Association for Public Interest Law
The Association for Public Interest Law (APIL) at SMU Dedman School of Law
- Helps raise awareness of public sector jobs through job fairs and speaking events;
- Helps students explore how attorneys address social issues such as domestic violence, child abuse, and discrimination; and
- Organizes a silent auction to raise money to provide summer stipends for outstanding law students who have secured volunteer internship placement in public interest organizations.
For more information about the organization and its activities, please join the the APIL page.
Association of International Petroleum Negotiators
The Association of International Petroleum Negotiators is an independent not-for-profit professional membership association that supports international energy negotiators around the world and enhances their effectiveness and professionalism in the international energy community.
For more information about the organization and its activities, please join the the AIPN
page.
Board of Advocates
The Board of Advocates (BOA) exists to preserve, nurture, and promote a culture of oral and written advocacy at the SMU Dedman School of Law. It accomplishes this by running on-campus competitions for BOA members and non-members, by supporting teams competing in off-campus competitions, and by facilitating student events, talks, and other learning opportunities.
The BOA office is located at room 24B in the lower level of Storey Hall.
For more information about the organization and its activities, please join the BOA page.
Corporate Law Association
The Corporate Law Association (CLA) seeks to further the individual welfare of its members, to foster education and research in the fields of law and commerce, and to educate the student body to appreciate the integration of law and commerce. Throughout the school year, the CLA hosts a variety of events to give students insight into current trends and issues facing corporate lawyers. Additionally, the CLA aims to facilitate networking in an effort to create relationships that will allow students to connect with corporate law practitioners.
For more information on the organization and its activities, please join the Corporate Law Association
page.
Criminal Law Society
The SMU Criminal Law Society's purpose is to promote all things criminal law. We are focused on providing our members with opportunities to learn about the several specialties within the criminal law umbrella. We hope to foster connections between our members and current prosecutors, defense attorneys, and appellate attorneys. Additionally, we seek to provide unique opportunities to see other aspects of the criminal justice system, such as touring local jails to gain a perspective of what criminal defendants face when navigating the system.
For more information on the organization and its activities, please join the SMU Criminal Law Society
page.
Disability Law Association
For more information on the organization and its activities, please join the Disability Law Association page.
Energy Law Association
The Energy Law Association's (ELA) objectives are to raise awareness of energy related legal issues; to generate student interest in energy law, to facilitate an ongoing dialogue regarding energy law and related legal issues; and to embrace the educational opportunities of law students interested in energy law. ELA meets these objectives through meetings, speakers, and mentoring.
For more information on the organization and its activities, please join the SMU Energy Law Association page.
Environmental Law Society
The Environmental Law Society gives students interested in environmental law a means to meet people working in the area of environmental law while learning more about the career options available in the field.
For more information on the organization and its activities, please join the Environmental Law Society page.
Family Law Association
The Family Law Association works to bring together students who are interested in learning about the field of Family Law. FLA sponsors speakers and events to promote awareness of family law issues and career opportunities, and serves as a source of family law information to both the law school and the local community. In addition, FLA works to promote interaction with the Dallas Bar Association Family Law section to provide networking and mentoring opportunities for students interested in Family Law.
For more information on the organization and its activities, please join the Family Law Society
page.
Health Law Association
The objectives of the Health Law Association (HLA) are to raise awareness of health related legal issues; to generate student interest in health law, to facilitate an ongoing dialogue regarding health law and related legal issues; and to embrace the educational opportunities of law students interested in health law. HLA meets these objectives through meetings, speakers, and mentoring.
For more information on the organization and its activities, please join the Health Law Association
page.
Immigration Law Student Association
The mission of the organization shall be to promote awareness of immigration law and the careers therein by bringing professionals from government, public interest, and private immigration practices to the law school. The Organization wishes to encourage greater student involvement with respect to immigration issues through various edification efforts and community outreach initiatives and will facilitate access to volunteer/job opportunities. Most importantly, the association shall serve as a space where law students can openly discuss the legal and political landscape.
For more information on the organization and its activities, please join the Immigration Law Student Association
page.
Intellectual Property Organization
The Intellectual Property Organization is one of the most active interest based organizations of Dedman School of Law. Meetings are frequently held to cover various aspects of Intellectual Property including Copyright, Trademark, Tradeservice, and Patent Law. IPO also hosts numerous speaker events to discuss topics such as the practical business application of IP law and how to prepare for the the Patent Bar. IPO also serves as a career base for students interested in IP law as we are the first to hear about job, moot court and out-of-school networking opportunities specifically designed for students interested in IP.
For more information on the organization and its activities, please join the Intellectual Property Organization page.
International Law Society
The International Law Society aims to connect law students to the international law network, to bring awareness to the issues facing the modern international law practice, and to educate our members about the various facets of practice in international law.
For more information on the organization and its activities, please join the International Law Society
page.
JD/MBA Society
The JD/MBA Society exists to improve the experience of JD/MBA students at Southern Methodist University. The Society facilitates communication and mentorship among and between alumni, current students, and prospective students of the dual law and business programs. In addition, the Society works on behalf of JD/MBA students to ensure that they have access to the resources necessary to continue SMU’s trend of producing leaders at the intersection of law and business.
For more information, please join the JD/MBA Society
page.
Labor and Employment Law Students Association
The Labor & Employment Law Association is an organization dedicated to preparing students for a well-connected career in labor & employment law. This is accomplished by putting students in contact with attorneys in all areas of labor & employment; introducing students to alternative careers in the field; and exploring the social issues that are essential for a successful practice. We aim to create a well-prepared and connected group that extends outside the walls of SMU.
For more information on the organization and its activities, please join the Labor & Employment Association
page.
Real Estate Law Association
The Real Estate Law Association serves the unique interests of law students interested in pursing a career in real estate through connecting law students to the larger real estate legal community. We invite real estate practitioners in the fields of law and finance to speak at workshops and seminars at the law school. We encourage networking in the real estate community by keeping students updated on DFW real estate events and organization membership opportunities.
For more information on the organization and its activities, please join the Real Estate Law Association
page.
Sports and Entertainment Law Association
The Sports and Entertainment Law Association (SELA) is a student run organization that facilitates various sports and entertainment law related events for educational and networking purposes. We bring in guest lecturers from major sports and entertainment firms in the DFW metroplex to give lunch talks. We collaborate with the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers and the Dallas Bar Association to organize workshops and outings. We bring in speakers from major sports law institutes and ABA accredited law schools. Our primary goal is to assist aspiring sports and entertainment attorneys in making the necessary connections to facilitate a future in sports and entertainment law. Our secondary goal is to educate law students about current trends in the sports and entertainment legal market. Additionally, our organization seeks to provide public service to the community through volunteer activities and donations.
For more information on the organization and its activities, please join the SMU Sports and Entertainment Law Association
page.
Student Animal Legal Defense Fund
For more information on the organization and its activities, please join the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund page.
Tax Law Society
The Tax Law Society (TLS) seeks to bring together members of the SMU Law community who are interested in tax law. TLS organizes events—aimed at strengthening students' understanding of tax law— where individuals from the policy world, academia, and the private sector can share their views on current tax law issues. Additionally, the organization helps students learn about the practice of tax law by connecting students with local tax attorneys and promoting awareness of professional tax law opportunities in the Dallas community.
For more information on the organization and its activities, please join the Tax Law Society
page.