Student Organizations

Below is a listing of law student organizations which may or may not be active. Students interested in exploring these organizations can do so at the Student Organization Fair which is usually held each year in early fall.

• Asian Pacific American Law Student Association (APALSA) was founded in 1994 to increase the recruitment of Asian-American students and professors in the law school and to keep students informed about legal issues that affect them and their communities. APALSA maintains contact with related national organizations and law schools that support similar programming.
• Association of Women Law Students (AWLS), organized in 1972, promotes the full involvement of women students in the College of Law and in the community. The association sponsors speakers whose primary emphasis is on women in various phases of the law and works to establish curriculum courses of interest to women.
• Black Law Student Association (BLSA), A.P. Tureaud Chapter, established in 1969, is geared to recruiting and maintaining the enrollment of black students in the College of Law. Members of the organization recruit black students from colleges and universities throughout the region. Tutorial services are also offered to help maintain the enrollment level of black students. The society, open to all interested law students, maintains contact with related national organizations and other law schools throughout the country that support similar programs.
• Board of Advocates/Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA) (see Trial Advocacy Program)
• Cajun-American Law Society was founded in 1992 to stimulate the awareness of the student body of the effect of the Cajun language and culture upon the development of Louisiana. Through speakers, seminars, and school functions, members will gain in-depth knowledge of the historical events that led to the now prevalent Cajun culture.
• Christian Legal Society (CLS) is a student-led group that works to deepen the spiritual and intellectual lives of its members. CLS works to integrate the profession and skills with the faith and supports each other in legal education. Loyola’s CLS chapter was established in 2003 but CLS is a national organization with chapters at many prestigious law schools encouraging an authentic Christian identity on campus. The mission of CLS is to maintain a vibrant Christian Law Fellowship on Loyola’s campus which enables its members, individually and as a group, to love the Lord with their whole beings—hearts, minds, and souls—and to love their neighbors as themselves. (Mt. 22:37 – 40). CLS explores what it means to be a Christian in law and strives as a community to submit every aspect of one’s calling in the legal profession to the Lordship of Jesus Christ by proclaiming the Gospel in word and deed. CLS does this by sponsoring speakers in politics, law and policy who live a Christian witness in their professions. CLS also facilitates the networking of pro-life, pro-traditional family, and pro-religious liberties attorneys with students who wish to serve in these critical areas.
• The Code, the College of Law’s student newspaper, was established in the fall of 1960. Participation is open to all students. It is dedicated to the reporting of College of Law news and to providing a medium for the expression of student views.
• Delta Theta Phi national legal fraternity has established a chapter at the College of Law, to which all law students are eligible for membership. The fraternity is devoted to the stimulation of interest in scholarship, organized legal research and writing, participation in appellate court competition, and fellowship on the part of its members.
• Entrepreneurial Business Law Society’s mission is to empower members with the skills they need to start, promote, and maintain their own businesses. The organization is primarily made up of law students, but there are plans to diversify membership with students from the areas of information technology, undergraduate and graduate business, music business, and graphic arts. The organization hopes to augment the Small Business Development Center at Loyola University by offering legal aid as well as aid from other disciplines. Entrepreneurs will be featured and will give advice on starting businesses.
• Environmental Law Society was founded in 1989 and provides students exposure to and the opportunity to become involved with local, national, and international environmental problems and issues.
• Hispanic Law Students Association (HLSA), established in 1986, provides a support mechanism for Hispanic students and actively works to increase the Hispanic presence within the College of Law. Members are encouraged to develop their legal skills by participating in community programs and international academic competitions sponsored by the organization. Further, HLSA promotes the relationship of its members with the Hispanic legal community of Louisiana.
• International Law Society, an affiliate chapter of Association of Student International Law Societies, is dedicated to the understanding of various legal systems of the world. A series of seminars featuring international authorities is designed to highlight similarities and differences between United States legal systems and those of other countries. The society is an information source for summer legal study abroad and legal internships with foreign law firms.
• J.D./M.B.A. Society was established in 1983. Though organized primarily for students participating in the program, all students are welcome to participate and learn about the relationship between the business and law communities. Additionally, Loyola is affiliated with the new J.D./M.B.A. association formed specifically for people with both degrees.
• Justinian Law Society was founded in 1998 to foster unity, fellowship, and support among Italian-American law students who share common educational, professional, and cultural pursuits. The society sponsors distinguished guest speakers, hosts seminars, and networks with other national and regional Italian-American organizations which provide support for mentor programs, job placement, scholarships, and valuable career developing opportunities. The Justinian Law Society is affiliated with the National Italian-American Bar Association.
• Law and Technology Society’s mission is to promote awareness and understanding of all legal issues concerning intellectual property, the Internet, and other technology related topics which have an impact on the legal community. The Law and Technology Society also strives to assist law students who wish to practice patent law by staying current with the patent bar’s study materials and its rules and regulations. This organization serves as a resource for any and all students and faculty who wish to participate in learning law which is on the cutting edge of technology.
• Loyola Public Interest Law Group (LPILG) is a group of Loyola law students who share an interest in providing legal services for those who are traditionally underrepresented. LPILG members are interested in a variety of areas of public interest law including: providing legal services to the poor, civil rights work, work as public prosecutors or public defenders, and work for other non-profit public service groups. LPILG’s activities include: advocacy for loan forgiveness, endowing summer clerkships in the public interest, increasing career placement opportunities in public interest law, and promoting public interest law within the university and the community. LPILG is also a member of the National Association of Public Interest Law (NAPIL).
• Maritime Law Society was established in the spring of 1994 for the purpose of introducing students to the various legal and factual issues which arise in the field of maritime law. Seminars, speakers, field trips, and panel discussions give students the opportunity to interact with practitioners, judges, and businesses that are actively involved in this area of the law.
• Moot Court is a comprehensive program which allows students to compete in both regional and national intramural and intercollegiate moot court competitions. Students selected to be on moot court teams earn valuable experience in the art of oral advocacy and the skills of brief writing. Team members are selected by a board through individual competition. Loyola teams have a national reputation for excellence and regularly win or place in regional and national competitions.
• National Lawyers Guild (NLG) is a national organization that has been in existence since the 1930s with a membership of approximately 8,000 lawyers and students. The Loyola chapter of the guild was formed in 1982. The preamble of the NLG Constitution best summarizes the organization’s orientation: “We place human rights above property rights.”
• Native American Law Society was organized in 1993 to promote the study of American Indian Law under treaties, laws, and customs within the United States and tribal framework. The Native American Law Society is affiliated with the Native American Law Society N.A.
• Phi Alpha Delta international legal fraternity has established a chapter at the College of Law to which any law student is eligible for membership. The fraternity’s purpose is to serve law students by stressing a proper blend of professional and social activity to prepare them for the practice of law, to serve the law school by supplementing the formal courses with an orientation program for first-year students, lectures, interschool moot court competitions, and other pre-professional endeavors in order to fulfill its motto, “Service to the Student, the Law School, the Profession, and the Community.”
• Phi Delta Phi international legal fraternity is the oldest legal fraternity in continued existence in the United States today. It established its 99th Inn, the Black Inn, named after Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black, at Loyola University New Orleans College of Law in 1972. Members are selected from those of the student body who have completed at least one semester of study and have attained a ranking in their respective class of at least the top 50 percent. The intent of this organization is to foster an interest in scholarship and provide services to the student body and within the legal community. Additionally, the inn fosters friendship which has long been the hallmark of the Phi Delta Phi tradition.
• The Real Estate Law Society was founded in the fall of 2002 to promote educational opportunities for students, faculty, and staff interested in issues regarding real estate. The society maintains a website complete with an online outline bank, downloadable application for membership, contact information for members, and a schedule of events. For more information, visit the organization’s website at www.therealestatelawsociety.org, or e-mail at therealestatelawsociety@hotmail.com.
• St. Thomas More Law Society was established in 1935 in honor of the English martyr and saint. The club is open to all members of the law school community and is dedicated to the stimulation of an interest in the moral and ethical responsibilities of members of the legal profession. The intent of this organization is the exploration of subject matter not always treated in the ordinary curriculum, by way of lectures, debates, seminars, workshops, community action, and legal scholarship.
• Sports and Entertainment Law Society was established in 1988 to provide a forum for students interested in the legal regulation of the sports and entertainment industries. The organization sponsors seminars, workshops, and panel discussions featuring local attorneys and members of the sports and entertainment industries. The group has focused on the representation of professional athletes and musicians.
• Student Bar Association was organized in the spring of 1952 and is composed of all students enrolled in the day and evening programs of the College of Law. It is governed under a constitution adopted by the students. Its purpose is to provide a means of closer unity among all students and to foster mutual cooperation and understanding between the law student body, the law faculty and administration, and the legal profession. The Student Bar Association of Loyola is a member of the Law Student Division of the American Bar Association.
  Membership dues in the Student Bar Association are $150 for all students payable at registration of the freshman year but covering all three (four) years of law school.
• Trial Advocacy Program, formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA) Board of Advocates, J. Skelly Wright Chapter, was organized in the fall of 1982. The purpose of an ATLA student chapter is to prepare students for a smooth transition from the study of law to the practice of law. ATLA’s objectives are educational and primarily are concerned with the practical aspects of trial work such as how to interview a jury, how to take a deposition, and how to examine a witness. Each year, ATLA sponsors a mock trial competition. This intramural competition is held to select a team to represent Loyola in the regional and national competitions. A series of seminars are offered in conjunction with the competition to provide a basic background of the trial process.