Project Leadership, Achievement, and Work (Project LAW) is a free, 10-week pre-law program for underrepresented undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in law school and careers in the legal field.
Funded by the New York State Education Department’s Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP) and renewed through 2030, Project LAW provides structured, online instruction focused on academic enrichment and professional development.
Contact
CSTEP@slu.cuny.edu
Information Session
Information sessions are scheduled throughout the year, register for an information session. If no sessions are currently scheduled, you can submit the “Request an Info Session” form to be invited to sign up when the next sessions are scheduled.
Project LAW - Program Structure and Benefits
Students accepted into the program will participate in Part I in Fall or Spring.
Part I Participants receive:
- Two non-credit online courses
- Law Literacy, which introduces core concepts from a first-year law school curriculum
- LSAT Methods, which provides an overview of the LSAT and basic test-taking strategies
- Mentoring and writing support
- Guidance on law school admissions
- Law career exploration
- An opportunity to develop and participate in a Service-Learning Project
Students who complete Part I earn:
- A Credly digital badge – shareable credentials that recognize your skills and achievements. These badges can be added to your résumé, LinkedIn profile, or digital portfolio to showcase your participation in Project LAW.
- A monetary stipend to assist with LSAT test & law school application costs
Students who complete Part I of the program in Fall or Spring will also receive an invitation to participate in Part II of the program in Summer. Part II of the program is designed to build upon the legal reading and writing skills learned in Part I with a deeper dive into legal research and LSAT prep. Students who complete Part II of the program will be better prepared to apply to law school, with stronger research and reasoning skills, a clearer understanding of the admissions process, and continued support from the Project LAW community.
Summer Part II Participants receive:
- A non-credit Legal Research course, in which Participants learn core legal research skills and complete a brief, faculty-guided research project
- Kaplan LSAT Prep Live course, with flexible scheduling options
- Continued support for law career exploration and law school applications
All program activities are subject to changes or cancellation due to available funding. Stipends are not guaranteed. If stipends are issued, participants MUST complete the required payment paperwork in order to claim one.
Eligibility
The funding for this program is provided by NYS Education Department. According to their rules for this funding, to participate in Project LAW, you must be:
1. A New York State resident for 12 months by the first day of participation in the program
AND
2. Currently enrolled in a college or university in New York State in a degree-granting program
AND
3. Economically disadvantaged as per this chart from NYS
AND / OR
4. In need of, or would greatly benefit from, academic enrichment or support from Project LAW (as demonstrated by your application)
These requirements are a condition of our funding and can not be waived by us.
In addition to the requirements set by NYS, Project LAW has additional academic requirements for participation as follows.
1. A current undergraduate student with 60+ earned credits and a 3.0 GPA or higher
OR
2. A current graduate student with a 3.0 GPA or higher.
We DO have some flexibility with the academic requirements. For example, if you do not quite meet the GPA requirement, please use the statement question in the application to explain your unusual circumstances, hardships that have impacted your academics, your positive qualities, extracurricular activities, your passion for law/social justice, etc. Tell us why you are a good candidate!
The CSTEP Project L.A.W. Administrative Team
- Elizabeth Sergile, Program Director
- Christina Johnson, Associate Director
- Krafins Valcin, Academic Technologist
- Xalya Branch, Events Coordinator
- Przemyslaw Bielawski, Web & Graphic Design Associate