Student organizations at Thomas Jefferson School of Law serve a variety of interests in community service, potential areas of practice and social interests.
If you'd like to learn more about the students who run these organizations, check out our new feature "Know Your TJSL Student Leaders: 20 Questions," written by second-year law student Wendy Dimpfl, part-time assistant in the TJSL Communications Office.
Learn more information about the student organizations:
American Bar Association/Law Student Division
American Constitution Society
American of Trial Lawyers Association/Law Student Division
Black Law Students Association
Immigration Society
Intellectual Property Law Association
Jefferson Law Foundation
Middle Eastern Law Students Association
Public Interest Law Foundation (PILF)
Thomas Jefferson School of Law Tax Society
American Bar Association/Law Student Division
The American Bar Association/Law School Division (ABA/LSD) furthers the goals of the ABA by promoting full and equal participation in the profession by all persons, helping shape the policies and priorities that affect legal education, creating a deliberative forum for the exchange and expression of Thomas Jefferson student views and acting as a voice to advocate these views.
Students are encouraged to check the SBA board for additional ABA information, deadlines and application materials.
Email: abalsd@tjsl.edu
American Trial Lawyers Association/Law Student Division
Email: atla@tjsl.edu
Asian Pacific Association
The Asian Pacific American Law Students Association seeks to promote student participation and awareness of Asian issues in the legal community. APALSA also serves as a liaison to other organizations in the community at large, and studies questions of international and domestic law pertaining to all Asians.
Email: apalsa@tjsl.edu
Black Law Students Association
The Black Law Students Association (BLSA) provides peer support and networking as the key elements of membership. Education programs are periodically sponsored by this group along with community outreach.
Email: blsa@tjsl.edu
Christian Legal Society
The Christian Law Society is a co-ed nondenominational group of students who meet regularly for prayer, fellowship and discussions concerning the implications of the Christian faith on current legal issues and on the practice of law in general.
Professor Marybeth Herald is the faculty advisor to the Christian Law Society.
Email: cls@tjsl.edu
Criminal Law Society
The Criminal Law Society promotes student interest in the various issues of criminal law by organizing field trips to the court and arranging for guest speakers. The Criminal Law Society encourages member participation in the school's boot camp program, which is a special opportunity of students to get hands-on experience at the Public Defender and District Attorney's offices. Meetings are held once a month, with other activities occurring throughout the year.
Email: crimlaw@tjsl.edu
Entertainment Law Society
The Entertainment Law Society provides representation for students interested in law pertaining to the entertainment industry. The primary goal is to provide a forum to educate members on legal issues affecting the industry in fields such as music, movies, media, the internet and high technology.
Email: entertainment@tjsl.edu
The Entertainment Law Society Elected Officers for 2008-2009
President: Jakgeem Mays
VP Finance: Cait Snoddy
VP Operations: Chris Paulos
VP Publicity: Monica Padilla
Environmental Law Society
The TJSL-ELS is a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization directed and staffed by students at Thomas Jefferson School of Law. The TJSL-ELS is committed to preparing students to creatively and intelligently use the law in the service of the environment. The central mission of the Society is to strengthen the capacity of its members to make real contributions to the field of environmental law - and, most importantly, to the environment itself -- in the local, national and international communities. The Society seeks to fulfill this mission by providing students with hands-on exposure to the numerous legal, policy, science and management issues that confront today's environmental legal professionals. The TJSL-ELS is dedicated to actively involving students to help address real environmental problems both here on campus and in the broader community.
Email: environment@tjsl.edu
Family Law Society
The Family Law Society is a student-run organization aimed at providing information and education to its members about legal topics that surround the practice of family law. It is the mission of the Family Law Society to help pave the way for students pursuing a career in family law by providing forums where members can share their views and exchange information on topics relating to family law. The family law Society is a public interest group committed to promoting volunteerism and sponsors fundraising events that contribute to and benefit the community as well as the student body.
Email: fls@tjsl.edu
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. The Society seeks both to promote an awareness of their founded principles and to further their application through its activities. This entails reordering priorities within the legal system to place a premium on individual liberty, traditional values and the rule of law. It also requires restoring the recognition of the importance of these norms among lawyers, judges and law professors.
Email: federalist@tjsl.edu
Intellectual Property Law Association
This organization serves to promote education and development of intellectual property law in conjunction with the educational programs at Thomas Jefferson School of Law.
Email: iprop@tjsl.edu
International Law Society
Affiliated with the Association of Student International Law Societies, the International Law Society seeks to expose law students to the principles and practices of international legal institutions. The Society hosts speakers, conducts international law conferences and sends representatives to national meetings.
Email: ils@tjsl.edu
Jeffersonian Democrats
The TJSL Jeffersonian Democrats shall seek to energize, amplify, and channel the political interests of Democratic law students. The members seek to become active in campaigns on the national, state, and local levels across America, and work with the national Democratic Party to make sure that every vote can be exercised and counted. The TJSL Jeffersonian Democrats seek to formulate a politics of inclusion, rather than division, promoting the traditional American values of freedom, equality, fairness, tolerance, and economic opportunity for all.
Jewish Student Union
The purpose of the Jewish Student Union is to improve the representation of Jewish students at Thomas Jefferson School of Law, and to create an atmosphere of understanding and unification among the students at Thomas Jefferson and the community at large.
Email: jsu@tjsl.edu
La Raza Students Association
The La Raza Students Association is a multi-cultural group of law students concerned with issues facing the latino/a community, school service, and legal scholarship. Members of La Raza perform community service each semester, ranging from staffing youth outreach fairs, serving as mentors to elementary students, and participating in various other community projects throughout San Diego County. La Raza is very active with the San Diego Bar Association, and La Raza Lawyers. Such lawyers serve as mentors to each La Raza student, providing guidance, professional advice, and academic assistance. La Raza invites all members to "make a difference” in both their communities and their school.
Email: laraza@tjsl.edu
Law Review
One of the most prestigious and universally respected opportunities for law students to demonstrate their research, reasoning and writing skills is the Law Review. Thomas Jefferson School of Law publishes the Thomas Jefferson Law Review. To be invited to join the Law Review staff, students must rank in the top 5% of their class after their first semester or at the top 15% at the end of their second semester. Students are also selected based on their performance in the annual writing competition.
The Law Review office can be reached at 619.297.9700 ext. 1875.
Email: lawreview@tjsl.edu
Law Review Web site
Middle Eastern Law Students Association
The Middle Eastern Law Students Association (MELSA) at Thomas Jefferson School of Law was created to promote cultural awareness within the legal community, and to foster professional development for students of Middle Eastern heritage or students who have an interest in Middle Eastern culture, language, and concerns. As future members of the legal profession, MELSA members take seriously the responsibility to create an academic and professional environment which promotes tolerance and excellence. The organization strives to fulfill this mission by working closely with faculty, staff, local attorneys and other student organizations. While coming from different backgrounds, a primary mission of MELSA is to unite all members of Middle Eastern community and host events where we can raise pressing legal issues affecting the Middle East and Middle Easterners around the world. MELSA looks forward to annual events, and seeks suggestions for new programs. MELSA relies on the ideas and participation of all the members, new and old, to plan and carry out activities. Students from all countries are warmly welcomed.
Email: melsa@tjsl.edu
Mock Trial
Mock Trial allows students to gain valuable hands-on trial experience and sharpen their evidence and oral advocacy skills. Participants make opening and closing arguments, examine witnesses, and generally perform all aspects of a trial in inter-school competitions. Students must be in good academic standing to be eligible for Mock Trial. Interested students must participate in an intra-school mock trial competition. One unit of credit may be earned by students participating in Mock Trial.
Email: mocktrial@tjsl.edu
Moot Court
The Moot Court Program allows students to experience the overall surroundings of a courtroom in a trial session. Students gain legal writing, research and oral advocacy skills through moot court competition. Participants work on trial and appellate cases: reasearching, drafting appellate briefs and motions, examining witnesses and ultimately arguing before a panel of judges or jury. Competitions are held each semester with the overall best team representing Thomas Jefferson in an interscholastic session. Tryouts take place once a year. Participants must meet prescribed eligibility requirements. Participation requires submission of a written brief and presentation of oral arguments before a tribunal of judges. Professor Paul Spiegelman, Director of Litigation Skills is the faculty advisor for both the Moot Court Society and the Negotiation Competition Team.
Email: mootcourt@tjsl.edu
National Lawyers Guild
The National Lawyer's Guild is an association dedicated to the protection of civil rights and liberties, and the principle that adjustment to new conditions is more important than the veneration of precedent.
Email: nlg@tjsl.edu
Outlaw
Outlaw is an educational, political and social collaborative of law students, faculty and staff interested in working with Thomas Jefferson School of Law and the surrounding community towards fostering and maintaining an environment that is supportive, positive and safe for individuals of sexual and gender diversity. The organization will serve as a forum in which Thomas Jefferson students, staff and faculty may coordinate their efforts to combat homophobia, transphobia, heterosexism, discrimination and prejudice. Outlaw will work to promote the interests of gay, lesbian and transgender students, faculty and staff members and allies at Thomas Jefferson School of Law.
Email: outlaw@tjsl.edu
Phi Alpha Delta
Phi Alpha Delta is a professional law fraternity composed of law students, attorneys, judges and educators. Phi Alpha Delta is dedicated to promoting professional competency, service, and achievement within the legal profession.
Email: pad@tjsl.edu
Public Interest Law Foundation
The Public Interest Law Foundation (PILF) is dedicated to raising awareness among law students of the need and opportunity for attorneys in public interest law. PILF is a member group of the National Association for Public Interest Law (NAPIL). Through fund raising and community activities, PILF is able to accomplish its educational purpose. PILF's goals are substantially different from those of other organizations. A primary function of PILF is fund-raising, which will provide stipends to students exploring public interest areas of the law. Stipend awards will take the form of grants, scholarships, and fellowships. The community service facet of this organization is geared to get students out into the communities they will service in the future. This exposure is designed to ingrain the need for attorneys to be active in the communities they service and to raise the professional standards of the legal profession.
Email: pilf@tjsl.edu
PILF Website: http://pilf.tjsl.edu/
The Public Interest Law Foundation's 2008-2009 Elected Officers
Executive Board:
President: Michael Jonas
Vice President: Ana Perez
Treasurer: Talia Portocarrero
Secretary: Kelly HarrisonCommittee Chairs:
Career Chair: Carla Galindez
Fundraising Chair: Zahra Mohammed
Communications Chair: Lindsay VanHousen
Social Action/Community Liason: Rosanna Kendrick
Alumni Chairs: Damika Webb and Cara Maas
Loan Repayment Assistance Program Chair: To be determined!
Society for Law & Medicine
The purpose of the Society for Law & Medicine is to promote the awareness of legal issues affecting the field of medicine. also strives to accommodate an open exchange of information and ideas between Thomas Jefferson School of Law and the medical community.
Email: slm@tjsl.edu
Sports Law Society
The goals of the Sports Law Society are threefold: Education, opportunity and exposure. First, the Society endeavors to provide a forum to inform and educate members on issues affecting the management of athletes, administration of athletic programs and the entertainment business. Secondly, the Society seeks to inform members of career opportunities in the sports and entertainment industries by organizing and hosting symposia speakers in these fields. Lastly, the Society wishes to provide members with the opportunity to research and publish articles of interest to students and attorneys in the sports law sphere.
Email: sportslaw@tjsl.edu
Student Bar Association
The Student Bar Association (SBA) is the coordinating agency of Thomas Jefferson School of Law programs and activities. Through its several committees, the SBA acts in a liaison capacity with the faculty and administration to assure adequate representation of student interests.
Email: sba@tjsl.edu
The SBA Elected Officers for 2008-2009
President - Pablo Zamora
Treasurer- Shannon Vitkovich
Secretary - Rebecca Ritchey
Parliamentarian - Dylan Aste
Social Chair - Chris Paulos
Community Chair - Hallie Tremaine
SDCBA Liaison - Whitney Dreshler
Thomas Jefferson School of Law Tax Society
One of the main objectives of the Society is to support the ABA/LSD Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program in cooperation with the Internal Revenue Service and the California Franchise Tax Board. Other objectives of the Society are providing a tax-oriented social forum for students of Thomas Jefferson School of Law, encouraging those students who wish to incorporate taxation in their future law practice, enhancing the reputation of TJSL in the community through pro-bono VITA activity and creating a model for an internet-based student society.
Email: tax@tjsl.edu
Women's Law Association
The purpose of the Women's Law Association is to provide a forum for the discussion and advancement of all women in legal education. WLA also strives to address societal impacts on all women in law and to seek effective solutions and empowerment for all women law students.
Email: wla@tjsl.edu