Law School Scholarships

For more than 40 years, the New Jersey State Bar Foundation has awarded scholarships to students entering their second or third year at a New Jersey law school.  From one scholarship in 1975 to more than 10 today, the Foundation is proud to foster pride in the legal profession by supporting education of future lawyers.

Scholarships Funding

Scholarships are primarily funded by proceeds from the Foundation’s annual Medal of Honor Award event. The Medal of Honor Award, given annually to lawyers, law-related professions or lay-people, recognizes professional excellence and service to the legal profession and the New Jersey community. Recipients of this year’s Law School Scholarships will be invited to attend the 2023 Medal of Honor event which will be held on Thursday, September 26 in East Brunswick, New Jersey. Read more about the Medal of Honor.

To celebrate and honor the Foundation’s 65th Anniversary, the Foundation’s Board of Trustees are pleased to announce that three Sapphire Awards, in the amount of $10,000 each, are being offered this year.

The 2023 selection criteria includes:

• Entering 2nd or 3rd year of law school
• Enrolled in a New Jersey Law School **
• Academic excellence (GPA and class standing)
• Participation in extracurricular activities/Community service
• Financial need
• Scholarship specific criteria/qualifications as noted below

**Please note: Columbia Law Students, entering their 2nd or 3rd year of law school, and who are NJ residents, MAY apply for the Justice Marie L. Garibaldi Scholarship

2023 Scholarships Available

• Matthew E. Beck Esq. Criminal Law Scholarship – $2,500 is given to a student attending Rutgers Law School-Newark who has an interest in pursuing a career in criminal law
• Scarinci Hollenbeck Scholarship – $2,500 is open to a student who demonstrates a commitment to the advancement of LGBT issues. Applicants need not be a member of the LGBT community.
• Labor Law Scholarship – $2,500 is earmarked for a student planning to enter the field of labor law or who has already shown academic achievement in the area of labor law.
• Abram D. and Maxine H. Londa Scholarship – $2,500  gives preference to a student from Union County, New Jersey.
• Sonia Morgan Scholarship – $2,500 is awarded to a female student.
• New Jersey State Bar Foundation Scholarship – $2,500 – three scholarships available. One given to a student attending Rutgers Law School – Camden, one to a student attending Rutgers Law School – Newark and one to a student attending Seton Hall Law School
• Wallace Vail Scholarship – $3,000 – awarded to a student who has achieved the highest academic standards.
• Justin P. Walder Scholarship – $2,500 – awarded to a student attending one of New Jersey’s three law schools
• Justice Marie L. Garibaldi Scholarships –$10,000 awards – three scholarships available. Awarded to female New Jersey resident students attending one of New Jersey’s three law schools or to a female New Jersey resident student attending Columbia Law School.
• New Jersey State Bar Foundation 65th Anniversary Sapphire Award – $10,000 – three awards available. In celebration of NJSBF’s 65th anniversary, one award will be given to a student attending Rutgers Law School – Camden, one to a student attending Rutgers Law School – Newark and one to a student attending Seton Hall Law School.

What past recipients had to say…