The Fannie Angelos Program Aims to Transform Lives and the Legal
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By Joe Surkiewicz The Fannie Angelos Program aims to BUILDING transform lives and the legal profession DIVERSITY From left: Fannie Angelos, LL.B. ’51, University of Baltimore President Kurt Schmoke and John C.M. Angelos, J.D. ’90, at a 2014 party for the Fannie Angelos Program. | 10 | Baltimore Law From left: Fannie Angelos Scholars 2L Herman Brown, Adam Shareef, J.D. ’17, and Zenia Wilson, J.D. ’12. he reality of law school hit ADAM SHAREEF hard at the end of his fi rst semester. The magna cum laude graduate of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore had earned a grade point average of just 2.3. His disappointing academic performance prompted an T“existential crisis,” he said recently. Shareef went into law school knowing he had to live up to a lot of expectations. “Everyone in my family was telling me how smart I am and that I won’t have a problem,” he said. If only. Midway through his 1L year, Shareef was desolate. “I was considering not going back for the second semester,” he recalled. “I almost quit.” But Shareef persevered. More than that, he excelled, graduating in May 2017 with a juris doctor degree and a 3.5 GPA. He is now a clerk for Maryland Court of Appeals Judge Michelle Hotten. What happened? Fall 2017 | 11 | Shareef credits the rock-solid Fannie Angelos, LL.B. ’51 support system of the University of Baltimore School of Law’s Fannie Angelos Program for Academic Excel- lence. Accepted to the program as an undergraduate, Shareef began law school with access to a network of legal scholars, practitioners and fellow students who were always ready to offer advice and mentoring. n alliance between the UB School A of Law and Maryland’s four histor- ically black colleges and universities, or HBCUs — Bowie State University, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Coppin State University and Morgan State University — the program was founded in 1995 as the Baltimore Scholars. In 2014, thanks to a $1 million donation to reinvigorate the program She was a family person who strived to educate and from PETER ANGELOS, LL.B. ’61, it was renamed in honor of his older sister. teach her children. She was a strong believer that education The program aims to level the fi eld and school were very important. —John C.M. Angelos, J.D. ’90 to ensure that talented, enthusiastic ‘‘ students are able not just to get accepted to law school, but to be hen FANNIE ANGELOS, LL.B. ’51, (now Towson University), Fannie Angelos successful in school and in the legal began practicing law in the early worked full time during the day, then profession. W 1950s, she was one of only about a made her way to night classes at the Today, more than 90 Fannie Angelos dozen women lawyers in Baltimore, University of Baltimore School of Law. scholars have been accepted to law her brother said. “She took the bus and the street- school, at UB and at universities across Peter Angelos said his older sister, car,” her son said. the country. who came to the U.S. from Greece as Though a pioneer among women The program’s ongoing success was a small child, always related to people lawyers in Baltimore — she practiced recognized this year by the American Bar outside the mainstream of the legal here for 64 years — Fannie Angelos Association’s Section of Litigation, which profession. As an immigrant and a awarded the Fannie Angelos Program its was nevertheless a traditional Greek woman, she was a double rarity in the 2017 Diversity Leadership Award. woman, John Angelos said: “She was a profession in the mid-20th century. family person who strived to educate Accepting the award were DLA Piper She had been inspired by tales of and teach her children. She was a Professor of Law MICHAEL MEYERSON and Dean Joseph Curtis Professor her maternal grandfather, a lawyer strong believer that education and of Law F. MICHAEL HIGGINBOTHAM, and a person of eminence in Greece’s school were very important.” the co-founders of the Fannie Angelos Dodecanese islands, Peter Angelos said. And while she might have been Program (Meyerson is the program But Fannie Angelos’s father didn’t diminutive, she was a force to be director). think law was a proper pursuit for reckoned with, he said: “She was very “They selected us as a model for the a woman, said her son JOHN C.M. much into respectability and manners, country,” Higginbotham said. “This is a ANGELOS, J.D. ’90. the decorum you needed to exhibit in model that can be duplicated.” Fannie Angelos, of course, thought the way you carried yourself, the way Peter Angelos had high praise for otherwise. you dressed and acted in your personal Meyerson and Higginbotham, calling In the late 1940s, after earning an and professional life.” them “the driving force” behind the undergraduate degree from the Mary- Peter Angelos said his sister was a program’s success. land State Teachers College at Towson “born teacher” and took great pleasure | 12 | Baltimore Law in meeting and advising the Fannie “Law schools benefi t because a for African-American women is slightly Angelos scholars. diversity of backgrounds among students more than 2 percent. “It was something to watch,” helps both students and faculty,” he The situation is not much better in he said of her interactions with the continued. “The more varied people law schools. African-Americans account students. “They were all drawn to her. you meet, the smarter you are.” for under 9 percent of all law students She’d make appointments for them to Said Higginbotham: “Supreme Court in the United States, according to NALP. come see her. It was a great experience decisions speak about the value of And African-American law students for her.” diversity. What’s often overlooked is graduate with signifi cantly more debt Peter Angelos said it was fi tting that the perception of the justice system. than their white classmates. the program bears his sister’s name: With a wide diversity of lawyers and The Fannie Angelos Program When she began practicing law, the judges, the legal profession looks succeeds on several levels, Meyerson legal profession “didn’t take advantage” more fair and just. It helps the said: “We help people to get into law of women’s talents. perception of justice.” school who wouldn’t otherwise get in. Now, he noted, “it’s the same with Much progress remains to be made We also help students who would have minority students.” nationwide. While African-Americans been average lawyers become really Fannie Angelos died on Thursday, comprise 12 percent of the population, good ones.” April 9, 2015, at age 88. She had African-American men make up less And, Meyerson emphasized, the worked until the previous Friday. than 2 percent of law school partners program is committed to going the and African-American women make distance for the scholars, many of he legal profession sorely lacks — up just over half a percent, according whom face multiple obstacles to Tand needs — African-Americans. to the National Association for Law making it through law school. “The benefi t of diversity in the legal Placement, or NALP. “Often the journey isn’t linear,” profession is that we end up with Likewise, NALP data show that fewer he said. “It might take three years better lawyers — really smart lawyers,” than 4 percent of law fi rm associates or it might take four or fi ve. It can Meyerson said. are African-American, while the fi gure be a winding road.” Professors Michael Meyerson (left) and F. Michael Higginbotham FallFall 2015 2017 | 13| 13 | | There’s a world of challenges to get students from HBCUs into law school. Students from these schools often don’t know ‘‘how to prepare for law school or how to apply. Plus, they don’t have the money for LSAT prep courses. They don’t know how to Michael Meyerson and Annice Brown play the game. But they all have God-given talent. —Michael Meyerson Scholars line up behind (from left) F. Michael Higginbotham, Lenora Giles and Michael Meyerson at the Nov. 17, 2016, fund-raising gala for the Fannie Angelos Program at the Belvedere Hotel. he Fannie Angelos Program has the game. But they all have God-given annie Angelos Scholar ZENIA Ttwo parts. In the fi rst, eight HBCU talent. A lot will fi gure it out on their F WILSON, J.D. ’12, said an applicants are selected each year as own, but they’re going up against people announcement on the Morgan State Fannie Angelos scholars, qualifying who know how to play the game.” campus about the Fannie Angelos them to receive a full scholarship to Which described ADAM SHAREEF. Program caught her eye — and the University of Baltimore School of “It’s the support I received that changed her life. Law if they do well on the LSAT exam. made the difference,” Shareef said of “I wanted to go to law school, but The second part of the program his academic turnaround. “I started there weren’t many resources avail- admits up to 72 additional HBCU stu- to apply the things I learned in the able,” Wilson recounted. “One day I dents, allowing them to attend a rigor- program. My grades got better and saw a fl yer about the program and I ous LSAT review course at no charge. I rebounded. I made the moot court went to a presentation by Professor The Fannie Angelos Program helps team.” Meyerson. He was so dynamic.” the undergraduates explore the law Continued Shareef: “The progress Meyerson urged her to apply to the as a potential career path while also I made was attributable to the Fannie program.