115 law schools tout programs at UA fair


By Georgeanne Barrett
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Wednesday, October 20, 2004

Hopeful law students will have the chance to rub elbows tomorrow with 115 visiting law schools at the 20th annual Law Fair.

Every year, the pre-law fraternity Phi Alpha Delta invites representatives from law schools across the country to give students an opportunity to meet people from schools they are interested in and to find out about application information.

Melissa Kline, a member of Phi Alpha Delta and the chairwoman of the law fair, organized this year's event, and said she is excited the event will give students the opportunity to meet representatives from law schools and look at schools they might not have previously considered.

"This is a great opportunity for pre-law students," Kline said. "Law schools want to see quality in prospective applicants, and this gives students the chance to meet school representatives."

The law fair will be held on Thursday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Student Union Memorial Center Grand Ballroom.

Kline, who hopes to study law at Loyola University in New Orleans or at a law school in Seattle, said this will be the largest law fair yet, in regards to the number of schools attending.

Kline said the 115 schools attending the fair this year is five more than attended last year.

Law schools attending will include large and small schools from all over the country, and several top ten schools.

Representatives from Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Columbia, and University of California, Los Angeles law schools will be at the law fair among others.

Verlaine Walker, coordinator of the pre-law advising program who helped organize the event, said last year's law fair drew about 450 students and has always been successful.

"I hope for students to go get information from law schools directly," Walker said. "Someday their application could come across this person's desk."

Walker said the representatives will be promoting their schools, but will be able to answer questions and give application information.

"The goal is for the students to be the strongest applicants they can be," Walker said.

Walker said because of the time and location on campus, the law fair is convenient for many students to be able to come and go in between classes.

"More schools are added every year," Walker said. "Any time we can give more information to students we want to."

Christopher Dang, the president of Phi Alpha Delta, said he has the "highest hopes" for the law fair and for the students to get as much information as possible.

"This is great for students who have an interest in law school and are eager to ask questions on how to position themselves," said Dang, a political science senior.

Dang, who helps supervise the chairperson in charge of the event, said in previous years, the law fair has been a big success in the number of schools attending, but also in the high number of students who participate.

Dang explained law schools are always interested in eager students, and are always looking for UA students.

"The law fair helps focus on the finer details, to get students ready for law school," Dang said.

Kline attended last year's law fair and said it prepared her for her chairwoman position by exposing her to the importance of meeting representatives from schools you are interested in attending.

"Last year's law fair made me realize how important the process is," Kline said. "I really recommend people going. There is something for everybody."