Abina Nepal ’26 Awarded Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants Judicial Scholarship
12.03.24 — Northeastern Law’s Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR) is pleased to announce that Abina Nepal ’26 has been awarded a Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants Judicial Scholarship through a program celebrating the legacy of the late Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants, who was a champion of access to justice and equity in the Massachusetts legal system.
Created as a collaboration among CLEAR, the Gants Fund for Racial Equity and Access to Justice and the Massachusetts Bar Foundation, with $150,000 from the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, the program provides opportunities for law students from diverse backgrounds and with limited financial means to secure judicial internships in Massachusetts courts. Most judicial internships in Massachusetts are currently unpaid, which presents a significant barrier for students without the financial means to support themselves during placement.
Nepal is using her scholarship to fund a co-op in the chambers of the Honorable Kimberly Budd, chief justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. As a judicial intern, Nepal works closely with Chief Justice Budd and her clerks on legal memoranda, summarizing cases, trial and hearing preparation, and additional chamber administrative work. “I am deeply honored to receive the Gants Scholarship and to carry forward Chief Justice Gants’ legacy of promoting justice and equity,” said Nepal. “Interning with Chief Justice Budd at the SJC has been a transformative experience, allowing me to refine my legal skills while working on issues that directly impact my community and align with my passion for criminal law reform and addressing racial disparities in the legal system.”
Recipients are selected based on undergraduate and law school academic performance, personal achievement, a personal statement, demonstrated leadership ability and public service experience.
For more information about the Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants Judicial Scholarship, please visit the program website.
The nation’s leader in experiential legal education since 1968, Northeastern University School of Law offers the longest-running, most extensive experience-based legal education program in the country. Northeastern guarantees its students unparalleled practical legal work experiences through its signature Cooperative Legal Education Program. More than 1,100 employers in a wide range of legal, government, nonprofit and business organizations participate in the program. With a focus on social justice and innovation, Northeastern University School of Law blends theory and practice, providing students with a unique set of skills and experiences to successfully practice law.
For more information, contact d.feldman@northeastern.edu.