Thomas Ryan (pictured) called the Pre-Law Society “an interesting opportunity for people on campus that have a desire to further their education in law.” Dylan Hart | The Crow’s Nest
By Dylan Hart
The USF St. Petersburg Pre-Law Society has returned to campus.
After nearly two years out of operation, the club is now seeking to refill its executive board and start running events on campus again.
While it is unclear when the organization initially began, events run by the PLS date as far back as Fall 2013. Years 2017 and 2018 were a lull, with the club losing its status as an organization in the USF St. Petersburg OrgSync system, but interested students have joined together and restarted the club.
Thomas Ryan, a member of the PLS who is helping to restore the organization’s presence on campus, invited all students with an interest in law to join the club.
“The goal of the club is to get people exposure — having other attorneys come in, and getting students to talk with people and make connections around the community,” Ryan said.
The society also seeks to help students with the Law School Admission Test, a notoriously difficult exam that is a crucial factor in the law school admissions process. Ryan emphasized the advantages of USF St. Petersburg’s smaller size.
“If we’re struggling with certain questions on the LSAT, we’re able to hone in and focus on that, and dedicate time for one individual to really grasp a concept,” Ryan said. “Also, we have connections with the College of Law at Stetson, and being able to get one-on-ones with legal students from Stetson on our campus is a really big draw that other pre-law societies don’t usually get the opportunity to have.”
While the club had its first meeting Sept. 11, the executive board with nine positions has yet to be filled. Only four members are running for positions and the organization seeks more students to get involved and join its leadership.
The students are joined by adviser Judithanne Scourfield McLauchlan, an associate professor of political science at USF St. Petersburg. McLauchlan has worked for the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Supreme Court and several other political and legal positions across the country.
In February 2016, McLauchlan also led political science students in a course titled “Road to the White House 2016,” which gave students the opportunity to participate in a 10-day internship with the campaign of their selected presidential candidate.
Predating the PLS was the USF St. Petersburg Law Society, which operated from 2003 to 2010 and was also advised by McLauchlan.
The club is looking to start a mock trial team with the assistance of USF Tampa, which would give students an opportunity to practice law in a hands-on environment.
The team would require eight members. While the PLS has nine total, it is unclear how many would be interested in participating in the mock trial team.
Ryan also stressed the importance of bringing in new members.
“If we have 12 individuals, we can start a pre-law fraternity on campus, which is very prestigious and opens up a lot of doors for law firms and law schools to help get peoples’ foot in the door,” Ryan said.
The organization also wants to resume running events on campus and in the community, including law presentations by students and professors, one-on-one legal advice for pre-law students and sessions with local attorneys, three of which have already reached out to the organization to set up future meetings.
But above all, Ryan found the attitude of the campus to be the club’s biggest advantage.
“Even when I took a tour of Tampa’s campus, which is beautiful, the one thing that is glaring is that there’s no personal touch to any of the clubs, organizations or even the lectures,” he said. “Our identity as being a small campus allows the involvement for us to really get a personal look at every student.”
The USF St. Petersburg Pre-Law Society plans to meet at 4 p.m. every Tuesday. While there is currently no set location for meetings, students can email thomasryan@mail.usf.edu to join.
