2023-2024 Student Senate Bar Prep Matching Program Sign-Up

Student Senate’s bar prep matching program helps connect public interest students with firm-bound students who have the ability to provide them with a free bar prep course. 

Eligible firm-bound students (can give a free bar prep course (Themis, Kaplan, or Barbri) to an eligible public interest student). Please note, the bar prep companies “gift” the course to public interest students, so you/your firm will NOT pay for an additional course in order to provide a public interest student with a course. For eligibility requirements and specific matching information, please view the frequently asked questions section (FAQs) or each bar prep company's respective website for additional information. 

Firm-bound students: We would be immensely grateful and appreciative if you fill out the following form, so we can begin finding matches for public interest students.

Public Interest Students: Please fill out the following form, so we can attempt to match you with a firm-bound student. Please note, this process takes time, so please be patient with us as we help you all!

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email the Student Senate Secretary.

Themis Cares Program: 

  • Firm-bound students (2024 Graduates) must directly bill their employer to be eligible to “gift” a prep course student. Otherwise, students going to a firm that give a stipend can still participate in Themis Cares and donate once they pay in full the regular Themis tuition of $2795 that we have contractually agreed with direct billing firms. 
  • Firm-bound LLM students direct billing their firms ARE eligible to donate a gifted free course through the Themis Cares Program to a Public Interest LLM student. 

Kaplan Gift of Knowledge:

  • Firm bound students (2024 Graduates) must directly bill their employer in order to be eligible to “gift” a prep course to a public interest student.
  • This includes both JD and LLM students graduating in 2024.

 

BARBRI BOGO program

  • Firm-bound students (2024 Columbia Law School Graduates) who are directly billing their firm through BARBRI  (not stipend or reimbursement) can sponsor or match with a public interest student and gift them a free guided pass course. 
  • This includes both JD and LLM students graduating in 2024. 
  • Public Interest students MUST apply for the Public Interest Scholarship in order to complete their enrollment and accept their free course
  • Public Interest students need to contact the Columbia BARBRI director,  Lauren Hamilton ([email protected]) to confirm after enrollment to confirm their match. Lauren will make sure tuition is also waived. 
  • Themis: For eligibility purposes, Themis considers “Public interest” to be the following: Clerkships, Fellowships, Government Employment, Employment within the Public Interest Sphere, History of Public Service/Interest Employment/Focus. (Public interest participation is NOT contingent on secured employment in the public interest sector.) Please note: the above qualifiers would need to be verified prior to enrollment, usually with their resume.
  • Kaplan: Please visit the Kaplan website for more information. 
  • BARBRI: For eligibility purposes, BARBRI considers “Public Interest” to be any student, who is either employed or committed to being employed, to the public sector with an annualized salary of $75,000 or less. BARBRI considers “Public interest” to be the following: "Clerkships,  Government Employment, including DA office, PD office, Military positions, Employment within the Public Interest sector, Fellowships, History of Public Interest positions . (Public interest participation is NOT contingent on secured employment in the public interest sector.)" Please visit the BARBRI website for more information. 

Yes! Themis, Kaplan, and BARBRI all offer alternative options for public interest students to receive a scholarship/discount for bar prep materials. Please visit the above linked websites for additional information on discount/scholarship opportunities. Please note: scholarship/discount opportunities may have a different deadline compared to the internal CLS deadline of January 15th, 2024. 

Yes! If both individuals apply by the deadline (January 15th, 2024), you will automatically be matched with the person of your choice. If you apply after the deadline, we will do our best to match the firm-bound student with their public-interest student of choice, but cannot 100% guarantee this will occur (highly likely it will occur). 

While the course will be free, there may be additional costs associated with the course such as, but not limited to: fees, shipping costs, deposits, etc. 

Known firms that give stipends instead of direct billing include, but may not be limited to the following: Akin Gump, Arnold & Porter, Blank, Rome, Cooley LLP, Covington & Burling, Cozen O’Connor, Dinsmore & Shohl LLP, Duane Morris, Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath, Fenwick & West, Fox Rothschild, Greenberg Traurig (Los Angeles), Holland and Knight, K&L Gates, Latham & Watkins, Manatt Phelps, Miller & Chevalier, Morrison & Foerster LLP, Munger Tolles & Olson, Nelson Mullins, Nixon Peabody, Paul Hastings, Seyfarth Shaw, Sidley Austin, Steptoe Johnson, Wilmer Hale, and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich Rosati.