By T’Neil Gooden
Brooklyn College’s Pre-Law Society is breaking barriers by being the first association that focuses on making law accessible to undergraduate students. The society provides students with case studies, mock court cases, and access to schools with some of the best law programs in the tri-state area.
“Our main goal for the Pre-Law Society, just broadly speaking, is for students to have an opportunity to have resources here on campus,” Danish Saleem, the secretary of the Pre-Law Society, told The Vanguard. “Our mission statement reads: We firmly believe that it is important for us to learn how to advocate for ourselves before advocating for others. I see that in the form of attending conferences or asking questions, networking, and going to different events.”
The Pre-Law Society wants to emphasize to students that there are resources and assistance on campus that will provide them with the tools they need to move deeper into their law practices.
“The Pre-Law Society specifically hopes that through our events, whether it is panels that we wanna have or law school/campus visits that we wanna have, or general meetings, and other events, students get the resources that they need to help them navigate this entire process,” Saleem said.
The society wants students to understand that their doors are open to all students, even those whose majors are not related to law in any way.
“It’s not only open to students who already decided that they want to go to law school, it’s also open to students who are deciding to pursue it, because that’s also a very big part of this process,” Diana Reyes, the president of the Pre-Law Society, told The Vanguard. “Whether they want to go to law school or not. We would want students to have those resources because personally, as a pre-law student myself, it’s been hard navigating this entire process.”
The association aims for students to know that there are individuals who are willing to help them navigate law school, undergraduate studies, and everyday college student problems.
“We connect with a lot of different people, either here on campus or outside of campus,” Reyes said. “We want students to have those resources that I personally did have here at BC.”
Along with resources, the society wants students to understand that there is a community that is available to work with them on any questions or concerns they may have with all the genres of law, from sports to immigration.
“Building community. Some of us do have similar interests, but it’s also important for us to meet different people from different backgrounds, have different interests, and stuff like that. That’s what we hope with the Pre-Law Society,” Reyes told The Vanguard.
The society emphasizes the importance of being versatile and diverse in the law field. Having a BC-based law society will generate a district for BC students and faculty.
“[The society will] be a great opportunity for students to connect with students from different backgrounds, different interests, be a part of a community that’s going through a process that can oftentimes be hard,” Reyes said. “There is also a lack of representation. In the legal field, it’s very male-dominated and predominantly white as well. So you’ll also see a diverse body of students here within Brooklyn College that are pre-law members.”
The society will put on events that will introduce students to individuals within the field of law and help prepare students for any upcoming exams.
“We’re partnering up with Carolyn Nelson from the CUNY School of Law and the Justice to Pipeline Program. She’s the director of that program, and she has an extensive background in the LSAT preparation process, and she leads that program,” Reyes told The Vanguard. “So we’re also trying to build that connection between the CUNY School of Law and then Brooklyn College. So we’re inviting her, and she’s coming March 20th to do an LSAT boot camp class.”
Lastly, the Pre-Law Society wants students to know that they are continuously available to assist any individuals who are experiencing hardships, inquiries, and conflicts within their undergraduate law practices.
“I want people to know that the Pre-Law Society is as open and as accessible to all students. You can email; we are always active and always responding to students, we are always looking to help students and always support and elevate the student body that is interested in pre-law,” Ari Tirado, vice president of the Pre-Law Society, told The Vanguard. “We definitely look to bridge that gap between undergraduate onto what may be pre-law school and understanding that it is a very difficult task. It is a very demanding task, but there is a community here on campus that is here to help, like I was just saying, and advocate for our students.”
Students who are interested in joining the Pre Law Society can go to their Instagram page, @bcprelawsociety, to learn more.