BRISTOL – The Roger Williams University School of Law recently received a $250,000 gift from local trial lawyer Mark S. Mandell to be put toward a new scholarship program to help diversify the legal profession.
RWU said the Mandell-Boisclair Justice Scholarship Fund will provide endowed scholarships to its law school students and those who are intending to practice public interest law. Along with his quarter-million-dollar gift, Mandell has pledged up to an additional $250,000 to match other individual donations made to the fund over the next five years.
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The law school said the goal is to raise $750,000 for the fund to support annual $5,000 scholarships for eight students, totaling $15,000 for each student over their three years in law school. As of Feb. 22, the fund’s scholarship value had increased to $320,000, the school said, and the university is planning a major campaign to help the fund reach its goal amount.
“We recognize that we have been blessed in our lives in so many important ways. We believe that with those blessings comes the responsibility to help others achieve their potential. We recognize the importance of giving back,” said Mandell, a senior partner for Providence-based law firm Mandell, Boisclair & Mandell Ltd., in a statement.
RWU Law Dean Gregory W. Bowman said in a statement that the problem of society not having enough lawyers is twofold. First, he said, the legal profession needs to reflect the diverse society it serves. And second, society needs more lawyers working in the public interest field. Mandell’s gift is a “really meaningful step forward in addressing both of these issues,” Bowman said.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
