Public Interest Student Activities
Public Interest Student OrganizationsPublic Interest Law Society
- Largest student organization on campus
- Coordinates with help desks in various Cook County Courts to provide student volunteers.
- Encourages member participation in all activities related to the public interest, including LRE at JTDC and CPS Pipeline
- Provides a variety of pro bono opportunities for law students around the city throughout the area.
- Participates in Hunger Week activities and fundraisers, including the No Talent Show which raised money for SouthWest PADS, service provider to the homeless.
- Raises money (through an auction) for stipends for the student summer internships at not-for-profit or governmental agencies representing the board.
Law-Related Education
- 40 to 60 law students each semester volunteer to visit the Detention Center once per week for a six week session, educating residents regarding the legal process.
Public Interest Initiatives by other Student Organizations
Black Law Student Association
- Coordinates with LALSA an Annual Race and the Law Symposium. This year's symposium dealt with racial issues reflected in the death penalty in this country and featured two Death Row exonorees.
- Participates in Hunger Week Activities and fundraisers.
- Members participate in the Law Related Education program at the Juvenile Detention Center (see above for more details).
- Members participate in the Alain Locke pipeline program.
- Members participate in the Chicago Public School Pipeline Program (see below).
- Works with Admissions Office to mentor incoming African-American law students.
Catholic Lawyers Guild
- Works with Catholic Charities to provide meals to the poor during Hunger Week
- Assists with fundraising activities during hunger week.
- Sponsors symposia relating to Catholic teachings and the law; recently Thomas Geoghegan and Appellate Court Justice Mary Jane Theis addressed the student body.
ChildLaw Society
- Organizes a holiday gift drive for clients served by the ChildLaw Clinic.
- Participates in Hunger Week activities and fundraisers.
- Raises awareness through educational activities during Child Abuse Prevention Week.
CPS Pipeline
- Provide ACT preparation and assistance in essay writing for college applications for 50 juniors and seniors at Harlan High School on the city's South Side.
Latino American Law Student Association
- Hosted two "Law Fairs" at Farragut High School, introducing students and their family and community members to legal service providers for low-income families.
- Co-host citywide Latino Law Forum, encouraging Latino high school and college students to explore law school and legal careers.
- Currently developing a law school pipeline with student and community members associated with Little Village Social Justice High School.
Muslim Law Society
- Currently, two members are enrolled in the Street Law program and are bringing law related education to two Muslim schools; the high school students will be brought to Loyola school of law at the end of the semester.
Other Recent Public Interest Initiatives
Tenants' Rights Training
- On February 18, 2008, Loyola's Professor Hank Rose joined with the Metropolitan Tenants' Rights Organization and other practitioners from the private and public sector to train over 90 attorneys who are either private practitioners, legal aid attorneys, or attorneys from firms wishing to do pro bono work representing tenants.
Loyola Law Academy
- Thirty high school students from around the city participated in four Saturday sessions in Jan-Feb 2008 to learn more about legal careers; minority attorney mentors and law students interacted with the high school students in mock trials and other interactive sessions.
