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fannie-angelos-program

About Us

The Fannie Angelos Program is the first program of its kind in the nation, dedicated to preparing HBCU students to gain not only admittance to law school but to be able to excel and thrive in law school and the legal profession.  We provide extensive LSAT preparation, one-on-one academic mentoring, individual “whole life” support, and career counseling.     

Program Success  

The Fannie Angelos Program for Academic Excellence has proven that once the playing field is made level, our students can excel.  More than 140 of our Scholars have been accepted at law schools, including the University of Baltimore School of Law, Columbia Law School, the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, North Carolina Central University School of Law, the University of Minnesota Law School, Howard Law School, and the University of Southern California Gould School of Law.  They have served on law journals, won national moot court competitions, and obtained prestigious judicial clerkships and employment at both large and small law firms, government offices,  and public interest organizations.

 

Three Stages of Support

After a rigorous application and interview process, twenty juniors, seniors, and alums of Maryland HBCU’s are selected each year as “Angelos Scholars.”  Upon admittance to the Program, they participate in “boot camp”.  As its name implies, this portion of the program is intense and requires that all participating students commit to a rigorous itinerary.  They learn fundamental skills such as effective study habits, time management and financial responsibility. They meet with law students, visit law firms, and talk with lawyers, judges, and elected officials to become acquainted with the wide variety of career opportunities available to law graduates and the work habits of successful lawyers.  

 

After completing boot camp, Scholars begin preparation for the LSAT. During the spring semester Scholars enroll in a Princeton Review LSAT preparation course. Scholars work with course instructors, as well as Program faculty, staff, and current law students, to guide them and monitor their progress until they take the June, LSAT.  

 

While the Angelos Scholars are not required to attend the UB School of Law, those who complete the program successfully, maintain a cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 3.5 out of 4.0, attain a score of 153 or higher on the LSAT and otherwise qualify for admission receive a full three-year tuition scholarship to the University of Baltimore School of Law.  Those with slightly lower numbers may still receive scholarship money from the law school.  

We have also created an extraordinarily effective support system for the Scholars who attend the University of Baltimore School of Law.  Law School faculty meet regularly with these law students during their first year to advise them on the note-taking, outlining, exam preparation and the other skills necessary to succeed in law school. We also work with students on the wide range of non-academic issues, including health, family matters, and finances, that can interfere with academic success.  

 

This support continues through the rest of the law school experience. We help upper class students with their employment search, teaching interview techniques and resume writing, and introducing them to lawyers, judges, and potential employers. We also help with preparation for the bar exam.

Even after they graduate from law school, Scholars are supported by the Angelos Program.  We help with career advice, as well as the skills necessary to do well in the legal profession.   

Support Their Journey

Donate to the Program

 

`Fannie Angelos, LL.B. '51, smiling and conversing with attendees at a Fannie Angelos Program gala event.`

Who Was Fannie Angelos?

Throughout her extraordinary life, Fannie Angelos, LL.B. '51, forged many new paths:

She was a woman in a profession—the law—that was dominated by men.
She was a Greek American—and at the beginning of her legal career, one of only a handful of women with her ethnic background to practice law in the United States.
Her lawyering life lasted nearly 40 years. In fact, she continued to work up until her death on April 9, 2015.
Fannie Angelos was born in Greece in 1927, the eldest daughter of John Angelos and Frances Melissanos Angelos. She arrived in the U.S. as a young child who did not know a word of English. She studied hard and excelled at both Patterson High School and what is now Towson University. In 1947, while working full time, she enrolled at the University of Baltimore School  of Law. She said that she was inspired by her grandfather and great-grandfather, both of whom practiced law in Greece. She graduated in 1951 as a top student, one of three women in her class. She embraced the law with great energy, creativity and integrity.

“Fannie Angelos was a trailblazer for the thousands of women who have attended the University of Baltimore School of Law in the years since she graduated,” UBalt School of Law Dean Ronald Weich says. “She was deeply committed to UBalt and its students until the very end of her remarkable life.”

In recognition of her impressive legal career, her tireless advocacy for equal opportunity, and her extraordinary character and spirit, in 2013 the School of Law named its prestigious legal education preparatory program, the Fannie Angelos Program for Academic Excellence, in her honor. She took an active role in the program, enthusiastically serving as a mentor to the students, and meeting with them to discuss how to succeed and overcome personal and institutional barriers. Her passion, spirit, and courage continue to inspire UBalt law students to pursue their dreams.

Trailblazer. Advocate. Friend. Fannie Angelos was all of these and more. Today we continue to celebrate her life and her many accomplishments—she embodies the Greek philosopher Aristotle's ethical cornerstone of "doing and living well."

Thank you, Fannie. You make all of us proud to be part of the University of Baltimore School of Law.