PRELAW HANDBOOK - Prelaw Office, Prelaw Advisors, and Prelaw Society

TOPICS

The goal to become a lawyer and have a law career is helped by a good beginning. A good beginning would include going to the prelaw office, reading some relevant material there, discussing your career plans and your suitability for law school with the prelaw advisor, becoming a member of the prelaw society, and participating in the activities sponsored by the prelaw society.

TOPICS

POSSIBLE SERVICES OF A PRELAW OFFICE

TWO WARNINGS

WHY PARTICIPATE IN A PRELAW SOCIETY

PRELAW FRATERNITY

PRELAW OFFICE
POSIBLE SERVPCES

A well-financed prelaw office with a sufficient number of prelaw advisors may be able to provide:    _.

A lending library of books of possible interest to prelaw students. _.

Advice and information for students unsure about a career in law.

Advice and information for prelaw students choosing a major.

Advice and information for prelaw students planning their undergraduate curriculum.   _.

Schedule lectures by law school deans and admission officers.

Provide opportunities to observe trials at various courthouses.

Provide opportunites to observe law classes at accredited law schools.

Provide access to WESTLAW, an online legal research service for legal and law related materials and services

Provide advice and information about relevant internships. _.

Advice on when to apply to law school (not everyone goes to law school in the fall after college graduation).

Advice on which of law school, graduate school, or employment would be the best choice after graduation. _.

Advice on options if taking time off' between graduation and applying to law school.   _.

Provide information and advice on LSAT preparation.

Provide advice on whether a prelaw student should cancel the score on an LSAT just taken. _.

After LSAT score is received, provide advice on whether to retake the LSAT.   _.

Provide advice and information for prelaw students determining possible law schools to send applications. _.

Review law school personal statement.   _.

Advice on whom to ask for letters of recommendation.

Advice and information for prelaw students selecting the law school to attend. _.

Advice and information on what to do if wait-listed at a school more appealing than those at which you were accepted. _.

Help prelaw students prepare for an interview in the unlikely event that one is wanted by the student and granted by the law school.   _.

Career plan advice for the students rejected by all law schools to which they applied. _.

TWO WARNINGS



We have two warnings; the first from Arizona State University Pre-Law and the second from New York University Prelaw:

Keep in mind that information you gather from the web should not take the place of seeing a pre-law advisor.

The ultimate responsibility for your graduate school planning rests with you. A Prelaw Advisors can explain what a law school education is about, suggest related readings, and provide statistical data and information (at the beginning of your senior year) about the probability of your admission to selected schools, but ... [the prelaw advisors] cannot tell you whether you will enjoy the law, or whether you will be a good lawyer, or whether you will find a job that fulfils your increased expectations upon law school graduation. The answers to these questions depend on you.

WHY PARTICIPATE IN A PRELAW SOCIETY?

University of Florida Pre-Law Advising says, "Although law schools will not look to see if a student has participated in a pre-law student organization when making admissions decisions, these organizations provide an important function in terms of the collection and dissemination of pertinent law school admission information. An added benefit of these organizations is that they provide an opportunity for students with diverse academic interests but similar career goals to interact."

PHI ALPHA DELTA: A LAW FRATERNITY

PHI ALPHA DELTA is the largest co-ed professional law fraternity in the United States of America. It was founded in 1902 and today has over 250,000 initiated members. Phi Alpha Delta has members who are university students, law school students, lawyers, judges, senators, and even presidents.

February 1, 2010