The Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts (AALAM) and the Harry H. Dow Memorial Legal Assistance Fund (Dow Fund) is pleased to announce that for the 26th annual AALAM/Dow Fund Scholarship a total amount of $15,000 will be awarded to one law student for the 2023-2024 academic year.

Founded in 1984, AALAM is a non-partisan, non-profit organization of over hundreds of Asian American lawyers, judges, law professors and law students. AALAM devotes its energy and resources to a variety of civic and professional activities at the local, state, and national levels. The Dow Fund was founded in 1985 in honor of Harry H. Dow, the first Asian American admitted to practice law in Massachusetts. The mission of the Dow Fund is to provide resources to ensure access to the legal system for Asian Americans who are deprived of justice due to barriers such as language, race, culture, poverty or immigration status.

The AALAM/Dow Fund Scholarship is awarded each academic year to an Asian American law student who demonstrates leadership potential, maturity and responsibility, a commitment to making a contribution to the Asian American community, an interest in pursuing public interest positions and other indicia of excellence, whether personal, professional or academic.

Priority consideration will be given to law students who have secured a public interest position for the summer, but it is not necessary to have a position lined up in advance of submitting an application.  The recipient of the scholarship will be selected from all of the scholarship applicants by the AALAM/Dow Fund Scholarship Committee, with the approval of the Board of AALAM.

The AALAM/Dow Scholarship recipient will be announced at the Annual AALAM Banquet taking place on May 31, 2023 and recognized at the Annual Dow Dinner taking place in December 2023.

If you have any questions, please email the AALAM/Dow Fund Scholarship Committee: Tiffany Ko (t2ko@mfs.com), Garrett Lee (glee@forthepeople.com), Emily Yu (emilykyu@gmail.com), and Alan Wong (alan.y.wong@gmail.com).

Eligibility Criteria:

1.    be enrolled at a law school in Massachusetts or neighboring states, graduating in 2024 or 2025,

2.    be a current and active member of AALAM, and

3.    submit a complete application on or before 11:59 PM ET on May 8, 2023.

Important Dates:

Application Period: Monday, March 6, 2023 –  Monday, May 8, 2023

Application Deadline: Monday, May 8, 2023

Committee Review: May 8, 2023 – May 12, 2023*

AALAM Banquet (awardee announced):  Wednesday, May 31, 2023

Dow Dinner (awardee invited to speak): December 2023  

* The finalist will be interviewed by one or more members of the AALAM/Dow Fund Scholarship Committee.

Application Process: 

Follow the instructions below and submit your application to all members of the AALAM/Dow Scholarship Committee: Tiffany Ko (t2ko@mfs.com), Garrett Lee (glee@forthepeople.com), and Emily Yu (emilykyu@gmail.com), Alan Wong (alan.y.wong@gmail.com).  Please provide all materials in a single PDF file titled "[last name], [first name] - AALAM Scholarship Application." We will not review incomplete applications.

Required Materials:

Part I 

• Resume (one page)
• Full law school transcript (2Ls should include the 2L fall semester grades as well as 1L grades)
• Basic biographical information (name, number, address, law school and graduation year)
• Reference information (name, email address, and phone number)

Part II

• Essay response (500 words or less):  
  
  As a future Asian Pacific American lawyer, how do you think you can best contribute to the Asian Pacific American community? 
  
  
• Short answer responses (one paragraph each):
  
  1.  What are your current (or intended) plans for the upcoming summer?
  2.  List and briefly describe your activities or commitments that are not included on your current resume.

• The following certification and acknowledgement, signed and dated:

I understand and acknowledge that I must be enrolled at least part-time and in good standing at a law school in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts during 2023-2024 academic years in order to be eligible for and receive the award.  I have read and understand all of the terms and conditions of the AALAM/Dow Fund Scholarship.

I understand and acknowledge that I must comply with all of the stated terms and conditions of the Scholarship and that my failure to do so may result in the forfeiture of the entire Scholarship award.  I understand that the officers and directors of AALAM or the Dow Fund, and members of the AALAM Scholarship Committee, and their immediate family members, are ineligible for the Scholarship award and I hereby certify that I am not ineligible for the Scholarship on the foregoing basis.

I understand that all materials submitted to AALAM will become the property of AALAM and that AALAM reserves the right to issue public announcements regarding the winner of the Scholarship award and to publish his/her essay and/or other information about the winner.

I certify that all of the information submitted with and all of the statements made in this application or in any document attached hereto are true and accurate to the best of my knowledge as of the date signed below.  I certify that the essay attached hereto was written solely by me and is my original work.

Other Terms and Conditions

1.    Officers and directors of AALAM or the Dow Fund, and members of the AALAM/Dow Fund Scholarship Committee, and their immediate family members, are ineligible for the Scholarship.

2.    All application materials submitted will become the property of AALAM.

3.    The recipient of the scholarship will be selected by the AALAM/Dow Fund Scholarship Committee with the approval of the Board of AALAM.

4.    The AALAM/Dow Fund Scholarship Committee shall have sole discretion and final say on the interpretation of any of the rules, terms and conditions.