2011 UNLV Law Fair School List

This year, we are pleased to welcome seventy law schools from around the country. The map below represents all of the law schools that will be in attendance.


View 2011 UNLV Law Fair Attendees in a larger map

American University Washington College of Law
University of Arizona JE Rogers College of Law
Arizona State University SD O'Connor College of Law
Atlanta's John Marshall Law school
Brigham Young University Law School
University at Buffalo Law School
UC Hastings College of the Law
Univ. of California, Irvine School of Law
California Western School of Law
Cardozo School of Law
Catholic University, Columbus School of Law
Chapman University School of Law
Charlotte School of Law
University of Colorado Law School
Creighton University School of Law
University of Denver Sturm College of Law
University of Detroit Mercy School of Law
Drake University Law School
Drexel University E Mack School of Law
Florida Coastal School of Law
Fordham Law School
Golden Gate University School of Law
Gonzaga University School of Law
Hofstra University School of Law
University of Houston Law Center
University of Idaho College of Law
University of Illinois College of Law
The John Marshall Law School
University of Kansas School of Law
Lewis & Clark Law School
Loyola Law School, Los Angeles
Marquette University Law School
University of Maryland UK Carey School of Law
University of Minnesota Law School
Mississippi College School of Law
University of Missouri Kansas City School of Law
UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law
University of New Mexico School of Law
New York Law School
The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law
University of Oklahoma College of Law
Oklahoma City University School of Law
University of Oregon School of Law
Phoenix School of Law
The University of Pittsburgh School of Law
Roger Williams University School of Law
University of San Diego School of Law
University of San Francisco School of Law
Santa Clara School of Law
Seattle University School of Law
Southern Illinois University School of Law
Southwestern Law School
St. Thomas University School of Law
University of Tennessee Law
Texas Tech University School of Law
Texas Wesleyan Univeristy School of Law
Thomas Jefferson School of Law
The Thomas M. Cooley Law School
Touro Law Center
University of St. Thomas School of Law
University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law
University of Utah SJ Quinney College of Law
Washburn University School of Law
Western New England University School of Law
Western State University College of Law
Whittier Law School
Widener University School of Law
Willamette University College of Law
William & Mary Law School
University of Wyoming College of Law

Is the President Constitutionally Obligated to Ignore the Supreme Court?

A lecture free and open to the public (no ticket required) by George Thomas, Associate Professor of Political Science, Claremont McKenna College

When President Obama criticized the Supreme Court’s opinion allowing corporate funding of independent political broadcasts in elections, many reacted as if it were unacceptable for a president to challenge publicly the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the Constitution. We tend to think that the Supreme Court is the essential guardian of the Constitution, and the Court itself has frequently insisted upon its supremacy in defending American constitutional ideas. Yet this understanding is at odds with constitutional design and constitutional history. The Congress and the president, no less than the Supreme Court, swear an oath to uphold the Constitution. Many of our most esteemed presidents—Jefferson, Lincoln, and Franklin Roosevelt, for example—have insisted upon their interpretation of the Constitution against the Supreme Court’s opinions.

Professor Thomas is the author of The Madisonian Constitution (John Hopkins University Press). His articles and essays on constitutionalism and constitutional law have appeared in Review of Politics, Constitutional Contemporary, Perspectives on Politics, and other journals.

Thursday, April 21, 2011
7:30 p.m.
Barrick Museum Auditorium, UNLV, 4505 South Maryland Parkway

Sponsored by the UNLV Great Works Academic Certificate program, Boyd School of Law, Departments of Political Science and History, and Phi Alpha Theta.
For more information contact Professor David Fott (895-4187; dfott@unlv.nevada.edu).

The Application Timeline

Applying for law school can be a frustrating, time-consuming and bewildering process for undergraduate students. If you’re thinking about going to law school, UNLV Prelaw can help you make sense of it all. Follow these steps to get the information you need when you need it. Before you know it, you’ll be on your way!

Freshmen & Sophomores

Learn the basics.
Now is the time to start thinking about what you want to do when you finish your undergraduate degree. If you are an underclassman, you certainly don’t need to decide now, but you should start preparing for the possibility that you may want to apply to law school in the future. To learn about the process, check out the UNLV Prelaw Podcast. Here, you’ll learn the basics about applying to law school. The Prelaw Podcast answers questions like, “Should I go to law school?” and “What’s the deal with the LSAT?”

Succeed as an undergraduate. The best thing to do now is to maximize your undergraduate experience. Choose a major that is rigorous but interesting to you. The Prelaw Podcast episode about choosing a major will help. Then, use common sense to keep your grades high and maintain good relationships with your professors. How? Go to class. Be on time. Don’t text or update Facebook during class. Go to your professors’ office hours and make sure that you understand the course material. Do your work early and proofread it before you turn it in. All of these things will help you to get great evaluations and letters of recommendations.

Get involved. Find employment or extra-curricular activities that inspire you. You don’t have to be in student government; choose something that shows that you can handle multiple responsibilities. Better still if it involves helping others. Also, start getting involved with the prelaw activities on campus. The UNLV Prelaw Twitter & Facebook feeds will keep you up to date on the latest events. Contact us for information about Phi Alpha Delta, UNLV’s prelaw fraternity. Finally, be sure to attend the UNLV Law Fair in October.

Juniors

Take the LSAT. Once you finish your first two years of college, it’s go time. Preparation starts in earnest during your junior year. Of course, you’ll need to continue doing all of the things you’ve been doing to succeed in college. You’ll also need to start buckling down for the most dreaded part of the application process: the LSAT. You’ll need to devise a strategy to prepare for the LSAT during your junior year. UNLV Prelaw recommends that you take the June LSAT 14 months before you wish to begin law school. For most students, that is the June directly following their junior year. But you’ll need to begin preparations several months out. It’s wise to begin practice tests as early as the beginning of your junior year. You’ll need to decide whether you will take a commercial preparation course, or if you’ll go it alone. Either way, it generally takes students several months longer than they anticipate to prepare for this test. See the Prelaw Podcast episode about the LSAT for more information. When you sign up for the LSAT, sign up for the Credential Assembly Service (CAS), too. You’ll need that to complete your online applications.

Begin preparing the rest of your application. After you take the LSAT, you’ll need to begin preparing your personal statement. In addition, you’ll want to start thinking about who you’ll ask for recommendations. Yes, we have podcast episodes to help with both of these things. Once you have your LSAT score in hand, you’ll have a better idea about which schools you might apply to. Check the LSAC-ABA Official Guide and search using your LSAT score and GPA. Step by step instructions are (you guessed it) in the podcast. Start putting together a list of your dream schools, your safe schools, and a few in the middle. Visit as many of these schools as you can. If your LSAT score is less than your best, prepare to take the October LSAT. Yes, that means studying all over again. Finally, you’ll need to start keeping an eagle eye on your credit score. Unless you get a full ride somewhere (and sometimes even then), you’ll need to take out loans. With bad credit, this will be nearly impossible.

Seniors

Get your materials ready. Now is when all of your preparation pays off. Early in the semester, you’ll need to meet with your professors and request letters of recommendation. The Prelaw Podcast will give you some critical tips. You’ll need to tie up any loose ends, including getting your personal statement locked down and writing any necessary addenda to explain irregularities in your record. You’ll need to get your transcripts sent to CAS, and you’ll need to write any school-specific essays requested or required in the online applications. Update your resume and check that credit report just to be sure.

Ready, set, apply! If you need to retake the LSAT—and you have prepared adequately this time—you’ll need to do that this September. In October, you should have all of your materials ready to go. Also, you’ll need to attend the UNLV Law Fair in late October. You’ll get a chance to talk to the admissions representatives from the schools you will be applying to, and they’ll help you iron out any last details. Now, you’ll need to start filling out the online applications for your schools. To be in the best position to maximize your chances in the rolling admissions process, you should aim to have your applications submitted by Halloween. Be sure to fill out your FAFSA. It’s due in June. Make sure to keep an eye on your credit.

Wait with bated breath. This is one of the hardest parts of the process. In the meantime, you should request financial aid application materials from schools that require them. Submit these. You’ll also want to check on your Master Law School Report from CAS. Request corrections if necessary. In the spring of your senior year, you should start getting answers from your schools.

Decision time. This is probably the second hardest part of the process. Visit as many schools as you can. You’ll want to consider the costs, scholarship offers, location, prestige, and a host of other important factors. Nobody can make this decision for you, and that’s what makes it so difficult. In the end, you’ll have to make the best decision you can given what you know now, and then start preparing to start your new life as a law student.

Conditional Admission Programs

The LSAC has assembled a list of schools that offer programs where admission is contingent upon the successful completion of a pre-enrollment program. They note that "interested students should contact the law school for individual program eligibility and requirements. I'll recreate the list below:

• Appalachian School of Law
• Campbell Law School
• Charlotte School of Law
• University of Detroit Mercy School of Law
• University of District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law
• Faulker University's Thomas Goode Jones School of Law
• Florida A&M University College of Law
• Florida Coastal School of Law
• Loyola University New Orleans School of Law
• John Marshall Law School (Chicago)
• Michigan State University College of Law
• North Carolina Central University School of Law
• Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad Law Center
• Ohio Northern Law School
• Oklahoma City University School of Law
• Phoenix Law School
• Saint John's University School of Law
• Saint Louis University School of Law
• Saint Mary's University School of Law
• Saint Thomas University School of Law (Miami)
• Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law
• Whittier Law School
• Widener University School of Law

Contact UNLV Prelaw with questions at prelaw@unlv.edu.

The 2010 UNLV Law Fair

Hello, folks! Get ready to meet the law school of your dreams! Want to know which schools are coming? So far, we've got 56 ABA-approved law schools on the list! Here they are on a map. Below, find the list!


View 2010 UNLV Law Fair Participants in a larger map

American University Washington College of Law
Arizona State University Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law
Brigham Young University Law School
Chapman University School of Law
Charlotte School of Law
Creighton University School of Law
Drake University Law School
Drexel University's Earle Mack School of Law
Fordham Law School
Golden Gate University School of Law
Gonzaga University School of Law
Hofstra Law School
Lewis and Clark Law School
Liberty University School of Law
Loyola Law School, Los Angeles
Mississippi College School of Law
Pacific McGeorge School of Law
Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law
Phoenix School of Law
Seattle University School of Law
South Texas College of Law
Southwestern Law School
Syracuse University College of Law
Texas Tech University School of Law
Texas Wesleyan School of Law
The John Marshall Law School
The University o Tennessee College of Law
Thomas Jefferson School of Law
Touro College Law Center
Tulane University Law School
Univeristy of Arizona's James E. Rogers College of Law
Univeristy of California Hastings College of the Law
University of Baltimore School of Law
University of Cincinnati College of Law
University of Colorado Law School
University of Detroit Mercy School of Law
University of Houston Law Center
University of Idaho College of Law
University of Illinois College of Law
University of Maryland School of Law
University of Minnesota Law School
University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law
University of Nevada Las Vegas William S. Boyd School of Law
University of New Mexico School of Law
University of Oregon School of Law
University of San Diego School of Law
University of San Francisco School of Law
University of Toledo College of Law
University of Utay SJ Quinney College of Law
Univesity of Wyoming College of Law
Washburn University School of Law
Western State University College of Law
Whittier Law School
Widener University School of Law
Willamette University College of Law
Yeshiva University Benjamin Cardozo School of Law

Internship Opportunity w/ Conservative Candidate's Campaign

Dear UNLV Prelaw Students,

Here is an opportunity to intern with a conservative candidate for US Congress. This is posted as a courtesy on behalf of the Fiore campaign. Please remember that UNLV Prelaw does not endorse any particular political party, candidate or platform. This is posted for your information:

Deadline: 5/20/2010

Intern Description for spring and summer term

Interns must be able to go door-to-door and conduct interviews with residents in targeted precincts. We provide walk literature and designated contacts for field work.

Interns must be able to maintain courteous conversation with targeted voters and take comprehensive notes of conversation while also directing exact questions for our micro-targeted voter campaign.

If willing to be a team leader, interns must have reliable transportation available at all times. Interns must sign a non-compete clause and confidentiality agreement.

All interns are required to maintain a regular schedule and most importantly be reliable.

Intern work includes attending events in the evening hours and representing the candidate at an array of functions.

Paid for by Fiore for Congress

If you are interested in joining our campaign please contact our chief-of-staff, Elicia Huffaker at 702-210-8460. We are looking for dedicated interns to start today.

We will work with your University to give you credit hours for your work. This is a great opportunity for anyone who wants to learn about politics first hand and to meet many people with similar political views.

-UNLV Prelaw

Intern in a Local Law Office

Thinking about going to law school?

Before you make the decision, find out what the career is like by experiencing it from the inside.

UNLV's Department of Political Science has recently inaugurated a cooperative internship program with several local attorneys. Their firms are now on our roster and they have positions available for both the Summer and Fall of 2010.

Learn what the career is really like and earn academic credit at the same time.

For information about these positions, contact Dr. Steven Parker, Internship Coordinator, at parkers@unlv.nevada.edu

-UNLV Prelaw