For the first time, prospective law school applicants will have an opportunity to see what really goes on behind the scenes of a law school admissions committee meeting at Kaplan Test Prep’s live, online “Who Gets In? You Be the Judge: A Mock Admissions Event.”   On Monday, August 1 at 8:00 PM EST, admissions officers from the University of Michigan Law School, University of Virginia School of Law, UCLA School of Law and George Washington University Law School will review, discuss and analyze “applicants’’’ LSAT scores, undergraduate transcripts, personal statements, diversity statements, letters of recommendation, resumes and work experience, academic misconducts, criminal records, application addenda and more to show attendees exactly how they arrive at their ultimate decisions.  Throughout the event, attendees will have the unique opportunity to interact directly with the admissions officers, ask questions and weigh in with their own opinions on panelists’ deliberations and verdicts.

“This first of its kind event will demystify the law school admissions process like never before with an exclusive look into how the actual decision makers arrive at their final judgments about applicants,” said Jeff Thomas, director of pre-law programs, Kaplan Test Prep.  “We already know that an applicant’s LSAT score is by far the most important admissions factor, but this event will give attendees a thorough, holistic view of exactly what top ranked law schools are looking for in an entering class.  What they learn may alter their own admissions strategies and make a difference in their chances of getting in, so it’s a must-attend event.”

“I am very pleased that Kaplan is hosting this online forum that will allow us to reach a larger audience and help a greater number of aspiring lawyers better understand the admissions process,” said Anne M. Richard, senior assistant dean for admissions, University of Virginia School of Law.  “Admissions decisions are made by professionals who are doing their best to admit applicants they believe have the greatest chance of succeeding at their institutions and making valuable contributions to the legal profession.”

To register for the “Who Gets In? You Be the Judge: A Mock Admissions Event,” students can visit www.kaplanlsat.com/mockadmissions.

To read the full press release, click here.

The coaches of the two teams are all employed at Walkup Melodia Kelly & Schoenberger, located in San Francisco. Spencer Pahlke, a Berkeley graduate himself, coached the winning team, while Melinda Derish ’03 and Emily Wecht coached the runners-up.

According to coach Pahlke, the competition went as well as it possibly could have. As he explained, “Our students’ preparation shined through brilliantly. They were informative and interesting in their opening statements, helped their witnesses be storytellers on direct examination, broke down the other side’s case on cross examination, and brought everything together during closing argument. It was a joy to watch.”

To reach the final round, each team has to win three preliminary-round trials, as well as a semi-final competition, before being judged by the presidents of Washington’s State Bar in the championship. This year, students participating in the competition focused on a collision between a semi-truck and a small passenger car, requiring “a lot of algebra and really understanding the math,” according to Lalas.

The competition – this year held in Seattle – attracted 16 teams. The winning team will advance to the national trials, this year held in Las Vegas on March 31-April 3. To read more about the Berkeley teams, click here.

The annual conference, which will alternate between the east and west coasts, is an extension of the tax policy colloquia that are currently organized at each of the schools.  Since 2004, UCLA has hosted the UCLA Colloquium on Tax Policy and Public Finance, while the NYU Tax Policy Colloquium has brought together leading scholars, students and practitioners for more than 15 years.  Like its predecessors, the joint conference will bring together legal and economic experts to discuss tax-related issues.

The first conference, entitled “Tax Policy and Health Care Reform,” will focus on how the tax system can fund healthcare reform, introduce health insurance mandates for individuals and benefit nonprofit organizations in the health care service industry. In October 2012, the conference moves to New York City where the main topic of conversation will be the 100th anniversary of the income tax.

Richard Revesz, dean of NYU Law, stated that he is “delighted that these two terrific tax programs will be joining forces” to engage in a discourse about tax policy, an issue that is crucial to both the public and private sectors.  Dean of UCLA Law Rachel Moran sees this conference as an ideal opportunity for the schools to combine resources and tackle the most pressing tax policy issues.

This year’s annual conference is titled “Pathways to Progress: Conquering the Challenges of the 21st Century.” The organizers of the event hope to explore the progress that has been made within the Asian Pacific American (APA) community in recent years by identifying commendable lawyers and policymakers who have are doing noteworthy work in their fields of expertise. The conference will host speakers representing a wide array of industries including immigration, community mobilizations and media. Attendees will be invited to discuss the challenges faced by the APA community – including issues that have already been resolved and those that have yet to be addressed. According to the APALSA, “We hope this Conference will encourage attendees to evaluate their conception of progress and serve as a springboard to inspire discussion and collaboration with colleagues and peers.”

The conference will be held at both the Harvard Kennedy School and at the nearby Sheraton Commander Hotel. The conference will include six panels covering topics including immigration, journalism and entertainment. Each of the six panels will examine “a different facet of [the APA community’s] progress, and is intended to celebrate the success of the APA community in various fields and present diverse perspectives on a wide range of social issues.”

To learn more about the event, or to register (the event is open to the public, as well as to the HLS community), make sure to visit HLS’s website.

Suarez, who is a 1991 graduate of Penn Law, serves as the senior vice president of international business development for Walmart International.  His responsibilities in this role include overseeing international real estate and M&A activities in addition to global development efforts for the company.  Before filling this post, Suarez was the senior vice president and general counsel for Sam’s Club and later Walmart International.  Prior to 2004, he worked in the public sector at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and as a federal and state prosecutor.

President of LALSA, 3L Ryan Crosner, stated that the association wanted to invite a highly accomplished member of the alumni community to the conference to help celebrate the group’s 35th anniversary.  According to Crosner, “Mr. Suarez has not only reached the pinnacle of success in the business world, but is also an incredibly giving person who is so enthused to be here at our conference and to share with us his experiences in both the public and private sectors.”

To learn more about the conference schedule of events, visit the LALSA website.

This visit, which marks the Chief Justice’s second to the law school, includes meetings between Wood and the Co-Director of the Leitner Center Tracy Higgins, former dean and alumnus John D. Feerick, interim dean Michael M. Martin and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Sheila Foster.  During these meetings, topics to be covered include possible dispute resolution practices, judicial exchange programs for members of the Ghanaian judicial service and enhancing research opportunities.

Before engaging in discussions with Professor Higgins about the many joint projects that the Center supports along with the Judicial Service of Ghana, the Chief Justice will attend the 19th Annual Trumpet Awards in Atlanta, be present at the National Prayer Breakfast and travel to Cambridge to speak to members of the MIT Sloan Africa Business Club.

At the end of her stay in the U.S., Justice Wood will give a lecture at New York University titled “The Role of the Judiciary in Protecting Human Rights and Advancing Access to Justice in Ghana.”  This lecture is co-sponsored by the Leitner Center.

Last year’s competition, which was held in South Dakota, attracted 46 teams. This year, 66 teams represented 28 schools will attend the event at Columbia Law School, scheduled to be held on February 25-26. The teams in attendance – all comprised of two law school students – come from as far away as Hawaii. The organizers of the competition assume that the convenient New York City location contributed to the surge in attendees this year. Kyle Kolb, Columbia Law School Class of 2011 and director of this year’s competition and representative of the program’s Native American Law Students Associate, stated, “it’s the best turnout we’ve ever had for the national competition.”

Columbia’s Native American Law Students Association was founded in 1989 not just to serve and support Native American students, but also to promote awareness and interest in Native American legal issues. The annual competition gives students a chance to take the information learned through their classes and apply them in a more hands-on setting. According to Columbia Law School, the focus of this year’s competition’s main problem is “the extent of a tribal court’s jurisdiction over a member of another tribe who was arrested following a fight at the tribe’s casino.”

All put one of the Columbia Law School teams competing in the competition are comprised of 1Ls who are able satisfying a foundation year moot court requirement through their attendance. Other participating schools, however, are primarily represented by teams comprised of 2Ls and 3Ls.

To learn more about this year’s National Native American Law Students Association Moot Court Competition, visit the Columbia Law website.

Kent, a member of the Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta since 1978, has held a wide variety of roles and responsibilities within the group. His positions have taken him to Turkey, Central Asia and East Europe. From 1989-1995, he was the president of Coca-Cola’s East Central Europe division, which gave him full responsibility of 23 countries. His experiences have exposed him to international business and law practices, given him insights concerning the ways in which women will impact business laws and regulations over the next few decades.

During his lecture, Kent intends to speak about “the rise of women’s economic empowerment in coming decades, and its impact on the global economy, business strategy and sustainability efforts.” In addition to providing information along these lines, Kent also plans to offer suggestions for law and business institutions to play beneficial roles in the empowerment of women in these industries.

Kent’s lecture will be held at 4 p.m. in the Luce Hall Auditorium, and is open to the public. For more information, click here.

Most of the top schools are already on the road and ready to wrap up in mid-November, so we recommend looking into the travel schedules for programs of interest and planning accordingly. Keeping in mind that these schedules are updated and amended throughout the fall, here are some of the top programs’ itineraries for the weeks ahead:

Berkeley / Boalt:
http://www.law.berkeley.edu/199.htm

Chicago:
http://www.law.uchicago.edu/events/admissions

Columbia:
http://www.law.columbia.edu/jd_applicants/visiting/ontheroad

Duke:
http://www.law.duke.edu/admis/travel/

George Washington University:
http://www.law.gwu.edu/Admissions/JD/Pages/Recruitment_Schedule.aspx

Harvard:
http://www.law.harvard.edu/prospective/jd/experience/recruiting.html

Michigan:
http://www.law.umich.edu/prospectivestudents/admissions/Pages/meetus.aspx

Minnesota:
http://www.law.umn.edu/prospective/recruiting.html

New York University:
http://www.law.nyu.edu/admissions/jdadmissions/visitingnyu/offcampusvisitsandlsacforums/index.htm

Notre Dame:
http://law.nd.edu/admissions-and-financial-aid/recruitment-schedule

UCLA:
http://www.law.ucla.edu/home/index.asp?page=887

University of Pennsylvania:
http://www.law.upenn.edu/prospective/recschedule.html

University of Washington:
http://www.law.washington.edu/Admissions/Recruit.aspx

USC / Gould:
http://lawweb.usc.edu/how/jd/recruitingSchedule.cfm

Vanderbilt:
http://law.vanderbilt.edu/prospective-students/admissions/campus-visit-calendar/index.aspx

Yale:
http://www.law.yale.edu/admissions/recruiting.htm

Need more law school information?  Make sure to check in with the Clear Admit Law School Admissions Portal next week for further details.