SUNY Buffalo Law Student Awarded Diversity Scholarship

Hackensack, NJ – September 9, 2014 – Cole, Schotz, Meisel, Forman & Leonard, P.A. is pleased to announce Sarah Draper, a second-year student at SUNY Buffalo Law School, has earned the firm’s 2014 Diversity Scholarship Award. Ms. Draper’s dedication and persistence in the face of adversity stood out among this year’s candidates for the $5,000 scholarship.

The diversity scholarship is awarded to a second-year, full-time law student in good academic standing. Consideration is given to the candidate’s academic achievement, involvement in community service, demonstrated leadership abilities and advancement of diversity in the legal profession. Ms. Draper excelled in every category.

Ms. Draper currently serves as President of the Black Law Students Association (BLSA) at her university and does pro bono work for the Buffalo Urban League of Young Professionals and the Minority Bar Association of Western New York. She is also raising her daughter while in her second year at SUNY Buffalo Law School, and she hopes to serve as an inspiration and resource for other young mothers in pursuit of academic goals. Ms. Draper was born and raised in Buffalo and is the first member of her family to pursue a professional degree.

“Sarah’s hard work and dedication to her craft in the face of adversity is not only an admirable example for aspiring lawyers, but for the legal community as a whole,” said Wendy Berger, co-chair of the firm’s Diversity Committee and member of the Real Estate Department. “While her natural ability certainly helps, it takes incredible character for a single mother to earn a law degree while leading student associations, and she undeniably earned this distinction.”

Cole Schotz is committed to the advancement of diversity in the legal community, and strongly believes that a diverse firm is a firm that best serves its clients. It also works with the New Jersey Law Firm Group, a non-profit corporation made up of law firms, law schools, and public agencies, to promote inclusiveness and diversity in the New Jersey bar.

ABOUT COLE SCHOTZ:

Cole Schotz serves clients nationally throughout the United States with offices in New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Texas.  The firm represents hundreds of closely-held businesses and individuals – many for decades – as well as Fortune 500 companies. 

Founded in 1928, the firm has grown to over 120 attorneys who work in eleven primary areas of practice: Bankruptcy & Corporate Restructuring; Construction Services; Corporate, Finance & Business Transactions; Employment Law; Environmental Law; Intellectual Property, Litigation; Real Estate; Real Estate Special Opportunities Group; Tax, Trusts & Estates and White Collar Defense & Investigations.