Conference participants may choose from the following workshops and panel discussions:

*SIGNATURE EVENT*

Law School Admissions Help Advice Clinic ™ - Cougar Den 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Advisors: Local Volunteer Law Students/Attorneys
Description: Prospective law students can seek personalized, one-on-one advice regarding their individual law school admissions credentials, studying for the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), strategizing to become a competitive candidate, selecting a law school, and any other questions that might have about getting into law school and preparing for law school success.

WORKSHOP SESSIONS

WORKSHOP #1
Workshop: Everything You Wanted to Know About Law School Admissions But Were Afraid to Ask
Presenter: Lewis Hutchison, J.D., Director of Admissions, University of Florida Levin College of Law
Description: Join an admissions expert in this frank, no holds barred discussion regarding the realities of law school admissions today. Feel free to leave your inhibitions at the door and ask anything you really want to know about law school admissions in a safe, nonjudgmental environment. Expect to receive direct and honest answers. Whatever you want to know about can be talked about. Almost nothing is off limits. Experience this unprecedented opportunity to learn the truth about law school admissions.

WORKSHOP #2
Workshop: The LSAT: What It Tests and How to Best Prepare for It to Earn a Competitive Score
Presenter: Aaron Taylor, Esq., President, Recruit For Law School, Inc. and Administrative Fellow, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Description: This session is designed to help squelch the myth that African-Americans and other people of color are ill-equipped to do well on the LSAT. It will provide attendees with an overview of the exam and its individual sections, as well as practical study methods that can be undertaken as soon as the session is done.

WORKSHOP #3
Workshop: From the Classroom to the Courtroom: Preparing for the Law School Admission Process
Presenter: Donald David Pritchett, Jr., J.D., Pre-Law Coordinator, Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO)
Description: This session is designed to introduce participants to the Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO), a non-profit project of the American Bar Association Fund for Justice and Education, dedicated to diversifying the legal profession by expanding legal education opportunities for members of under-represented groups. The workshop will discuss CLEO's programs, and also educate students about the importance of early, and timely, preparation for the law school admission process.

WORKSHOP #4
Workshop: Does Being Black Help?: Race, Affirmative Action and Law School Admissions
Presenter: Michael Burns, Esq., Assistant Dean of Admissions, DePaul University Law School
Description: Does being black help? Do law schools really care about racial, cultural and ethnic diversity? To what extent may law schools lawfully consider race as a factor in the law school admissions process? Why should race matter? The United States Supreme Court recently clarified the law with respect to the extent to which race can be used in college and law school admissions. This session discusses: (1) the current status of law regarding the use of race and ethnicity in law school admissions; (2) why diversity is critical to the process of legal education; and (3) strategies and tips for students-of-color for articulating their strengths and maximizing opportunities for admission and merit-based scholarships.

WORKSHOP #5
Workshop: Which Applicants Would You Select?: Interactive Student Admissions Committee Workshop Session
Presenter: Carol Cochran, Assistant Dean for Admission, Seattle University School of Law
Description: Imagine you are a member of the admission committee of a law school. How would you review the files? What factors would you place the most value on? Join this discussion and hands-on workshop as we review mock applications and discuss the law school admission process and how you can present the best application possible.

WORKSHOP #6
Workshop: The Personal Statement and the Diversity Statement: Similarities, Differences, Tips and Techniques
Presenter: Collins Byrd, Assistant Dean of Admission, TheUniversity of Iowa College of Law
Description: This workshop will cover the Personal Statement and the Diversity Statement. The Personal Statement is a written piece that is used by law school applicants, and reviewed by law school admissions officers. Many law school admissions offices also request a Diversity Statement. Come here and see what the differences are between the two documents, and learn about the role that each one plays in the law school admissions process. Also, attendees will gain some vital information about what makes a good statement, and what makes a statement dysfunctional.

WORKSHOP #7
Workshop: What You Need to Know About Pre-Law School Summer Preparatory Programs and Law School Academic Support Programs
Presenters: Ijeoma Opara, Esq., Director of Academic Support Programs and Instructor, Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law
Yolanda W. Ingram, Esq., Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law and Director, Tennessee Institute for Pre-Law
Description: Workshop attendees will receive an overview of what law schools hope to accomplish in their summer preparatory programs, the application process for applying to these programs at different schools, as well as the benefits of participation. Additionally, presenters will discuss law school academic support programs, their purpose in the law school environment, and what prospective law students should consider in evaluating and comparing law schools which offer some form of academic support program at their institutions.

WORKSHOP #8
Workshop: Mock Law School Class
Presenter: Professor L. Darnell Weeden, Associate Dean and Roberson King Professor, Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law
Description: In this session, an experienced law professor will conduct a "real" law school class for participants who want a preview of what daily law school classroom discussion is really like. Those participating are expected to have read the assigned case and to be prepared to be called upon in the historic and popular Socratic method style of teaching. The assignment is to read Fisher v. Carrousel Motors Hotel, Inc., 424 S.W.2d 627 (1967) as well as notes 1-4 from the Eleventh Edition (2005) of the Prosser, Wade Schwartz's Torts casebook. In the classroom discussion, students will talk about the issue of battery. The case and notes are available at the conference website and the registration desk.

WORKSHOP #9
Workshop: How to Gain Legal Work Experience Before Starting Law School
Presenter: Karmel Willis, Esq., Career Counselor, University of Houston Law Center, Office of Career Development
Description: You don't have to wait until you go to law school to get out and start getting some valuable experience in legal work settings. This workshop will provide you with information on different legal employers who would hire college students and graduates to work for them and how to approach them. It will discuss the process of job seeking, developing good interviewing skills, and the importance of learning and using good networking strategies. It will also suggest ways that the prospective law student can take full advantage of their pre-law school work experiences to perhaps keep a door open for potential employment as a law student and beyond.

WORKSHOP #10
Workshop: Finding Someone to Dream Your Dream With You: The Real Difference Between Who Succeeds and Who Doesn't
Presenter: Professor Tracy L. McGaugh, Assistant Professor of Law, South Texas College of Law
Description: In this workshop, attendees will learn that one of the most prominent indicators of success for any undergraduate or pre-law student is whether that student had "inside access" to the inner workings of law school and the practice of law. For students fortunate enough to have them "in" through parents, grandparents, or other close family affiliations, being mentored into the profession of law is not something they have to think about as they begin their study of law. However, for students without that "in," part of the preparation for law study must be establishing a relationship with a mentor who can provide the informal education that can often be as important to success as the LSAT score and GPA. Come learn where you might find these important relationships, how to form and nurture them, and how they can give you the inside edge that many miss when being the first in their family to go to college or graduate school.

WORKSHOP #11
Workshop: An Introduction to Law School Exams and How to Succeed at Legal Exam Writing
Presenter: Mason D. Barrett, Esq., Trial Attorney, The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
Description: Attendees will gain insight on: how to write clear, concise lawyer-like answers; powerful techniques which assist the examiner in grading the answers; clues the examiners give in each question which are guideposts to the actual answers; developing the ability to identify and analyze each issue; how to organize answers in a manner that increases the student's score, and much more.

PANEL DISCUSSIONS

PANEL DISCUSSION #1
Panel: Mock Law School Admissions Committee: How Applications Are Evaluated
Panelists:
Collins Byrd, Assistant Dean of Admission, The University of Iowa College of Law
Jannell Lundy, Assistant Dean of Admissions, Loyola Law School, Los Angeles
Tracy Simmons, J.D., Assistant Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, Chapman University School of Law
Lisa S. Taylor, Esq., Associate Director of Law Admissions, Ohio Northern University College of Law
Description: Law school admissions professionals will discuss applicants openly as if they were in an actual law school admissions committee so that attendees can see how admissions committee members think and what they are looking for in selecting applicants. Participants will gain the opportunity to "eavesdrop" on a mock committee meeting following along while looking at practical examples of the application packages being considered by the law school admissions committee at a fictitious law school. This session will provide invaluable insight students need to better understand how the highly competitive law school admissions selection process really works.

PANEL DISCUSSION #2
Panel: The Most Common Mistakes Law School Applicants Make That Ruin Their Admissions Chances
Panelists:
Lewis Hutchison, J.D., Director of Admissions, University of Florida Levin College of Law
Robin Ingli, Director of Admissions, Hamline University School of Law
Claude M. Reeves, Esq., Assistant Dean for Admissions and Recruitment, The University of Alabama School of Law
Description: Many law school applicants make mistakes, which if avoided, would keep them in the running for admission into law school. Learn what some of the most common mistakes are applicants so that you won't make them and can increase your chances of being a success in the law school admissions process - a competitive one which has little tolerance for such blunders.

PANEL DISCUSSION #3
Panel: Law School Success: Making the Most of Your Entire Law School Experience
Panelists:
Brittany Teal, Second Year Law Student, Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law
Keisha Forte, Third Year Law Student, Texas Tech University Law School
Keith Lewis, Second Year Law Student, University of Houston Law Center
Description: The reality is that law school is primarily focused on academics. However, there are also other aspects of the experience that are important to consider so that the future law students can plan not just to "get through" law school but to have a "successful" total experience - in the classroom and beyond. This panel will discuss all aspects of the law school experience including academics, extracurricular activities such as legal specialty interest clubs (i.e. The International Law Society, The Entertainment and Sports Law Association, The Public Interest Society) and affinity groups (i.e. The Black Law Students Association, The Multicultural Law Student Alliance), co-curricular activities (i.e. moot court and scholarly legal journals), to working for and establishing relationships with professors, learning how to seek help and where to go, and dealing with racism and prejudice in the law school environment and in the legal workplace.

PANEL DISCUSSION #4
Panel: Demystifying American Legal Education: How Law School is Radically Different from Your Undergraduate Education
Panelists:
Darrell Jackson, Esq., Assistant Dean and Director of Diversity Services, George Mason University School of Law
Ijeoma Opara, Esq., Director of Academic Support, Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law
Diana W. Walker, Esq., Associate, O'Donnell, Ferebee, Medley & Keiser, P.C.
Description: In this panel discussion, Black lawyers discuss the many differences between college education and professional legal education. They will examine everything from the way courses are taught to how students are tested. Many college students function under the misguided belief that law school will be like college but with a focus on the law. This session tears down the common misconceptions and tells future law students the truth about the academic demands and expectations that law school imposes. Most importantly, panelists will provide strategies and advice for students in order to become well-prepared and mentally ready for handling the academic rigors of law school before entering the new academic territory of the strange land known as law school.

PANEL DISCUSSION #5
Panel: African American Attorneys and the Legal Profession: What We Do and the Additional Challenges We Face
Panelists:
Angela L. Dixon, Esq., Associate, Powers & Frost LLP
Carol Y. Guess, Esq., Principal, The Guess Firm
Chanler A. Langham, Esq., Law Clerk to the Honorable Vanessa D. Gilmore
Allison M. Odom, Esq., Associate, Adams & Reese LLP
Toni M. Wallace, Esq., Associate, Powers and Slay
Victor V. Wright, Esq., Associate, Haynes and Boone LLP
Description: In this discussion, panelists will talk about the work they do as attorneys. They will also discuss the added unique challenges and difficulties that they face in the legal profession as African Americans and provide advice to aspiring Black attorneys on coping with these types of issues in the legal environment.

PANEL DISCUSSION #6
Panel: The Law Degree and Nontraditional Career Paths
Panelists:
Ronald Green, Esq., City of Houston Council Member
Norma Jarrett, J.D., Speaker & Author
Benjamin Morton, Esq., CEO, Legal Info-Graphics, LLC
Description: African American lawyers who are doing "nontraditional" things with their law degrees, other than or in addition to the practice of law, will discuss both the challenges and rewards of thinking outside the box and not simply following the pack, but rather carving their own special paths. One is a well-respected local politician, another is a former independent publisher and a national best selling novelist, and another created his own successful legal software company. Hear about how they allowed their professional legal education to work for them above and beyond traditional legal practice in pursuing areas they are most passionate about and that have personal meaning for them.

PANEL DISCUSSION #7
Panel: African Americans and the Bar Exam: What It Is, Where We Stand and What It Takes to Pass This Necessary Hurdle to Practicing Law
Panelists:
Mason Barrett, Esq., Trial Attorney, The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
Angela L. Dixon, Esq., Associate, Powers & Frost LLP
Toni M. Wallace, Esq., Associate, Powers and Slay
Description: In this panel discussion, panelists will discuss what the bar examination is, what it tests, and the reasons why it is such a major obstacle for many African Americans in becoming practicing lawyers. They will examine how future law students can strategize early to make sure that they place themselves in the best positions possible while in law school to succeed on the bar exam in the state where they choose to practice law.

PANEL DISCUSSION #8
Panel: Determine Your Own Destiny, Work for Yourself: African American Attorneys Who Started Their Own Law Firms
Panelists:
Regan Armstrong, Esq., Partner, Armstrong & Bedell
Rashida Maples, Esq., J. Maples & Associates, PLLC
Paul Shanklin, Esq., The Shanklin Law Firm
Nicole Stagg, Esq., The Law Offices of James and Stagg
Description: Featured on this panel are African American attorneys who decided to take their destinies in their own hands by not merely being employees, but by becoming self-employed. They discuss the reasons why they started their own law firms and the types of work they focus on in their practices. Furthermore, they explain why working for oneself is a viable option for Black lawyers who are willing to learn the "business" of law, exhibit their confidence, work extremely hard and take the risks necessary to become their own bosses.