Orange County Legal Secretaries Association offers scholarships to persons desiring a career in the legal field. The deadline for submitting scholarship applications to Orange County Legal Secretaries Association is March 19, 2010.

Winners of the Orange County Legal Secretaries Association scholarships will be submitted to Legal Secretaries, Incorporated which offers additional scholarships to persons desiring a career in the legal field.

Scholarships Offered

The three categories for scholarships are:

Applicants shall be restricted to students who are residents of California that desire a career in the legal field, will have completed at least one year of college by June of the school year, and who will be enrolled in the Fall semester immediately following the school year in a college or business school in a course of study in the legal field, until all such courses have been taken to satisfy the requirements for a degree or certificate in said legal related program.

Applicants shall be restricted to graduating high school seniors who are residents of California that successfully completed secretarial/business courses in high school and will be enrolled in the Fall semester immediately following the school year in a college or business school offering a course of study in the legal field, until all such courses have been taken to satisfy the requirements for a degree or certificate in said legal related program.

Applicants shall be restricted to those individuals who are residents of California that do not qualify under Plan A or Plan B hereof, and who wish to pursue their education in the legal field.

The following scholarship awards are available through LSI's Eula Mae Jett Scholarship Plan and require the same qualifications as the scholarships above:

1. Each scholarship year shall be from September through August 31 of the ensuing year. Except as otherwise provided to the contrary, all references to dates herein are to those dates within a scholarship year.

2. Upon written request to the Scholarship Chairman of Legal Secretaries, Incorporate (hereinafter "LSI"), on or before January 1, the Scholarship Chairman of LSI shall furnish a copy of the Eula Mae Jett Scholarship Program Plan of Administration (hereinafter "Plan"), together with forms of application, to the Governor and the Scholarship Chairman of each local association (hereinafter "association") who are unable to download the Plan and forms from LSI's web site.

3. Each association desiring to participate in the scholarship program shall advise schools in its respective area of the availability of the scholarships to be awarded by LSI.

4. Each association may distribute as many applications as it desires for each Plan. Applicants must present applications and accompanying documents to the local sponsoring association by the due date determined by the sponsoring association. Applicants may submit applications and accompanying documents directly to the LSI Scholarship Chairman ONLY when the local association does not have an appointed Scholarship Chairman. Should applicants present their application and accompanying documents directly to the LSI Scholarship Chairman and a Scholarship Chairman has been appointed by a local association, the LSI Scholarship Chairman will immediately notify the applicant by letter of an opportunity for a local scholarship and remind the applicant that his/her application and accompanying documents must be submitted to the local sponsoring association to qualify for the LSI Scholarship according to the deadlines as described in the Plan. If the applicant chooses not to submit his/her application and accompanying documents to a local association, the applicant is then disqualified from submitting his/her application and accompanying documents for an LSI Scholarship. Each sponsoring association shall select the single application it desires to recommend for each Plan and shall forward such recommended application(s) to the LSI Scholarship Chairman, postmarked no later than April 1.

5. Applications and accompanying documents must be typewritten and on current forms. All applications and accompanying documents must be submitted in triplicate. Applicants may submit one original official transcript to the local association chairman. However, when submitting the application to the LSI State Chairman, local association chairmen must include two copies of the official transcript in addition to the original transcript. "Official transcript" shall be defined as transcripts printed on original school letterhead. Copies of transcripts will be accepted if they contain either an embossed school seal or certification identifying the copy as a true copy of the original transcript. Applications and accompanying documents, which are not typewritten and/or submitted with postmark later than April 1, shall be disqualified without notification.

6. Prior to April 1, the LSI Scholarship Chairman shall appoint three (3) or more judges to review the applications and select the winners. The panel of judges shall be comprised of educators, lawyers, judges and civic leaders. The LSI Scholarship Chairman shall act as an advisor and non-voting member of the judging panel.

7. The scholarships shall be awarded based upon the following: (a) the applicant's desire for a career/position in the legal field; (b) the academic achievement of the applicant; and (c) the financial need of the applicant. Scholarships awarded in May are for applicants enrolled in college or school the following Fall and Spring. A career/position in the "legal field" shall be interpreted and defined as follows: (a) legal secretary (including receptionist); (b) legal assistant (including paralegal); (c) court reporter; and (d) law office administrator. Scholarships are not intended for students planning to enter law school.

8. The judges, in reaching their decisions, shall take into consideration the following: (a) the applicant's desire to seek a career/position in the legal field; (b) the applicant's prospects for success in further education; (c) the financial need of the applicant; (d) the personal characteristics, aspirations, and goals of the applicant, and e) applicant's extracurricular activities and what they have gained from them.

9. On or before May 1, each judge shall advise the LSI Scholarship Chairman of the points given to each application. From the totals of the points given by the three judges, the LSI Scholarship Chairman shall determine the winners and alternate winners under the following Plans: Plan A, three (3) winners and three (3) alternate winners; Plan B, two (2) winners and two (2) alternate winners; and Plan C, three (3) winners and three (3) alternate winners.

10. Scholarship awards shall be given as follows:
    • Plan A - College Student [Three (3) awards of $1,000 each]
      Applicants shall be restricted to students who are residents of California that desire a career in the legal field, will have completed at least one year of college by June of the school year, and who will be enrolled in the Fall semester immediately following the school year in a college or business school in a course of study in the legal field, until all such courses have been taken to satisfy the requirements for a degree or certificate in said legal related program.

    • Plan B - High School Senior [Two (2) awards of $1,000 each]
      Applicants shall be restricted to graduating high school seniors who are residents of California that successfully completed secretarial/business courses in high school and will be enrolled in the Fall semester immediately following the school year in a college or business school offering a course of study in the legal field, until all such courses have been taken to satisfy the requirements for a degree or certificate in said legal related program.

    • Plan C - Re-Entry Level [Three (3) awards of $1,000 each]
      Applicants shall be restricted to those individuals who are residents of California that do not qualify under Plan A or Plan B hereof, and who wish to pursue their education in the legal field. This category would include the following:
      1. An individual who desires to re-enter the work force, but requires training, a "refresher" course, or specialized education in order to qualify as a candidate for a position in the legal field; or
      2. An individual currently working, but who desires to enter the legal field and wants to receive the training or specialized education needed to do so, and (1) who cannot afford such training or specialized education, and/or (2) cannot afford to quit working.

11. Members of LSI are not eligible. Relatives of LSI are eligible as long as they meet the criteria as set out herein above.

12. Payments of the scholarship awards shall be made as follows:
    1. If the recipient enrolls in a school offering a concentrated course in the legal field, not having any divisions into semesters or sessions, the scholarship shall be paid one-half (1/2) upon furnishing proof of enrollment in the school, and one-half (1/2) upon furnishing proof of successful completion of the course, or continued attendance for one year from the date proof of enrollment was furnished, whichever is sooner.
    2. If the recipient enrolls in a school in which the school year is divided into two (2) semesters, the scholarship shall be paid one-quarter (1/4) upon furnishing proof of enrollment in the Fall semester immediately following the school year, one-half (1/2) upon furnishing proof of successful completion of the Fall semester and enrollment in the Spring semester immediately following the school year, and one-quarter (1/4) upon furnishing proof of successful completion of the Spring semester immediately following the school year.
    3. If the recipient enrolls in a school in which the school year is divided into three (3) sessions, the scholarship shall be paid one-third (1/3) upon furnishing proof of enrollment in the Fall session immediately following the school year, one-third (1/3) upon furnishing proof of successful completion of the Fall session and enrollment in the Winter session immediately following the school year, and one-third (1/3) upon furnishing proof of successful completion of the Winter session and enrollment in the Spring session immediately following the school year.

13. The LSI Scholarship Chairman shall request proof of enrollment and/or successful completion under 12(a), (b), or (c) above, which proof shall be received by appropriate dates certain, specified by the LSI Scholarship Chairman in such requests. Failure to enroll and furnish proof of enrollment and successful completion under 12(a), (b), or (c) above by the required dates certain shall result in a forfeiture of the entire award.

14. Proof of enrollment shall consist of the following:
    1. If the recipient enrolls in a school offering a concentrated course in the legal field not having any divisions into semesters or sessions the recipient shall provide a copy of her/his schedule of classes for the concentrated course and a copy of the enrollment agreement or such other contract as the recipient may enter into with the school for such concentrated course.
    2. If the recipient enrolls in a school in which the school year is divided into two (2) semesters or three (3) sessions, the recipient shall provide a copy of her/his schedule of classes for the semester/session as distributed by the school at the time of the recipient's registration.

15. Proof of successful completion shall consist of a copy of whatever form of "grading" the school in which the recipient is enrolled distributes upon completion of the classes and/or subjects the recipient took during the specified time period, indicating that the recipient received credit for the classes.

16. Failure to furnish proof of successful completion of the Fall semester and enrollment in the Spring semester within fifteen (15) days after the enrollment in the Spring semester immediately following the school year, under 12(b) above, will result in the forfeiture of the remaining three-quarters (3/4) of the award. Failure to furnish proof of successful completion of the Fall session and enrollment in the Winter session within fifteen (15) days after enrollment in the Winter session immediately following the school year, under 12(c) above, will result in a forfeiture of the remaining two-thirds (2/3) of the award; and, failure to furnish proof of successful completion of the Winter session and enrollment in the Spring session within fifteen (15) days after enrollment in the Spring session immediately following the school year, under 12(c) above, will result in a forfeiture of the remaining one-third (1/3) of the award.

17. If a recipient under Plan A, Plan B, or Plan C does not continue in school for the entire year, the scholarship shall pass to an alternate.

18. If a recipient under Plan A, Plan B, or Plan C does not enroll within the allotted time, and the scholarship passes to an alternate, such alternate, if unable to be admitted into the Fall semester/session after making application therefor, shall be eligible for the scholarship for the next semester/session, being the first opportunity when admittance can be gained to the school of the student's choice.

19. If a student fails to enroll timely for any semester/session, the scholarship shall pass to the next alternate who shall be bound by the same rules above. If an alternate has already enrolled in a school at the time she/he is advised of the scholarship award, such award may be paid directly to the recipient for that semester/session, or in the event she/he is enrolled in a school offering a concentrated course in legal training not having any division into semesters or sessions, the full or remaining portion of the scholarship, as the case may be, may be paid directly to the recipient pursuant to the rules set forth in the paragraph number 12(a) above.

20. The scholarship winners and sponsoring associations will be announced at the Annual Conference of Legal Secretaries, Incorporated.