Scholarships

SJCBA offers two scholarships to assist local students in the pursuit of a legal career. Applications are accepted each year in April for the Vittoria Bossi Scholarship, and November for the Judge Franklin Stephenson Scholarship. Contact the SJCBA for more information and/or how to apply.

Vittoria Bossi Scholarship

Sponsored by San Joaquin County Bar Foundation and Villapudua & Somera

The Vittoria Bossi Scholarship was created to honor Vittoria Bossi, an SJCBA member and long-time attorney in San Joaquin County who passed away on March 17, 2021. She was a graduate of San Francisco State University and Hastings College of Law (1991). Her friends and colleagues remember her as a tough attorney with a soft heart.

Two scholarships are awarded (not less than $500 each) to law school students who meet the following requirements:

  • Enrolled in an accredited law school geographically located in California; AND
  • A graduate of a San Joaquin County high school OR has continuously lived in San Joaquin County for no less than a 3-year period immediately prior to submission of the scholarship application;
  • Other relevant factors that will be considered include academic achievement, community service and involvement, career goals and special circumstances as demonstrated by the completed scholarship application.

The Honorable Judge Franklin Stephenson Scholarship

The Honorable Judge Franklin Stephenson Scholarship was established to honor the memory of San Joaquin County Superior Court Judge Franklin Stephenson. Judge Stephenson was an integral member of the San Joaquin County community. He was a Little League Coach, an avid sports fan, a Professor of Law at Humphrey Law School, and a local Superior Court Judge. The scholarship is aimed to further his efforts and to help students fulfill their goals of becoming productive members of the local legal community.

Minimum requirements:

  • Currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree program in a law-related field for the school year; and
  • Plans to pursue a career in the practice of law.