The Law Place Law School Scholarship has awarded $2,500 to Abigail So, a first-year student at Penn Carey Law, for her essay exploring how a research mentor outside traditional legal practice inspired her career ambitions. So's selection underscores an emerging recognition that legal innovation often originates at the intersection of law and other disciplines, particularly psychology.
So's essay detailed her transformative year-long research experience with Dr. Bermant during her undergraduate studies, where she investigated the psychological dimensions of false confessions in legal contexts. "I read everything I could find: landmark cases, psychological studies, interrogation transcripts, wrongful conviction stories," So explained. "It was chilling and addictive—this deeply human, deeply legal issue. I quickly learned that false confessions don't happen in a vacuum—they're often the result of long, high-pressure interrogations paired with human vulnerability."
This interdisciplinary investigation led So to fundamental questions about legal system reform, including interrogation practices and the potential role of psychologists in legal processes. Dr. Bermant's mentorship proved particularly influential when he challenged So to consider practical applications of her research. "His questions became my calling," So noted. "He lit the flame and kept it burning with every conversation…Dr. Bermant became more than a mentor—he became my hero. Not because he stood in a courtroom or wrote landmark opinions, but because he showed me that the law isn't just about rules. It's about people. It's about psychology, power, vulnerability, and truth."
The scholarship selection signals broader industry implications as legal education increasingly values cross-disciplinary perspectives. For business and technology leaders, So's trajectory demonstrates how innovation in traditionally siloed fields like law emerges from integrating insights from psychology, behavioral science, and other domains. Her planned career as a transactional attorney suggests these interdisciplinary approaches will influence not just litigation but also corporate legal practice and business transactions.
The Law Place, which awards the scholarship through its team of Sarasota personal injury lawyers, recognizes that legal education extending beyond traditional boundaries creates more effective practitioners. So's experience illustrates how mentorship outside conventional legal settings can shape more nuanced understanding of legal systems and their human dimensions.
For industry observers, So's recognition highlights several significant trends: the growing importance of psychological literacy in legal practice, the value of research experience in legal education, and the expanding definition of what constitutes legal expertise. As artificial intelligence and technology transform legal services, professionals who understand both legal frameworks and human behavior will be particularly positioned to develop ethical, effective solutions to complex challenges.
The scholarship award comes as legal education increasingly emphasizes practical skills and interdisciplinary approaches. So's essay and career path suggest that future legal innovation may depend less on mastering existing precedents and more on asking novel questions that bridge legal practice with other fields of study. This approach could lead to more humane legal systems, more effective corporate compliance programs, and more sophisticated understanding of how psychological factors influence legal outcomes in both criminal and civil contexts.
