Conference
| PLANC 2020Please join us in New Orleans, LA June 8-11, 2020 to meet and learn from colleagues across the country!NAPLA will not hold a Conference in 2020 so that our members can attend the PLANC Conference which occurs every four years. PLANC is the Pre-Law Advisor National Council bringing together the six regional associations of pre-law advisors (APLAs)and select partner organizations to advance the pre-law advising profession and to enhance the delivery of pre-law services to students. |
PLANC 2020 Conference Theme
The conference theme for PLANC 2020 is “Recovery and Growth: Best Practices and Creative Approaches in Pre-Law.” This theme was created with several things in mind:
- It acknowledges the impact the 2008 recession had on legal education and the legal community, that we’ve been hit hard but are now recovering.
- It highlights the strong foundation of legal education and pre-law advising (Best Practices) which are making the recovery possible, as well as new ideas and opportunities (Creative Approaches) which are paving the way for future growth in the profession.
- It is set against the background of New Orleans, a city with a strong community foundation that has been undergoing its own recovery and growth over the past 14 years.
The 2020 Conference will feature multiple Day 1 workshops aimed at new(er) Pre-Law Advisors as well as workshops for experienced Pre-Law Advisors and Law School Admission officers. The conference will also include several plenary sessions, a Law Fair, an APLA-hosted breakfast and business meeting, and multiple opportunities for networking with colleagues.Several concurrent (breakout) sessions will be offered throughout the 4-day conference, organized into six Conference Program Tracks.
Registration for PLANC 2020
Conference registration will open in early 2020.
Conference registration fees for Pre-Law Advisors:
Early Bird - $500
Regular - $550
Walk-Up - $625
Conference Program Tracks
Please see below for descriptions of the program tracks for the 2020 Conference.
- These are only intended as examples and are not meant to be exhaustive in their coverage of potential topics for each track. Proposals on other topics are encouraged as long as they align with the main idea of one or more of the program tracks; when completing the submission form please indicate the top two tracks with which the proposal best aligns.
After Law School - This track will focus on highlighting trends in the field of law with regard to changes in the legal job market and the profession as a whole. Potential session topics could include job market outlooks, career trends, alternate career options, new programs aimed at helping students make career decisions, changes in ABA regulations regarding outreach to law students, how the profession has changed since 2008, etc.
Beyond the Basics - This track will focus on how Pre-Law Advisors are working with students beyond the traditional slide presentations and 1:1 advising sessions. Session topics might focus on experiential learning opportunities, new approaches to LSAT prep, creating comprehensive programming, advising in a digital world, using social media or other technology as a resource, etc.
A Changing Legal Community - This track will focus on issues related to diversifying the profession as well as changing trends regarding why students are entering law school. Examples of potential topics could include pipeline initiatives by undergraduate institutions or law schools, working with applicants with disabilities, career pathways outside of traditional legal practice, the growing concern for social justice as a motivator for pursuing a legal career, how JDs are being used after law school, etc.
Not Your Parents’ Law School - This track will focus on new and innovative approaches to legal education as well as the reality of how law schools have adapted since 2008. Examples of session topics could include changes related to law school accreditation, the rise of the GRE in law school admissions, law school closures and adjustments to class sizes, the use of tech in the classroom, variations on the traditional 3-year JD program, etc.
The Pre-Law Profession(al) - This track will focus on the Pre-Law Advisor as a professional both at their institution and in the pre-law advising community. Session topics might include career paths for PLAs, the use of data and assessment to demonstrate the value of PLAs, cultivating leadership pipelines within an APLA, how PLAs and the pre-law advising community impact law school admissions, relationship building between PLAs and Law Schools, etc.
Supporting the Whole Student - This track will focus on how Pre-Law Advisors and Law Schools are supporting and working with students outside academic, career, or application advising. Examples of potential topics include student wellness and mental health, understanding the world in which Generation Z has grown up, student financial literacy, as well as more traditional topics related to student financial aid, scholarship negotiations, managing debt loads, etc.
Poster Session - The 2020 Conference will also include a poster session. This will be an additional opportunity for conference participants to present their ideas and work to their colleagues. While concurrent session topics will be geared toward the program tracks listed above, posters may be focused on any topic related to pre-law advising and law school admissions. This expanded focus will allow for increased idea-sharing and collaboration at the conference. Each selected poster will have a dedicated board reserved which will be displayed throughout the conference. There will be a dedicated time in the conference schedule for all attendees to visit the posters and interact with poster presenters
Follow this link to complete the Program Session submission form on the PLANC Website.
The program submission deadline is Sunday, December 1!
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