Law Student Division
Programming & Initiatives
The objective of the Pre-Law and Law Student Division is to provide MBBA members attending law school, or those members who are considering law school, with the programs and initiatives necessary to help them succeed on their path to becoming legal professionals.
- Collaboration Among BLSA Chapters
The Division can provide a centralized forum for BLSA chapters to communicate and collaborate. This forum can allow differing BLSA chapters to share resources and information among themselves to better prepare for and succeed at their respective law school, as well as provide the Liaison Coordinator a better sense of the common and/or urgent needs for Black and minority law students to share with MBBA leadership. - Law Student Academy
The Law Student Academy was created to provide select law students invaluable programming and resources.- Mentorship Program. The Law Student Division can offer a mentorship program, connecting MBBA leadership – board members, officers, and key staff members – and other interested MBBA members with Black and minority law students.
- Education and Development. Either through standalone programming or through collaboration with other MBBA Sections and Divisions, the Law Student Division will offer presentations, workshops, and other programs to educate and develop Black and minority law students for academic and professional successes. These programs would include networking opportunities, writing, and oral presentation workshops, career fairs, and panel discussions.
- Targeted Resources. This effort may exclude first-year law students – with the goal of ensuring such students focus primarily on the school their first year – or impose certain restrictions on the active involvement of first-year law students, such as limiting their ability to apply as MBBA leadership, and potentially the number of events to attend for free. The latter may be more appropriate to ensure first-year law students gain access to resources from MBBA and other BLSAs, appreciate the mentorship benefits and receive guidance and other information to achieve academic success and identify and obtain meaningful internship opportunities.
Law Student Liaisons
Objective
Law students from the various NYC law schools will be recruited to act serve as Law Student Liaisons. The responsibility of the liaisons is to help the MBBA form and nurture a stronger relationship with law students at each liaison’s school, assist with recruiting law student members, and share information on what law students want and need from the MBBA.
- This structure and relationship, provides MBBA with a streamlined process to receive and share information between MBBA and local law school BLSAs, encourage and facilitate law student involvement, and provide Law Student Division-centric programming and value to the law students.
- Law Student Liaisons will serve as members of the Law Student Division and may serve as Vice-Chair, Secretary and other leadership positions within the Division.
- This program may also be used as a tool to build the leadership pipeline for MBBA.
- In addition to the local NYC law schools, liaisons can be recruited from NEBLSA, MetroLALSA and other law student or pre-law program
Division Chair and Liaison Coordinator
The Liaison Coordinator will chair the Law Student Division, lead the Law Student Liaison Program and help with law student engagement with the MBBA.
- MBBA President has appointed member Denisse Mira to serve this role.
- The Liaison Coordinator will work closely and collaborate with MBBA Vice President of Membership, Justina Rivera, to achieve the stated objectives for the Law Student Division, as well as the Vice President of Programs to ensure targeted programming for the Division.
- Additionally, the Liaison Coordinator will coordinate and work closely with the respective Black Law Student Associations (“BLSAs”), at law schools within the New York City metropolitan area.
- Further, the Liaison Coordinator will coordinate, engage and work closely with the National Black Law Students Association and other Black and minority law student organizations.