Activities and Awards

Student Activities

Action for Better Living (ABLE) ABLE is a student-run service organization that provides student volunteers opportunities to help the disadvantaged children in the Charlottesville community. ABLE volunteers have the opportunity to provide weekly after-school tutoring services to children of all ages in both reading and math. Other ABLE volunteers become "big siblings" to children in the community. The program matches up law students with "little siblings" to create one-on-one relationships. The goal of this program is to provide mentorship, friendship, and support to underprivileged kids on a consistent weekly basis.

Asian/Pacific American Law Students Association (APALSA) is a network of Asian-American law students at the University of Virginia that provides academic and social support to its members and reaches out to the law community on issues pertaining to Asian/Pacific-Americans.

Black Law Students Association (BLSA) represents the views of Black students at the UVa School of Law; promotes the welfare of its members through educational, professional, cultural and social programs; and provides a forum for the discussion of local and national issues affecting both the Black law student community and the University community as a whole.

Environmental Law Forum (ELF) is a student discussion group focusing on environmental issues and careers. Activities include hands-on volunteer work with local non-profit environmental groups and research assistance to the Southern Environmental Law Center.

First-Year Council Elected representatives plan social events for the first-year class, act as liaisons between the first-year class and the administration, and help plan orientation activities for the following year. Class officers and Student Bar Association representatives for the first-year class are elected from this council.

Health Law Interest Group is open to all law, L.L.M., medical, graduate, and undergraduate students. Its purposes are: to explain what Health Law is, to give students a better view of the different areas of Health law, to introduce types of classes we have available and to promote a healthy environment. We sponsor many speakers and seminars in the health law field throughout the year and organize social activities with medical and other graduate students. We also plan to participate in pro bono activities with the UVa Medical Center.

Jewish Law Students Association (JLSA) integrates Jewish cultural, religious, and academic interests into the Law School environment. Activities include lectures in Judaic law, holiday dinners, and social events. The group also promotes awareness of the needs of Jewish students at the Law School.

John Bassett Moore Society of International Law’s primary objective is to contribute to the development of international law by fostering interest and understanding in the field. To promote the objective, the Society sponsors speakers, conferences, publications, an international moot court team and pro bono human rights projects as well as numerous other programs. The society sponsors the team that represents the Law School at the Jessup International Moot Court Competition and publishes books on a wide variety of international legal subjects.

Journal of Law and Politics published four times yearly by law and graduate students, is the first and only publication devoted exclusively to analyzing the role of politics in the legal system and the role of law in the political process. The Journal publishes articles by prominent scholars and practitioners, as well as student-written notes and comments. Its members are selected by writing tryouts held each spring and fall.

Lambda Law Alliance serves primarily two purposes. The first purpose is to provide an academically and socially supportive network for members of sexual minorities and their allies enrolled in the Law School. The second and more visible purpose is to heighten awareness throughout the Law School and the University community about legal issues relevant to sexual minorities. Lambda attempts to keep the community informed of relevant issues and concerns and to promote equal civil rights for all.

Law Partners is a social networking group for couples connected with the law school. It was designed to foster a sense of community among students and their significant others, to function as a support group, and to create networks to help facilitate a smooth transition into life in Charlottesville.

Law Christian Fellowship (LCF) is a nondenominational Christian fellowship dedicated to understanding the person and claims of Jesus Christ. LCF remains uniquely committed to presenting Christianity to the UVa Law School and the surrounding Charlottesville community through service, outreach and fellowship. Room 156D

Legal Assistance Society provides legal services to low income and disadvantaged persons in Central Virginia. Student members participate in nine different projects: Legal Aid Office Interns, Domestic Violence Project, Western State Hospital Project, Labor Project, Rights of the Disabled Project, Public Benefits Project, Migrant Farm Workers Assistance Project, Legal Education Project, and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Project.

Libel Show Each spring, law students satirize the faculty, administration, and Law School in a musical-comedy featuring the many hidden talents of the student body. This production is written, directed, and performed entirely by students.

Moot Court Competition Second-year students may voluntarily compete in teams of two persons in the William Minor Lile appellate Moot Court competition. The field of competition is narrowed by a process of elimination that continues through the third year, culminating in the final round argument in the spring of each year. Distinguished judges from both federal and state courts preside in the semi-final and final rounds. Students competing in the final three rounds receive certificates, and the names of the members of the winning team are inscribed on a plaque in the Moot Court Room.

Teams of students chosen from among those entered in the Lile competition represent the School of Law in the National Moot Court competition and other intramural competitions with law schools in Virginia and neighboring states.

Moot Court is the largest single student activity in the Law School, with well over 250 students involved in the various activities administered by the Moot Court Board. Through participation in Moot Court activities, a student receives valuable training in legal writing and the art of advocacy.

Peer Advisor Program Second- and third-year students conduct orientation activities for first-year students, providing guidance and support throughout the academic year. Approximately five peer advisors are assigned to each of the twelve first-year sections. The application/selection process begins in late March or early April of each year.

Post-Conviction Adjunction Project (P-CAP) provides a substantial amount of practical experience for law students while providing a number of valuable services to the community. P-CAP operates a bail project, which assists the Charlottesville Joint Security Complex in determining which prisoners should be granted bail; visits detainees in the Beaumont Training Center, a juvenile home, to provide role models for the youths living there; aids local attorneys handling cases in juvenile court; and answers prisoners’ letters requesting information on a variety of legal issues. In addition, the project represents inmates in various habeas corpus and civil rights actions in U.S. District Court and in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, under the third-year practice rule. The organization also files amicus curiae and certiorari briefs with the U.S. Supreme Court.

Public Interest Law Association (PILA) is a student-run organization dedicated to promoting and supporting public interest law among law students. PILA provides fellowships to students who accept volunteer or low-paying summer internships in public services, educates the Law School community about public interest law, and serves as a support network for students interested in public service.

Saint Thomas More Society is an organization of law students, lawyers and judges who are practicing members of the Roman Catholic Church. The Society is dedicated to assisting in the spiritual growth of its members, encouraging them to apply the ideals exemplified by St. Thomas More in their daily lives and fostering high ethical principles in the legal profession and in the community of Catholic lawyers.

Student Bar Association As the official representative of the Law School student body, the SBA advises the dean of student sentiment, appoints students to joint faculty-student committees, initiates projects furthering student interest, and arranges social activities. Law students annually elect a president, four representatives from each of the three Law School classes, one representative from among the post-graduate students, an ABA Law Student Division Representative, and delegates to the University-wide Judiciary Committee, Honor Committee, and Student Council, all of whom serve on the SBA.

Students United to Promote Racial Awareness (SUPRA) is a student organization funded completely by the Law School Foundation in order to promote communication, interaction, and understanding among students with different racial and ethnic backgrounds. This is accomplished primarily through autonomous dinner groups that are purposefully racially diverse.

The Domestic Violence Project was established in 1993 and is student-run. The Project educates the Law School about issues of domestic violence through discussion panels and video presentations, monitors the Juvenile and Domestic Courts to inform abused women about the services available to them. In addition, law student volunteers serve at the Shelter for Help in Emergency (SHE) and the Magic Circle (children of women in SHE).

The Order of the Coif is the Law School’s one academic honor society. Membership is limited to those individuals who have graduated in the top ten percent of their class, based on three years attendance at the Law School, and who have otherwise met high standards of integrity and dedication.

The Rex E. Lee Society (REELS) seeks to promote high ethical and moral values in the study and practice of law. The organization serves as a resource for the law school and provides assistance and information to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) who are studying or interested in studying law at the University of Virginia.

Virginia Journal of International Law is the oldest continuously published, student-edited journal of international law. Published quarterly by a board of student editors, issues of the Journal include articles by noted practitioners, scholars, and jurists, as well as student-written notes and comments. Topics covered in the Journal range from public international law issues such as human rights, Law of the Sea, and foreign sovereign immunity, to private international law issues such as arbitration, international trade, and taxation. The Journal’s subscribers include individuals, firms, corporations, and libraries in more than 40 countries. The Journal selects its members through writing tryouts held each spring and fall.

Virginia Journal of Law and Technology is a student organization dedicated to publishing articles and notes germane to the practice of law in the twenty-first century. The focus of the Journal’s subject matter is on, but not limited to, intellectual property, environmental, and communications law.

Virginia Journal of Social Policy and the Law is a student-edited law journal that publishes articles exploring the intersection of law and social policy issues. Recognizing the significant impact of the law and legal institutions on social conditions, the Journal provides a forum in which to examine contending legal, judicial, and political perspectives. An array of issues are addressed, including-among others-health care and welfare reform, criminal justice, voting and civil rights, family law, employment discrimination, reproductive rights, immigration issues, rights of sexual minorities, and the juvenile court reform. The Journal is published twice a year, in the late fall and late spring.

Virginia Journal of Sports and the Law was founded in 1998 as a student-edited law journal that focuses on all aspects of sports law. The Journal offers not only the traditional scholarly articles found in most law journals, but articles written by sports law practitioners that address the practical impact sports law has on athletes, coaches, compliance officers, and athletic directors. The Journal is published twice a year by members selected from a written tryout held each fall and spring.

Virginia Law Families serves to provide support to, and promote the interests of those students facing the challenges of attending law school while raising children. Among our primary objectives are promoting social interaction and the sharing of information among interested persons, including both current and prospective parents. Issues of specific concern include child care, medical resources, and family activities or community events, with particular emphasis on low-cost options to help those on a tight budget. We also provide support to the law school admissions staff by encouraging individuals with families to apply for admission and attend the University of Virginia School of Law and serving as an information resource for prospective students.

Virginia Law Review, established in 1913, is a student publication of scholarly journals of the legal profession that criticize, support, or propose nearly every important American legal development. The Virginia Law Review and its 70 members contribute eight issues a year to this unique tradition. Original student work makes up approximately half of each issue. Review members are responsible for all phases of editing and publication. The Review selects the majority of its members on the basis of academic performance. The remainder are chosen on the basis of writing ability, a combination of academic performance and writing ability, or writing ability and potential for other contributions (Virginia Plan).

Virginia Law Weekly is the newspaper of the Law School community. Its editorial board and staff are comprised entirely of students. Circulated among students, faculty, alumni, and numerous law libraries, it provides a forum for the discussion of issues and activities in the Law School.

Virginia Law Women (VLW) addresses the needs and interests of women at the Law School, at the University, and in the Charlottesville community. Its main goals are to make law students and others aware of the sexism within the legal profession, and to provide a support system for women. To accomplish these aims, VLW invites and sponsors speakers, networks with law student organizations, and with other University and Charlottesville women’s groups. VLW is committed to establishing a more equitable life for women and welcomes all who wish to further these goals.

Virginia Tax Review is the first student-edited law journal focusing on tax law issues. Published four times per year, the Review consists of articles written by practitioners and academics, as well as notes and comments written by students. Membership in the Virginia Tax Review Association offers students an opportunity to assist in the editing and production of the second-most-widely subscribed journal at the Law School and to sharpen their skills in legal writing and analysis. Members are selected on the basis of their performance in a writing tryout held every spring and fall.

Voz Latina is the Latin-American law students' association at the University of Virginia. Its mission is to promote an awareness of and appreciation for Latin culture at the Law School and to serve as a tool for the recruitment of Latin law students. In addition, support is given to Latin law students with respect to professional placement. Voz Latina welcomes members of any race or ethnicity.

Woman of Color The goals of Women of Color are specifically to provide social support to the diverse population of women at the law school; to promote the welfare of its members through educational, professional, cultural, social and community service programs; and to provide a forum for the discussion of issues affecting women of color in the law school and the University community as a whole. Women of color seeks to achieve these goals through service projects and fundraisers benefiting the University community and the greater Charlottesville-Albemarle community; social gatherings to promote fun and friendship; and open communication and involvement with the administration, professors, other student organizations and the undergraduate community.