2014 PCAPLA Conference

Law & Order: So*Cal Unit - Perfecting Pre-Law Advising
June 11-14, 2014
Los Angeles, CA

See 2014 Hosts & Sponsors.

Notes

  • Dress - Casual or business casual. Dress for comfort and be prepared to walk during law school tours.
  • Attendees  - Conference participants include pre-law advisors, law school admissions officers, test prep representatives, writers/members of the press, and one or more consultants.
  • Check-In - If you are unavailable to check in and pick up materials during the designated times (see below), please make alternative arrangements with Precious Robinson at [email protected].
  • Directory - This directory.pdf includes contact information for the conference attendees (Updated 6/12/2014).
  • Photographs  - We will take photographs during the conference for historical purposes and potentially for the PCAPLA website and/or other media.  If you want to make sure your image is not used by PCAPLA, please send an email request to [email protected] and copy [email protected] and the PCAPLA Communications and Marketing Co-Chair Elisabeth Steele Hutchison at [email protected].
  • Schedule - This probably goes without saying and your understanding is appreciated: It's critical that we board the bus at the beginning the day and during transitions between schools according to the schedule. Given traffic along with the number of school visits and sessions at each school, we must all be as mindful and as prompt as possible. Thanks in advance for your cooperation.
  • Weather - Please see the National Weather Service Forecast.  

Schedule

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Embassy Suites
1440 East Imperial Avenue, El Segundo, CA 90245 | Map & Directions
Parking: Street parking around the hotel is available during the day and at night without a permit. However, street cleaning around the Embassy Suites is on Tuesday and Thursday mornings 8 am to 10 am. Please read signs carefully if you decide to park on the street.  Parking is free in the hotel's underground parking lot from morning until midnight.  There is a discount for conference attendees who park overnight ($18 instead of $26).
  • 4:30 PM - 7:30 PM Check-In (First Floor Atrium - 80s patio area just past the restaurant)
  • 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM Reception (First Floor Atrium - 80s patio area just past the restaurant)

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Embassy Suites
1440 East Imperial Avenue, El Segundo, CA 90245 | Map & Directions
  • 7:00 AM - 7:15 PM Check-In (First Floor Atrium - 80s patio area just past the restaurant)
  • 7:30 AM Depart Embassy Suites

USC Gould School of Law
699 Exposition Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90089 | Map & Directions
Parking: Parking will be available in Parking Structure X (PSX), located at the McCarthy Way and Figueroa Street entrance – Gate 3.  Parking is complimentary. Guests must state that they are attending the USC Gould School of Law PCAPLA Event (Parking Reservation # 53345).
  • 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM Breakfast (Room 130)
  • 9:00 AM - 9:15 AM Welcome & Remarks (Room 130)
  • 9:15 AM- 10:00 AM Update from Vivian Bowden, LSAC Executive Director for Education, Prelaw Programs, and Member Support Services (Room 130)
  • 10:00 AM - 10:45 AM Partnering with Your University or Local Law School.pdf (Room 130) Explore how pre-law advisors and law school admissions professionals may work closely together, pool resources, and co-host events. Examine partnerships at the University of Southern California, UC Santa Barbara, and the University of  Hawai'i at Manoa. We will examples of successful events, 3+3 programs, and utilizing current law students as peer advisors.​
    Panelists:  ​​Erica Wasserman, M.A., M.Ed., Academic Advisor, University of Southern California; Geinel Johnson, Academic Advisor, University of Southern California; Nakita Lea, Academic Advisor, University of Southern California;  Miguel Moran-Lanier,  Academic and Pre-Law Advisor, UC Santa Barbara; and Elisabeth Steele Hutchison, Director of Admissions, University of Hawai'i at Manoa | William S. Richardson School of Law
  • 11:00 AM - 11:45 AM Financing a Legal Education: Going in to the Deep End – Can I afford this?.pdf (Room 130)
    Moderator:  Linda Bunch, Career Counselor, Pitzer College
    Panelists:  Nasreen B. Zia, Director of Financial Aid, University of California at Irvine School of Law;  and Tracy L. Simmons, Assistant Dean of Admissions, Diversity Initiatives and Financial Aid, University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law
  • 11:45 AM - 12:15 PM Tour
  • 12:15 PM Depart USC

Loyola Law School | Los Angeles
919 Albany St, Los Angeles, CA 90015 | Map & Directions
Parking:  Parking is available in our parking garage located on Albany Street. As you enter, please tell the parking attendant that you are visiting for the PCAPLA Conference. Parking is complimentary.
  • 12:45 PM Arrive at Loyola
  • 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Lunch - Welcome & Remarks (Girardi Building, Robinson Courtroom) Associate Dean Paul Hayden, Alumnus Jamon Hicks
  • 2:00 PM - 2:45 PM Prelaw Summer (and Other) Programs (Girardi Building, Robinson Courtroom) Learn about important opportunities for prospective law students to attend programs during the summer or at other times before their first year of law school.  These programs are targeted to applicants who have great promise for law school but whose LSAT and UGPA may be beneath traditional admissions requirements.  Panelists will offer information on academic support programs, conditional admission programs and programs offered by the Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO). 
    Panelists: Professor Susan Bakhshian, Director of Bar Programs and Academic Support, Loyola Law School | Los Angeles; Michelle Allison Slaughter, Associate Director of Admissions, Thomas Jefferson School of Law; Tom McColl, Associate Dean for Enrollment Management and Administration, Whittier Law School (Notes from Tom McColl - Conditional Admission Programs.pdf)
  • 2:50 PM - 3:20 PM Tour of Loyola
  • 3:20 PM - 3:30 PM Break
  • 3:30 PM - 4:15 PM Pre-Law Advising Best Practices (Girardi Building, Robinson Courtroom) Best practices for pre-law advising in the current legal environment. Panelists will explore tried and true practices that have remained as useful today as they were before 2008-2009 and new practices their institutions have implemented in pre-law advising to adapt to the changing demands in legal education and the legal industry in the post 2009 environment.
    Panelists: Dr. Stanley Clark, Pre-Law Program Advisor, California State University, Bakersfield; Precious Robinson, Counseling Manager, Graduate Student Services Coordinator, Graduate Counseling Internship Program, UCLA Career Center; Dr. Jason Whitehead, Pre-Law Advisor, California State University, Long Beach; and Bill Wingard, Lead Advisor, Professional & Graduate School Advising, UC San Diego
    Moderator: Miguel Moran-Lanier, Pre-Law Advisor, UC Santa Barbara
  • 4:20 PM Depart  Loyola

Southwestern Law School
3050 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90010 | Map & Directions
Parking:  Parking may be accessed by entering our secured lot on the corner of Wilshire Place and 7th Street. Please ask the guard for assistance. Parking is complimentary.
  • 4:45 PM Arrive at Southwestern
  • 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM Dinner - Welcome & Remarks (Bullocks Wilshire Bldg., 2nd Floor)
  • 6:00 PM - 6:45 PM Mock Admissions Committee Meeting (Bullocks Wilshire Bldg., 2nd Floor)
    Moderator: Lisa Gear, Assistant Dean of Admissions, Southwestern University Law School
    Panelists:  Colin Paterson, Assistant Director of JD Admissions & Law Financial Aid, University of San Diego School of Law; Karman Hsu, Assistant Dean of Admissions and Diversity Initiatives, Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law; Stephanie H. Carlos, Associate Director of Admissions University of San Francisco School of Law; and Annemarie Scott, Admissions Coordinator, Santa Clara Law.
  • 6:45 PM - 7:15 PM Tour of Southwestern
  • 7:30 PM Depart Southwestern


Friday, June 13, 2014

Embassy Suites
1440 East Imperial Avenue, El Segundo, CA 90245 | Map & Directions
  • 7:30 AM - 7:45 PM Check-In (First Floor Atrium - 80s patio area just past the restaurant)

Pepperdine University School of Law
24255 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu, CA  90263 | Map & Directions 
Parking: Once you arrive on campus, please stop at the main gate and let the security guard know that you are here to visit the School of Law.  The guard will give you a free parking permit, and can answer any questions that you might have about parking.  You will want to park in parking lot F, which is across the street from the Law School.
  • 8:00 AM - 9:30 AM Depart Embassy Suites
  • 9:30 AM - 10:00 AM Tour of Pepperdine
  • 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM Welcome & Remarks (Mendenhall Appellate Courtroom)
  • 10:30 AM - 10:45 AM Recent Trends in Legal Hiring. pdf (Mendenhall Appellate Courtroom) The ABA and NALP have released recent data on employment outcomes for law school graduates across the country showing a significant shift in the sectors in which graduates are both seeking and finding jobs. The number of legal jobs in large law firms has declined, while those in business and industry have exploded. In addition, while hiring in the public interest sector continues to fall, some government agencies are beginning to hire in large numbers again. ABA law schools are now reporting the number of their graduates who secure legal jobs (those requiring bar admission or for which a JD provides an advantage) versus non-legal jobs (professional and non-professional positions), making it easier for aspiring law students to compare the employment outcomes of specific schools. The trends in these job categories, as well as in starting salaries, will be discussed.
    Speaker: Selina Brandt, Assistant Dean for Career Development, Pepperdine University School of Law
  • 10:45 AM - 11:30 AM Helping Students Explore an Evolving Profession (Mendenhall Appellate Courtroom) As the legal profession changes, it is more important than ever to provide individualized guidance to students interested in a career in law.  While many students choose to attend law school to pursue a traditional career as an attorney, an increasing number are seeking alternative careers in legally-related fields.  This panel will feature practicing attorneys and experts in career development who will discuss some of the common career paths for attorneys in today’s marketplace, including more traditional litigation and transactional positions in law firms and corporate legal departments, criminal prosecutor and public defender positions for government agencies, and public interest attorney positions for pro bono and social justice organizations.  Some newer, alternative career paths will be explored as well, including those in human resources, business, and compliance and regulatory work.
    Moderator: Selina Brandt, Assistant Dean for Career Development, Pepperdine University School of Law
    Panelists: Monica Adjemian, Senior Associate at Koppel, Patrick, Heybl & Philpott; Jessie Fahy, Executive Director, Christian Legal Aid of Los Angeles; Michelle Feinstein, Associate Director of Career Development, Pepperdine University School of Law (formerly General Counsel & Vice President of Business Affairs, Grill Concepts, Inc.); Erica Moore-Burton, Vice President, Relativity Legal Solutions LLC; Lisa Odom, Partner, McDowell Odom LLP; Mike Leif, Senior Deputy District Attorney, Ventura County District Attorney's Office; and Smita Reddy, Associate Director of Career Development, Pepperdine University School of Law (formerly Associate, O'Melveny & Myers LLP)
  • 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM Lunch (Gunder Conference Room)
  • 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM - Law School and Resource Fair (School of Law Atrium) The Law School and Resource Fair is open to conference hosts, sponsors, and registrants. 

         Information for Law Schools
         You do not need to pay or register separately for the Fair.
         Please bring your 6' table skirt.
         You may mail materials - in advance - to the Office of Admissions  - For PCAPLA Law School Fair, Pepperdine University School of Law, 24255 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu, CA 90263. 
          Questions?  Please contact the Office of Admissions at [email protected] (include "PCAPLA Law School Fair" in the subject line of your email) or (310) 506-4631. 

  • 2:00 PM Depart Pepperdine  

UCLA School of Law
385 Charles E. Young Drive East, 1242 Law Building, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1458 | Map & Directions
Parking: If you plan to drive on your own to Friday’s UCLA Law visit, please be advised that Friday is UCLA’s commencement day, so traffic and parking on campus will be very challenging.  UCLA Law has reserved parking spaces for PCAPLA conference attendees in Parking Lot 2.  If Parking Lot 2 is full, you will be directed to Parking Lot 3. 

Please enter at Westholme and Hilgard on the eastern edge of campus.  Once you turn onto Westholme, proceed to the Parking Information Booth and let the parking attendant know you are here for the “PCAPLA Conference/UCLA Law Event.” After parking in Lot 2, walk North past the Information Booth approximately 5 minutes and you will see the Law School in front of you off to the right. 

If directed to Parking Lot 3, walk South and through the Sculpture Garden for about 5 minutes.  The Law School will be on your left, next to Dodd Hall. 

  • 3:30 PM Tour of UCLA
  • 4:00 PM- 4:45 PM Personal Statements & Letters of Recommendation (Law Building, Room 1447)  Join two admissions professionals for an insightful and comprehensive overview in counseling the do’s and don’t’s for law school personal statements and letters of recommendation. Our co-presenters will answer the frequently asked questions that fill your counseling sessions, as well as provide the law admissions perspective on what makes the most effective personal statement and letter of recommendation.
    Moderator: Precious Robinson, Counseling Manager, Graduate Student Services Coordinator, Graduate Counseling Internship Program, UCLA Career Center
    Panelists:  Angela Dalfen, Associate Dean of Admissions, Golden Gate University School of Law; Talin Broosan, Director of Admissions,
             UCLA School of Law
  • 4:45 PM - 5:00 PM Break
  • 5:00 PM - 5:30 PM Reception (Sequoia Room Patio, UCLA Faculty Center)
  • 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM Welcome and Remarks, Dinner, and Panel of Admissions Deans (Sequoia Room, UCLA Faculty Center) Join the Admissions Deans from our host law schools for an insightful panel discussion about law school admissions. The Deans from USC School of Law, UCLA School of Law, Loyola Law School | Los Angeles, Southwestern University Law School, and Pepperdine University School of Law, will share their perspective and give their best advice for guiding students through the law school application process.
    Moderator: Joel Blank, Ph.D; JD, San Joaquin Delta College
    Panelists: Lisa Gear, Assistant Dean of Admissions, Southwestern University Law School; Shannon Phillips, Assistant Dean of Admissions, Pepperdine University School of Law; Chloe Reid, Dean of Admissions, USC Gould School of Law; Jannell Lundy Roberts, Dean of Admissions, Loyola Law School | Los Angeles; Rob Schwartz, Dean of Admissions, UCLA School of Law
  • 6:30 PM Just For Fun (South Bay) The bus will come back to the hotel to drop off anyone who doesn't want to go to Hermosa Beach. Depending on traffic and any effect it may have on the schedule, there may also be a brief rest stop at the hotel before we proceed to Hermosa Beach.  Mode of transportation subject to change based on South Bay sign-ups. An interest sheet will be circulated.

Saturday, June 14, 2014

Embassy Suites
1440 East Imperial Avenue, El Segundo, CA 90245 | Map & Directions
  • 7:00 AM - 9:30 AM Breakfast Available
  • 9:30 AM - 9:45 AM Lawdragon Presentation
  • 9:45 AM - 11:15 AM Pre-Law Advisors Business Meeting

Conference will end by 11:30 AM.

2014 Conference Committee

  • Brother Glenn Bolton, Pre-Law Advisor, Saint Mary’s College of California
  • Talin Broosan, Director of Admissions, UCLA School of Law
  • Shannon Davis, Assistant Dean, Admissions, Student Information & Financial Services, Pepperdine University School of Law
  • Lisa Gear, Assistant Dean for Admissions, Southwestern Law School
  • Tom McColl, Associate Dean for Enrollment Management and Administration, Whittier Law School (Co-Chair)
  • Chloe Reid, Associate Dean and Dean of Admissions, University of Southern California Gould School of Law
  • Precious Robinson,* Counseling Manager, Graduate Student Services Coordinator, Graduate Counseling Internship Program, UCLA Career Center (Co-Chair)
  • Jannell Roberts, Assistant Dean of Admissions, LOYOLA LAW SCHOOL | LOS ANGELES
  • Annemarie Scott, Law Admissions Coordinator, Santa Clara Law
  • Gloria Switzer, Assistant Dean for Admissions, Western State College of Law at Argosy University

2014 Conference Scholarship Committee

  • Stephanie H. Carlos, Associate Director of Admissions University of San Francisco School of Law
  • Sarah Keiski, Assistant Director of Admissions, LOYOLA LAW SCHOOL | LOS ANGELES
  • Precious Robinson,* Counseling Manager, Graduate Student Services Coordinator, Graduate Counseling Internship Program, UCLA Career Center

Pacific Coast Association of Pre-Law Advisors (PCAPLA) | Contact