University of Virginia Library

Law Schools Sponsor
Pre-Legal Conference

By Peter Shea
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

Thirty law schools will sponsor a
Pre-Law Conference for minority group
students this weekend at the University.

The conference, to be held from
Friday through Sunday at the
University's School of Law, is being
co-sponsored by the Black American Law
Students Association (BALSA), the
Council on Legal Education Opportunity,
and the Law Students Civil Rights
Research Council.

The conference has been planned to discuss
several problems surrounding the American
legal system and its relation to minority groups.
One of the major problems is the scarcity of
black lawyers and the efforts of law schools to
train blacks for the legal profession.

One per cent

Since only one per cent of the lawyers in the
United States are black, a desperate need for
qualified black attorneys has arisen. However,
although a number of law schools are actively
recruiting black students, many potential
applicants are questioning the relevancy of the
law to their lives. Thus, the percentage of
blacks in law schools has remained at
proportion equally as low as that of blacks in
the legal profession.

Figures recently released by the University
point out this problem. Despite the fact that
the number of blacks enrolled in the law school
has increased markedly, the overall percentage
remains quite low.

Twenty Black Students

Of the 20 black students enrolled here, two
are in the third-year class, eight are second-year,
and ten are in the entering class. Despite the
increase in recent years, blacks still make up
only 2.2 per cent of the law school's
enrollment.

To help seek answers to the problem, the
sponsoring institutions have assembled panels
of minority attorneys, law students, law
professors, and members of law school
administrations to "tell it as it was, as it is, and
as it is likely to be."

Among the questions the conference will
attempt to answer are such question as: Should
minority students study law? Can a minority
attorney make money practicing law? Can
minority students get into law school? Are
scholarships available?

Panel Discussions

Panel discussions and speeches will focus on
aspects of the law and legal careers and study.
Representatives from various law schools will
also be available for consultation.

Attendance at the conference is free of
charge and arrangements have been made by
the sponsors to provide some transportation
expenses, sleeping accommodations and meals.
Among those who have been invited to attend
are minority students from Maryland,
Washington, North Carolina, West Virginia, and
Virginia.