2027 NAPLA CONFERENCE REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS DUE March 31st, 2026

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR NAPLA 2027

The Northeast Association of Pre-Law Advisors (NAPLA) is dedicated to assisting students pursuing legal careers and those who advise them. NAPLA’s over 350 active members consist of prelaw advisors at colleges and universities, representatives from law schools, and independent advisors. Most are located in the New England states, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Washington DC, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Since 1973, NAPLA has held an annual conference at which its members explore topics related to pre-law advising and visit nearby law schools.  Annual conference venues since 2013 include Baltimore, Boston, New Haven, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Providence.

NAPLA has begun planning for its 2027 conference, and we now invite proposals from law schools that are interested in partnering with us as conference host or co-hosts.

It is anticipated that NAPLA 2027 will take place in early- or mid-June over three consecutive weekdays.   Since law school visits are part of the agenda, we favor sites from which multiple law schools are easily accessible.  That said, while we have a strong preference for sites fitting that description, for 2027 we will also entertain proposals from sites in which only one law school can serve as a host.

Law schools that host NAPLA conferences can showcase their programs and facilities to well over a hundred prelaw advisors. Host law schools can greet our members at a plenary session, and they can propose additional events that would interest our members. Law schools may submit joint proposals for the conference.

NAPLA CONFERENCE REQUIREMENTS

1. Law School Facilities and Services

The conference is a combination of large plenary sessions attended by all registrants, and smaller concurrent breakout sessions.  Host law schools should thus be able to provide an auditorium which can seat 200 people for plenary sessions, and at least four classrooms which seat at least 75 people for concurrent breakout sessions.  Please note that if a law school cannot provide a large auditorium, this is not necessarily disqualifying: we will consider multi-school proposals in which one law school only hosts smaller breakout sessions, as long as there are options for the plenary sessions at another school(s) in the proposal.

In addition to the plenary and breakout sessions, NAPLA offers a “Law School Fair” in which representatives from various law schools staff a table to display their promotional materials, and can converse with pre-law advisors about their institutions.  We thus require that at least one school in the proposal be able to provide a large space capable of accommodating exhibitor tables for at least fifty law schools.  this space can be a formal ballroom, an open plaza, or some other space in the law school

Host law schools must also provide a large open space for the conference registration desk and staging area.  NAPLA anticipates also requiring space for at least ten sponsor exhibitor tables for conference sponsors.  It is strongly preferred that at least some exhibitor space be adjacent to the conference registration desk.

We also prefer that host law schools provide a space capable of providing lunch for all conference attendees; as with the Law School Fair, this space can be a formal ballroom, an open plaza, or some other space in the law school.  It is possible that such a space could double as a site for a plenary session; NAPLA has in the past offered a “working lunch” in which lunch was also an occasion for a plenary session or the Association’s business meeting.

Host law schools must also have space which can be used to provide coffee / soft drinks / snacks between conference sessions.  The space reserved for lunch can be an option; we are also happy to have other smaller spaces used for this.  NAPLA will want to work with host institutions’ catering services to provide food and drink over the course of the conference.

2. Hotel Accommodations

Since most conference attendees require hotel rooms, it is preferable if one or more hotels within walking distance of a hosting law school will be capable of providing rooms for 125-150 guests during the conference.  Please note that the number of guests rooms required will vary, based on whether a significant number of attendees live in or near the host city and will thus not require a hotel stay. In the past, NAPLA has put on a conference with more than one conference hotel as needed.

Proposals do not need to provide details of possible conference hotels, and we do not require host law schools to have already made arrangements with local hotels.  Once NAPLA accepts a hosting proposal for the 2027 conference, we will engage with HelmsBriscoe, our hotel agent partners, to solicit bids from hotels in our host city.  That said, a brief listing of nearby properties for informational purposes will assist us in making our decision.

3. Transportation

Even if our preference for at least one hotel within walking distance of a hosting law school can be satisfied, we usually require some bus transportation between the conference hotel(s) and law school sites; we also often hold evening events which may require bus transportation.  Offers to sponsor bus transportation for at least one conference day will be welcomed.  In addition, law schools which can provide their own institutional sources of transportation are especially encouraged to submit a hosting proposal.

QUESTIONS / PROPOSAL SUBMISSIONS

To submit a proposal, or if you have questions about the conference, please contact incoming NAPLA President Steven Lichtman (Shippensburg University): sblichtman@ship.edu.

The deadline for proposal submissions is Tuesday, March 31, 2026.

PRÉCIS: NAPLA CONFERENCE REQUIREMENTS

• 200-seat auditorium
• four 75-seat classrooms
• room / open space for 50 exhibitor tables at Law School Fair
• open space for conference registration desk
• space for 10 sponsor exhibitor tables (some adjacent to registration desk)
• space for lunch for 150+ attendees
• space for coffee / soft drinks / snacks
• catering services
• hotel rooms for at least 125 attendees
• bus transportation