PCAPLA Call for Proposals - June 2017 Orange County/San Diego Conference
Dear PCAPLA and PLANC members,
Our 2017 PCAPLA conference, Tomorrowland: Pre-Law Advising for the Future, will be held in the Orange County/San Diego area from Wednesday, June 7th through Saturday, June 10th. The conference will start and end in Orange County and will include a full day visit to San Diego. Participants will visit law schools in both areas and attend workshops and panels in the conference hotel and at our 7 host law schools in the two areas. We are very excited to present this conference during a period of great change and one that holds so much potential for improvement.
Consistent with the spirit of collaboration that has characterized our region, we are calling on all our PCAPLA and PLANC members, law school representatives and pre-law advisors to propose panels, workshops, round-table discussions, and plenary sessions for new, seasoned and veteran advisors.
Proposals can be an idea for an interesting topic, an individual plan for a presentation, or a topic to be addressed by several speakers. The session you propose and would like to help coordinate for this conference could be a completed program or a work in progress to be refined in the weeks following the submission of your proposal. But, please provide as much detail as you can at the time of your submission to enable us to have an accurate reflection of what you have envisioned. The submission deadline is Friday, January 20, 2017. Additional proposals will be reviewed on a rolling basis until February 28.
Alternatively, if you have a particular area of expertise and would like to participate in workshops or panels that others might be presenting, please contact Miguel Moran-Lanier at [email protected] indicating your area of expertise and noting examples of possible topics to which you could contribute.
Your proposals will form the foundation for the conference and, in addition to serving as professional development for all pre-law advisors, will help set the tone and guide the direction of pre-law advising as we continue to advise our future counselors and leaders. With this in mind, we are looking for proposals that address the various needs of new, seasoned and veteran pre-law advisors in the context of changes in legal education and the legal industry. Developing and refining best practices is a central concern.
The following 5 tracks, plus the Hot Topics track (please note the separate deadline), are intended to provide organization to the conference to help attendees better identify sessions of interest to them:
1) The Nuts & Bolts of Pre-Law Advising
This category will include a variety of topics intended to assist those who are new to advising students interested in entering the legal profession, as well as provide valuable insights to veteran advisors on some of the more challenging aspects of working with pre-law students. Possible topics in this category include a mock admission panel, personal statement considerations, application process, timeline, preparation and related processes.
2) Preparing Students for Careers in the Law
With the many recent changes and fluctuations in the legal job market, this category will include sessions involving para-professional preparation for law school, aspects of the legal job market and legal careers. Examples of sessions in this category include teaching networking and professionalism to pre-law students, making sense of law school career data, or exploring legal jobs in developing industries.
An additional consideration for this area should be on guiding students in determining whether the law school route is the best path to meet their individual goals and career interests. There is an ‘old’ saying: “you can do almost anything with a law degree”. Nevertheless, higher education and various professional programs have evolved significantly in the last few decades and, following the changes in the legal industry as a result of the 2007 recession, we must consider that law school is not the ‘only’ path that students should follow, when considering the diverse array of available and emerging career areas.
3) Teaching Law to Undergraduates and Innovative Law School Programs
This track will include panels designed to share information about how undergraduates are taught law and legal writing. In addition to holding an interest to those who hold undergraduate teaching positions, it will also provide valuable insights for those who advise students about what classes to take in preparation for law school. Some examples of sessions that might fall into this category include methods used to teach legal subjects/legal writing, methods of assessment, or comparing undergraduate and law school teaching of the same topic. Topics might also address innovative law school curricular programs intended to satisfy the changing needs of the legal industry.
Furthermore, we encourage proposals on innovative models and partnerships for direct interaction and communication between law school career centers and pre-law advisors to discuss how pre-law advisors can help prepare students to hit the ground running when they start law school. The focus here is on preparing students for the para-professional experiences that students must pursue in law school along with their academic program, while anticipating recruitment processes and timelines for an effective transition into the legal industry.
4) Pre-Law Programming
The programming that pre-law advisors run for their students varies greatly from institution to institution. This track will provide the space for advisors to showcase some of the great, unique programming they are running at their institutions. This category might include such topics as mock trial and moot court programs, various methods of delivering programming to pre-law students (such as the integration of webinars, social media, etc.), programs that include the development of networking skills in preparation for law school, connecting them with alumni and mentors in the legal industry and expose them to various legal careers, successful ways of marketing programs to students to maximize the students taking advantage of such programming, or other innovative programming, best practices, and recommendations.
5) Pipeline and Diversity Programs
Proposals for this track can focus on a variety of current, developing, and emerging topics addressing the multiple needs of pre-law students from 2 or 4-year institutions and/or the needs of underrepresented students. Examples might include, but are not restricted to: panels discussing the progress and challenges associated with formal 2+2+3 pipeline programs, best-practices for informal partnerships and alternate programs between community college and 4-year institutions created with the purpose of preparing pre-law students for an effective transition between undergraduate institutions and law schools, advising undocumented students, and diversity programs and initiatives designed to support non-traditional and underrepresented pre-law students and alumni applying to law schools. You might also consider putting together a panel of 1st generation and underrepresented law school students or law school alumni to provide their perspective, feedback, and recommendations to pre-law advisors.
The deadline for submitting a proposal for the previous 5 tracks is Friday, January 20th. The conference committee will review all submissions and finalize the conference program and the law school visitation schedule by January 30th.
Hot Topics Track
It seems the world of pre-law advising and law school admissions has been changing more frequently than ever over the last decade. This track provides the opportunity for us to visit the topics most pressing to pre-law advisors today. Submissions can include any topic of importance to those advising pre-law students, with preference given to those topics that are most timely in this ever-changing landscape of law school admissions.
Also included within this section could be a panel of law school deans, representatives from NALP, and the ABA commenting on the future direction of the legal education and the legal industry, taking into consideration the most current changes, transitions and other considerations.
In order for these topics to truly be "hot," we will continue accepting submissions for the Hot Topics track through Friday, March 10th. Consequently, those submitting proposals for this track may not hear a definitive response to their proposal until the end of March or early April.
To submit your proposal, please complete the attached form and submit it to [email protected] by:
Tracks #1-5: Friday, January 20, 2017 - Additional proposals will be reviewed on a rolling basis until February 28.
Track #6: Friday, March 10, 2017
You will receive a confirmation that your submission was received within 36 hours.
There has not been in recent times, as there is today, a greater need for open communication and exchange of ideas with a true spirit of collaboration and innovation. Thank you, in advance, for your proposal submissions, guidance, and your contributions toward advising and preparing the lawyers and leaders of tomorrow.
Sincerely,
Your 2017 PCAPLA Conference Committee
Tomorrowland: Pre-Law Advising for the Future
Our 2017 PCAPLA conference, Tomorrowland: Pre-Law Advising for the Future, will be held in the Orange County/San Diego area from Wednesday, June 7th through Saturday, June 10th. The conference will start and end in Orange County and will include a full day visit to San Diego. Participants will visit law schools in both areas and attend workshops and panels in the conference hotel and at our 7 host law schools in the two areas. We are very excited to present this conference during a period of great change and one that holds so much potential for improvement.
Consistent with the spirit of collaboration that has characterized our region, we are calling on all our PCAPLA and PLANC members, law school representatives and pre-law advisors to propose panels, workshops, round-table discussions, and plenary sessions for new, seasoned and veteran advisors.
Proposals can be an idea for an interesting topic, an individual plan for a presentation, or a topic to be addressed by several speakers. The session you propose and would like to help coordinate for this conference could be a completed program or a work in progress to be refined in the weeks following the submission of your proposal. But, please provide as much detail as you can at the time of your submission to enable us to have an accurate reflection of what you have envisioned. The submission deadline is Friday, January 20, 2017. Additional proposals will be reviewed on a rolling basis until February 28.
Alternatively, if you have a particular area of expertise and would like to participate in workshops or panels that others might be presenting, please contact Miguel Moran-Lanier at [email protected] indicating your area of expertise and noting examples of possible topics to which you could contribute.
Your proposals will form the foundation for the conference and, in addition to serving as professional development for all pre-law advisors, will help set the tone and guide the direction of pre-law advising as we continue to advise our future counselors and leaders. With this in mind, we are looking for proposals that address the various needs of new, seasoned and veteran pre-law advisors in the context of changes in legal education and the legal industry. Developing and refining best practices is a central concern.
The following 5 tracks, plus the Hot Topics track (please note the separate deadline), are intended to provide organization to the conference to help attendees better identify sessions of interest to them:
1) The Nuts & Bolts of Pre-Law Advising
This category will include a variety of topics intended to assist those who are new to advising students interested in entering the legal profession, as well as provide valuable insights to veteran advisors on some of the more challenging aspects of working with pre-law students. Possible topics in this category include a mock admission panel, personal statement considerations, application process, timeline, preparation and related processes.
2) Preparing Students for Careers in the Law
With the many recent changes and fluctuations in the legal job market, this category will include sessions involving para-professional preparation for law school, aspects of the legal job market and legal careers. Examples of sessions in this category include teaching networking and professionalism to pre-law students, making sense of law school career data, or exploring legal jobs in developing industries.
An additional consideration for this area should be on guiding students in determining whether the law school route is the best path to meet their individual goals and career interests. There is an ‘old’ saying: “you can do almost anything with a law degree”. Nevertheless, higher education and various professional programs have evolved significantly in the last few decades and, following the changes in the legal industry as a result of the 2007 recession, we must consider that law school is not the ‘only’ path that students should follow, when considering the diverse array of available and emerging career areas.
3) Teaching Law to Undergraduates and Innovative Law School Programs
This track will include panels designed to share information about how undergraduates are taught law and legal writing. In addition to holding an interest to those who hold undergraduate teaching positions, it will also provide valuable insights for those who advise students about what classes to take in preparation for law school. Some examples of sessions that might fall into this category include methods used to teach legal subjects/legal writing, methods of assessment, or comparing undergraduate and law school teaching of the same topic. Topics might also address innovative law school curricular programs intended to satisfy the changing needs of the legal industry.
Furthermore, we encourage proposals on innovative models and partnerships for direct interaction and communication between law school career centers and pre-law advisors to discuss how pre-law advisors can help prepare students to hit the ground running when they start law school. The focus here is on preparing students for the para-professional experiences that students must pursue in law school along with their academic program, while anticipating recruitment processes and timelines for an effective transition into the legal industry.
4) Pre-Law Programming
The programming that pre-law advisors run for their students varies greatly from institution to institution. This track will provide the space for advisors to showcase some of the great, unique programming they are running at their institutions. This category might include such topics as mock trial and moot court programs, various methods of delivering programming to pre-law students (such as the integration of webinars, social media, etc.), programs that include the development of networking skills in preparation for law school, connecting them with alumni and mentors in the legal industry and expose them to various legal careers, successful ways of marketing programs to students to maximize the students taking advantage of such programming, or other innovative programming, best practices, and recommendations.
5) Pipeline and Diversity Programs
Proposals for this track can focus on a variety of current, developing, and emerging topics addressing the multiple needs of pre-law students from 2 or 4-year institutions and/or the needs of underrepresented students. Examples might include, but are not restricted to: panels discussing the progress and challenges associated with formal 2+2+3 pipeline programs, best-practices for informal partnerships and alternate programs between community college and 4-year institutions created with the purpose of preparing pre-law students for an effective transition between undergraduate institutions and law schools, advising undocumented students, and diversity programs and initiatives designed to support non-traditional and underrepresented pre-law students and alumni applying to law schools. You might also consider putting together a panel of 1st generation and underrepresented law school students or law school alumni to provide their perspective, feedback, and recommendations to pre-law advisors.
The deadline for submitting a proposal for the previous 5 tracks is Friday, January 20th. The conference committee will review all submissions and finalize the conference program and the law school visitation schedule by January 30th.
Hot Topics Track
It seems the world of pre-law advising and law school admissions has been changing more frequently than ever over the last decade. This track provides the opportunity for us to visit the topics most pressing to pre-law advisors today. Submissions can include any topic of importance to those advising pre-law students, with preference given to those topics that are most timely in this ever-changing landscape of law school admissions.
Also included within this section could be a panel of law school deans, representatives from NALP, and the ABA commenting on the future direction of the legal education and the legal industry, taking into consideration the most current changes, transitions and other considerations.
In order for these topics to truly be "hot," we will continue accepting submissions for the Hot Topics track through Friday, March 10th. Consequently, those submitting proposals for this track may not hear a definitive response to their proposal until the end of March or early April.
To submit your proposal, please complete the attached form and submit it to [email protected] by:
Tracks #1-5: Friday, January 20, 2017 - Additional proposals will be reviewed on a rolling basis until February 28.
Track #6: Friday, March 10, 2017
You will receive a confirmation that your submission was received within 36 hours.
There has not been in recent times, as there is today, a greater need for open communication and exchange of ideas with a true spirit of collaboration and innovation. Thank you, in advance, for your proposal submissions, guidance, and your contributions toward advising and preparing the lawyers and leaders of tomorrow.
Sincerely,
Your 2017 PCAPLA Conference Committee
Tomorrowland: Pre-Law Advising for the Future
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