Originally published in Student Lawyer magazine, February 2006 (Vol. 34, No. 6). All rights reserved.

Grant Program
Phi Alpha Delta Hosts Apprenticeship Dinner for Lawyers and Students

by Karen Taylor

The local chapter of Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity International at Northern Kentucky University College of Law used funds available through the ABA Law Student Division in hosting an apprenticeship dinner.

“The students and attorneys who attended all had positive comments about the event,” says Stephanie White, the fraternity’s community service coordinator. “It is our hope that through this networking opportunity many of the students will be able to secure clerkships and other legal jobs to further their careers.”

Phi Alpha Delta was looking for a way to increase contact between students and members of the local bar. A first-year member had done a similar event with his college accounting fraternity, which planned a monthly lunch at a local accounting firm. The idea easily transferred to a law school setting.

“The response from the legal community has been very encouraging,” White says. “Many legal professionals are more than happy to assist us in our efforts to network with them.”

To maximize networking opportunities, students spent the first 30 minutes of the evening talking with lawyers at a reception. After that, attendees were assigned tables for dinner, with two or three students and one or two lawyers at each table.

“The dinner was held in a private room in a local pub so there was plenty of opportunity for the students and attorneys to talk in a quiet, yet warm, environment without having to shout over fellow patrons,” says Michael Whiteman, associate dean for law library services and information technology. “It was wonderful to see newer and more experienced graduates attend so that a wide variety of legal experiences could be shared with our students.”

Phi Alpha Delta chapter justice Dawn Sommers sees another benefit. “The mingling beforehand was important for the students to learn how to approach an attorney and then carry on a conversation,” she says.

White hopes to continue the program next semester. “The money received from the ABA made this event possible,” she says. “To others who are thinking about applying, I would say do it. If you get the money, it could make an awesome program possible that your organization might not have been able to do otherwise.”

If your student organization is producing an activity and you need some funding, the ABA Law Student Division may be able to help.

The Division’s Grant Program supports new programs and projects of student organizations at ABA-approved law schools that provide professionalism and ethics training, promote diversity in the legal profession, and advance public interest and public service efforts in local communities.

Grant applications are reviewed on an individual basis throughout the year, and funds are awarded on a reimbursement basis only. Approved applications may receive $500 or less, depending on the nature of the project and the availability of funding. Applications must be received by the Division’s Chicago office at least four weeks before the date of the project, which must be completed by May 1.

For detailed guidelines and to download an application, visit www.abanet.org/lsd/grant.

Karen Taylor, a second-year student at Brigham Young University Law School, is Student Lawyer's student editor.

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