Student Organizations

American Constitution Society for Law and Policy

acs.usf@gmail.com 

The American Constitution Society for Law and Policy (ACS) is one of the nation's leading progressive legal organizations. ACS is comprised of law students, lawyers, scholars, judges, policymakers, activists, and other concerned individuals who are working to ensure that the fundamental principles of human dignity, individual rights and liberties, genuine equality, and access to justice are in their rightful, central place in American law. The student chapter at the University of San Francisco School of Law fosters a new generation of progressive leaders by bringing to campus renowned advocates, scholars and judges who address a wide range of legal and policy issues, and providing networking opportunities with local progressive lawyers.

Asian Pacific American Law Student Association

michaelklay@gmail.com

The Asian Pacific American Law Student Association (APALSA) is committed to promoting, serving and representing the interests of the Asian Pacific American law student community. Over a 25 years, APALSA has been one of the most active groups at the law school. APALSA promotes diversity and Asian American while addressing contemporary legal issues that affect Asian Americans. APALSA's goal is to create opportunities for law student to meet and work for active attorneys and encourage members to participate in local Asian American Bar Association events fostering relationships between members and attorneys. 

Black Law Students Association

The Black Law Students Assocation's (BLSA) mission is to provide African-American students support, resources and encouragement to not only retain, but to excel in law school. BLSA provides support services to the student body designed to assist in academic, social, and cultural transitions. BLSA also provides a network of Black Attorneys in the Bay Area for students to gain perspective on life as an attorney and a sense of communtiy. 

Business Law Association

The USF Business Law Association (BLA) promotes social and academic interactions between USF's School of Law and School of Business to further career development in the field of business law. The BLA organizes relevant and timely lectures; provides channels of communication between academic programs in business and law; promotes career planning services in business law; and offers an opportunity for social interactions between students, faculty, alumni, and community members. 

Criminal Law Society

The Criminal Law Society's (CLS) goal is the pursuit of justice and the promotion of zealous advocacy in the field of criminal law. The focus of CLS is to host events that will inspire other students to pursue a career in the criminal field by giving them the opportunity to experience what a real criminal case is like and to hold panels where real District Attorneys and Public Defenders can discuss their experiences in the field of criminal law. 

Environmental Law Society

The Environmental Law Society (ELS) seeks to enhance the law school experience by fostering and promoting the study and awareness of environmental law issues; to inspire, support, and train the next generation of environmental leaders by providing resources, networking opportunities, and referrals for clinical placements; to encourage environmental advocacy and participation in environmental activities in the legal community and in the community at large.

Equal Justice Society

The USF School of Law chapter of the Equal Justice Society (EJS), founded in 2002, advances a positive agenda of progressive legal change in the areas of human and civil rights. Through collaboration with other student groups, EJS presents roundtables, symposia and media/film presentations all with an eye toward educating the law school community about important legal and policital issues.

Estate Planning & Tax Society

The Estate Planning Society’s mission is to assist law students who are interested in estate planning as a career, or simply want to know more about it. The group coordinates events where students and local attorneys in the field can network and build professional relationships. The board also meets with an estate planning advisory board made up of local attorneys who advise us on how USF can strengthen its estate planning curriculum and on what USF law students can do to make themselves more marketable in the job market after graduation.

Federalist Society

The Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies is a group of conservatives and libertarians interested in the current state of the legal order. It is founded on the principles that the state exists to preserve freedom, that the separation of governmental powers is central to our Constitution, and that it is emphatically the province and duty of the judiciary to say what the law is, not what it should be. The Society seeks both to promote awareness of these principles and to further their application through its activities. 

Food & Law Society

Intellectual Property and Cyber Law Association

The Intellectual Property and Cyber Law Association (IPCLA) strives to engage the USF student community interested in the intellectual property field. IPCLA's mission is to inform and educate students of opportunities in the IP. IPCLA provides compelling events and connects with the greater legal community in San Francisco.

International Law Society

The University of San Francisco School of Law has a proud history and commitment to Global Lawyering. As the lead student organization dedicated to issues involving international law, the USF International Law Society (ILS) seeks to supplement the Law School’s impressive global curriculum, by sponsoring timely and important programming in the fields of public and private international law. USF ILS seeks to encourage careers in international law, development, and inter-governmental organizations as well as to facilitate meaningful opportunities for student, practitioner and alumni networking.

USF ILSA is a local student chapter of the International Law Students Association, and works closely on campus with the Center for Law & Global Justice.

Jewish Law Students Association

The Jewish Law Students Association (JLSA) of USF is an independent forum for Jewish law students to form friendships and ties with each other, with other student groups, and with the Jewish community of San Francisco. JLSA welcomes students of all denominations, political beliefs, and personal views. Each semester, we organize volunteer events and social opportunities, in addition to presenting panels and speakers that reach out to our peers at the law school. Our goal is to celebrate and share Jewish culture and values, while educating and informing our community about religious traditions and topical events that relate to Israel and the Jewish world.

Korean American Law Student Association

The Korean American Law Student Association (KALSA) is a law student organization committed to promoting the growth, education, and awareness of Korean American issues within the legal community. The primary goal is to foster a professional relationship between law students and lawyers through KALSA and KABA-NC (Korean American Bar Association of Northern California).

Labor and Employment Law Student Association

The Labor and Employment Law Student Association (LELSA) is a community of law students focused on employees and their legal relationship with their employers. LELSA also focuses on providing resources and development in three core areas: academics, career placement, and community involvement. 

La Raza Law Students Association

La Raza Law Students Association is dedicated to empowering Latina/o students to become the next generation of attorneys that strives to achieve progress for their community. La Raza has been an active student organization at USF School of Law for over 20 years. During this time, La Raza has promoted the school of law's mission of social justice and social equality through their active engagement in the San Francisco Bay Area community. 

The Law and Global Justice Forum

lgjforum@gmail.com

The Law and Global Justice Forum is a student-run organization that seeks to analyze our world based on the principles of equality, solidarity, respect, and human rights that encompass our shared humanity. The Law and Global Justice Forum is comprised of a blog and article component in which contributors attempt to explore and better understand our increasingly global community from a legal perspective. The miss of the Law and Global Justice Forum is to add to this important global justice conversation.     

Law Students for Reproductive Justice

lsrj.usf@gmail.com

The Law Students for Reproductive Justice trains and mobilizes law students and new lawyers across the country to foster legal expertise and support for the realization of reproductive justice. 

Middle Eastern Law Students Association

The Middle Eastern Law Students Association (MELSA) is committed to promoting cultural awareness within the legal community and fostering profressional development for Middle Eastern law students. As future members of the legal professional, the members of MELSA feel it is their responsibility to create an academic and professional environment that promotes tolerance and excellence. MELSA strives to fulfill this mission by working closely with faculty, staff, local attorneys and other student organizations. MELSA's primary mission is to unite all members of the Middle Easter community and to host events where pressing legal issues affecting the Middle East and Middle Easterners around the world are raised.

Pilipino American Law Society

peralta.mariatheresa@gmail.com

It is the goal if the Pilipino American Law Society (PALS) to discuss and address legal and social issues confronting the Pilipino-American community. PALS members support and encourage one another to excel academically and professionally. As an organization, PALS welcomes all students who are interested in increasing social awareness and diversity within the legal community. 

Pride Law Association

reburchettjr@gmail.com

Pride Law is dedicated to the creation and maintenance of a positive atmosphere for queer USF law students. Pride Law's objective is to advocate on LGBTQ issues in order to achieve equality while eradicating homophobia , transphobia, racism, sexism, and other affronts to the dignity of individuals, families, and communities. Pride Law strives to provide social opportunities and support for their members, to develop an academic environment that supports queer scholarship, and to organize events relating to political, social, and legal issues affecting the queer community.

Public Interest Law Foundation

chairs@usfpilf.org

The Public Interest Law Foundation’s (PILF) Mission:

• Foster a community of law students interested in public interest work.
• Educate students about job opportunities in the public interest sector and serve as a resource for job leads.
• Fund unpaid summer work in the public interest sector and serve as a resource for job leads. 
• Encourage law students to volunteer in the Bay Area community and help provide meaningful and appropriate opportunities for them to do so.
• Empower students and their colleagues, friends and family to invest in an contribute to the betterment of our communities. 
• Promote a sense of community ownership, pride and responsibility that will motivate students/lawyers to make positive changes.

San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association Student Chapter

sam@bayrealtor.com

The San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association Student Chapter (SFTLA) seeks to develop leadership and commitment of its members to the plaintiff's bar by exposing and educating them about a wide range of plaintiff's law issues, including but not limited to employment discrimination, medical malpractice, personal injury, fraud, pollution, defective products, etc.

South Asian Law Students Association

usfcasalsa@gmail.com

The goal of the South Asian Law Students Association (SALSA) is to connect the South Asian Law Community through networking , community service, and social events. SALSA aims to promote awareness of legal issues affecting the community and to increase visibility of the community at USF locally and nationally in the legal field. 

Sports and Entertainment Law Association

usfsela@gmail.com

The Sports and Entertainment Law Association (SELA) seeks to provide members with opportunities to learn about careers within the sports and entertainment law realms. Throughout the year SELA provides speakers and activities designed to expose students to these exciting areas of law while allowing them to interact with other students sharing similar interests. 

St. Thomas More Society

reburchettjr@gmail.com

The St. Thomas More Society seeks to engage the campus community with the most important current debates from the unique perspective of the Catholic lawyer. As a society of law students, we search for truth through an exploration of law and justice. As a Catholic society, this search is enlightened by the Catholic Church's rich tradition of social though. The Society seeks to recognize the unique interplay of faith and reason fostered by the Catholic faith.

Student Animal Legal Defense Fund

mcarmenta@usfca.edu

The Student Animal Legal Defense Fund (SALDF) is dedicated to providing a forum for education, advocacy, and scholarship aimed at protecting the lives and advancing the interests of animals through the legal system, and raising the profile of the field of animal law at USF. We are committed to building a community where students can share their interest in humane treatment of animals and make positive changes in the lives of local animals through outreach and fundraising.

USF Admiralty and Maritime Law Society

usfadmiralty@gmail.com

By creating a community for those with an interest in Maritime Law, the USF Admiralty and Maritime Law Society will build a strong foundation for students wishing to pursue a career in this fascinating area of law. By drawing on the USF School of La's large alumni network in Maritime Law and partnering with the prominent Maritime Law Journal, the USF Admiralty and Maritime Law Society aims to cultivate future Maritime lawyers and establish USF School of Law as the premier maritime law school on the west coast.

USF Law Democrats

USF Law Student Christian Fellowship

Women's Law Association

cvmay87@gmail.com

The Women's Law Association's (WLA) ultimate goal is to create an inclusive community for the women at the University of San Francisco School of Law. The WLA seeks to foster an environment where women feel supported academically, professionally, and personally by their fellow members. USF's WLA provides a variety of services and opportunities, including support for first-year students through a mentoring program, and social, volunteer and networking events. The group functions as a space to engage in an informed conversation about gender specific issues in the legal field and broader society. The WLA interacts with numerous women's organizations, such as the Women's Lawyer Committee and Ms. JD, to give students the opportunity to connect with legal professionals and explore career options. WLA members are encouraged to actively engage with the group and share their programming ideas, interests, and needs. 

Youth Advocacy Association

gillian.ayres@gmail.com

The Youth Advocacy Association (YAA) strives to educate the University of San Francisco law students on the various professional pathways to a legal career in youth advocacy. Given this mission, YAA seeks to connect law students with youth based organizations and community service opportunities in order to better prepare and orient law students on the realities and issues that youth face in society at large and in the legal system.