Law Student Division (LSD) wants YOU!!!

Join the National Lesbian and Gay Law Association (NLGLA) Board of Directors as a Law Student Division (LSD) Co-Chair. There are two positions available that allow you to serve your community while presenting unique networking and career advancement opportunities:

                                                                                                                                

Co-Chair/ABA Liaison: The American Bar Association (ABA) is the largest voluntary association of any type in the world. It wields immense power as a player in politics, in policy, and in the profession. NLGLA fought long and hard to become an official affiliate of the ABA, and, as such, has a presence on various ABA councils and committees, including the ABA Law Student Division (ABA LSD). As the LSD Co-Chair/ABA Liaison, you represent the NLGLA to the ABA by attending ABA LDS meetings, keeping the NLGLA/LSD informed of the activities of the ABA/LSD, and advocating NLGLA Board interests to the ABA/LSD. There are three meetings throughout the year that you must attend that will be held in cities across the country. The first meeting is in conjunction with the ABA Midyear Meeting in February in Los Angeles. The second meeting is in conjunction with the ABA Annual Meeting in August in New York. The third and final meeting is in September at Lavender Law which will be held in Philadelphia in 2008. You will be required to attend all three meetings and NLGLA will cover reasonable travel expenses to attend these meetings, including your flights and hotels.

Additionally,  you serve as a voting member of the NLGLA  Board you participate in Board meetings, help set NLGLA policy, represent LGBT law students from across the country, and coordinate law student initiatives.

Co-Chair/Writing Competition: As the LSD Co-Chair/Writing Competition you organize and run a national writing competition that rewards law student scholarship on a cutting edge issue affecting the LGBT community. You advertise the competition, recruit judges, score the submissions, and announce the winners at Lavender Law.

Additionally,  you serve as a voting member of the NLGLA  Board you participate in Board meetings, help set NLGLA policy, represent LGBT law students from across the country, and coordinate law student initiatives. As a voting member of the board, you are required to attend three meetings a year including the Los Angeles meeting in February, New York meeting in August and Philadelphia meeting in September. All reasonable travel expenses to attend these meetings, including airfare and hotels, will be covered by NLGLA.

REQUIREMENTS: In order to apply for a position as LSD Co-Chair, you must be a second-year law student in a three-year program or a second or third year law student in a four-year program and you must attend the 2007 Lavender Law Conference in Chicago, IL which will be held September 6-8 2007.

You must be a student at an ABA accredited law school and in good academic standing.  Previous community service and association organizing experience is extremely helpful.

ELECTION PROCEDURE: Elections will be held at the 2007 Lavender Law Conference in Chicago. Those interested in running for an office must email Becca Levin, current NLGLA LSD Co-Chair/Writing Competition, at becca.levin@nlgla.org  the following documents by August 31:

1. A one-page statement of interest that describes candidates past experience and interest in serving on the board of the NLGLA

2. A law school transcript (official or unofficial), demonstrating good academic standing.

Candidates’ statements and ballots will be distributed to student attendees of the Lavender Law Conference when they arrive at the conference. Voting will close at noon on September 8th. Only students who attend the conference are eligible to vote. Each attendee may vote once. The winners of the election will be announced at the Law Student Caucus and Send Off held at the end of the Lavender Law Conference.

Any questions about the election or the positions should be directed to Becca Levin at  (becca.levin@nlgla.org).

Tips to Get Funding to Attend Lavender Law

Here are some tips if your law school is not already funding all or part of your trip to Lavender Law.

• Meet with the Dean of your law school on behalf of your LGBT students and ask for sponsorship.  Deans generally have discretionary funds on hand for ensuring representation for their law school at national events, especially those that provide employment opportunities.  The career fair will host over 70 recruiters specifically looking for “out” LGBT students.  Remind your Dean that AALS mandates amelioration for discrimination by the U.S. military, and that Lavender Law is expressly one form of amelioration. 
• Go to your law school’s student bar association.  When requesting funds, develop a reasonable budget based upon registration fees, and associated costs such as travel and meals.  Before you ask for funding, assess your needs – know exactly how many students are willing to attend and present a firm budget based on real needs.
• Your school’s career services office may provide additional assistance.  Many career services professionals recognize that discrimination still occurs among recruiters and are committed to providing alternatives for LGBT students.
• Talk up your needs to LGBT alumni/a from your school.  Many practitioners are often willing to provide a donation to your school -- that may or may not be tax deductible -- for a specific purpose, such as sending a student to Lavender Law.

Remember, obtaining funding for Lavender Law is not about providing special opportunities for LGBT students, instead it is about leveling the playing field and providing equal opportunities in the legal recruitment process and further promoting your individual school’s national reputation for its commitment to diversity!

 We hope to see you at Lavender Law this September!*

*NLGLA would like to thank Matt Rudolphi,

Rutgers School of Law Camden, Class of 2007 for sharing his tips.