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Educating for Social Responsibility: Participation in Race-and Gender-Based Law School Organizations Predicting Prosocial Post-Graduation Outcomes
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Educating for Social Responsibility: Participation in Race-and Gender-Based Law School Organizations Predicting Prosocial Post-Graduation Outcomes

Hyun Kyoung Ro, Nicholas A. Bowman and Frank Fernandez
Research in higher education, Vol.67(3), 15
05/01/2026
DOI: 10.1007/s11162-026-09882-w

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Abstract

Professional schools, generally—and law schools, specifically—have considerable potential to shape future leaders who work toward creating a more socially responsible and equitable society. However, these programs often fall short of such lofty goals, and law school experiences that may contribute to prosocial orientations are not well-understood. Therefore, the present study used a nationally representative, longitudinal sample of U.S. lawyers to explore whether—and under what conditions—participation in race-and gender-based law school organizations predict prosocial orientations after graduation. We found that leadership within race-based organizations is associated with greater importance placed on the opportunity to do socially responsible work, and membership within race-based organizations is positively related to the importance placed on changing or improving society. In contrast, no such favorable results are apparent for gender-based organizations within the full sample, and these relationships sometimes vary depending on educational debt as well as the ranking of the law school that they attended, thereby illuminating the contextual factors that may attenuate or enhance the potential impact of this co-curricular engagement.
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