Jason Tenenbaum Access to Justice Scholarship

Why this scholarship exists

For more than twenty years the Law Office of Jason Tenenbaum has represented people on Long Island and across New York who were hurt, fired, or shut out of a system they were told would protect them: an injured worker fighting a no-fault denial, a driver deactivated by an app with no explanation, a family trying to understand a deadline nobody mentioned. Most of what we do is translating the law into something a person can act on.

This scholarship rewards students who can do the same. It is not a prize for the most legal vocabulary. It goes to the essay that takes one real situation and explains what the law did, what it should have done, and why the difference matters. We would rather read a clear story about a grandmother's landlord than a summary of the Constitution.

Who can apply

• You are a New York State resident (any county).
• You are enrolled in, or admitted to, an accredited college, university, graduate program or law school for the 2027–2028 academic year. Community colleges and trade programs count.
• Any major, any year. Undergraduate, graduate and law students all qualify.
• You are not an employee of the firm or an immediate family member of one.

There is no GPA requirement and no fee. We do not ask for recommendation letters. We ask the winner for proof of enrollment before the award is paid.

The essay: choose one prompt

Length: 750 to 1,000 words. Format: paste the text into the form below; no attachments. Original work only: we run every essay through plagiarism and AI-detection tools, and an essay that is not the applicant's own writing is disqualified. Quotations are fine when attributed.

How we judge

Jason Tenenbaum and one outside reader score every complete essay on three things, equally weighted: the clarity of the argument, the use of a concrete example, and the quality of the writing. Names and schools are removed before scoring. Finalists may be asked one or two follow-up questions by email. The decision is final.

Timeline

Terms and conditions

1. One application per person per cycle. The applicant must be a New York State resident and enrolled in or admitted to an accredited post-secondary institution for the 2027–2028 academic year.
2. The essay must be the applicant's own original, unpublished work of 750 to 1,000 words. Essays generated substantially by AI tools, plagiarized, or previously published are disqualified.
3. One award of $2,500 is made per cycle, paid to the winner's institution (or to the winner on proof of enrollment if the institution cannot accept it). The award is not transferable and cannot be deferred beyond the following academic year.
4. The winner agrees to provide proof of enrollment and residency, and to have their name, school and (with written consent) essay published on this page and on the firm's social channels.
5. Employees of the Law Office of Jason Tenenbaum, P.C. and their immediate family members are not eligible.
6. Applying does not create an attorney-client relationship, and nothing submitted is treated as a request for legal advice. Non-winning essays are kept confidential and deleted within 90 days after the announcement.
7. The firm may cancel or modify the scholarship for any cycle before its deadline; applications already received in a cancelled cycle are deleted. Void where prohibited.

Questions

Anything else: scholarship@jtnylaw.com. Financial aid offices and guidance counselors who would like a flyer or a listing summary are welcome to write to the same address.