Ohio University’s annual Pre-Law Days begin Thursday, Nov. 2, at 5 p.m. in Baker Theater with a keynote address from Ohio University alum Kate McGarvey, Esq, Director of Legal Aid Society of Columbus.
The event continues throughout Friday, Nov. 3, with a series of panels and and roundtables with legal alumni with varied backgrounds and experiences from across the country. The event offers an opportunity for legal professional networking between alumni in legal fields and students interested in legal careers.
This event is free, and students from any discipline are invited to attend.
Kate McGarvey, Director of Legal Aid Society of Columbus
The event begins with a keynote address from Ohio University alum McGarvey, who earned a bachelor’s in Political Science from the College of Arts & Sciences at OHIO. In 2003, after graduation from the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, McGarvey became a staff attorney with LASC where she focused on health and education law. During her early stint with LASC she also acted as the project director for the Child Advocacy Project and Coordinator for the Legal Aid Neighborhood Services Program.
In 2005, she moved to California where she served as a staff attorney and health consumer Alliance Project Director with the National Health Law Program. In this position she had many roles, including providing technical assistance on cases, drafting report and policy briefs and leading advocacy efforts among HCA partner organizations. In 2007, she returned to LASC as the managing attorney for the Health and Public Benefits Unit. In that role, she has been involved in a wide variety of individual representation, administrative advocacy and litigation efforts including serving as lead counsel in the Homewood case, which reinstated Medicaid coverage for 150,000 people across the state. In January of 2015, she became deputy director for LASC and in December of 2016 she became the director.
Following the keynote Thursday night, the event continues with alumni panels throughout Friday, Nov. 4. The two panels sessions on Friday begin at 9:40 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. on the second floor of Baker. Panels feature alumni currently working in fields such as corporate law, public interest law, criminal prosecution, and in government positions.
The panelists’ variety of careers reflect the versatility of a law degree both in and beyond the courtroom.
The panels throughout Friday focus on a range of topics including law school advice, women in law, pursuing your dream job or internship, and more.
The panels and rooms are as follows:
9:40-10:35 a.m.
Law School Advice (Baker 233)
Corporate Law Insight (Baker 235)
Criminal View: A View from Prosecution, Defense, and Judiciary (Baker 237)
Alternative Careers in Law (Baker 231)
10:45-11:40 a.m.
Women in Law (Baker 233)
Public Interest Law (Baker 235)
Pursuing Your Dream Job or Internship (Baker 237)
Non-Traditional Legal Practice (Baker 231)
11:50 a.m.-12:45 p.m.
Student organization presentations. (Baker 231)
Students interested in learning more about law-related student organizations should come to Baker 231, from 11:50 a.m. until 12:45 p.m. Representatives from Phi Alpha Delta, Pre-Law Fraternity, the Ohio University Mock Trial Team, Students Defending Students, the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio University, Undergraduate Black Law Students Association, and Students for Law, Justice & Culture will present information related to their organization.
2:45 p.m.-4 p.m. Roundtable Discussions
After the concurrent panels, there will be a roundtable discussion in Baker 240. Students will have the opportunity to interact with alumni more closely and ask them questions about contemporary issues. The subjects of discussion include “This Year at the Supreme Court,” “Reliability of Eyewitness Identification,” “Professionalism in the Law,” and “Free Speech,” and more. There will be cake and coffee hosted at this event for interested students.
There are several opportunities for OHIO undergraduate students interested in the law to prepare themselves to apply to law school. Some programs, including English, History, and Political Science, offer a pre-law track for majors in their department. In addition, OHIO offers an interdisciplinary certificate in Law, Justice & Culture for high-achieving students.
Students with questions about these opportunities or considering law school are invited to drop by the Center for Law, Justice & Culture (Bentley 001) from 1-4 p.m. on Wednesdays for “Walk In Wednesdays” with Larry Hayman.
Pre-Law Day 2017 is sponsored by the Center for Law, Justice & Culture.
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