Spring 2026 Winner of the Legal Leaders Scholarship

Alandee Patil

Help Lucas Law congratulate our newest scholarship winner, Alandee. Alandee is pursuing a double major in political science and psychology at Washington University. She is also planning on obtaining a minor in finance. Once her undergraduate education has been completed, Alandee will go on to attend law school.

Read Their Essay Here:

The man was shaking.

He was a defendant at the Rolling Meadows courthouse, charged with manslaughter, trembling so violently that the fabric of his suit jacket quivered. I was a high school student there on a field trip, expecting a polished courtroom scene I had seen on television. Instead, I witnessed a human life suspended in uncertainty. His court-appointed lawyer argued with calm, unwavering conviction, insisting that the jury see the defendant not as an assumption, but as a person entitled to fairness. When the verdict “not guilty” was read, the man exhaled as if he had been holding the entire weight of his world inside his chest.

My understanding of how uneven legal access can be deepened during the Just the Beginning Organization’s Summer Legal Institute. An attorney showed us a map of Illinois covered with “legal deserts:” entire counties where there were only one or two practicing attorneys, sometimes none at all. People facing eviction, domestic violence, custody disputes, or criminal charges often had no realistic access to counsel. Having grown up in the Chicago suburbs, where courts and lawyers are abundant, I was stunned by how dramatically geography could determine a person’s rights. That map solidified my long-term goal: to help build legal pathways in communities that have been structurally overlooked.

My preparation for this career began long before I fully understood the law. As a first-generation American, I grew up watching my parents navigate institutions that often felt overwhelming. When my dad lost his job and later required repeated medical screenings after a polyp was discovered, the financial strain on my family was constant. These challenges made clear how much support and opportunity matter--especially now, as I rely on scholarship assistance to pursue a path rooted in public service.

The strengths that will help me reach my legal goals were built through years of academic work, leadership, and service. In high school, debate taught me to construct arguments rooted in precedent--skills that now anchor my constitutional reasoning on my college Moot Court team, where I write and analyze appellate-style briefs and address First Amendment and due process issues. These experiences gave me the strong analytical foundation necessary for appellate advocacy and constitutional litigation.

Leadership roles strengthened my ability to implement those skills in complex, real-world settings. As co-president of the National Honor Society, I organized a school-wide blood drive that collected 68 units (enough to save 204 lives!) and led our Adopt-A-Family program supporting local families during the holidays. Through Special Spaces, I helped raise $5,000 to remodel the bedroom of a child undergoing cancer treatment. Co-founding Saxons Speak, a student-led initiative with more than eighty members, taught me how to mediate discussions, collaborate across diverse perspectives, and mobilize volunteers--abilities essential for working with clients and communities in the legal field.

At Washington University in St. Louis, I am majoring in Political Science and Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology, with a Finance minor, gaining insight into institutional structures, human behavior, and the financial literacy needed to eventually build or support public-interest legal services.

My long-term goal is to serve as a public defender or a fair, ethical prosecutor before creating a public-interest legal organization that provides accessible legal support in underserved regions.

The law is at its best when it protects the vulnerable and restores dignity. With the support of this scholarship, I will continue preparing to become the kind of advocate who ensures that justice reaches every community, especially the ones that need it most. I want to become the kind of lawyer who offers the same steady, unwavering advocacy I witnessed in that courtroom years ago--the kind that turns fear into relief and restores dignity when it is most at risk.