Florida A&M University’s Legal Scholars Program hosted its annual Law Day Tuesday in the Lawson Center.
Law Day is a recruitment event that featured over 30 law schools from across the nation. Representatives ranged from student ambassadors, assistant/associate directors of admissions, and directors of admissions. The event gave students an opportunity to speak directly to these schools, secure application fee waivers, gain insight into the Juris Doctorate admission process, and to gather information they may not find on school websites.
Natalie Alexis from the Legal Scholars Office was the event’s official host.
“We host this every year,” Alexis said. “Typically, we have over 80 law schools but this year we brought it down just because of COVID. We thought in the interest of the safety of the students to decrease the amount of traffic that there is here. The goal of [Law Day] is to get students face to face with representatives from law schools around the nation. Students can easily contact law schools via email or via phone, but sometimes meeting somebody face to face may help establish a professional relationship that leads to mentorship and guidance for the student regarding their application process, personal statements, diversity statement, or law school admissions in general.”
The Hatchet Pre-Law Society, an organization on campus for students planning to minor in pre-law or attend law school, worked closely alongside Alexis in preparation of the event.
“Ms. Natalie Alexis from the Legal Scholars Office is officially over the event, but Hatchett Pre-Law Society works closely with Ms. Natalie Alexis, so we did have a say in which schools came and we came early to volunteer and set up,” said Destyni Dickerson, a third-year criminal justice major and member of the Phi Alpha Delta Law fraternity, Hatchett Pre-Law.
“We definitely wanted a diversity of schools,” she said. “We tried to get schools in different regions because everyone doesn’t want to stay in state. So, we definitely want to get schools from the Midwest. We want to get some southern schools. We have LSU here, which is a new one. We want PWIs and HBCUs. We want schools with dual degree programs and not dual degree programs. So really we focus on getting a diverse number of schools.”
Law Day is open to all majors and students are actually encouraged to come and seek information.
Marissa Wells, a third-year journalism major, has law school on her list of future endeavors.
“I want go to law school and when I first started at FAMU I thought that [broadcast journalism] would be more advantageous than maybe political science or pre-law, just because I know there’s a lot of reading and writing involved in law school and there’s a lot of reading and writing involved in broadcast journalism,” Wells said. “So, I thought that would give me a strong background and make me look a little more attractive to law schools when I start applying.”
“I got the chance to network, and I have gotten some people’s contact information,” Well said. “I was really only interested in two [schools] before I came out here, so I’m learning that it’s not just about the big names, but kind of what they can offer you. It’s like going through that process I went through before I graduated high school. Trying to find the best pick for me no matter where it’s located or who else wants to go there with me.”
FAMU’s Legal Scholars Office, also known as the Legal Scholars Program, led by Alexis, is available on campus and offers help to prospective law students who are trying to get into law school. This office hosts LSAT workshops, personal statement workshops, and resume workshops. For more information of upcoming events hosted by Alexis and LSO be sure to frequently check their Facebook page, FAMU Legal Scholars, or stop by Tucker Hall 312.