Training Leaders to Confront the Issues of Our Time

Student Organizations

SBA

The SBA is the official student government of the S.J. Quinney College of Law. SBA plans student activities, organizes the mentor program for 1L students and many other programs to help law students.

The SBA also serves as the Student Advisory Committee (SAC) and elected student government of the College of Law. As voting members of the College Council, SBA Board members serve as representatives of the student body to the law school faculty and administration.

Thus, the SBA is the student voice to this decision-making body of the law school. The SBA can affect policies regarding curriculum, grades, class and exam scheduling, legal clinics, and so on. The SBA participates in faculty retention, promotion and tenure evaluations. On the lighter side, the SBA also sponsors social events, philanthropies, and intramural sports.

SBA is always looking for student volunteers. If you have an idea or want to help out, email us!

SBA’s mailing address is 332 South 1400 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0730. We can also be reached at sba@law.utah.edu.

American Constitution Society

The mission of the American Constitution Society is to harness the values of compassion and respect for each individual, and to re-incorporate them into American law and politics, in order to build a stronger and more decent national community. The Society’s role is to influence the debate on the law, both in its interpretation and its creation, and to promote traditional American values of compassion and respect for each individual in legal and political debate.

Please visit www.acslaw.org for more information.

The Art Law Alliance

The Art Law Alliance was founded in 2011 to provide students with networking and learning opportunities in art and entertainment law. The organization is dedicated to reaching out to lawyers in the field as well as other students and artists. The Art Law Alliance frequently works with Utah Lawyers for the Arts to put on seminars for both the legal and artistic community. Seminar topics range from music law to street art, licensing, copyrights, and almost everything in between. Past presenters include music law guru Thomas Leavens, whose firm Leavens, Strand, Glover, & Adler represents the Pitchfork Media empire.

ASUU – College of Law

The ASUU Legislative Branch consists of the Senate and Assembly. The Student Senate is composed of 16 Senators, one elected from each college. The Senator for the College of Law is Jeff Van Hulten. Their primary responsibility is creating, coordinating, and evaluating legislation for student advisory councils (SACs). The Assembly is composed of 48 representatives elected from each college at the University, in proportion to the number of students enrolled in that college. The primary role of the Assembly is to appropriate funds to the various student groups and organizations on campus. The Representative for the College of Law is Maria Putzer.

Business Law Society

The business law society is a student organization for anyone interested in the law and business. We focus our events on how the law and business intersect. These events include speakers (varying from in-house counsel to the president of a multi-billion dollar company) and visits to businesses in Salt Lake to see how the law and business interact in the real world. Through these events, we hope to encourage and inform students of the possibilities available for careers in business law.

Federalist Society

The Federalist Society was founded in 1991 for the purpose of ensuring political balance in the debate over legal issues at the College of Law. Its goal is to bring noted conservative legal scholars to campus and arrange for them to debate speakers sponsored by other law student groups. Federalist Society events engender lively discussion for the benefit of everyone in the law school community. The Federalist Society is open to anyone interested in legal issues. It is a non-partisan group affiliated with a national organization of over 100 law school chapters. For more information, visit our national chapter at www.fed-soc.org and attend the next meeting of the Utah Law Chapter.

Jackie Chiles Law Society

The Jackie Chiles Law Society is dedicated to the examination of how popular culture interacts with the law. The Society meets regularly to discuss how broadcast & print media and the internet affect the American legal system. Recent guest presenters include Patrick Markey, the film producer of A River Runs Through It and The Quick and the Dead, and Sam Lloyd, the actor who plays the attorney “Ted” on the television show Scrubs. The Society also maintains a collection of popular books and movies related to lawyers and the law in the SJQ law library for student use.

J. Reuben Clark Law Society

The J. Reuben Clark Law Society is a service-based professional organization open to all regardless of religious or political persuasion. We affirm the strength brought to the law by a lawyer’s personal religious conviction. We strive through public service and professional excellence to promote fairness and virtue founded upon the rule of law. The law society is open to law students, law graduates and attorneys, whether practicing law, teaching, in the judiciary, in business or not currently practicing. As Law Society members we can mentor and support each other, as well as be of service and an influence for good in our communities.

Latter-day Saints Law Student Association

The Latter-day Saints Law Student Association (LDSLSA) was established to provide an opportunity for LDS law students and others interested in religion and the law to meet together each week for religious Institute classes. The LDSLSA also sponsors several social activities for students, their partners and families throughout the year.

Law Students Anonymous

Law Students Anonymous is dedicated to students helping students adapt to the pressures of law school caused by anxiety, mental illness, and addiction. We exist to provide a safe place for law students to discuss their problems. We will provide information and assistance in finding the appropriate help within the campus networks and ensure that every student has a fair chance to succeed.

Minority Law Caucus

The Minority Law Caucus (MLC), founded in 1985, is a student organization at the University of Utah S.J.Quinney College of Law. The MLC welcomes all law students with an interest in issues affecting racial and ethnic minorities and promotes diversity in the legal profession in general and at the College of Law in particular. The MLC is involved in student recruitment, development of employment opportunities, community service projects and social activities. In addition it sponsors a variety of speakers and programs each year, awards scholarships, and hosts an annual auction to support its scholarship fund.

Native American Law Student Association

The Native American Law Student Association (NALSA) was established to provide information and increase awareness of legal issues in Utah and nationwide affecting Native Americans. NALSA membership is open to all students.

Natural Resources Law Forum

Open to all S. J. Quinney students, we share common interests in environmental law and responsible outdoor recreation. NRLF coordinates educational activities to serve the community and facilitate contact with leaders in the field of natural resources law. NRLF also sponsors social and volunteer activities such as tree planting, hikes, and cleanup of trails and rivers.

OUTLaws

The OUTLaws is an association of LGBT and allied students at S.J. Quinney School of Law. Student leadership of OUTLaws has established the following organizational goals:

  • Educate fellow law students about legal issues and challenges of LGBT community
  • Connect with the LGBT community in Utah to understand current local legal issues
  • Provide volunteer support to existing local organizations (e.g., Equality Utah) working to improve legal standing of LGBT citizens and families
  • Build relationships with practicing attorneys in Utah who are active in the LGBT community

PALS

The Persian American Legal Society (PALS), founded by solmaz copeland in 2009, is dedicated to enhancing the awareness and appreciation of Iranian and other Middle Eastern cultural traditions in Utah’s legal community.

Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, International

Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, International is a professional law fraternity advancing integrity, compassion and courage through service to the student, the school, the profession and the community. The purpose of this Fraternity shall be to form a strong bond uniting students and teachers of the law with members of the Bench and Bar in a fraternal fellowship designed to advance the ideals of liberty and equal justice under law; to stimulate excellence in scholarship; to inspire the virtues of compassion and courage; to foster integrity and professional competence; to promote the welfare of its members; and to encourage their moral, intellectual, and cultural advancement; so that each member may enjoy a lifetime of honorable professional and public service. Any person who is in attendance and in good standing at any law school where a chapter of this Fraternity is chartered is eligible for membership.

PILO

The Public Interest Law Organization (“PILO”) was formed to increase awareness of public interest law issues and provides a forum for public interest lawyers, professors and students to speak at the College of Law. These speakers supplement the law school curriculum by introducing students to a wide variety of non-traditional legal opportunities in law firms, non-profit organizations, criminal law and many private and governmental agencies. PILO raises funds for and administers the Lionel Frankel Public Interest Fellowship program which provides financial assistance for law students who accept summer public interest work for little or no pay.

Student Intellectual Property Law Association

The Student Intellectual Property Law Association is open to all students who have an interest in intellectual property. SIPLA organizes trips to local firms with IP practices and brings IP attorneys to campus for lectures. for more information please contact a board member

Sports Law Club

The Sports Law Club provides a forum for students interested in sports law to explore career options, network with individuals working in the industry and discuss sports-related legal issues. It also organizes social events like student trips to local sports events and the annual ping pong tournament.

Women’s Law Caucus

The WLC is an organization that seeks to be a source of support, opportunity and information for women and men in our community. The WLC promotes interest in issues of particular concern to women, provides a forum for students on issues affecting the legal community, and provides activities that promote involvement in legal and women’s issues. The WLC administers the Reva Beck Bosone Scholarship each fall.