BYU NewsNet - Law School to Host Conference, Workshops for Students

When thinking about law school, students often have questions about how to get accepted to a law school, or where they can find the money to pay for it.

To help prospective students answer these frequently asked questions, BYU's J. Reuben Clark Law School is holding it's annual conference on Saturday.

"A lot of people think that if they go to law school, they will be stuck in this little dingy office pushing paperwork," said Darcey Pett, prelaw assistant advisor. "The conference helps them see what their options are. They can meet with people and find out how they got where they are."

The keynote speaker at the conference will be Judge Thomas B. Griffith of the District of Columbia Circuit Court. Previously the assistant to the president and General Counsel of BYU, Griffith was appointed to the D.C. Circuit by President George W. Bush in 2005. He will address a variety of topics, including how the practice of law has been rewarding for him.

Workshops at the conference will include topics such as how a student can pay for law school, where to get scholarships, what law school is really like, and what a person can do with a law degree.

Presenters at the conference include a few currently enrolled law students, private practice attorneys andUtah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff. Professors and other practicing attorneys will also be involved in the conference to answer student's questions and resolve concerns about law school.

"The conference is like getting a taste of law school," said Jeremy Bowen, apre-law peer adviser. "This will help students direct their path as they go to law school. It will hopefully vanquish doubts and myths about law school as well."

The final workshop of the conference will be a mock admissions panel helping students understand the admittance process.

"The mock admissions panel is the most beneficial part of the conference," Pett said. "The panel examines imaginary profiles and explains which ones they would accept, deny and wait list and why."

Students can apply what they learn at the conference to themselves to see what they can do to improve their chances of being accepted, Pett said.

The conference will be in 3220 WSC from 8:00 a.m. to noon.

Tickets are $5 at the Preprofessional Advisement Center in 3228 WSC, and will not be available for purchase Friday. Day-of tickets will be sold during a continental breakfast before the conference for $10.