Michel Chaghouri Award

General Information and Selection Criteria

The Arab American Lawyers Association of Southern California (AALASC) Michel Chaghouri Commitment to Excellence Scholarship recognizes rising law students who demonstrate a passion and history of service to underprivileged communities in reflection and honor of the late attorney and community advocate Michel Chaghouri, Esq. Michel Chaghouri exhibit the qualities and values of a true community advocate.  Michel believed in bringing communities together and had a strong love and interest for the Lebanese diaspora. His spirit was vested in building bridges between clients, communities and countries and he has a strong faith based in love and kindness. 

A $1,000 scholarship will be awarded to one candidate (or more) depending on availability of resources and number of qualified applications.  Qualifications for eligibility must meet the following criteria:

  • The applicant must be a first, second, third or fourth year law student.

  • The applicant must have a demonstrated history of service to an underserved community and exhibit the qualities and values reflected by Michel Chaghouri.

  • The applicant must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.6 or greater.

  • The applicant must desire to enter the field of public service, nonprofit sector, business law, international law, or any other field outside of litigation.

  • The applicant must be of Lebanese or Arab heritage or have a strong interest in Lebanese and Arab Civil Rights and culture and reside in Southern California.

  • The applicant must attend the upcoming AALASC dinner on May 3, 2016 to receive the scholarship.

Please fill out the attached application and include the following:   

  1. A copy of your current law school transcript (1 L’s are also encouraged to submit a copy of their college transcript);

  2. A current resume and one page or less biography;

  3. In a typed, one-page, double-spaced, essay, please indicate your relation to the Lebanese and/or Arab American community, your involvement as a community advocate and explain how your dedication to underserved communities contributes to your experience and development as a rising attorney.

An award selection committee of the founders of the Scholarship and any additional members approved by the AALASC Board of Directors will solely handle applications. The committee, consisting of no less than three members will evaluate and rank applicants individually. The committee will then convene to discuss applications and select the winner. Committee members are chosen after applications are in to avoid any conflict of interest due to pre-existing relations between the committee members and the applicants.

Submission Details

Deadline: Not open to submissions at this time.