Law & Society Minor

The Center for Law & Society offers a minor consisting of four required courses and three electives. For further details, please see our Law and Society Minor page.

Advising

The Center believes that advising is crucial for a student's success in obtaining acceptance to law school. At St. Bonaventure University pre-law advising begins early. As soon as a student decides they would like to go to law school we suggest they contact us to schedule a meeting.

We do one-on-one advising, meeting with a student whenever they have questions or concerns. Our advising focuses on undergraduate preparation, LSAT preparation, navigating the admission process and choosing law schools.

Students interested in going to law school should contact the Center for Law & Society Co-directors, Dr. Alex Gillham and Dr. Elizabeth Tillman, early in their undergraduate career to schedule an advising meeting.

Workshops

The Center for Law & Society offers numerous workshops each semester. The workshops provide an opportunity for all students to gather additional information about various aspects of law school preparation and the admissions process.

• Freshman/Sophomore Workshop: Focus on undergraduate preparation for law school, including GPA requirements, preparation for the LSAT, overview of the Law & Society minor, the role of extra-curricular activities and discussion of the pre-law handbook.
• Junior Workshop: Preview the application process and provides detailed information about the LSAT.
• Internship Workshop: Provides information about appropriate internships as well as other opportunities available to students interested in going to law school.
• Law School Application Process Workshop: Focus on providing all juniors planning on applying to law school with information about the application process.
• Practice LSAT Workshop: Full-length practice LSAT exams.
• Application Workshop: Students receive assistance with their LSAC accounts and instruction in completing the online applications and supporting documents.
• Personal Statement Workshop: Students are assisted with the development and writing of their personal statements.
• Financial Aid Workshop: Students receive information on financial aid, scholarships, loans and loan forgiveness program.

Internships

While legal internships are not a requirement for admission to law school, many students find them interesting and educational.

The Center for Law & Society works individually with students to organize local semester-long internships as well as summer internships in their hometowns.

Students interested in a legal internship should contact Dr. Alex Gillham or Dr. Elizabeth Tillman to schedule an appointment.

Mock Trial

Mock Trial is designed to prepare students to compete in the American Mock Trial Association's regional and national mock trial tournaments.

Students learn to construct all components of a trial, from opening statements, to direct and cross examinations of witnesses, to closing arguments. They become familiar with many of the rules of evidence and procedure governing trial courts across the nation. The program is an excellent introduction to the trial process as it operates in the United States.

If you are thinking about law school, you want to experience what it is like to engage in trial advocacy, or you just enjoy the thrill of intellectual competition, Mock Trial is for you!

For more information, contact our Mock Trial adviser, Dr. Alex Gillham.