In 2016, USC Gould School of Law was one of the first law schools to launch a program aimed at the growing number of students who were first in their families to graduate from college.
“Nearly 40 percent of our incoming class identifies as either a first-gen college graduate or a first-gen professional,” says Malissa Barnwell-Scott, director of Gould’s C. David Molina First-Generation Professionals Program and Student Care.
Continually attuned to building students’ confidence, FGP in 2022 contracted with Claremont, Calif. attorney and independent educator Lisa Blasser, founder of the Law Student Success Institute (LSSI), to conduct workshops for USC Gould first-generation college graduate 1Ls. As a template, Blasser uses her book Nine Steps to Law School Success, a research-based system she developed after her own experiences in law school.
Now in its third semester at USC Gould, 20 1Ls are currently enrolled in Blasser’s course, which meets four times per semester, starting a week before classes with a three-hour Zoom session on basic study skills. She integrates her assignments with existing course syllabi and meets individually with students for additional support. Students who have enrolled in the workshops can attest to the difference they have made.
“Within the first few weeks of 1L, we learned how to take brief notes, create outlines and prepare for exams,” says 2L Natalia Rojas, a legal secretary enrolled at Gould on a Gold Honors Scholarship. Specialized workshops coincided with important law school deadlines and exams throughout the year, “which truly paid off in my studies.”
Blasser’s book plots a linear, chronological study method drawn from her own and other law school graduates’ experience backed by qualitative research.
After landing on probation in her first semester, Blasser graduated with high honors in 2004. “I proudly hang my probation letter next to my Juris Doctorate and my license to practice law on my office wall,” she says.
3L Bancy Makavana enrolled in the LSSI workshops as a 2L after struggling in law school despite excellent results in elite bachelor’s and master’s programs in STEM fields. She says she saw improvements after following tips on time management, stress reduction and work-life balance.
“It’s a holistic approach, recognizing the intensity and demands of law school,” says Makavana, past president of Gould’s Health Law Society.
2L Charles Murphy, a professional Hollywood cameraman for 11 years before applying to law school, says the LSSI workshops “helped me keep an eye on the big picture. This paid off in the classroom and was a large factor in my positive exam performances.” Murphy is now on the staff of the Southern California Law Review and co-president of the First-Generation Professionals student organization and the Older Wiser Law Students club.
More than 400 students have participated in FGP, which offers peer mentorships, networking opportunities, need-based scholarships, special resources and stipends for third-year students in need of support while focusing on bar prep.
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