7th Annual National Black Pre-Law Conference a Success

Feb. 17, 2012 - PRLog -- The Seventh Annual National Black Pre-Law Admissions & Preparation Conference and Law School Recruitment Fair 2011 was held from Thursday, November 17, 2011 to Saturday, November 19, 2011 at the Hilton University of Houston Hotel and Conference Center in Houston, Texas.  The conference is the nation’s most comprehensive and dynamic information-sharing and networking empowerment event focused on encouraging the success of aspiring Black lawyers.  Nearly 400 people attended the event in some capacity.

The schedule was jam-packed with everything any aspiring lawyer would need to know to make a thoughtful decision regarding pursuing a professional legal education.  There were over 30 powerful and thought-provoking sessions made up of expert law school administrators and accomplished law students, lawyers and judges imparting “insider” information and wisdom in all of the key areas a future law student should become knowledgeable about.  

Critical information was imparted through discussions and workshops covering the law school admissions process, the Law School Admission Test, personal and diversity statements, financing a legal education, selecting a law school, preparing for and making the most of the law school experience, diversity issues, passing the bar exam, different legal career options and paths, finding success in the legal job search, pursuing dual or joint degrees, networking and relationship building, etiquette and business image, the keys to career advancement, the advanced Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree, and more.

Moreover, participants had the unique opportunity to actually experience what it feels like to be a law student in the law school classroom through preparing for and participating in mock law classes taught by actual law professors.   Special signature events were conducted which enabled them to get answers to their specific questions, as well as general assistance and feedback on their admissions materials from law school administrators and attorney mentors.  Furthermore, the Law School Recruitment Fair featured representatives from over 110 law schools, from all tier levels from all over the nation.  

In addition, there were networking activities so attendees could make meaningful connections and create a foundation for building relationships with law students and lawyers.  There were both formal, structured networking activities such as a networking reception and ice cream social, as well as informal off-site networking opportunities including dinner at a Black-owned restaurant and a late night meal at a popular local eatery on the closing night of the event.

Highlights of the conference included powerful keynote speeches from prominent attorneys including Theodore M. Shaw, Columbia Law Professor and Immediate Past President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Paul Lancaster Adams, Senior Director of U.S. Government Affairs for Microsoft Corporation, Daryl Parks, Partner of the Parks Crump Law Firm and President of the National Bar Association, and Yolanda Young, author, activist, commentator and blogger of the popular site www.OnBeingaBlackLawyer.com.

There were also special guest speeches from several successful law students and attorneys including Vanessa D. Gilmore, District Court Judge for the Southern District of Texas, Chibundu Nnake, Chairperson of the National Black Law Students Association, Antoy Bell, President of the Houston Lawyers Association, Audrey Moorehead, Chairperson of the African American Section of the State Bar of Texas, Dr. Benjamin Hall, Owner of the Hall Law Firm, Nathan Williamson, Chair of the Pre-Law Division of the National Black Law Students Association, Andrea Hence Evans, the National Bar Association and IMPACT’s 2011 Advocate of the Year, and Twanda Turner-Hawkins, Vice-President of the National Bar Association.  

Participants were able to walk away as more sophisticated legal education consumers and with a better sense of what they were possibly getting themselves into and what it really takes to successfully pursuing the challenging path of becoming a lawyer. According to numerous participants, the event was “life-changing” and helped them better understand what to expect and what was expected of them.

The eighth annual event is scheduled to take place from Friday, November 2, 2012 to Saturday, November 3, 2012 at the Westin Galleria in Houston, Texas.  For more information, please visit the official conference website at http://www.blackprelawconference.com.

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The National Black Pre-Law Conference is the nation's premier information-sharing and networking empowerment event for aspiring Black lawyers.