Support for First and Second-Year Students Who Are Considering Law School

Our Mission

UAS’s Pre-Law University Services (PLUS) initiative focuses upon first- and second-year FAU students. PLUS will offer both a starting point and ongoing support for students who are considering law school. In support of this mission, PLUS will coordinate and provide a variety of services to aid students in three objectives: 1) Exploring the legal field; 2) Identifying FAU resources; and 3) Building a foundation for law school applications.

The PLUS initiative is based on the Appreciative Advising model. It involves the collaborative practice of asking positive, open-ended questions that help students explore their law-related interests and optimize their undergraduate experience in preparation for law school. Students and PLUS partners including the Undergraduate Law Journal, the FAU Chapter of Phi Alpha Delta, and others work together to discover students’ law-related passions and dreams, design a related plan, deliver on that plan, and make changes as necessary to achieve goals. The result is a holistic, first-to-fourth-year experience spanning UAS and individual Colleges to prepare students for law school.

PLUS offers a starting point and ongoing support for students who are considering law school. Along with our partners across campus, we coordinate and provide a variety of services to aid students in three objectives:

1. Exploring the legal field
2. Identifying FAU resources
3. Building a foundation for law school applications. PLUS pre-law advisors also advise students about their law school applications.

Our Story

In 2023, FAU's Pre-Law University Services (PLUS) program submitted a grant proposal, entitled the Florida Atlantic University Pre-Law University Services (PLUS) Expansion program, to the AccessLex Grant program.  Proposal goals:

1. Create a pre-law community at FAU that is available to all students including those groups historically underrepresented in the legal profession;
2. Remove obstacles for applying to law school;
3. Build a pre-law hub of services that expands and better integrates existing FAU Pre Law-University Services (PLUS) resources;
4. Develop and launch a formal articulation agreement with St. Thomas University to serve as a model for additional agreements with FAU’s law partner institutions.

The successful grant proposal resulted in the creation of a workshop designed to support participants through the law school application process.  It also resulted in resources for the expansion of the existing PLUS program.

Workshop Objectives & Learning Outcomes

Workshop Objectives

This course prepares students for a successful law school application by covering essential components and necessary steps. Participants will develop important resources such as check lists, timelines, personal statements, and lists of law schools and recommenders. The course also emphasizes integrating pre-law experiential opportunities—such as mentorships, internships, and research—into a professional development plan. By the end, students will have a complete law school application package ready for submission.

Workshop Learning Outcomes

This workshop is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the law school application process. Participants will learn about the essential components of applications, the resources and procedures of the Law School Admission Council (LSAC), and the Credential Assembly Service (CAS). The curriculum includes an introduction to the LSAT exam structure, participation in FAU’s LSAT prep course, and guidance on drafting a Personal Statement and securing letters of recommendation. Students will also explore the purpose of optional addenda, ensuring they are well-prepared for their next academic steps.

Workshop Format

• Workshop is designed to be practical support for the law shool application process.
• Grading is strictly Complete/Incomplete.
• Final grade is Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U).

Benefits

• Students who are chosen to participate in the workshop receive:
  • Completion, through the workshop, of their law school application timeline and materials.
  • Personalized pre-law advising in support of their law school applications.
  • A stipend to help offest the cost of applying to law schools.
  • An LSAT prep course through the FAU Test Prep Office.

Student Learning Outcomes

PLUS Student Learning Outcomes are based upon the Appreciative Advising Model

Through their interactions with FAU PLUS, students:

• Disarm
  • Develop relationships with attorney advisors and mentors.
  • Develop relationships with other pre law Owls.
• Discover
  • Locate FAU and other resources for self-assessment regarding their law school interests.
  • Connect to upper division (junior/senior) support within their FAU colleges.
  • Locate FAU and other resources for exploring the legal field.
  • Locate FAU and other resources for developing skills relevant to law education.
  • Locate FAU resources for preparing for law school applications.
• Dream
  • Perform self-assessment with the guidance of attorney advisors and mentors.
  • Imagine educationally meaningful activities, events, and informational interviews.
• Design
  • Identify goals and activities related to self-assessment.
  • Plan to engage in FAU activities and events that further their law school goals.
  • Identify opportunities to develop career-related soft skills.
• Deliver
  • Engage in educational activities including publishing, law school visits, and workshops.
  • Co-plan educational activities for themselves and other pre law Owls.
• Don't Settle
  • Meet regularly with attorney advisors and mentors, as well as with other pre law Owls.
  • Develop leadership through involvement in FAU pre law partners.

Download the PLUS Student Learning Outcomes