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STUDENT ACTIVITIES AND ORGANIZATIONS
Students are encouraged to involve themselves in the life of the law school community through participation in activities and organizations. The following activities and organizations are currently active at the law school:
SMU Student Bar Association (SBA)
The SBA is composed of all students in the School of Law. Officers and upper-division class representatives are elected in the spring term of each academic year. Class representatives for first-year students are elected approximately one month after the fall term has commenced.
The primary function of the SBA is to represent the concerns and interests of the law school student body. The SBA sponsors a variety of extracurricular events. All students are urged to serve on one or more of the SBA committees.
Barristers
The Barristers is a general service organization of 15 law students elected on the basis of scholarship, leadership, achievement, and personality.
Board of Advocates
The SMU Board of Advocates is the umbrella student organization that oversees advocacy programs at the School of Law. It also coordinates with faculty SMU’s participation in national and international advocacy competitions. The Board of Advocates’ administrative committee promotes development of the law school’s advocacy programs and publicizes and coordinates the various intra-school competitions. Its Interscholastic Competition Board has coordinated participation in a number of mock trial and moot court competitions in which SMU law students compete against students from other law schools across the country.
Inn of Court
The William M. “Mac” Taylor Jr. Inn of Court is a chapter of the American Inns of Court, in which federal and state judges, senior and junior lawyers, and law students participate. Members of the Inn meet monthly for dinner and an educational program dealing with an issue of practice and professional responsibility.
Legal Fraternities
The school has two legal fraternities — the Roger Brooke Taney Chapter of Phi Alpha Delta, and the Monteith Inn of Phi Delta Phi. Legal fraternities are open to men and women.
Moot Court Board
This student organization administers a program to instruct first-year students in oral advocacy. The board, which is sponsored by Jackson Walker L.L.P, Dallas, organizes a moot court competition that is mandatory for all first-year students.
Oxford Program
Approximately 30 students spend six weeks in the summer studying law in Oxford, England. Students earn five hours of credit by taking one course from an SMU professor and one Oxford-style tutorial from an Oxford tutor. Participants live and take their meals in historic University College, Oxford. The program also includes visits with English lawyers and a trip to the Royal Courts of Justice.
Student Bar Association Mentor Program
This is a peer-mentor program available to all first-year law students. First year students are paired with upper-class peers who meet throughout the academic year to discuss issues of general interest to first year students.
Other Student Organizations
In addition to those listed above, the following law student organizations are currently active on the SMU campus:
- Aggie Law Students
- Asian-American Law Students Association
- Association of Public Interest Law
- Black Law Students Association
- Christian Legal Society
- Corporate Law Association
- Criminal Law Association
- Energy Law Associations
- Environmental Law Society
- Family Law Association
- Federalist Society
- Health Law Association
- Hispanic American Law Students Association
- Intellectual Property Organization
- International Law Society
- J. Reuben Clark Society
- Jewish Law Students Association
- Muslim Law Students Association
- National Lawyers Guild
- OutLaw (Lesbian and Gay Law Students)
- OWLS (Older and Wiser Law Students)
- Second Amendment Society
- Sports and Entertainment Law Group
- Texas Trial Lawyers Association
- Women in Law
