Student Activities

Student Bar Association

The student body of the law school is organized as a Student Bar Association, the membership of which includes all students in the school. The officers of the association are president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer. There are also elected class representatives and representatives of the Texas State Bar, the ABA, and the Cabinet of College Councils. The Board of Governors consists of the officers and the representatives.

The Student Bar Association coordinates the intellectual, cultural, social, and community service activities of the student body. Its goals are to unify the students and direct them toward worthy ends; to enhance cooperation and understanding among students, the faculty, and practitioners; and to foster respect for the legal profession and pride in the School of Law.

Asian Law Students Association

The Asian Law Students Association (ALSA) is dedicated to addressing the interests and concerns of the Asian American community at the law school. Open to all members of the law school community, ALSA sponsors a variety of activities to meet students' social and academic needs. In addition to social activities, the organization has sponsored workshops on a variety of topics, including tips for studying and outlining for final exams and registration advice. ALSA participates in the National Asian Pacific American Law Student Association (NAPALSA).

Assault and Flattery

Assault and Flattery (A&F) is one of the largest student organizations at the law school. Each spring A&F presents the school's annual musical comedy revue as part of Law Week. Usually based on a popular film or Broadway musical, the show embraces and satirizes all aspects of the legal profession--students, faculty members, and the law itself. The production is written, directed, designed, and choreographed by law students and features live performances by student and faculty actors, singers, dancers, and musicians.

Austin LLM and International Law Students Association

The Austin LLM and International Law Students Association (ALISA) was founded in the fall semester of 1998 by a group of international LLM, exchange, and visiting students at the School of Law. Membership is open to all law school faculty members and students.

ALISA aims to assist its members by providing services and information about academic, social, and career opportunities. ALISA also seeks to contribute to the international law area by holding specialized lectures by guest speakers and experts in the field.

Board of Advocates

The Board of Advocates (BOA) promotes development of practical skills in oral and written legal advocacy and sponsors a wide range of activities designed to give participants realistic experience in trial and appellate advocacy, negotiation, and client contact. The Niemann Cup, established by Stanley P. and Claudie P. Wilson in 1984, is awarded to the top advocate in each graduating class.

Teams compete in a wide range of interscholastic moot court, mock trial, client counseling, alternative dispute resolution, and negotiation contests. Students annually enter the Association of the Bar of the City of New York National Moot Court Competition (the nation's oldest) and several other moot court competitions. In 1995, BOA teams won national championships in the Judge John R. Brown Admiralty Moot Court Competition and the Robert F. Wagner Sr. Labor Law Moot Court Competition. The interscholastic mock trial teams are active with National Trial Lawyers, American Trial Lawyers Association, and Tournament of Champions. The Board of Advocates hosted the initial Texas Invitational Mock Trial Competition in 1992 and the initial Whittier National Juvenile Law Moot Court Competition in 1996.

In preparation for interscholastic competition, the board sponsors five mock trial and two moot court intramural competitions. Client counseling, alternative dispute resolution, negotiation, and voir dire competitions are offered. These competitions, with the critiques and coaching provided by the legal community, promote the development of advocacy skills and provide important experience for prospective practitioners.

Chicano/Hispanic Law Students Association

The Chicano/Hispanic Law Students Association (CHLSA) is dedicated to addressing the needs of Hispanic law students. The organization is open to all members of the law school community. CHLSA provides various social and academic services, including an extensive outline library, academic sessions to discuss test-taking and studying strategies, résumé and career planning sessions, bar review scholarships, and a mentoring program with second- and third-year law students and the Hispanic Bar Association of Austin. CHLSA is committed to providing a support network that will help each student have an intellectually challenging and successful law school experience.

Christian Legal Society

The Christian Legal Society (CLS) is a nondenominational association of law students seeking friendship and encouragement and a refuge from the challenges of law school. Activities include weekly meetings followed by informal fellowships, Bible study groups, retreats, and special service projects. Meetings involve presentations by area attorneys, religious leaders, and CLS members, as well as other programs designed to meet the needs of members.

Environmental Law Society

The Environmental Law Society provides career counseling, networking opportunities, and internships to students with an interest in environmental law. It also works on improving the environmental curricula at the law school and promoting speakers, symposia, and scholarships. Projects include recycling, attending the National Association of Environmental Law Societies conferences, and hosting the Environmental Moot Court Competition, which chooses the team to represent the law school at the Pace National Environmental Moot Court Competition.

Guanajuato Exchange Program

For thirty years, University law students have participated in a spring break exchange program with law students at the University of Guanajuato in Mexico. For one week, students visit the city of Guanajuato to learn about the culture and legal system there. In turn, the law school hosts students from Guanajuato on their spring vacation and introduces them to US law and Texas tradition.

Intellectual Property Law Society

Intellectual property law, the law of patents, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets, is currently the area with the greatest market demand. The Intellectual Property Law Society exists to inform and assist students interested in the practice of intellectual property law. The society offers regular guest speakers, opportunities to visit with local intellectual property lawyers, and broad ranging information about the area, including the Patent and Trademark Office examination and career options.

International Law Society

The International Law Society (ILS) has remained one of the largest and most active student organizations since its establishment in 1963. Its main purpose is to host speakers from the academic and legal community to discuss public and private international law themes. In addition, ILS organizes social events, including language practice groups in Spanish, French, German, Russian, Portuguese, Japanese, and other languages. ILS provides interested students with career and summer employment resources, information on study abroad, and internship exchanges. Finally, ILS plays a key role in the Texas International Law Journal's spring symposium.

Jewish Law Students Association

The Jewish Law Students Association (JLSA) strives to create a Jewish community within the law school. Engaging students and faculty members, the JLSA plans a variety of events, including student/faculty dinners, happy hours, and holiday celebrations. In addition, the JLSA cosponsors events with other Jewish graduate student groups on campus and Jewish young professional groups in Austin.

Legal Research Board

The Legal Research Board is an organization of University law students chartered by the State Bar of Texas to provide legal research and prepare legal memoranda for licensed attorneys. Founded in 1962, the LRB is one of the oldest student-run legal research organizations of its kind in the country. While providing a valuable service to lawyers nationwide, the LRB's primary purpose is to refine the research and writing skills of its members by giving them opportunities to work with actual problems in consultation with practicing attorneys. The LRB, a self-funded organization, compensates members for the memoranda they write. Twenty first-year law students are selected for membership in the LRB based on outstanding performance in the freshlaw research and writing program. Scholarships for the best memo in each section are sponsored by Bracewell & Patterson. Selected members are permitted to include LRB on résumés they send to potential employers after their first semester in law school.

National Lawyers Guild

The National Lawyers Guild is a national network of more than five thousand lawyers, legal workers, law students, and jailhouse lawyers that has provided legal support to virtually every campaign for economic, social, and political justice in this country since 1937. The programs of the University chapter of the guild reflect the diverse interests of progressive students at the law school and provide a forum for action on a variety of issues. Activities include guest speakers, meetings with alumni, symposia, workshops, and volunteer legal aid projects. Students may take part in guild activities beginning in their first semester.

OUTLaw (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Law School Alliance)

OUTLaw seeks to promote the interests of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered students at the School of Law. Membership is open to all law school students, faculty members, and staff members, regardless of sexual orientation. OUTLaw organizes social activities and works to raise awareness of gay and lesbian issues by hosting panel discussions and guest lectures on campus. Informally, OUTLaw acts as an academic and professional support network for law students who are interested in matters that affect the gay community.

Project Info

Project Info is made up of three to five second- and third-year minority students, selected by the assistant dean for admissions and the director of admissions, who assist the law school to recruit outstanding minority students. Project Info students travel throughout Texas and the United States to talk to students about the study of law at the University. They also attempt to contact all minority students who have been admitted to answer their questions and encourage them to enroll in the law school.

Public Interest Law Association

Since 1995, the Public Interest Law Association (PILA) has sought to create a student forum for education, discussion, and involvement with public interest law and ideas. Through its annual Public Interest Law Conference, a brown bag lecture series, a mentorship program, and other social and academic activities, PILA aims to provide information to students on opportunities in public interest law careers, to allow students to meet other students interested in public interest issues, and to work with the law school administration to create and improve existing public interest programs. All students are welcome to join.

Student Recruitment and Orientation Committee

The Student Recruitment and Orientation Committee (SROC) is open to students interested in meeting new and potential law students. SROC introduces potential students and entering freshlaw students to the law school through a number of projects; these include freshlaw orientation, fall open house, UT Undergraduate Day, spring phonathon, Prospective Students Day, law school tours, and new student contact buddies.

Texas Law Fellowships

Texas Law Fellowships is a student-run, nonprofit corporation dedicated to funding summer internships for law students who want to work in public interest. During 1998-1999, TLF raised $90,000 and funded twenty-three fellows, who spent the summer working for organizations such as Texas Rural Legal Aid, the Texas Freedom Network, the American Civil Liberties Union, the United States Embassy in Austria, Friends of Farmworkers, and the Anti-Defamation League.

Texas Law Fellowships believes that legal education is not complete unless it instills in students an obligation to contribute to the public good in exchange for the privilege of practicing law. The group strives to create an environment at the School of Law in which students can fully, effectively, and easily serve the public interest.

TLF raises most of its funds from students and faculty members, primarily through a fall auction and a spring pledge drive. A board of directors, made up of thirteen upper-class students and eight first-year representatives, handles the day-to-day management of the group and organizes the auction, pledge drive, and other events.

Thurgood Marshall Legal Society

The Thurgood Marshall Legal Society (TMLS) is the law school affiliate of the National Black Law Students Association. The purpose of TMLS is to foster legal, cultural, and social awareness among black law students. To achieve this goal, TMLS maintains a variety of subcommittees that address such areas as academics, public relations, community service, career placement, alumni relations, and fundraising. TMLS actively recruits African Americans into the law school community and promotes an atmosphere at the law school that is conducive to their academic and professional success.

Women's Law Caucus

The Women's Law Caucus (WLC) is a supportive group designed to foster discussion and to address issues facing women studying law at the University. The WLC also gives students an opportunity to meet and to foster valuable friendships with each other. Because membership is open to all law students, WLC is a diverse group with equally diverse concerns and project suggestions.

WLC provides many activities for first-year students, such as a mixer to discuss first-year professors, an outline bank, exam-taking tips, practice exams, and a big-sister mentoring program. WLC also coordinates activities with other University organizations and sponsors a lecture series, brown bag luncheons, and social functions. WLC works with the Travis County Women's Lawyer's Association on projects like a mentoring program that pairs local attorneys with law students. WLC is active in raising money for charities and in volunteering with local social service organizations. Finally, WLC has an annual banquet and award ceremony in the spring.

Women's Roundtable

Women's Roundtable creates a forum for learning and interaction between a select group of female law students and alumnae of Leadership Texas. The purpose of the program, like that of Leadership Texas, is to help develop the potential of future female leaders and to contribute to their empowerment. The casual dinner format of the roundtable meetings is an opportunity for students to meet and talk with judges, lawyers, and community leaders from both the public and the private sectors.

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Contents
Chapter 1 - General Information
Chapter 2 - Admission
Chapter 3 - Academic Policies and Procedures
Chapter 4 - Degrees
Chapter 5 - Courses
Chapter 6 - The Faculty
Appendix - Endowments

Related information

Catalogs
Course Schedules
Academic Calendars
Office of Admissions