(a) Program authority The Secretary shall carry out a program to be known as the Thurgood Marshall Legal Educational Opportunity Program designed to provide low-income, minority, or disadvantaged college students with the information, preparation, and financial assistance to gain access to and complete law
school study.
(b) Eligibility A college
student is eligible for assistance under this section if the
student is
(1) from a low-income family;
(2) a minority; or
(3) from an economically or otherwise disadvantaged background.
(c) Contract or grant authorized The Secretary is authorized to enter into a contract with, or make a grant to, the Council on Legal Education Opportunity, for a period of not less than 5 years
(1) to identify college students who are from low-income families, are minorities, or are from disadvantaged backgrounds described in subsection (b)(3) of this section;
(2) to prepare such students for study at accredited law schools;
(3) to assist such students to select the appropriate law
school, make application for entry into law
school, and receive financial assistance for such study;
(4) to provide support services to such students who are first-year law students to improve retention and success in law
school studies; and
(5) to motivate and prepare such students with respect to law
school studies and practice in low-income communities.
(d) Services provided In carrying out the purposes described in subsection (c) of this section, the contract or grant shall provide for the delivery of services through prelaw information resource centers, summer institutes, midyear seminars, and other educational activities, conducted under this section. Such services may include
(1) information and counseling regarding
(A) accredited law
school academic programs, especially tuition, fees, and admission requirements;
(B) course work offered and required for graduation;
(C) faculty specialties and areas of legal emphasis; and
(D) undergraduate preparatory courses and curriculum selection;
(2) tutoring and academic counseling, including assistance in preparing for bar examinations;
(3) prelaw mentoring programs, involving law
school faculty, members of State and local bar associations, and retired and sitting judges, justices, and magistrates;
(4) assistance in identifying preparatory courses and material for the law
school aptitude or admissions tests;
(5) summer institutes for Thurgood Marshall Fellows that expose the Fellows to a rigorous curriculum that emphasizes abstract thinking, legal analysis, research, writing, and examination techniques; and
(6) midyear seminars and other educational activities that are designed to reinforce reading, writing, and studying skills of Thurgood Marshall Fellows.
(e) Duration of provision of services The services described in subsection (d) of this section may be provided
(1) prior to the period of law
school study;
(2) during the period of law
school study; and
(3) during the period following law
school study and prior to taking a bar examination.
(f) Subcontracts and subgrants
For the purposes of planning, developing, or delivering one or more of the services described in subsection (d) of this section, the Council on Legal Education Opportunity shall enter into subcontracts with, and make subgrants to, institutions of higher education, law schools, public and private agencies and organizations, and combinations of such institutions, schools, agencies, and organizations.
(g) Stipends
The Secretary shall annually establish the maximum stipend to be paid (including allowances for participant travel and for the travel of the dependents of the participant) to Thurgood Marshall Fellows for the period of participation in summer institutes and midyear seminars. A Fellow may be eligible for such a stipend only if the Thurgood Marshall Fellow maintains satisfactory academic progress toward the Juris Doctor or Bachelor of Laws degree, as determined by the respective institutions.
(h) Authorization of appropriations
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $5,000,000 for fiscal year 1999 and each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years.