Diversity and Inclusion

“Drake Law School is a welcoming community, diverse by conviction and inclusive by nature. We are a small law school where people know and value one another as individuals. We reflect the progressive tradition and friendly countenance of the state in which we are located.”
—Allan W. Vestal, Dean and Professor of Law

Scholarship Information

Drake’s annual scholarship budget is more than $3.9 million.

• Drake Law awards financial aid to the majority of our law students.
• Law Opportunity awards—including quarter, half and full tuition—focus on students who will add to the diversity of the class or who have overcome disadvantage.
• For 30 years Drake Law has made a major scholarship commitment to achieve a diverse student body.

To learn more about earning a Drake Law scholarship, click here.

Student Organizations

Each serves as an academic and social resource for Drake Law students.

Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (APALSA)
LGBT Student Bar Association
Black Law Students Association (BLSA)
Hispanic Law Student Association (HLSA)
Drake Law Women
International Law Society

Des Moines—a big-time city with small-city ease-of-living

• Top 10 lists—Des Moines is included as a great place to work, live and play by Forbes and U.S. News & World Report
• Entertainment—lots of it, including music, shows, theater, professional sports, bike trails, national triathlon event
• 15 minutes—the time it takes to get anywhere in the metro area of 500,000 people
• Housing costs—lower than most other major cities
• Explore Des Moines: http://www.seedesmoines.com/

National Bar Association Archives

• NBA was founded in 1925 in Des Moines because African American lawyers were barred from the American Bar Association
• Co-founder Charles Preston Howard was a 1920 Drake Law graduate
• NBA has about 85 affiliate chapters with more than 20,000 members
• NBA Archives were transferred in 2007 from the Des Moines Public Library to a dedicated room in Drake Law Library
• Files include FBI investigation of Howard during the McCarthy era for alleged Communist activities
• Read More

Resources

American Bar Association Legal Opportunity Scholarship
Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO)
Des Moines NAACP branch
I’ll Make Me a World
Latinos Unidos
Latino Heritage Festival
Iowa Asian Alliance
Hindu Temple and Cultural Center of Iowa
Islamic Center of Des Moines
Iowa Pride Network
Iowa Division of Persons with Disabilities
The Italian-American Cultural Center of Iowa
Diversity Committee of the Greater Des Moines Partnership
Iowa Civil Rights Commission
A Resource List for Cultural Organizations and Language Translators
Choosing an LGBT Friendly Law School
Being Transgender in Law School