PLS Meeting: Spring 2024 Kickoff

Pre-Law Society

McKenna Nonnenmann

Although the PLS has been involved in several informal events this spring, our first official meeting was February 21. And what a meeting! We had the honor of hosting two past Pre-Law Society presidents: Victoria McClendon, a first-year attorney; and Quinn Kobrin. a third-year law student at the University of New Hampshire. We also had the pleasure of having Blake Roach, an Associate Legislature Director at the Texas Farm Bureau, back on campus.

 Our meeting started off well, as we learned that we had 96 members, our highest-ever membership total!

The meeting continued on this note, as McClendon and Kobrin offered great advice on what law school is like. “It hits everyone like a brick wall,” noted Kobrin. Noting that undergraduate classes at SHSU are nothing like law school, McClendon and Kobrin suggested going out of our way to take challenging courses that teach us to think critically, read a lot, and to write.

Blake Roach also offered much-valued advice. He described his time as an advance-man for Greg Abbott, teaching him skills in preparation, event planning, research, flexibility, and networking.

All members of the panel encouraged students to push themselves, to get out of their comfort zones so that they can navigate more comfortably in the professional world. Going to professional events, taking on internships, working professional jobs, surrounding yourself with other professional students all work to make you more successful in the long run.

The meeting ended on a high note. After several years of fundraising–including work done by our past Presidents (including, of course, Victoria McClendon and Quinn Kobrin), we were able to donate $25,000 to SHSU to endow a scholarship. We closed the meeting with a “check presentation.”

Thanks to all our great panelists, and to all those who joined (or rejoined) PLS this semester. For future events or information, visit our Instagram @prelawshsu or email President Olivia Discon: ojd004@shsu.edu.

Our next meeting is March 20 at 6pm!

As a special note, we’d also like to thank all of our PLS Presidents who have helped us achieve this endowment: Megan Chapa (our first PLS President), Kaitlyn Tyra, Victoria McClendon, Quinn Kobrin, Heather Noman, Yvette Mendoza, Jade Miller, and Olivia Discon.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead at SHSU!

by Christina Biello

Following a long week, LEAP students headed to the theater to decompress by watching SHSU’s rendition of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. This group, in particular, had varied tolerance for theatrics. Regardless of our backgrounds, we waited with anticipation for the curtain to open and allow ourselves to be immersed in the fictional world.

The story takes place in Denmark during the Elizabethan era and focuses on Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, lesser-known characters from Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

Even though it appears light-hearted, it profoundly touches the audience; leaving a significant impact, its exploration of human nature and existential questions left me thinking throughout the night.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern frequently find themselves in predicaments, unsure of their location or identities. Further, the actor’s line delivery elicited plenty of laughter from the audience. This quickly turns when the narrative causes viewers to ponder the pointlessness of trying to rationalize a world lacking logic or purpose.

The two attempt to control their destiny as the crisis worsens but are trapped in a cycle of events beyond their influence or understanding. As the characters fall to an unavoidable end, the audience is saddened as we realize what has happened to the characters we have come to adore.

“How to Get Into Law School” with University of Tulsa College of Law

McKenna Nonnenmann

All pre-law students ask at some point, “How do I get into law school?” As SHSU undergrads ourselves, many of us have the same question. Half of Sam Houston students are first-generation, many of whom have not even met an attorney. That changed last week, when Megan Henson, Associate Dean of Admissions at The University of Tulsa College of Law, came to SHSU to provide pre-law students with an overview of the application timeline, answer questions, and, in general, to help us understand the process.

Professor Yawn introduced PLS President Olivia Discon, who in turn, introduced Dean Henson.

Many factors play into the success of a law school application. Applying to law school is like applying to any other higher educational institution: it is important that you put your best application forward. Apart from a good GPA and LSAT score, law schools are looking for grade progression throughout one’s undergrad years. Megan Henson noted that a good grade progression points out a student’s work ethic and sets them apart from other applicants.

Also important is a strong personal statement, one that reflect a student’s character, writing skills, and their ability to follow instructions.

When applying to law schools, organization is also important; simply listing the schools and their application deadlines allows a student to organize their time instead of scrabbling to put it together at the last minute.

We also gained some insight on the typical law class. Law classes rely heavily on the Socratic Method, which involves reading outside of class and deliberating over the cases in class. We also learned that the American Bar Association requires law students to take a minimum of 6 clinical hours. This helps law students better understand the workings of a lawyer in and out of a courtroom.

In short, we learned “how to get into law school,” but also much more! There are many moving parts that go into practicing law, and many of us are about to take our first step to get there. We greatly appreciate Megan Henson for taking the time to travel to Huntsville, Texas and speak with us about the law school admissions process and to all the students who attended!

Simulated Law-School Class: 2024

For the past ten years, SHSU pre-law students have anticipated participating in the Mock Law School Class presented by Professor Val Ricks, Professor at Houston’s South Texas College of Law, and author of law school casebooks on contract law.

This semester, the LEAP Center was excited to welcome the following guests to the Mock Law School Class: Judge Kim Webb, an SHSU alum and a current Justice of the Peace in San Jacinto County; and Ryann Bauer with student members of the Huntsville High School’s Criminal Justice Program.

As in an actual law school class, Professor Ricks expected the 46 registered students to come to class prepared by reading and briefing the case beforehand. After briefly stating the relevant facts of the contract case, Ricks used a random number generator to select students to discuss the legal issue of the case. With skillful Socratic questioning, Ricks led the pre-law students through the analysis of the legal issue in the case, the rule of law, and how the court applied the rule of law in the case.

Neehal Ahmed appreciated Professor Ricks’ teaching style. Ahmed commented, “Professor Ricks made contracts, a daunting subject, seem far less scary through his patient and thorough explanation of concepts and their functions.”

At the conclusion of the contract case discussion, Professor Ricks presented the students with a hypothetical set of facts, similar to a question on a law school exam.

Ricks called on students to analyze the legal issue posed in the hypothetical and asked the class how a court would rule on the legal issue based on the legal reasoning from the contract case discussed earlier in class.

In reflecting on the Mock Law School Class, Christina Biello mirrored the thoughts of a lot of attendees before attending the class. Christina explained, “I was both frightened and eager because I had no idea what to anticipate, even after hours of preparation. However, experiencing Professor Val Ricks’ instruction confirmed my desire to attend law school, and it no longer seems as daunting.”

Neehal Ahmed summed up the experience by recommending “Professor Ricks’ mock law classes to any of those who are interested in attending law school but are scared of the subject matter they may encounter. If you come prepared, this experience can put a lot of your doubts and worries to rest.”

The LEAP Center and Pre-Law Society would like to thank South Texas College of Law–Houston and Professor Val Ricks for their time. As Professor Ricks noted, “I’ve been doing these visits for long enough that I’ve taught students at SHSU in the mock law class, then taught them a class at STCL, and seen them graduate. It’s very gratifying.”

We’d also like to thank Ms. Bauer from Huntsville High School and her wonderful students Hannah Ruth, Riane Davis, and Bethany Bell…

…as well as Judge Kim Webb.

It was a pleasure to have other programs in the community with a dedication to educating students join us for this enriching event!

University of Oklahoma College of Law

Our final highlight of an epic trip was to the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma in order to attend a tour of OU College of Law. This law school sets itself apart instantly just by the size of the building. It is by far the largest of the three we visited while on this trip, with the courtrooms alone being some of the largest in the nation!

Before getting into the tour, the Director of Admissions, Maddie Ferris, took the time to sit with us and discuss where we are in our respective pre-law journeys and was a resource for all of our burning questions.

This was especially kind, and we greatly appreciate her time. As first-generation students, we are heading into the law field with a lot to learn, and the time with her was very helpful.

We also had a wonderful tour, led by OU Law student Candalyn Lyons. We had the chance to view their beautiful library while gaining insight on the various amenities, opportunities, and the culture of OU Law. We were given an awesome tour, and we learned a lot about the virtues of OU Law. 

Located less than three hours from Dallas, the school’s last incoming class had a median LSAT of 159 and GPA of 3.71. With in-state tuition less than $23,000 annually, the school offers various clinics and boasts a first-time bar-passage rate of greater than 90 percent. As an added bonus, the school is located in pretty Norman, Oklahoma, a college town of moderate size, which is, in turn, about thirty minutes from the much-larger Oklahoma City.

Just that morning we had seen Oklahoma City, and we spent a bit more time that afternoon looking around OU’s campus–which is beautiful!

 We saw numerous pieces of art work by James Surls, Jesus Moroles, a piece by Allan Houser, and we also saw our first “LOVE” sculpture by Robert Indiana.

We were perhaps most impressed by the University’s reading library, which resembles something out of a Harry Potter movie!

This was a great end to a great trip, with much learning about art, the law, architecture, food, and the outdoors.

This trip, a microcosm of the LEAP program’s offerings, cannot be defined nor summarized with an all-encompassing statement, or at least, not in a manner that truly does them justice. However, this tour allowed Cinthia and I to experience a plethora of things that we likely would not have done if not for the amazing opportunities the LEAP Center provides.

In just 8 days, we had 7 dishes with green chili, stayed in 6 different hotels, heavily familiarized ourselves with 5 artists from each of the 4 states we drove through, toured 3 law schools, got stuck in the snow 2 times, and had 1 amazing time doing it all! It was a great trip, full of learning, and we were very grateful to end it on such a high note amidst the friendly hospitality of the Oklahoma prairie.