Every year, HLSA hosts a series of regular academic and social events, in addition to monthly general meetings and two speakers per semester. The exact dates vary from year to year and are announced on the front page of this website, and through school email.
HLSA kicks off the year with the 1L Boot Camp one week before the official start of classes. The boot camp features presentations by upperclassmen, professors, and Lubbock-area legal practitioners. The presenters aim to acclimate the incoming first-year students with the academic experience and how it relates to actual legal practice. The students also are given their first opportunity to get to know their classmates, professors, and fellow HLSA members.
A few weeks after classes begin, HLSA holds Mentor Mixers in which HLSA mentors meet their proteges face to face, and discuss the law school experience thus far and provide advice for what the rest of the semester holds. The event is informal and social in nature in order to eliminate some of the intimidation associated with the first-year experience. The setting is usually either a local restaurant or a Tech Law professor’s house.
In mid-September, HLSA brings Hispanic Heritage Month to the law school with special events throughout the month. Last semester, we held a Chocolate Festival to celebrate the pre-Spanish Central American delicacy and kick off a series of events which included speakers such as Texas State Bar President Eduardo R. Rodriguez and Prof. James C. Harrington.
As finals draw near, HLSA teams up with first-year professors to hold Exam Review Workshops on each of the three substantive 1L subjects. We provide refreshments and an opportunity for the students to ask the distinguished Tech Law professors about areas of the law that have been elusive during the ordinary class time.
As the first-year class returns to take on their sophomore semester, HLSA holds another Mentor Mixer to give the 1Ls a chance to discuss the past semester, their grades, and study strategies.
As the first year class prepares for both final exams and their first chance to choose their professors for required courses and upper-level electives, HLSA provides a 2L Registration Workshop in which upperclassmen discuss their experiences with the various classes, provide career path suggestions, and bring in speakers from honorary academic organizations such as Law Review and ALJ.
In April, HLSA participates in the official Tech Law Accepted Students Chili Cook-off to welcome the soon-to-be first-year students, demystify the law school experience, and make the case for choosing Tech Law over other Texas law schools, all over our award-winning cooking.
Finally, HLSA holds an annual Scholarship Banquet to celebrate the end of the school year and raise funds for our scholarships. Venues for the banquet have ranged from local restaurants to the Merket Alumni Center. Speakers have included state representatives, state and federal judges, and distinguished alumni.
In addition to the scheduled events, HLSA holds monthly general meetings and participates in community service activities with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and Big Brothers–Big Sisters.
Maintained by David Reuthinger, HLSA Historian, Class of 2007
Update Information | david.reuthinger@ttu.edu
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