ASU Law alum establishes scholarship for students with lower GPAs, inspired by own journey

By the time Jordan Greenman (JD ’21) started law school, he had already built a career. But it was what came next — navigating law school, launching a business before graduation and ultimately building his own firm — that would redefine how he thought about success, risk and what it means to truly launch a career.

“My path to law school wasn’t exactly conventional. I started at 28 after already having a professional career as an urban planner for about four years,” Greenman said.

Before enrolling at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, Greenman had worked in land use planning, including with the City of Phoenix, gaining a deep understanding of zoning, development and how cities function — experience that would later shape his legal career. But in the classroom, things didn’t come as easily.

“To be honest, law school kicked my ass. I worked extremely hard, but reading and the first-year grind didn’t come naturally to me.” 

After his first year, Greenman found himself with a 2.81 GPA and questioning whether he belonged. While many of his peers measured success through grades, he began to realize his path might look different.

That became clear during his 1L summer, when a small but pivotal opportunity came his way. While working through an internship that wasn’t the right fit, Greenman reconnected with a Phoenix-based architectural firm he had worked with during his time at the City of Phoenix. They approached him for help with a zoning variance narrative, something that drew directly on his prior planning experience.

The project was approved, and the firm began referring him to others in their network. 

“One client became two, and two became three. I founded JEGreenman Consulting LLC, a land-use consulting firm, in August 2019,” he said.

What began as a single, low-cost project quickly snowballed into a steady stream of referrals — bringing long hours, growing responsibility and the challenge of building a business while still in law school. By his second year, Greenman was balancing clients, classes and exams, gaining real-world experience that many students don’t encounter until much later. 

After graduating, he leaned into that momentum, formally establishing Greenman Law Firm and building on the consulting work he began during law school.

“My confidence came from knowing I wasn’t starting from zero. Before I ever set foot in law school, I had already built a career in a really niche, technical field. I understood how cities functioned, how entitlement systems worked and how to help clients navigate complex land-use issues. That experience gave me a foundation that many new attorneys understandably do not yet have.” 

Drawing from his own law school journey, Greenman established a scholarship to support driven law students who may not have high GPAs. 

“I established the Greenman Law Scholarship because I wanted to make a very clear point: there’s so much more to being a successful lawyer than GPA or class rank.”

The scholarship is intentionally designed to support students who may not be at the top of their class — students who, like Greenman once did, might feel overlooked despite their potential. “This scholarship is my attempt to support those students and remind them that one metric does not define their future,” he said.

For Greenman, the idea of launching a career isn’t about waiting for the right opportunity. It’s about creating one.

“To me, launching a career is not about following a script or waiting for someone else to hand you an opportunity. It is about taking initiative, being resourceful and building something meaningful from where you are and what you love.”

Through his scholarship, he hopes to give students something simple but powerful: the ability to choose their own path with a little less pressure.

“I hope this scholarship creates even a little breathing room. Sometimes a modest amount of support can reduce stress enough for someone to think more clearly about what they actually want instead of simply what feels financially necessary in the moment.”

For those still unsure of where they stand, Greenman’s advice is grounded in experience.

“Don’t sweat it. Everything’s going to be just fine. GPA is one small piece of your story. The day after law school finishes, no one cares about your grades. They don’t identify you, and it is certainly not a final verdict on your future.”