Scholarship

International Association of LGBTQ+ Judges Foundation Scholarships

ABOUT THE SCHOLARSHIPS

The Judge Paul G. Feinman Scholarship and the Judge Stephen M. Lachs and Michael Ruvo Scholarship will each be awarded annually to a law student who has demonstrated a commitment to the LGBTQ+ community and is or will be working (as a judicial intern, extern, clerk, etc.) with a judge, judicial officer, or court sponsored program at some time prior to admission as an attorney, a barrister, or equivalent.  Special consideration will be given to students who will be working with a member of the International Association of LGBTQ+ Judges.  The Judge Stephen M. Lachs and Michael Ruvo Scholarship includes a preference for a student who attends UCLA School of Law.

The Judge Paul G. Feinman Scholarship is in the amount of $2,500.  The Judge Stephen M. Lachs and Michael Ruvo Scholarship is in the amount of $4,000.  (Amounts are in US Dollars.)  Scholarship funds are unrestricted and may be used for tuition, housing, books, transportation, living expenses, bar application/study expenses, or any other law school-related expense.  To learn more about the Judge Paul G. Feinman scholarship, please watch this video announcement. 

ABOUT JUDGE PAUL G. FEINMAN

The first openly LGBTQ+ person to sit on New York’s highest court, Judge Paul Feinman was sworn in as an Associate Judge on the New York Court of Appeals on June 21, 2017, during Pride Month. After working with the Legal Aid Society and serving as a Law Clerk to a highly respected judge, Judge Feinman began his own judicial career with his election in 1996 to serve on the New York City Civil Court. In 2007, he was elected as a Justice of the New York Supreme Court (the trial court of general jurisdiction), and then appointed by the Governor in 2012 to the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Department (intermediate appellate court).

Judge Feinman’s commitment to the advancement of LGBTQ+ rights and justice marked his entire career. While attending law school at the University of Minnesota in the 1980s, he founded an association of gay students. He was a proud leader and representative of the LGBTQ+ community at every step, including serving as a President of the International Association of LGBTQ+ Judges from 2008 to 2011 and on our Board of Directors for many years. Judge Feinman passed away in March 2021 at the age of 61.

ABOUT JUDGE STEPHEN M. LACHS

Judge Stephen M. Lachs is the first openly LGBTQ+ judge to serve anywhere in the world. In 1979, California Governor Jerry Brown appointed him to the Los Angeles County Superior Court, where he served until 1999, marking a watershed moment for both the judiciary and the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement. Judge Lachs helped found what is now the International Association of LGBTQ+ Judges and served as its founding president, creating an institutional home where LGBTQ+ judicial officers could support one another, mentor emerging leaders, and advance inclusion on the bench. That association has since grown into a global network representing more than 800 LGBTQ+ judges and judicial officers, underscoring the lasting impact of his early vision and leadership.

Judge Lachs’s path to the bench and to international prominence was profoundly shaped by his years at UCLA, where he earned both his undergraduate degree in 1960 and his law degree in 1963. He has often credited UCLA School of Law’s energy, innovation, and sense of possibility with preparing him not only as a lawyer, but as a public servant willing to live authentically and to open doors for others—later returning to the UCLA community as a mentor and supporter of LGBTQ+ law students. After retiring from the bench, he continued to serve as a mediator and private judge while remaining active in LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS–related community work. Judge Lachs lives in Rancho Mirage, California, with his husband, Michael Ruvo.

SCHOLARSHIP CRITERIA  

1. Applicants must be actively enrolled as a full-time or part-time student in good standing in a nationally accredited law school in any country in the world, or its equivalent, e.g., in the United States, enrolled in an ABA accredited law school.
2. Applicants must be working (as a judicial intern, extern, clerk, etc.) with or will be working with a judge,  judicial officer or court sponsored program at some time prior to the student’s admission as an attorney, a barrister, or equivalent.  A minimum of 200 hours of work is required.

THE APPLICATION PROCESS

1. A fully completed scholarship application must be submitted by midnight Eastern Time on April 1, 2026. The International LGBTQ+ Judges Foundation reserves the right to reject any incomplete or untimely application.
2. Receipt of the application will be acknowledged by email.
3. If you have any questions about the application or the scholarships, please email lgbtqjudges@gmail.com.
4. One of each scholarship will be awarded each year at the discretion of the International LGBTQ+ Judges Foundation.  The Foundation will evaluate all applications and notify the scholarship recipients by June 1, 2026.