Fall 2011 Symposium

The B.A. to J.D. Pipeline Program Symposium:

Opening Doors: Making Diversity Matter in Law School Admissions

Law school admissions of students of color, especially African American and Mexican American candidates, have been on the decline. The work of Columbia Law Professor Conrad Johnson through the Society of American Law Schools (SALT) shows that despite an increase of 3,000 additional seats in new ABA-approved law schools, few of these new seats have gone to minority law school applicants. During the same period of time, candidates of color have improved their LSAT scores and overall GPAs, making them more attractive applicants, yet their “shut out rate”—rejections from all of the schools to which they applied—is significantly higher than white candidates.

This symposium will address this continuing lack of diversity in legal education and will examine several factors that deter college students of color from applying to and gaining admission to law schools.

Host
Society of American Law Teachers (SALT)

Special Sponsor
Charles Evans Hughes Memorial Foundation

Co-Sponsors

  • The Ronald H. Brown Center for Civil Rights and Economic Development, St. John’s School of Law
  • Journal of Civil Rights and Economic Development, St. John’s School of Law
  • American Bar Association Pipeline Diversity Council
  • Dean’s Diversity Council, Seton Hall University School of Law
  • Center for Diversity in the Legal Profession, CUNY School of Law
  • LatinoJustice PRLDEF
  • The Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession

Date
Friday, November 11, 2011

Time
9:15 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Location
St. John’s School of Law
8000 Utopia Parkway
Queens, NY 11439

Symposium Agenda

9:45 a.m.
Welcome
Michael A. Simons
Dean and John V. Brennan Professor of Law and Ethics
St. John’s School of Law

Hazel Weiser
Executive Director
Society of American Law Teachers (SALT)

10-11:30 a.m.
Opening Plenary: We Have a Problem Here - Admissions and the LSAT
Panelists will discuss the lack of diversity in U.S. law schools and the impact of the LSAT on admissions of students of color.

Moderator: Anthony Paul Farley, James Campbell Matthews Distinguished Professor of Jurisprudence, Albany Law School

  • Conrad Johnson, Clinical Professor of Law, Columbia Law School; Author, The Disturbing Decline in Law School Admissions
  • Rachel D. Godsil, Eleanor Bontecou Professor of Law, Seton Hall School of Law

11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m.
Working Session: Strategies for Reaching Students of Color
Panelists will describe regional programs that identify and encourage students.

Moderator: Solangel Maldonado, Professor of Law, Seton Hall School of Law

  • Leonard M. Baynes, Professor of Law, Director, The Ronald H. Brown Center for Civil Rights and Economic Development, St. John’s School of Law
  • Juan Cartagena, President and General Counsel, LatinoJustice PRLDEF
  • Hector Maquieira '13, St. John’s School of Law
  • Whitney Montgomery '12, Touro Law Center

12:45 p.m.-2 p.m.
Lunch
Join us for lunch, informal conversation and networking.

2:15p.m.-3:15 p.m.
Working Session: Difficult Conversations: Cultural Sensitivity in Effective Counseling of Students of Color
Role play with experienced pre law counselors and current law school students.

Moderator: Hazel Weiser, Executive Director, Society of American Law Teachers (SALT)

  • Sonji R. Patrick, Director of Education, LatinoJustice
  • Nathalie Lamberto '13, St. John’s School of Law
  • Robert Pallitto, Associate Professor, Pre-Law Advisor, Seton Hall University
  • Chrishana White '13, Seton Hall School of Law
  • Joseph Kenny, Sr., Pre Law Advisor, St. John’s University, Staten Island Campus
  • Audree Maldonado '12, St. John’s School of Law

3:30 p.m.-5 p.m.
Closing Plenary: Reforming U.S News Rankings to Include Diversity
Moderator: Michael A. Simons, Dean and John V. Brennan
Professor of Law and Ethics, St. John’s School of Law

  • Kevin Johnson, Dean and Mabie-Apallas Professor of Public Interest and Chicana/o Studies, UC Davis School of Law
  • Robert Morse, Director of Data Research, U.S. News & World Report
  • Sarah E. Redfield, Professor of Law, University of New Hampshire School of Law
  • Jeffrey Evans Stake, Robert A. Lucas Chair of Law, Indiana University Maurer School of Law

5-6 p.m.
Reception

Continuing Legal Education (CLE)
The full-day Symposium qualifies for 5 non-transitional CLE credit hours. The CLE fee is $125. Hardship tuition reduction is available. Please complete and return the CLE Payment Form.

Registration
There is no fee to attend the symposium, but registration is required. Please register online at the Society of American Law Teachers (SALT) website.

More Information
Aaron Barham
Research and Symposium Editor
Journal of Civil Rights and Economic Development
AaronBarhamJCRED@gmail.com
(718) 990-6074

Hazel Weiser, Executive Director
Society of American Law Teachers (SALT)
hweiser@saltlaw.org
(631) 650 2310

The B.A. to J.D. Pipeline has been generously funded by The Charles Evans Hughes Memorial Foundation and St. John’s School of Law.