mentor, » said Wilson. « Our coaches have all navigated that process and ended up at schools like Harvard, Berkeley, or UVA. »

Also as part of The American Law Foundation’s services, students are offered access to LawFit, a program that provides 2L and 3L students with a personalized career assessment. Students can receive individualized information and guidance about the specific fields where they will most succeed and how to find jobs in those fields.

The LawFit career assessment considers background, interests, and both legal and non-legal career options; upon completion, students get personalized coaching to guide them through networking and interviewing, and the job application process.

« Access to LawFit really brings the student full circle and completes the law school process, » said Wilson.

« The American Law Foundation is proud to bring tools and modern technology to students entering an incredibly important profession at a low cost. »

To learn more about The American Law Foundation, visit www.theamericanlawfoundation.com .