Prepping NYC's Next Generation of Lawyers
UAW Region 9A members meet for the union's new LSAT prep course
UAW Region 9A is making law school more accessible for New York’s next generation of defense, housing, and immigration attorneys. This year, Region 9A partnered with the Consortium for Worker Education to launch a free LSAT preparation course for members. The inaugural class is now complete and the second cohort is underway.
The LSAT class is the first offered from the union’s new Workforce Training Center. The idea came from members at the city’s legal aid agencies -- many of whom are paralegals, social workers, and receptionists who could be making tens of thousands of dollars more with a law degree. That life-changing credential has been out of reach for many members, because while a good LSAT score is necessary for law school admission, private LSAT tutors charge thousands of dollars. Region 9A first tried to bargain reimbursement for classes into union contracts, and then decided to offer the class itself, free-of-cost, with funding from CWE.
“I’ve spent $7,000 and taken the Kaplan course twice,” says Katrina, who works as a Legal Services assistant. “As a single mom, I can’t give up another seven grand. Taking the practice tests in the UAW prep class, I can see my score increase so I’m really grateful for this program.”
“The class is building a future for these members within the union,” says Alexi Shalom, Education Representative at UAW Region 9A. “We are presenting a UAW career path, where you can continue working your UAW job, while going to law school, and then become a UAW legal services attorney.”
The eight-week course is taught by a fellow UAW member who is a tenant lawyer in Queens. The students convene in the union hall and the class is structured to build their bonds as union members. While law school and its admissions process can often promote competition, Region 9A encourages collaboration and students work in groups to collectively prepare for the test. They get to meet union members from different employers and they are more likely to join other union activities as well. Most plan to work in public-interest law after graduation.
“I come from a mixed status family, so I was interested in immigration,” said Nicole, who currently works as a paralegal. “I was working on the advocacy side of immigration, and then I got interested in the legal side of it, so I've been very passionate about that. I've taken other courses before from teachers who are just masters of taking exams. Our teacher is a current lawyer, so he has a different approach.”
The class has been immensely popular with the membership. Within two hours of launching the application website, over 100 members had signed up -- enough to fully enroll the first class and build a substantial wait list for future sessions.
“This is not a traditional workforce training program, so it's really great that CWE is here to make it possible,” says Shalom. “The ability to raise your income by $40-50,000 will change a lot of people’s lives. And it is a service for the whole city because these are the lawyers who will defend the people of New York.”