WED. NOV 3, 2021
Dear friends and followers of Color of Law Center,
As General Counsel I have the pleasure of being involved in many facets of the Color of Law Center including legal advocacy, development, and outreach. Words could not adequately express how much of an honor it is to be part of such an organization. As the month of November marks several poignant observations as well as the beginning of the holiday season, I would like to wish everyone a merry everything and a happy always!
Please allow me to share with you one of the most recent triumphs we have had in the legal department.
We advocated for a student with disabilities who dreams of being a lawyer. She shared that while becoming a lawyer would be a dream come true she has experienced so many barriers in her life that she wonders if it is even possible. This student was previously denied proper accommodations by the Law School Admission Council (“LSAC”). She was forced to forfeit a previous attempt at sitting for the examination due to lack of reasonable accommodation. She feared that a terrible score would be reported as a result and ruin her chances of law school admission. Our legal department contacted LSAC directly and advocated on her behalf. We explained to LSAC the extent of her intellectual disabilities and a summation of the Americans With Disabilities Act as well as other applicable state law. LSAC agreed to invalidate the score from the examination that the student was unable to complete. They also committed to providing accommodations for any examination she elects to take in the future.
This student was also having difficulty being granted equal access to an LSAT (“Law School Admission Test”) preparation course she had purchased. Due to her intellectual disabilities, she could not understand the abbreviated explanations being provided for the logic questions. We directly contacted the company with legal requests for reasonable accommodation. We explained what type of accommodation would be appropriate and negotiated the terms of the accommodation. All in all, the student is now able to move forward with her preparation course and sit for the November 2021 LSAT with accommodations that give her a fair opportunity to succeed.
This triumph is but one example of our department’s dedication to the CLC mission - equal access to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all.
Kind regards,
Phylicia D.C. Pearson, Esq
General Counsel
Color of Law Center