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Programming -- First Generation Programming

First Generation Workshop Series - Modules

Our First Generation Workshop aims to aid first generation students become well-rounded and culturally competent professionals who will respectfully serve their diverse communities. SLU LAW’s First Generation Workshop, created and presented by the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Admissions, and the Academic Resource Center have created modules to introduce first generation law students to aspects of law school that they may not have thought about yet. Our hope is that these modules will help students to feel more prepared to succeed as they embark on their law school journey. There are videos and material on many different topics including, what we mean when we say, “first generation.” We discuss the culture of law school and explore various mental states that they might experience during law school. We explore what the academic side of law school might look like thorough the eyes of a first generation law student – both inside the classroom and out. While this workshop series is titled for First Generation students, all students are welcome to participate in the workshop.

First Generation Gateway to 1L

The First Generation Workshop and Zoom Gathering is a series of online modules focusing on resources from both the Academic Resource Center and the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. These modules contain information on what the SLU LAW Academic Resource Center suggests students do before class, during class, and after class to be successful in law school. This program is designed to help close knowledge gaps that may exist for first generation students prior to them beginning their law school journey.

First Generation Mixer

The Office intentionally invites students that consider themselves to be First Generation students but also invites all law students, as we understand that each law student is experiencing law school for the first time. Faculty and staff that identify as First Generation lawyers are also invited. This event is a way for students to network with each other, and also to engage with other successful First Generation lawyers.

Programming

Donuts with the Dean

Students are able to take a quick coffee and donut break while also getting the opportunity to meet their Dean of the law school! It is a quick event that allows students to feel a sense of community and connection with their school faculty.

Coffee Talks – All Year Long!

In connection with many local law firm’s diversity initiatives, the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion sets up multiple small group coffee gatherings. One attorney meets with a small group SLU Law students to discuss a wide range of topics to be determined by the students and attorney. Potential topics may include diversity in the legal profession, navigating law school, exam strategies, summer employment at firms, public interest positions, clerkships and any other topics of interest. This program provides students with a great opportunity to connect to the legal profession they are working toward joining.

Time Management 101

1Ls, 2Ls, and 3Ls were all invited to a Time Management workshop co-hosted by JP Bonnet-Laboy (ODEI) and Prof. Tina Benigno (Academic Resource Center). The workshop gives students tips and strategies for making the most of their week, how to prioritize what needs to be done to be prepared for class and exams, and how to still take time to rest and recharge outside of law school!

DEI in Firms – What to Look for (with Career Services)

The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion along with SLU LAW Career Services hosts a presentation on how students can identify what to look for at places of employment when it comes to matters of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The presentation covers how to navigate the different types of initiatives employers can offer, what to look for when researching a firms website, and where to find support in the broader St. Louis Legal Community.

DEI Initiatives Showcase

The Office hosted SLU LAW’s Inaugural SLU LAW Diversity Initiative Showcase in 2022, and this event continues annually. This showcase was created as an opportunity to inform SLU LAW Students about the various diversity initiatives the St. Louis legal community has to offer. This event is an amazing opportunity for students to see the many ways they can be supported and uplifted as they enter the St. Louis legal community. Organizations attending the event provide information detailing all of the initiatives they have to offer including scholarships, sponsorships, fellowships, mentorships, or any other initiatives they wish to share.

Friendsgiving / SLU LAW Unity Dinner

SLU LAW students started a "Friendsgiving" tradition a few years ago which gathered our entire law school community over a (very long) table filled with everyone's home cooked holiday dishes. The Office also aids in a similar event during the Spring semester, the SLULAW Unity Dinner. For the SLU LAW Unity Dinner, the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion works alongside the SLU LAW Affinity Council to provide a family style meal with dishes from various local, minority-owned restaurants.

Who Runs the Block (with EHOC and Entrepreneurship Clinic)

The Black Law Student Association partnered with the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for an education event about the history of redlining in St. Louis! Redlining is a discriminatory practice in which services are withheld from potential customers who reside in neighborhoods classified as "hazardous" to investment; these neighborhood shave significant numbers of racial and ethnic minorities, and low-income residents.

Breaking Down Systemic Inequities with Alex Johnson

The Office invited Alexandra Johnson, the Managing Owner/Attorney of AJ Legal Services LLC and current Secretary of the Hispanic Bar Association of St. Louis, to provide her informational CLE to current students. The event explored how existing estate planning tools can highlight issues of systemic inequalities and how current law students can aid dismantling these issues as they step into the legal field.

Deline Ethics- Defamation Experience

The Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion brought the Defamation Experience to SLULAW. Deline Ethics hosted a 2-hour program where students were able to watch the legal drama “Defamation” then engage in a deliberation of the film and a post-show discussion. This is an interactive diversity experience that brings audiences face-to-face with issues of race, class, religion, gender, and the law.

Poverty Simulation

The Office hosts the SLU LAW Poverty Simulation to bridge the gap from misconception to understanding. This event is meant to expose students to the facts that one of the most important takeaways learned in law school is to represent your client to the best of your ability; even those who do not share the same background as you. This is an interactive immersion experience. It sensitizes community participants to the realities of poverty. Through assuming the role of a low-income family member living on a limited budget and providing for their family for a month, students were able to better understand that the simulation is based on real community members and their lives and that lawyers have a unique role to play in the lives of their clients living in poverty.

Pipeline Programs

Accessing the Legal Profession (ALP) Admissions Application Mini-camp

The Annual Accessing the Legal Profession (ALP) Law School Application Mini-Camp is a virtual mini-camp seeking to provide attendees detailed information sessions on every step of the law school application process. This mini-camp has been designed to help close knowledge gaps for individuals trying to navigate the complicated law school admissions process. We are are happy to provide the first 50 individuals who registered, attended all four sessions with a free LSAT Prep Plus Course.

High School Trial Advocacy Camp

Through workshops, guest speakers, and field trips, students gained hands-on experience and observed first-hand what it is like to be a lawyer. Students had the chance to interact with judges, lawyers, and law students and observe court proceedings. Students were able to learn trial advocacy skills, and the week culminated with a mock trial competition followed by an awards ceremony and reception with family and friends.

Freedom School- Middle School Engagement

Each summer, SLU LAW's Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion welcomes the Freedom School to learn more about legal education and the profession. The Children's Defense Fund Freedom Schools program provides summer and after-school enrichment, supporting K-12 scholars and their families through high-quality academic and character-building enrichment, parent and family involvement, civic engagement and social action, intergenerational servant leadership development, and nutrition, health, and mental health. During their visit to SLU LAW, the students have the opportunity to tour the law school, meet with current diverse law school students, learn about the importance of diversity in the legal community, have lunch, tour a courtroom, and speak with current Public Defender attorneys and interns.

Wells Fargo/ Harris Stowe

Wells Fargo partners with Harris Stowe State University to provide Harris Stowe students with valuable mentorship. Together with their Wells Fargo mentors, undergraduate students from Harris Stowe were invited to SLU LAW and the students were able to take a mock law school class. Students then had the opportunity ask questions of a panel of law students and network with them to get a better grasp ofwhat law school life can be.

Muhammad Ali Scholars

Muhammad Ali Center Council of Students (MACCS) students traveled to SLU LAW participate in activities and conversations that help invoke the power of their voice to have social change within their communities and work as a whole. The Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion hosted these students, and the students were able to have lunch and then ask questions to a panel of law students. The Office also led student through some different exercises meant to illustrate some of the tools that lawyers use to counsel their clients. The Muhammad Ali Center students were able to learn about the experiences of law students and how they affect change with their advocacy.

Being BIPOC or LGBTQ in law school with College of Arts and Science

The Office along with the SLU College of Arts and Science hosted a program for the undergraduate students to gain insight into the lives of law students. As part of our pipeline initiatives, this event was meant to introduce undergraduate students to the law school experience and give undergraduate students the opportunity to ask questions from individuals with current law school experiences.

Resources

First Generation Student Family Resource Guide

In addition to a student's academic needs, SLU LAW strives to provide holistic assistance to our students to ensure that we create an environment that us healthy, supportive, and conducive to learning. Law school is not like getting a Bachelors or Masters degree. The Juris Doctorate Degree and the work associated with it is very different. Everyone has different ideas, study methods, and expectations. This is a general guide to circulate to loved ones to help them understand your law school experience a little better with tips on how to best support you during your law school journey.

Allyship Resource Guide

This guide has anti-racism and anti-bias resources that every member of this community who would like to deepen their understanding of injustice can use. It is important for all of us – students, faculty, and staff – to take the time to educate ourselves and stay informed.

Billiken Bounty

Billiken Bounty is a food resource for students facing food insecurity temporarily or long-term. Food items are available free to students and can be ordered through Marketplace or gathered during pantry open hours posted throughout the semester. If you place an order through Marketplace, it will be filled using your order number (no names attached) and available for pick-up in the 8th floor student lounge within 24hours. For questions, contact Dean Self at christine.self@slu.edu

SLU LAW Diversity Library

The Office has curated a small library to give access to students who want to learn more about diverse communities and concepts through books. The books range in topics: LGBTQ+ history and stories, how the practice of religion has evolved in the United States, and the experiences of different racial communities in America.

YourSuit Yourself - SLU LAW Career Closet

Students often struggle with being able to afford and acquire appropriate professional clothing and accessories for interviews, networking events, professional meetings, and internship/work opportunities. Suit Yourself is a career closet resource at Scott Hall that students can access when the need arises for professional attire. Clothing items are donated and free to students. Open hours will be posted throughout the school year.

The Faculty Resource Guide

This resource guide was developed by the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion team to aid SLU LAW faculty and staff in introducing diversity, inclusion, and bias ideals and knowledge through their coursework. Our idea is to use these cases and resources as a way to amplify marginalized voices in legal academia. In the following sheets, you will find cases related to class topics that have underlying themes of DEI issues and tips on how to use them in your courses to educate students of both the relevant law and the DEI topics. There are also links to other educational resources (articles, poetry collections, journal entries, etc.) that have more information on diversity and inclusion issues that correspond to class topics. Please see below for the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Research Guide that is provided to faculty members at SLU LAW:https://libguides.slu.edu/c.php?g=1179667

Faculty Diversity Hiring Plan

In recognition of the value and critical importance of having a faculty body that is diverse, including specifically with respect to racial and ethnic diversity, the Saint Louis University School of Law faculty and Dean William P. Johnson have adopted a five-point plan for achieving a diverse faculty body. Within the plan both Dean Johnson and the SLU LAW faculty expressed a commitment to maintaining an environment at SLU LAW that “is inclusive and that respects and values diversity in all its forms, including with respect to race, ethnicity, religion, culture, gender, sexual orientation and gender identity.” The plan focuses on recruitment, retention and creating a pipeline for full-time, tenure-track faculty, lateral moves and adjunct faculty.

Plan for Achieving a Diverse Faculty Body

Training

Advocacy, Allyship, and Bias CLE

Assistant Director JP Bonnet-Laboy collaborated with University of Wisconsin School of Law‘s Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Michael States to host a CLE for the Eastern District of Missouri‘s Bankruptcy Court. The training focused on the roles that advocacy, allyship, and bias can play in the way attorneys interact with the communities they serve and the clients the represent.

Orientation Training

The orientation session guided by the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion focuses on understanding bias and the role allyship plays in the legal profession. Students learn about and explore definitions of bias, how they are formed and ways to combat them. There are multiple opportunities to practice strategies on identifying and understanding ways to create inclusive environments within the law school and the legal community with breakout sessions and self reflective activities.

Student Organization Leadership/Diversity Training

To better prepare our students as leaders within the law school community, the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and the Students Services Office collaborated to create comprehensive trainings for SLU LAW Student Organization leaders. These training shave focus on identity formation, recognizing systemic inequities, understanding community relations, and more. These trainings are staggered to help reach as many student leaders as possible.

Additional Trainings

  • Strategies for Creating Inclusive Workspaces, Lexicon 
  • Inclusivity at SLU LAW
  • Women and the Law; Eliminating Bias 
  • Discussions of race, oppression and marginalization in the classroom 
  • Combatting Implicit Bias at Home 
  • Being Black and Navigating White Spaces 
  • An (Un)comfortable Cup of Tea, Mercy Hospital 
  • Eliminating Bias in Family Law
  • Belonging at SLU LAW 
  • Having Difficult Conversations 
  • Privilege and How it Can Affect Your Legal Journey 
  • Talking Politics with Family
  • Bias in Hiring
  • Bias in Admissions
  • Common Bias in the Legal Workplace

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