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Student Organizations

Memphis Law has a number of active student organizations. Each organization is listed below with contact information. Throughout a student's law school career many find it extremely beneficial to be a part of one or a few student organizations.

American Constitution Society for Law & Policy

President: Kathryn Mizell
Faculty Advisor: Carrie Kerley

The American Constitution Society is the nation's leading progressive legal organization. It was formed in response to the Supreme Court's Bush v. Gore decision and was founded on the principle that the law should be a force to improve the lives of all people. Its mission is to promote the vitality of the U.S. Constitution and the fundamental values it expresses: individual rights and liberties, genuine equality, access to justice, democracy and the rule of law. There are over 200 student and lawyer chapters in almost every state and on most law school campuses. Please see the ACS website for more information.

Asian Pacific American Law Student Association

President: Shannon Teh
Faculty Advisor: Carina Fung

The Asian Pacific American Law Student Association is a student-led organization established in 1981. We founded our Memphis Chapter to advocate for the Asian Pacific American community among the student body population at the University of Memphis Law School Campus. We provide support and networking opportunities through our local connections in Memphis, TN and our parent organization, the National Asian Pacific American Law Student Association. Our organization serves to promote diversity and unity on campus while providing a space to discuss the Asian Pacific American legal experience. Please see Napalsa for more information.

Association for Women Attorneys

President: Lexi Doyle
Faculty Advisor: Jodi Wilson

The Association for Women Attorneys student chapter is an organization dedicated to promoting the interests, education, and advancements of women attorneys. Along with the AWA professional chapter, the AWA student chapter regularly coordinates scholarship opportunities, speaking engagements, and meetings for members. Please contact the Memphis Chapter of the AWA or memphisawa@yahoo.com for further information. 

Black Law Students Association

President: Cameron Comer
Faculty Advisor: Daniel Kiel

Founded in 1966, the Black Law Students Association seeks to promote the professional needs of African-American law students through promoting professional competence and increasing awareness of the needs of the African American community. For further information, please contact The National BLSA.

Business and Tax Law Society

President: Bryan Blades
Faculty Advisor: William Kratzke

The Business & Tax Law Society is a network of U of M law students who are pursuing, or are interested in pursuing, the JD/MBA dual degree, Business Certificate, Tax Certificate, and/or dual Business/Tax Certificate. The Society exists to assist in achieving your business and tax law goals by providing peer-to-peer advising, scheduling tips, and general feedback on life as a business/tax law student. 

Christian Legal Society

President: Merry Ashlyn Gatewood
Faculty Advisor: Carina Fung

Christian Legal Society is a non-denominational, national organization dedicated to fostering Christian community, encouraging spiritual formation, and working to integrate Christian faith and the practice of law. Society activities include weekly meetings, guest speakers, and extra-curricular social activities that provide further opportunities for Christian fellowship. For further information, please visit Christian Legal Society.

Federal Bar Association

President: Jack Pitcock
Faculty Advisor: Anna Vescovo

The Federal Bar Association is a national organization consisting of more than 16,000 attorneys and 1,200 federal judges. The student organization works closely with the Memphis Mid-South Chapter to foster a strong relationship between student members and local federal judges and attorneys. We host several speakers on campus and provide a number of networking opportunities with attorneys who practice in the federal system. 

Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies

President: Ginny Britto
Faculty Advisor: Jenny Brobst

The Federalist Society is a group composed of conservatives and libertarians interested in promoting awareness of Federalist principles, including: that the state exists to preserve freedom, that the separation of governmental powers is central to our Constitution, and that it is emphatically the province and duty of the judiciary to say what the law is, not what it should be. Please see The Federalist Society for further information. 

Health Law Society

President: Terry Griffith
Faculty Advisor: Katy Ramsey Mason

The Health Law Society ("HLS") is dedicated to exploring the intersection between medical health care and the judicial system. The HLS examines not only the traditional areas of health law, but also delves deeper into local and national health policy concerns. The HLS strives to enhance the experience and knowledge of its members and the entire Memphis law community. 

Hispanic Law Student Association

President: Mary Cano
Faculty Advisor: David Romantz

 HLSA membership is not limited by race or ethnicity. We are an organization geared towards helping students of all races and ethnicities excel throughout law school. Our goal as an organization is to make sure that you succeed in law school academically, culturally and socially. To accomplish this goal, we continually implement programming that addresses the needs of our diverse student body. Whether it is providing mentoring opportunities with the local minority bar association, various social outings, or hosting community service projects, we always have something planned to enrich your experience at the University of Memphis.

Honor Council

Chief Justice: Peter Bouck
Faculty Advisor: David Romantz

The legal profession is a self-regulated profession; meaning judges and lawyers determine their own professional standards and enforce them. That tradition of self-regulation starts in the law school with the Honor Code and Honor Council. The Honor Code is a code of professional and academic standards. The Honor Council enforces the Honor Code. The Honor Council is composed of eleven law students elected by the student body. The Honor Council investigates and prosecutes alleged violations of the Honor Code. All first-year law students will take an oath at law school orientation to honor the values reflected in the Code.

More detailed information about the Honor Code can be found in the Academic Regulations and on the Honor Council homepage here. 

International Law Society

President: McKenzie Waxler
Faculty Advisor: Sonya Garza

The International Law Society is committed to educating students and lawyers, from all over, in the principles and purposes of international law, international organizations and institutions, and comparative legal systems. We hope to achieve this by encouraging communication among students and lawyers from different parts of the world, promoting international understanding and cooperation, and by advancing the legal education of members in general. We also strive to provide opportunities for law students and lawyers to learn about other cultures and legal systems in a system of critical dialogue and international cooperation. 

Jewish Law Society

President: TBD
Faculty Advisor: Katharine Schaffzin

The Jewish Law Student Association is a cultural law group that seeks to expose the law school to constructive dialogue and informative programming related to Israel and Judaism, expose members to Jewish culture, and allow for diverse networking opportunities in the field of law.

The University of Memphis Law Review

Editor-in-Chief: Tiffany Odom-Rodriguez
Faculty Advisor: Regina Hillman

The Law Review is a student publication committed to producing a scholarly, legal journal. All of the articles published in the journal are selected by students and edited by students. The notes and comments selected for publication are also written and edited by students. The goal is to provide a publication that will benefit practitioners, judges, professors, students, and others that use this journal in their practice, on the bench, in the classroom, or in their legal research. 

Memphis Law +1

President: Jay Wallis
Faculty Advisor: Lynda Black

Memphis Law +1 is an organization that seeks to provide a support system for students that have families; including, but not limited to, children. The definition of the 'traditional' student has changed dramatically in the last decade as students in law school often already have families and many times are not coming directly out of undergraduate programs. This presents a unique challenge from time management to setting up a schedule that allows the student to network and create a resume' with greater time constraints that the 'traditional' student. Our organization seeks to create a support system, first and foremost, for the students by creating a network of such students that can, together, make tackling law school more productive. Memphis Law +1 is sponsored by the law school's family law area and specifically by Professor Lynda Black. 

Moot Court Board

Chief Justice: Thomas Fletcher
Faculty Advisor: Barbara Kritchevsky

The Moot Court Board is dedicated to recognizing, coordinating and fostering excellence in both the appellate and trial advocacy. Duties of the Board include advertising, organizing, and coordinating all intraschool competitions. 

Memphis Muslim Student Bar Association

President: Muhammad Iqbal
Faculty Advisor: Carrie Kerley

OUTLaw

President: Emilio Cuebas
Faculty Advisor: Regina Hillman

OUTLAW is a law student organization geared specifically towards gay, bisexual, lesbian, and trans-gendered legal issues. The Gay-Straight Alliance promotes equality and civil rights while maintaining visibility in the Memphis legal community as a resource for the gay population. For more information, contact the Human Rights Campaign website or OUTMemphis.

Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity

Chapter Justice: Mac McClendon
Faculty Advisor: Ralph Brashier

With over 300,000 members, Phi Alpha Delta is the nation's largest co-ed professional law fraternity. It exists to promote the welfare of each member as well as the community by fostering lasting relationships between teachers and students of law, promoting the ideals of liberty and equal justice under the law, stimulating excellence in scholarship, inspiring virtues of compassion and courage, and fostering integrity and professional competence. For further information, please visit Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity's national website. 

Public Action Law Society

President: Alexis Briana Dahler
Faculty Advisor: Danny Schaffzin and Katy Ramsey

The Public Action Law Society (PALS) at the University of Memphis is a student-led organization that seeks to promote volunteerism, community service, and a pattern of activities that will instill in participants a desire to continue in pro bono work after becoming attorneys. PALS coordinates volunteers for a number of different organizations. Volunteers are connected to community service organizations that match the students' interests and abilities. 

Sports & Entertainment Law Society (SELS)

President: Josh Moss
Faculty Advisor: Lynda Black

SELS is a student-run organization dedicated to providing information, career support, and social activity for law students interested in careers within the sports and entertainment industry. We are committed to increasing student exposure to the industry. We plan to arrange guest speakers to provide industry insight and examine topical issue in sports and entertainment law. Through these events, our organization aims to provide a realistic introduction to the entry level sports and entertainment law market for today's law student. For more information, follow @MemphisLaw_SELS on Twitter. 

Street Law

President: Sarah Mangroo
Faculty Advisor: Daniel Kiel

Street Law is a nonprofit organization that began in 1972 at Georgetown University. The program's original intent was to teach District of Columbia high school students about the law and legal system. Today Street Law has active chapters in all 50 states and 40 countries worldwide. The curriculum has evolved into a range of programs and publications designed to teach practical law, crime prevention, conflict resolution, youth advocacy, and the fundamental principles of democracy. The Memphis Law Chapter currently serves two local schools, Soulsville Charter School and Memphis Central High School. Students, from 1Ls to 3Ls, and professors teach at these two schools on a weekly or monthly basis. Our role in the classroom is to engage the students around topics of law, democracy, human rights, and local issues. Most of all, we strive to bridge the gap between today's youth and the law, and to inspire students onto professional careers. 

Student Bar Association

President: Crystal Golden
Faculty Advisor: Regina Hillman

The Student Bar Association (SBA) is dedicated to connecting all University of Memphis School of Law students into one body to foster fellowship and cooperation as well as advance the aims and purposes of the School of Law. Duties of the association include creating forums to resolve student issues, plan students activities, and partner with other university departments for the advancement of common interests. All students enrolled in the School of Law are automatically members of the SBA. 

Student Government Association

Law School Representative: Jessie Nabors
Faculty Advisor: Sally Parish

Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (Student Chapter)

President: Nathan Daniels
Faculty Advisor: David Romantz 

The Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (TACDL) at the University of Memphis is the student chapter that focuses on education and support to lawyers representing citizens accused of crime. TACDL members also acts as advocates for a fair and effective criminal justice in the courts, the legislature, and wherever justice demands. TACDL will hold events particularly pertaining to criminal defense, private practice, and indigent clients. TACDL strives to enhance the experience and knowledge of its members and the entire Memphis law community.

Veterans Law Society

President: Kevin Marshall
Faculty Advisor: Jenny Brobst

The purpose of the Veterans Law Society (VLS) at the University of Memphis School of Law is to promote the legal interests of Veterans in the greater Memphis area.

Veterans Law Society shall not engage in any illegal activities. The organization's purposes are not within the scope of any other current registered student organization.

Veterans Law Society is apolitical and will not espouse a political agenda. No officer will attempt to further a political agenda in the scope of their duties or in their role as an officer. 

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