The Law School Admission Council (LSAC®), a U.S.-based, not-for-profit organisation devoted to promoting quality, access, and equity in law and education worldwide, today announced two scholarships that will give aspiring lawyers taking the upcoming LSAT—India test the opportunity to study at some of the best law schools in India.

The LSAT—India Topper Scholarship, which is being awarded for the second consecutive year, will offer up to a maximum of INR 4 lakhs to the 2020 LSAT—India Scholar—the test taker who achieves the overall highest reported score on the LSAT—India at the upcoming May 17, 2020 test administration.

In addition, LSAC is also introducing a new scholarship, the Shamnad Basheer Access to Justice Scholarship, which will be based on the results of an essay competition. A maximum of INR 4 lakhs will be awarded to the 2020 LSAT—India test taker who submits the winning essay. Details about the application process and deadline will be available soon on the discoverlaw.in website. The submission deadline for entries is Friday, May 8, 2020.

Kevin Washburn, chair of the LSAC Board of Trustees, said, “Diversity has always been central to the Law School Admission Council’s mission, and I’m pleased to introduce the Shamnad Basheer Access to Justice Scholarship that extends his longstanding commitment to improving access to legal education for deserving students across India’s socioeconomic groups. Along with the second edition of the LSAT—India Topper Scholarship, we are hopeful that these opportunities will empower law students on their journey to becoming world-class lawyers.”

IDIA Charitable Trust said, “Prof. (Dr.) Shamnad Basheer founded IDIA Charitable Trust to foster greater diversity, inclusion and accessibility in the legal ecosystem. The scholarships announced by LSAC are a great step forward in this direction. We hope to see many more such initiatives such as needs based scholarships, bridge programs and accessible preparatory materials. Congratulations to LSAC for this wonderful initiative honouring Prof. Basheer.”

These scholarships will cover tuition and halls of residence fees for the first year of the law programme, up to the maximum amount allocated for each scholarship. Any unutilised amount from the first year can be rolled over to the subsequent year of law college. LSAC® will also have the scholars present during future LSAC Global events. For more information on the scholarships and their terms and conditions, please visit https://www.discoverlaw.in/scholarship-opportunities.

LSAT—India™ is one of the leading entrance tests for undergraduate and postgraduate law programmes in India, accepted by top law colleges as one of their admission criteria. Applicants can register for the May 17, 2020 LSAT—India™ exam by visiting www.discoverlaw.in/register-for-the-test . They can also prepare for the test using the material that is free to download from discoverlaw.in/resources.