2022 PCAPLA Conference
Please save the date, mark your calendars, and plan to join us for the Pacific Coast Association of Pre-Law Advisor’s (PCAPLA) “Don’t Stop Believin’” Conference scheduled for June 8-10, 2022, in San Francisco, California.
Conference Theme
This year’s conference theme, “Don’t Stop Believin’,” reminds us that as we recover from a global pandemic, it is a good time to take stock of what kinds of knowledge, skills, and abilities are needed now – and into the future – for successful pre-law advising. What does it look like to believe in and support pre-law students now? What changes are on the horizon for pre-law advising and law school admissions?
Host Law Schools
As always, our conference will include visits to law schools, workshops, panels, rich discussion, and good conversation. Our conference events will be held at our six Bay Area host law schools. Special thanks to these law schools for their generous hospitality.
Conference Theme
This year’s conference theme, “Don’t Stop Believin’,” reminds us that as we recover from a global pandemic, it is a good time to take stock of what kinds of knowledge, skills, and abilities are needed now – and into the future – for successful pre-law advising. What does it look like to believe in and support pre-law students now? What changes are on the horizon for pre-law advising and law school admissions?
Host Law Schools
As always, our conference will include visits to law schools, workshops, panels, rich discussion, and good conversation. Our conference events will be held at our six Bay Area host law schools. Special thanks to these law schools for their generous hospitality.
- Golden Gate University School of Law
- Santa Clara University School of Law
- Stanford Law School
- UC Berkeley School of Law
- UC Hastings College of the Law
- University of San Francisco School of Law
Call for Proposals: Submission Deadline January 31, 2022
The PCAPLA Conference Committee invites all pre-law advisors and law school admissions and support professionals to propose panels, workshops, roundtable discussions, and plenary sessions for new, seasoned, and veteran advisors.
The PCAPLA Conference Committee invites proposals on any relevant topic, including those inspired by our theme, whether an individual presentation or a panel discussion to be addressed by several speakers. Your proposal could be a completed program or a work in progress to be refined in the weeks following the submission of your proposal. Please provide as much detail as you can at the time of your submission, which will enable us to have an accurate reflection of what you have envisioned. The submission deadline is Monday, January 31, 2022.
To provide some inspiration for proposals, the conference will generally be organized around five tracks:
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.
Preparing Students for Careers in the Law
With the many recent changes and fluctuations in the legal job market, this track will include sessions involving preparation for law school, aspects of the legal job market, legal careers, teaching law to undergraduate students, and other innovative educational programs. Examples of sessions in this category include teaching networking and professionalism to pre-law students, making sense of law school career data, exploring legal jobs in different industries, and helping student determine whether the law school route is the best path for their individual goals and career interests.
Pre-Law Programming
The programming that pre-law advisors run for their students varies greatly from institution to institution. In this track, presenters can showcase the great and unique programming they are running at their institutions. This category of proposals might include such topics as mock trial and moot court programs, various methods of delivering programming to pre-law students (such as webinars, social media, etc.), programs that include the development of networking skills or connecting students with alumni and mentors in the law, successful ways of marketing programs to students, or other innovative programming, best practices, and recommendations, among other topics.
Pipeline and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 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, advising undocumented students, and diversity programs and initiatives designed to support non-traditional and underrepresented law school applicants. You might also consider putting together a panel of first-generation and underrepresented law school students or law school alumni to provide their perspectives, feedback, and recommendations to pre-law advisors.
Hot Topics
The world of pre-law advising and law school admissions has been changing more frequently than ever over the past few years. This track provides the opportunity to visit the topics most pressing to pre-law advisors today, including how pre-law advising and/or law school admissions have changed because of the global pandemic. Submissions can include any topic of importance to pre-law advising, with preference given to those topics that are most timely in the 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.
For these topics to truly be "hot," we will continue to consider submissions for hot topics for a short period following the deadline. If you have something in mind, please let us know as soon as possible.
The deadline for submitting a proposal is Monday, January 31, 2022. The conference committee will review all submissions and finalize the conference program and the law school visitation schedule by early February.
To submit a proposal, please complete the form linked below and submit it by January 31, 2022, to Mahalley Allen at mdallen@csuchico.edu.
Additionally, if you would like to contribute your perspective or area of expertise on workshops or panels that others might be presenting, please contact Mahalley Allen at mdallen@csuchico.edu indicating your area of expertise and noting examples of possible topics to which you could contribute.
The PCAPLA Conference Committee invites proposals on any relevant topic, including those inspired by our theme, whether an individual presentation or a panel discussion to be addressed by several speakers. Your proposal could be a completed program or a work in progress to be refined in the weeks following the submission of your proposal. Please provide as much detail as you can at the time of your submission, which will enable us to have an accurate reflection of what you have envisioned. The submission deadline is Monday, January 31, 2022.
To provide some inspiration for proposals, the conference will generally be organized around five tracks:
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.
Preparing Students for Careers in the Law
With the many recent changes and fluctuations in the legal job market, this track will include sessions involving preparation for law school, aspects of the legal job market, legal careers, teaching law to undergraduate students, and other innovative educational programs. Examples of sessions in this category include teaching networking and professionalism to pre-law students, making sense of law school career data, exploring legal jobs in different industries, and helping student determine whether the law school route is the best path for their individual goals and career interests.
Pre-Law Programming
The programming that pre-law advisors run for their students varies greatly from institution to institution. In this track, presenters can showcase the great and unique programming they are running at their institutions. This category of proposals might include such topics as mock trial and moot court programs, various methods of delivering programming to pre-law students (such as webinars, social media, etc.), programs that include the development of networking skills or connecting students with alumni and mentors in the law, successful ways of marketing programs to students, or other innovative programming, best practices, and recommendations, among other topics.
Pipeline and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 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, advising undocumented students, and diversity programs and initiatives designed to support non-traditional and underrepresented law school applicants. You might also consider putting together a panel of first-generation and underrepresented law school students or law school alumni to provide their perspectives, feedback, and recommendations to pre-law advisors.
Hot Topics
The world of pre-law advising and law school admissions has been changing more frequently than ever over the past few years. This track provides the opportunity to visit the topics most pressing to pre-law advisors today, including how pre-law advising and/or law school admissions have changed because of the global pandemic. Submissions can include any topic of importance to pre-law advising, with preference given to those topics that are most timely in the 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.
For these topics to truly be "hot," we will continue to consider submissions for hot topics for a short period following the deadline. If you have something in mind, please let us know as soon as possible.
The deadline for submitting a proposal is Monday, January 31, 2022. The conference committee will review all submissions and finalize the conference program and the law school visitation schedule by early February.
To submit a proposal, please complete the form linked below and submit it by January 31, 2022, to Mahalley Allen at mdallen@csuchico.edu.
Additionally, if you would like to contribute your perspective or area of expertise on workshops or panels that others might be presenting, please contact Mahalley Allen at mdallen@csuchico.edu indicating your area of expertise and noting examples of possible topics to which you could contribute.
Conference Registration and Safety Protocols
Stay tuned to email and the PCAPLA website for conference registration information coming soon. To ensure safety, proof of full COVID-19 vaccination will be required of all conference participants. The PCAPLA Conference Committee is monitoring the safety protocols of the San Francisco Bay Area and will work closely with our host law schools on safety precautions. We will update attendees closer to the conference with more specific information about safety protocols and requirements.
Thank you, in advance, for your proposal submissions, guidance, and contributions toward advising and preparing the lawyers and leaders of tomorrow. We look forward to seeing you in-person in June!
Thank you, in advance, for your proposal submissions, guidance, and contributions toward advising and preparing the lawyers and leaders of tomorrow. We look forward to seeing you in-person in June!
