Court is in session for students interested in law school.
The pre-law fraternity at the UA, Phi Alpha Delta, has conducted law-related events throughout this week, the UA’s Pre-Law Week, to prepare students for the 27th annual Law School Information Expo. The expo will take place on Thursday in the Grand Ballroom of the Student Union Memorial Center.
“All of the activities this week is to give our students at the UA a better understanding about what is involved in law and having a more realistic view of it,” said Verlaine Walker, a senior academic adviser and pre-law coordinator. “Not just by looking at the TV programs and what the media presents, because that isn’t what it is about. Cases cannot be solved in 42 minutes.”
Expo organizers expect to have 123 law schools represented at the event and is also adding a few more schools to the list, including the University of California, Berkeley.
“It’s more than we have had in the last few years,” said Sean Assad, a political science senior and chair member of the pre-law expo. “I’ve gone to the law expo every year, and it is always a lot of fun.”
Some of the events held this week to help prepare students for the expo included Pizza with a Professional, where students were able to speak with law graduates currently working in the field, and the Law School Experience, a mock law school class that focused on deliberating a real case study.
“So far, the turnout has been good and we have been getting nice feedback from the students,” Walker said. “The more information they can get about law school the better, and the better decision they can make. I tell students not one person has all of the answers, so they must try to get as much information as they can from all different resources.”
Today, there is a personal statement information session at 4 in the Copper Room at the student union. There, students can learn how to write a personal statement for their law school application. It will also allow students to fine-tune the questions they want to ask at the law expo.
“It just looks really good asking questions and knowing what you want to know,” said Courtney Nelbach, an East Asian studies junior and member of the pre-law fraternity. “I’m going to be walking around in my free time and talking to representatives of schools that I specifically want to go to.”
All events including the law expo have been presented with the help and cooperation of the Western Association of Prelaw Advisors and the Center for Exploratory Students. All events are free to the public.