Conference conundrum

With law schools searching for ways to increase the diversity of their student body and firms searching for ways to increase the diversity of their attorneys, it’s no wonder that the 3rd Annual National Black Pre-Law Admissions & Preparation Conference and Law Fair, held at the University of Houston on Nov. 2, hosted representatives from 108 law schools and that attorneys from many Texas firms were among its 100 panelists. Certainly the goals of the day-long conference were noble. According to a conference press release, the conference was created as “a proactive response to address the less than positive statistics relating to the number of African-Americans getting into law school and becoming attorneys. Blacks make up only less than 7 % of law students and less than 4 % of all attorneys nationwide.” Although 470 students had registered to attend, conference chairwoman Evangeline M. Mitchell writes in an e-mail that the turnout was lower than expected: “We had almost 200 pre-law attendees from all over the country.” She attributes the reason for the drop-off to the fact that the conference was free, and people didn't have a financial incentive to follow through on their decision to come. Mitchell says that she plans on implementing new registration policies next year when the conference returns to the University of Houston. Although she doesn’t say what these policies will be, an upfront fee for attendees would certainly provide some necessary incentive. And for those who can’t afford the fee, it would seem like scholarships funded by big firms might have positive benefits for both sides.
-- Mark Donald