Welcome to the 5th Annual
National Black Pre-Law Admissions & Preparation
Conference and Law Fair 2009!

Celebrating five years of empowering

aspiring Black lawyers!

The History of the Conference

The First Annual National Black Pre-Law Admissions & Preparation Conference and Law Fair 2005 was held on the campus of the University of Houston in the University of Houston on Friday, November 4, 2005. 

Over 100 law schools participated in the law fair.  There were over 20 workshop sessions and panel discussions conducted with over 40 presenters including law school administrators, attorneys, law students, law school graduates, and law professors.

The 2005 workshop sessions and panel discussions featured included:

• "From the Classroom to the Courtroom: Preparing for the Law School Admission Process"
• "The LSAT: What It Tests and How to Prepare for it to Earn a Competitive Score"
• "Mentorship"
• "Everything You Wanted to Know About Law School Admissions But Were Afraid to Ask"
• "Mock Law School Class"
• "How to Gain Legal Work Experience Before Starting Law School"
• "The Personal Statement and the Diversity Statement: Similarities, Differences, Tips and Techniques"
• "Does Being Black Help?: Race, Affirmative Action and Law School Admissions"
• "Demystifying American Legal Education: How Law School is Radically Different from Your Undergraduate Education"
• "The Most Common Mistakes Law School Applicants Make That Ruin Their Admissions Chances"
• "African Americans and the Bar Exam: What It Is, Where We Stand and What It Takes to Pass This Necessary Hurdle to Practicing Law"
• "Law School Success: Making the Most of Your Entire Law School Experience"
• "Which Applicants Would You Select?: Interactive Student Admissions Committee"
• "Mock Law School Admissions Committee: How Applications Are Evaluated"
• "An Introduction to Law School Exams and How to Succeed at Legal Exam Writing"
• "The Law Degree and Nontraditional Career Paths"
• "What You Need to Know About Pre-Law Summer Preparatory Programs and Law School Academic Support Programs"
• "African American Attorneys and the Legal Profession: What We Do and the Additional Challenges We Face"

The Second Annual National Black Pre-Law Admissions & Preparation Conference and Law Fair 2006 was held at the Magnolia Hotel located in the heart of downtown Dallas, Texas on Friday, September 8 until Sunday, September 10, 2006. 

Over 100 law schools participated in the law fair.  There were over 40 workshop sessions and panel discussions conducted with nearly 90 presenters including law school administrators, attorneys, law students, law school graduates, and law professors.  Special organizational leadership workshops and panels were conducted by pre-law students. 

There were also four featured keynote speakers including Dennis J. Shields, Esq., Dean of Phoenix School of Law, Latosha T. Lewis, Esq., President, Houston Lawyers Association, Everett Bellamy, Esq., Senior Assistant Dean and Adjunct Professor of Law, Georgetown University School of Law, and Dr. John H. Jackson, Jr., Esq., Chief Policy Officer of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and Chairman of The National Equity Center, Inc. 

Special conference institutes were added including a Law School Admissions Advisement Institute led by Lewis Hutchison Jr., J.D., Director of Admissions at Arizona State University Law School, an African American Leadership Institute led by Timothy E. Sams, M.A., Ph.D. Candidate, Asst. Dean and Director of the Black Cultural Center at Swarthmore College, and an Image Enhancement and Self-Marketing Institute led by April Yvonne Garrett, M.A., M.T.S., CEO of April & Associates, and Founder and President of Civic Frame.

The 2006 workshop sessions and panel discussions featured included:

• "Your First Legal Argument: The Building-Block Approach to Applying for Law School"
• "Inside Perspectives on Race and Affirmative Action in Law School Admissions"
• "Choosing the Law School that is Right for You"
• "Help! I Didn't Get into Any of the Law Schools I Applied to! What Do I Do Now? Strategies on Re-Applying to Law School and Increasing Your Chances of Getting in Somewhere the Next Time Around"
• "The LSAT: What It Tests and How to Prepare for it to Earn a Competitive Score"
• "The Pros and Cons of Attending an Unaccredited Law School"
• "Mock Law School Admissions Committee: How Applications Are Evaluated"
• "Mock Law School Class"
• "Paying for Law School"
• "The Personal Statement and the Diversity Statement: Similarities, Differences, Tips and Techniques"
• "Demystifying American Legal Education: How Law School is Radically Different from Your Undergraduate Education"
• "The Most Common Mistakes Law School Applicants Make That Ruin Their Admissions Chances"
• "African Americans and the Bar Exam: What It Is, Where We Stand and What It Takes to Pass This Necessary Hurdle to Practicing Law"
• "Law School Success: Making the Most of Your Entire Law School Experience"
• "Keeping it Real: What Every Law Student Needs to Know Before Starting the Admissions Process"
• "The Law Degree and Nontraditional Career Paths"
• "Money Management: The Foundation for Your Future"
• "Getting on the Write Track: Tips for Preparing for Legal Writing"
• "You Can't Handle the Truth!!! Or Can You?"
• "Finding Someone to Dream Your Dream With You: The Real Difference Between Who Succeeds and Who Doesn't"
• "The Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing But the Truth: How to Achieve Professional Fulfillment and Financial Success in a Law Practice"
• "Prepare for Your Legal Career Prior to Your First Year of Law School"
• "The OTB Series - Out of the Box Areas of Practice: Entertainment Law"
• "African American Attorneys and the Legal Profession: What We Do and the Additional Challenges We Face"
• "Determine Your Own Destiny, Work for Yourself: African American Attorneys Who Started Their Own Law Firms"
• "African American Judges: Our Paths and What It Really Takes to Earn a Coveted Seat on the Bench"
• "Don't Be JDed and Unemployed: What Most Pre-Law and Incoming Law Students Don't Know About Seeking Legal Positions But Really Should Know to Best Position Themselves to Find a Job"
• "African American Leadership Training Institute"
• "Image Enhancement & Self-Marketing Institute"
• "Pre-Law Admissions Advisement Institute"

The Third Annual National Black Pre-Law Admissions & Preparation Conference and Law Fair 2007 was held at the University of Houston - University Center in the University Center located in Houston, Texas on Friday, November 2, 2007.

One hundred and eight (108) law schools participated in the law fair.  There were over 40 workshop sessions and panel discussions conducted with nearly 100 presenters and panelists including law school administrators, attorneys, law students, law school graduates, and law professors. 

There were also two featured keynote speakers including Reginald T. Shuford, Esq., Senior Staff Counsel and Attorneys of Color Recruitment and Retention Officer of the American Civil Liberties Union and Evett L. Simmons, Esq., Chief Diversity Officer and Partner of the Ruden McClosky law firm, and President of the American Bar Association’s Presidential Advisory Council on Diversity in the Profession.

The 2007 workshop sessions and panel discussions featured included:

• “Your First Legal Argument: The Building-Block Approach to Applying for Law School”
• "Does Being Black Help?: Race, Affirmative Action, and Law School Admissions"
• "Getting Into Law School: Beyond the LSAT and GPA"
• "The Role of Diversity in the Law School Admissions Process and How to Make Your Diversity Work for You in Earning Admission"
• "The Personal Statement and Secret Admissions Strategies"
• "It's Not Just About Testing Well, But Being Extremely Well Prepared: What It Really Takes to Score High on the LSAT"
• "The LSAT and Career Decision"
• "Paying for Law School"
• "Financing Your Legal Education"
• "Demystifying American Legal Education: How Law School is Radically Different from Your Undergraduate Education"
• "Beyond Academics: Taking Advantage of All Law School Has to Offer to Have a Successful and Well-Rounded Experience"
• "Making the Transition from College to Law School: How to Prepare for the Academic Demands of a Professional Legal Education Before Starting Law School"
• "Emotionally Surviving Law School: Things You Never Thought About But Need to Know"
• "How to Succeed in Law School"
• "Law School Diversity Issues 101: How to Cope with the Harsh Realities of Prejudice in the Law School Environment and Make the Most of the Diversity You Bring"
•  “Mock Law School Admissions Committee: How Applications Are Evaluated”
• “Mock Law School Class” (Discuss Case)
• “Mock Law School Class” (Discuss Statute)
• "You Can't Handle the Truth!!!  Or Can You?"
• "Becoming a Highly Successful Law Student"
• "What You Need to Know About Pre-Law Summer Preparatory Programs and Law School Academic Support Programs"
• “The Most Common Mistakes Law School Applicants Make That Ruin Their Admissions Chances”
• “Keeping it Real: What Every Law Student Needs to Know Before Starting the Admissions Process”
• "Early Bar Exam Awareness: What the Bar Exam Is, Why You Should Start Thinking About It Now, and How to Ensure Your Success"
• "Becoming a Legal Entrepreneur: The Challengees and Rewards of Starting Your Own Law Practice"
• "Making Partner at a Law Firm: How We Did It, What It Means, and What It Takes"
• "Job Search/Resume Tips"
• "Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) Corporate Law Workshop: Preparing for a Career in Corporate Law Before Law School"
• "The Path to Working at a Large Firm"
• "You Can't Make It All By Yourself: How to Effectively Network and Seek Out Mentors"                                                                                                               
•  “African American Attorneys and the Legal Profession: What We Do and the Additional Challenges We Face”
•  “African American Judges: Our Paths and What It Really Takes to Earn a Coveted Seat on the Bench”
• "Guerilla Job Hunting Tactics: How to Tap into Unadvertised Legal Job Opportunities Before and During Law School (Or the Truth About the Hidden Job Market)"

The Fourth Annual National Black Pre-Law Admissions & Preparation Conference and Law Fair 2007 was held at the University of Houston - University Center in the University Center located in Houston, Texas on Friday, October 10, 2008 and Saturday, October 11, 2008.

Eighty (80) law schools participated in the law fair.  There were over 40 workshop sessions and panel discussions conducted with nearly 100 presenters and panelists including law school administrators, attorneys, law students, law school graduates, and law professors. 

There were also several featured keynote speakers including Rodney G. Moore, Esq., President of the National Bar Association, Shawn D. Stuckey, Esq., Attorney at Zelle Hoffman, Jolanda "Jo" Jones, Esq., Houston City Council Member, Attorney and Businesswoman, The Honorable Arthur L. Burnett, Sr., National Executive Director of the National African American Drug Policy Coalition, and David A. Green, Esq., Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at North Carolina Central University School of Law.

Special invited guests addressing participants included Sonya Bishop, Esq., Vice Chair of the Racial Diversity in the Profession Committee of the State Bar of Texas, E. Steve Bolden II, Esq., Chair of the African American Lawyers Section of the State Bar of Texas, Sharonda Boyce, Director of the National Black Law Students Association's College Student Division, Crystal Ford, President of the Black Law Students Association at the University of Houston Law Center, Bethew "Bert" B. Jennings III, Esq., President of the Houston Lawyers Association, Eric M. Mathis, Esq., Chair of the National Bar Association's Young Lawyers Division, Ami M. Sanchez, Esq., Associate Counsel of the National Campaign for Fair Elections Voting Rights Project at the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Daryl K. Washington, Esq., Deputy Chief of Staff for the National Bar Association, and Wintta M. Woldemariam, Chair of the National Black Law Students Association.

The 2008 workshop sessions and panel discussions featured included:

• “Law School Admissions Professionals Panel: What Every Law School Applicant Needs to Know About the Law School Admissions Process"
• "Addressing the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) Achievement Gap: Keys to Excellent Preparation for Earning the Competitive Scores that Law Schools Want"
• "The Law School Personal Statement and Diversity Statement: What They Are, Their Role in the Admissions Process, and How to Write Effective Statements That Really Stand Out"
• "How to Pay for Law School: Insider Information on Loans, Scholarships, Fellowships, Grants, and Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (and Tips on Money Management)"
• "The Truth About Law School Rankings, and How to Choose the Law School That is Best for YOU"
• "Blazing Your Own Trail: Creating Opportunity from Every Tier in the Spectrum"
• "Mock Law School Class"
• "Preparation for Success Starts Today!: What You Can Do Now to Prepare to Become a Highly Competitive Law School Candidate (Strategies and Advice for Success in High School and College"
• "How to Become an All-Around Successful Law Student: Facing the Realities of Life as a Law Student and Making the Most of the Entire Law School Experience"
• "The Double Minority: The Additional Challenges of Being Both Black and a Woman in the Legal Profession"
• "Black Men in the Legal Profession: Getting More of Us on the Other Side of the Law"
• "Life as a Black Law Student: Coping with the Additional Burdens of Racism and Prejudice, and Ways to Make Positive Contributions in the Law School Environment and Legal Work Settings"
• "African Americans and the Bar Exam: Understanding Exactly What It Takes to Pass this High-Stakes Exam, and Earn Your License to Practice Law"
• "What You Need to Know to Gain Employment and Advance in the Legal Profession That You Will Not Learn Anywhere Else"
• "African American Lawyers: Diverse Career Paths and Options"
• "African American Attorneys With Their Own Law Practices: The Challenges and Rewards of Being a Legal Entrepreneur"