Should minorities receive different—“special”—treatment when applying for jobs after law school if their credentials are just not as good? In light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision against affirmative action and pending litigation against diversity fellowships at two of the nation’s largest law firms, many people are asking some version of this difficult question.

For students of color currently moving through academia, myself included, these questions can sow a poisonous seed of self-doubt. Did I earn my spot here, or did I cut the line? After all, black and Puerto Rican students have historically scored lowest on the LSAT. Racial disparities also persist in bar-passage rates. Regardless of the societal factors that cause these inequalities, they are glaring on applications by the time law students enter the workforce.