Programs

Just The Beginning Foundation offers free educational pipeline programming for students in middle school, high school, college, and law school with a mission to inspire at-risk students and increase the diversity in the legal profession.

The Problem 

The legal profession is underrepresented by minorities.   According to the 2000 census, less than 11% of all lawyers are minorities, while minorities account for over 30% of the country's population.  With the minority population believed to be close to 50% by 2050, the legal profession needs to catch up.

Complicating this problem is the fact that many young students lack resources, exposure, and information on the legal profession to combat family obligations and social pressures which lead students to believe that the practice of law is not attainable.

The Solution

Pipeline Programming is intended to reach back to young students and give them necessary life experiences and support throughout their educational career to stay on track towards higher education. 

By reaching the students as young as seventh grade, JTBF helps eradicate any sense a student has that the legal profession is not a possibility for them.  Simple legal exercises and attorneys and judges with similarly diverse backgrounds can inspire the students to jump on the track towards the legal profession.  See Middle School Programs

High school students not only benefit from the inspirational stories but also from more advanced exercises and activities exposing them to the legal community and the practice of law.  Other resources and learning opportunities keep the students focused on college and ultimately law school.  See High School Programs

Numerous college programs exist for students interested in the law, and JTBF partners with many of these programs and actively helps its students find the program that is most convenient and best suited for their needs. See College Programs

While in law school, students are focused on grades and their job after school.  JTBF assists in this final push by offering a national judicial externship/clerkship referral program for qualified students.  See Law School Programs