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 28th annual AALAM/Dow Fund Scholarship a total amount of $15,000 will be awarded to one law student for the 2025-2026 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, a commitment to making a contribution to the Asian American community, and 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 by the AALAM/Dow Fund Scholarship Committee, with the approval of the Board of AALAM.

The AALAM/Dow Scholarship recipient will be announced on May 22, 2025 and recognized at this year’s AALAM Banquet and Annual Dow Fund Dinner.

If you have any questions, please email Ruoya Burns (Wang) (ruoyaburns@gmail.com).

Eligibility Criteria:

Consideration for the AALAM/Dow Fund Scholarship will be given to students who:

1.    are enrolled at a law school in Massachusetts or another New England state, graduating in 2026 or 2027;

2.    are current and active members of AALAM (students can sign up for a free membership here); and

3.    submit a complete application on or before 11:59 PM ET on May 1, 2025.

Important Dates:

Application Period: Monday, March 31, 2025 – May 1, 2025

Application Deadline: May 1, 2025*

Announcement of Scholarship Awardee: May 22, 2025

AALAM Banquet: June 12, 2025

Dow Dinner (awardee invited to speak): December 5, 2025

* The finalist(s) 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 Ruoya Burns (Wang) (ruoyaburns@gmail.com) for the AALAM/Dow Scholarship Committee’s review. Serving on this year’s AALAM/Dow Scholarship Committee are  Committee Chairs Ruoya Burns and Jason Jose, and Members Alan Wong, Andrew Truong, Celene Chen, Chantal Choi, Ellen Miller, Jay Yi, and Tiffany Ko.  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 2L grades as well as 1L grades.  If your grades are not yet available by the submission date, you may choose to supplement your application and submit your transcript when available)
• Basic biographical information (name, phone number, address, law school and graduation year)
• Reference information (name, email address, and phone number).  You may submit one or more references who may be contacted by a member of the Scholarship Committee.

Part II

• Essay response (500 words or less):  

As a future 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.

• Optional short answer response (one paragraph)

1. Describe an AALAM event that you attended that you found meaningful. What did you like about the event, and is there anything AALAM could have done to improve it?

2. As a future lawyer, how would you engage with the AAP community in Massachusetts?

Part III

• 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 or another state in New England during the 2024-2025 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 their 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.