The Brooklyn Legal Pipeline Initiative, a program that tries to diversify the legal profession, continued at the Brooklyn Bar Association last Monday during which it brought in two faculty members of local law schools and one recent graduate to talk about getting accepted and paying for law school.

The two hour class was the second part of a six-part program. On Monday, students were advised on course selection as well as time management and writing skills. They were also given pointers on the LSAT.

“It’s important for students of color who, in my experience, tend not to know about these sort of things because they don’t have lawyers in their family,” said Paula Edgar, president of the Metropolitan Black Bar Association, who hosts the classes. “It gives us an opportunity to give them details from someone who is a dean of a law school explaining the do’s and don’ts,” Edgar said. “We also had a recent graduate, someone who is closer to their age who they can relate to better, talk about their experience.”

Eulas G. Boyd Jr., the dean of admissions at Brooklyn Law School (BLS), and Dr. Angela M. Joseph, director of financial aid at CUNY School of Law, were the faculty members in attendance. Vanessa Domenichelli a recent BLS graduate who currently works as a NYC Assistant Corporation Counsel, gave her experience from a student’s perspective.

“Law school can be very scary,” Domenichelli said. “I am a firm believer that you need a mentor at every-level. Paula was one of my mentors and she was so helpful in answering my questions or even just being there to bounce stuff off of that I never thought about.”

The program continues on March 27, when students will be taught how to network and find a mentor.

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