Law360, Susman Godfrey Expands DEI Scholarships Amid Trump Fight:
Susman Godfrey LLP announced Friday that the firm has expanded a scholarship program for law students of color to a total of $100,000 — up from $70,000 the firm handed out last year — amid criticism from the Trump administration that the prizes constitute racial discrimination as the firm battles the government over an executive order targeting it.
The firm announced that it had raised the Susman Godfrey Prize from $3,500 to $4,000 as well as increased the number of recipients from 20 to 25 this year. The program, which started in 2021, awards the prize to first- and second-year law students of color for academic and overall achievement. …
The announcement comes as the firm is suing the Trump administration over his executive order issued April 9 that revoked security clearances the firm's attorneys had and ended contracts with the firm, among other measures. The order also accused the firm of racial discrimination.
In its opposition to Susman Godfrey's summary judgment motion, the administration indicated that the prize amounts to racial discrimination, saying the firm "'administers a program where it offers financial awards and employment opportunities only to 'students of color.'"
- Alex Liang; 2L, Harvard Law School
- Ana Chaves; 2L, University of Chicago Law School
- Avi Gupta; 2L, Yale Law School
- Bill De La Rosa; 2L, Yale Law School
- Brian Xu; 2L, Stanford Law School
- Cindy Guo; 1L, Harvard Law School
- Daniela Alvarez; 2L, Yale Law School
- Danielle Cross; 2L, Yale Law School
- Deumjee Choi; 2L, University of Washington Law School
- Elijah DeVaughn; 1L, Yale Law School
- Elizabeth E. Martin; 2L; University of Texas Law School
- G. Terrell Seabrooks; 2L, Harvard Law School
- Ikenna “Ike” Okoye; 1L, University of Houston Law Center
- Janice Rotich; 1L, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
- Janis Jin; 1L, Yale Law School
- Jessica Wang; 2L, Stanford Law School
- Jorge Ledesma; 2L, Yale Law School
- Lauren Parker; 2L, UCLA School of Law
- Liliana Gutierrez; 1L, UC Berkeley School of Law
- Mark Grujic; 1L, UCLA School of Law
- Niki Hua; 2L, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
- Ria Debnath; 1L, UCLA School of Law
- Sky Park; 1L, Stanford Law School
- Sydney Brown; 1L, Yale Law School
- Yi Qu; 1L, Harvard Law School
- Bloomberg Law, Susman Puts Money Into DEI Scholarships During Trump Battle
- New York Times, Law Firms Fighting Back Against Trump Report Security Clearance Suspensions
- Reuters, More Than 1,100 Law Students Back Susman Godfrey in its Lawsuit Over Trump Order
- Texas Lawyer, Trump Legal Battle Does Not Deter Susman From Recognizing 25 Students of Color with Prize
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