Diversity at Fordham Law

We are building a diverse, inclusive, and supportive community where students of all backgrounds and identities feel welcomed and encouraged to express their points of view and learn from one another.

Fordham Law was founded to expand opportunity for those traditionally excluded from the legal profession. Today, we continue that commitment to ensure that all of our students, especially those from underrepresented communities, experience a learning environment that is supportive and free from bias. Our ultimate goal is to foster an inclusive community and atmosphere where people of all backgrounds are welcomed, able to express their views, and thrive.

Fordham Law has made a sweeping commitment to address structural racism in our own community and to combat racism in society more generally. Our Anti-Racism Action Plan is focused on increasing diversity, making Fordham Law more inclusive, and addressing systemic racism. Thanks to the hard work of our students, faculty, and administration, we are making significant progress toward making our community, our profession, and our society racially just, equitable, and inclusive.

Fordham Law School’s Realizing Excellence and Access in the Law (REAL) Scholars program is committed to transforming the legal profession by expanding opportunities for first year law students from historically underrepresented backgrounds including but not limited to underrepresented racial, ethnic, geographic, socioeconomic, and first generation college backgrounds. The program is designed to orient 1Ls to the study of law and help them feel welcomed, confident, and prepared to excel.

Our commitment to diversity and inclusion

Student Diversity Organizations

Meet the Diversity Leadership Team

Through a range of diversity programs, we are focused on promoting justice and full participation in the life of the Law School by all members of the Fordham Law community.

Leah Hill, Clinical Professor of Law

“While we acknowledge the work thus far, we have a long way to go. One area I am particularly concerned with is increasing diversity generally and, in particular, in the number of Black students who enroll at Fordham Law. I see it as a moral imperative that our school reflect the diversity of our city.”

Khasim Lockhart ’18, Frankfurt Kurnit & Selz

“Less than four percent of attorneys are Black, so chances are a Black attorney like myself won’t have a mentor who looks like me, and chances are my mentee won’t look like me. Cross-cultural mentoring lets people be effective mentors for someone from another background, and this helps with retention because many African-Americans don't feel at home in the legal industry.”

Elizabeth Cooper, Professor of Law

“One of the points the Black Lives Matter movement has made—and others fighting racism for decades have made—is how important it is for white people to take responsibility for their education about the ways racism plays out and is experienced. Being part of the larger culture means white people must be conscious and work hard to undo— and not perpetuate—either individual racism or structural racism.”

Maraiya Hakeem, Pryor Cashman

“I'm confident that institutions can improve and evolve over time, and I’m happy there are now action plans around diversity and inclusion at Fordham Law. For the efforts to succeed, however, they must be immersive. You have to be able to feel the culture of diversity and inclusivity the moment you walk through the doors.”

Kimberly Ayudant ’21, Mayer Brown

“Ultimately, it is up to each member of the Fordham Law community, including the administration, faculty, staff, and students, to actively engage in anti-racism work and make an impact both inside and outside of the Law School.”

Voices from Our Community

Hear the voices of students, alumni, faculty, and staff as they contemplate the opportunities for addressing systemic racism and the serious challenges that remain.

Diversity News

Fordham Law School Welcomes New Cohort of REAL Scholars

Twenty-three of the incoming students at Fordham Law School this fall are members of the Realizing Excellence and Access in the Law (REAL) Scholars program, a leadership program launched in …

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First Cohort of REAL Scholars Program Graduates from Fordham Law

Among the 683 graduates at this year’s Fordham Law Diploma Ceremony are the first cohort of REAL Scholars—graduates of a leadership development program launched in 2021 to give support and …

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Four Fordham Law Students Named 2024 NYC Bar Association Diversity Fellows

Four Fordham Law students—Feyisara (Feyi) Idera ’26, Amy Kong ’26, Jane Sun ’26, and Jennifer Tiburcio ’26—were selected to participate in the 2024 New York City Bar Association Diversity Fellowship …

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Meet Afrika Owes ’24

Afrika Owes ’24 is a native New Yorker who says she is passionate about using her legal education to be a catalyst for change. At Fordham Law, she has emerged …

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Five Fordham Law Students Selected as 2023-2024 Diverse Attorney Pipeline Program National Scholars

Of the 25 law schools represented in the 2023-2024 Diverse Attorney Pipeline Program (DAPP), Fordham Law has the largest number of scholars selected for this year’s national cohort. The intensive …

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Student Affinity Groups Organize Town Hall Following Latest SCOTUS Affirmative Action Decision

Over the summer, Fordham Law students gathered together for a town hall event to discuss the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling made in late June. The two cases, Students for …

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Alumnae Founders of Groups for Women and Black Students Speak at Fordham Law Women Symposium

This year’s Fordham Law Women Symposium featured a special final panel: a conversation between the original founders of Fordham Law Women and the Black Law Students Association and the student …

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Professor Thomas H. Lee Appointed to the Defense Advisory Committee on Diversity and Inclusion

On September 23, 2022, the U.S. Department of Defense announced the appointment of Leitner Family Professor of International Law Thomas H. Lee to the newly established Defense Advisory Committee on Diversity …

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LALSA Leaders Reflect on Importance of Celebrating Latinx/e Heritage Month

As Fordham Law School begins to celebrate Latinx/e Heritage Month, we spoke with Ashley Qamar ’23 and Fernando Ramos ’23—president and vice president, respectively, of Fordham’s Latin American Law Students …

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Mental Health Matters: Fordham Professor Madeline Maldonado Discusses the Importance of BIPOC Mental Health Month

Observed annually in July and formally known as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Month, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Mental Health Month was established in 2008 …

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Fordham Law APALSA’s Vincent Chin Trial Reenactment Raises Awareness of Anti-Asian Violence

On April 19, Fordham Law’s Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (APALSA) honored the memory of Vincent Chin and countless victims of anti-Asian violence through its first in-person trial reenactment …

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Fordham Law Community Discusses Criminal Justice Reform During Spring ’22 Dialogue Day

On April 6, students and members of the Fordham Law community gathered together to discuss progressive prosecution and criminal justice reform for the Spring 2022 Dialogue Day. The event was …

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Three Fordham Law Students Named 2022 NYC Bar Diversity Fellows

REAL Scholar Veenay Komaragiri ’24, REAL Scholar Roger Orellana ’24, and Shiva Sachdeva ’24 have been selected to participate in the New York City Bar Diversity Fellowship Program this summer. …

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An Update on Fordham Law’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Efforts

A Message from Dean Matthew Diller October 22, 2021 Dear Fordham Law Community, As you know, in June of 2020 we made a commitment to take a hard look at …

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Fordham IPLJ Symposium Focuses on the Need for Diversity and Inclusion Within Intellectual Property Law

On October 8, the Fordham Intellectual Property, Media & Entertainment Law Journal (IPLJ) hosted its 29th annual symposium titled “IP Interrupted: Diverse Voices in Intellectual Property.” Speakers presented on a …

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Law Schools Double Down on Diversity and Inclusion

Kamille Dean, director of diversity, equity and inclusion at Fordham Law, and Kimathi Gordon-Somers, assistant dean of student affairs and diversity, were quoted in an article by LLM GUIDE discussing …

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The Fordham Law Community Reflects on Pride’s Past, Present, and Future

Four members of the Fordham Law community share their thoughts and reflections on Pride month, looking at the past, present, and future of civil rights and inclusion for the LGBTQ+ …

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PRIDE: Fordham Law OUTLaws Are a Catalyst for Inclusion

As Fordham Law School celebrates Pride Month, we spoke with OUTLaws‘ chairs Maria Chrysanthem ’22 and Brandon Small ’23 about the organization’s objectives, the challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community …

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Is There a “Mulatto Escape Hatch” Out of Racism? Scholars Argue “No”

The term “mulatto escape hatch”—coined in 1971 by U.S. historian Carl Degler—describes the intermediate social position held by Brazil’s mixed-race population in Brazil’s racially stratified society. Over the past 50 …

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Denouncing the Rise in Recent Attacks

Dear Fordham Law Community, As Father McShane noted in his message yesterday, we decry the anti-Semitic and anti-Islamic attacks in the wake of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. What …

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Contact us

Diversity Initiatives
Fordham University School of Law
150 W. 62nd St.
Fourth floor, suite 4-101
New York, NY 10023

Tel:212-636-7155

Email:[email protected]