Scholar Entries - Hispanic Lawyers Scholarship Fund of Illinois

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Are you a past recipient of an Hispanic Lawyers Scholarship Fund award?

Yes

Name

Carlos Bernal

Current Mailing Address

6608 S Oakley
Chicago, IL 60636
United States
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Permanent Address (only if different from Current Mailing Address)

Same as Above
United States
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Phone

(773) 673-0765

Connection to Illinois

I am a lifelong Chicago native. I intend to practice law in Illinois.

In what city do you intend to practice law upon graduation?

Chicago

Name of Law School

Loyola University Chicago School of Law

Class year

3rd year law student

Full Time or Part Time Student?

Full Time

Date you began attending THIS law school

08/22/2023

Anticipated Graduation Date

05/10/2026

Current GPA

3.328

Law School Honors, Awards or Special Recognitions

Loyola University Law Journal, Executive Editor of Illinois Articles

Dean's List (Spring 2024, Fall 2025)

Name of Undergraduate Institution

DePauw University

Degree (BA, BSE, etc.) and Concentration/Major

Sociology

Undergraduate Graduation Date

05/24/2021

GPA

3.2

Were you employed in 2025?

yes

If yes, please identify your employer(s).

Yes, I did a law clerk position from May 2025 up until December 2025. I worked part-time.

What was your immediate family’s (including you and your spouse or domestic partner, if applicable) estimated income from all sources for the 2025 Tax Year?

$20,000

Do you expect to be employed in 2026?

yes

If yes, please identify your employer(s).

Yes, in the middle of September, I will be joining Freeman Mathis & Gary as a first-year associate.

Please estimate your immediate family’s (including you and your spouse or domestic partner, if applicable) income from all sources for the 2026 Tax year

$32,291 since only roughly 3 months of begining new role.

Please estimate your parent's average annual household income over the last five years

$60,000-$70,000

Do your parents own or rent their home? Please describe, if necessary

Yes. My family owns our home.

Describe your parents' health insurance situation. Do they have employer-sponsored health insurance, health insurance through the exchange, or no health insurance?

Medicaid

LIST below your total EXPENSES for attending law school for ONE YEAR (Please refer to example in FAQs)

Total Tuition Cost $

$58,670

Books Cost $

Fees Cost $

Housing Cost $

$4,819

Food Cost $

$4,819

Other Costs $ (describe)

CTA Pass: $348, Tech Fee: $260, Student Development Fee: $388, Health Insurance: $3,684, Law & Academic Support: $928, Late Payment Fee: $155

Total Expenses $ (add above entries)

$73,143

LIST below your total FUNDING sources you plan to use to pay for these expenses (Please refer to example in FAQs)

Student Loans $

$46,143

Scholarships and Grants $

$27,000

Work Study, if any $

Personal Contribution (Savings/Employment) $

Family Contribution $ (include parents, spouse, partner, etc.)

Other Sources $ (describe)

Total Funding $ (add above entries)

$73,143

For 2Ls and 3Ls, what is your current TOTAL loan debt from the previous law school years?

$171,000

Please list any community service activities with which you have been involved in the last ten years, paying particular attention to activities in support of the Hispanic community. For each activity, please include the dates of your participation, a short description of the organization and the community they serve, and a description of the activity you performed to help them. (Please read FAQs before completing)

In December 2025, I assisted Roosevelt High School students with the creation of the Roosevelt Pre-Law Society. Providing them with ideas on potential club events. The school is predominantly Latino, with many of whom are first-generation Americans.

In September 2025, I volunteered with HLAI during HLAI’s Day of Service Citizen’s Workshop at Instituto Del Progreso Latino. Assisted community members with collecting important documents and drafting their naturalization applications for attorney review. It was a one-day event.

In March 2025, I volunteered at Wilkie Farr Gallagher, in partnership with the National Immigrant Justice Center, by collecting documents of community members and helping them fill out their asylum applications. It was a one-day event.

In October 2024, I was a guest panelist and spoke to Loyola University undergraduates on my law school journey. Many of the pre-law students were diverse students.

In September 2024, I was a guest panelist and spoke to Loyola University Arrupe College students regarding my law school journey. Many of the pre-law students were diverse students.

In July 2020, I organized a Spanish virtual community event, where I invited spanish speaking doctors, therapists, community organizers, and local food bank organizations, to discuss the misconceptions of COVID-19 and the current resources available to Chicago residents.

Please provide a statement describing your background and focus your statement on your reasons for pursuing a legal career and your legal career goals. This statement is important. Please give it appropriate attention. (min. 1000 characters) (Please read FAQs before completing)

Today, I am a curious neurodivergent law student with the dream of becoming a great trial lawyer. From an early age, I noticed the art and importance of great storytelling. Because I lived in a high gang community area, my mother kept my family inside as much as possible. To fight boredom, I would watch and read hours of lawyer movies and books. During that time, I would forget about my family's economic hardships and would visualize myself as a lawyer in a courtroom. I would put on a clip-on tie and move the furniture around the house to resemble a courtroom, and give my own version of a closing argument.

However, my dream of becoming a trial lawyer took a hit during my early twenties, when I was diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). I was hurt, yet relieved to finally understand that I was not intellectually inferior. For many years, I felt different from everyone. In class, I’d often ask my teachers to repeat instructions. I would reread pages over and over to understand the meaning behind each lesson, and I often had trouble focusing. However, after being diagnosed with ADHD, I felt as if I finally got closure for all the times I felt sorry for myself.

Although there may be people who would think ADHD is a weakness, I see it as a superpower. My ADHD allows me to hyperfocus, especially under high pressure. I can lock in on a task at hand, and I have a lot of fun learning about complex issues. My ADHD has also improved my flexibility, which is important for lawyers, considering how unpredictable some situations may be. Finally, my ADHD has allowed me to learn how to simplify difficult problems into easy-to-comprehend instructions or statements. This skill could help me break down complex legal problems into simple stories that could grab the attention of a jury.

I recognize that being neurodivergent comes with some challenges. However, I have continuously been working on addressing those weaknesses. I consistently use a daily planner, and I have made it a habit to do Sunday planner audits for the past few years. I have also set time blocks in my calendar to do deep, undistracted work. Additionally, I am continuously working on my attention to detail skills. I currently serve as an Executive Editor on the prestigious Loyola Chicago Law Journal, where I am responsible for managing and publishing the journal’s fourth issue. Finally, I am working on my oral advocacy skills in Trial Practice 2, where I am constantly receiving feedback from lawyers and judges. My only focus is to be a student of the game and take in as much knowledge and wisdom from those around me.

In 40 years, I hope to retire as one of the top trial lawyers in the country. It’s no secret that I will face many challenges along my journey. But I refuse to remain frozen from taking action due to others' opinions on what I can and cannot be in this world. I would rather find out for myself than listen to others on what they think my limitations are. I am not naive. I recognize that there will be days I feel like the biggest loser in the world, feel as if I don’t belong because of my ADHD or because of the color of my skin. Truth is, I may fail at this. However, I am confident that there is no better way to live my life than a life where I am chasing my dream. Like Steven Bartlett once said, “If you live your life avoiding risk, you risk missing out in life.”

Please upload a copy of your financial award letter labeled as follows: LastName.FirstName.FinAwardLtr*

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Bernal.-Carlos.-FinAwardLtr.pdf

Please upload a copy of your resume labeled as follows: LastName.FirstName.Resume*

Please upload a copy of your law school transcript labeled as follows: LastName.FirstName.LSTranscript*