If one had to use a word to describe the University of Connecticut’s School of Law 2024 Law School Fair, it would have to be “diversity.”
Representatives and admissions officers, many of whom have extensive experience in the field of law, came from schools across the country to offer guidance to UConn pre-law students. Schools in attendance hailed from across the country, from California Western School of Law, located in San Diego, California, to Purdue Global Law School, an online program. Local names included the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law, the Vermont Law and Graduate School, the City University of New York School of Law, Yale Law School and, of course, the UConn School of Law.
Each school offers diverse options and career paths for its applicants. Vermont Law and Graduate School, for example, focuses on environmental law and justice (the school’s freebie swag reflected this, with pens with casings made from rolled paper instead of plastic), while the City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law is dedicated to public interest, human rights and racial justice. The University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law was also present, well-known for its prominence in intellectual property law.
Connecticut’s own law schools, including the UConn School of Law and Yale Law School, often regarded as among the nation’s best, were in attendance and drew the largest crowds at the event.
Each school emphasized how their law education serves the unique needs of each student, who will in turn serve the unique needs of their clients during their future law careers. Unlike many pre-professional tracks, pre-law has no clear, set path. Students from all majors — political science, business, engineering, history and theater — can all approach law with their own unique life and academic experiences to have a successful career in their own niche of law.
The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) test-prep companies, such as Kaplan and TestMasters, were also in attendance to promote their test preparation platforms and offer help to UConn students preparing to take the exam. While the LSAT is important and required by most law schools, many institutions present stress that one’s own story, dedication and personal interest in their desired field of law often matters more than their test scores.
Students present at the event included those from all types of academic backgrounds, each with different goals. John Haslun, a fifth-semester political science major set to graduate in his sixth semester, noted that law is a great option for those considering careers serving the public. His potential professional plans include teaching, administration, public policy and law.
Sofia Rebelo, vice president of the UConn Law Society, a student-run organization that aims to prepare pre-law students for a career in law, aims to attend law school to pursue intellectual property law. At UConn, she is a double major in computer science and cognitive science with plans to get a master’s in computer science before pursuing law school. Her experience in STEM and plans to gain experience outside of school are often valued by law schools, highlighting the customizability of one’s own path to a career in law.
Carson LaFemina, president of the UConn Law Society and a business major with aspirations in corporate law, emphasized the importance of choosing a major that best serves one’s unique interest in law. Carson notes he personally chose business, as it equips him with the networking, collaboration and project management skills he is most likely to need when working with a company in corporate law. He further noted that “the great thing about law is that you learn skills that you use in all walks of life, whether you’re an engineer, a doctor or a teacher.”
Carson noted the usefulness of the Law School Fair and how it exposed him to many law schools and their opportunities in his specialty in business. “I’ve talked to a lot of amazing law schools here that have great business programs. There are some amazing opportunities out here.”
The UConn Law Fair, with its diverse set of schools from locations that span the United States and specialties that span the entire field of law, is sure to be of immense utility to all pre-law students and those with an interest in a career in law.