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National Association of Women Judges’ Scholarship

The National Association of Women Judges (NAWJ), through its Access to Justice Scholarship Program in District 7, will provide The National Association of Women Judges’ Scholarship to a deserving University of Akron School of Law student who participated in Akron Law’s Summer Trial Academy.

The National Association of Women Judges’ mission is to “promote the judicial role of protecting the rights of individuals under the rule of law through strong, committed, diverse judicial leadership; fairness and equality in the courts; and equal access to justice.”

The Honorable Mary Margaret Rowlands, who earned her J.D. from The University of Akron School of Law in 1989, is a judge in the Summit County Court of Common Pleas. She also serves as Ohio state chair for NAWJ and is a principal architect of the Summer Trial Academy. Judge Rowlands is dedicated to diversity and equality in the legal profession, protecting individual rights, fairness and equality in the courts, and equal access to justice. Drawing from her pre-judicial career as a trial lawyer, she worked with Professor Dana Cole and others to create the Summer Trial Academy in 2015.

Students eligible for The National Association of Women Judges’ Scholarship must have successfully completed The University of Akron School of Law Summer Trial Academy and be in good academic standing. The scholarship will be awarded to a student who is committed to the achievement of equality of opportunity and access in the justice system.

To apply students must:

1. Complete and submit the scholarship application;
2. Write and submit a 400 to 600-word personal statement about how they intend to do their part to achieve equality of opportunity and access in the justice system and why they should otherwise be selected for this scholarship; and
3. Include a current resume.

District 7 of the National Association of Women Judges includes Ohio, Michigan, and Kentucky. Scholarships are available to each state on an annual rotating basis. As such, The National Association of Women Judges’ Scholarship will be awarded to an Akron Law student during the years in which funds are available for Ohio.

Judge Rowlands and a committee of her designees will select the recipient after reviewing all applications.