Students invited to engage with alumni attorneys, judges on April 1 Pre-Law Day

All Ohio University students and alumni are invited to participate in the annual Pre-Law Day, set this year for April 1.

• Interested students should register via Handshake. (Sign in using your OHIO email.)

Pre-Law Day provides students who have an interest in legal education and legal careers with an opportunity to learn from Ohio University alumni who have gone on to earn a Juris Doctor and practice law.

The day features a series of panels and roundtable discussions with alumni who will speak about their law school and professional experiences. Students can attend as many panels as they desire and are encouraged to come with questions about law school, practicing law, and the legal profession.

Athens County Common Pleas Probate and Juvenile Division Judge Zachary Saunders will deliver the keynote address at Pre-Law Day. Saunders was elected to his position in November 2020. Prior to taking the bench, Saunders had been an assistant Athens County prosecuting attorney since 2015. He oversaw the Civil Division, where he represented the elected officials of Athens County and all 14 townships in Athens. Saunders also has experience in criminal defense for adults and juveniles, as well as private practice.

Saunders is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association and the Athens County Law Library Board and is Secretary for Ohio Brew Week. Previously, Saunders was President of the Athens County Bar Association. He earned a B.A. in Political Science from OHIO's College of Arts and Sciences in 2008, followed by his law degree from Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School.

To conclude the program, students selected for monetary awards from the Law School Application Support Fund will be announced.

Pre-Law Day is sponsored by the Center for Law, Justice and Culture and the Honors Tutorial College.
Students with questions about law school or the legal profession should schedule a time to speak with Assistant CLJC Director and Pre-Law Advisor Larry Hayman, Esq.

Pre-Law Day Schedule

9:40 – 10:35 a.m. 1st Round of Panels

• Law School Advice (Baker 233)
• Gender and the Law (Baker 230)
• Legal Networking (Baker 237)
• Non-Traditional Legal Careers (Baker 239)

10:45 – 11:40 a.m. 2nd Round of Panels

• Law School Advice (Baker 237)
• Social Justice and the Law (Baker 230)
• Criminal Law (Baker 233)
• Corporate Law (Baker 239)

11:50 a.m. – 1 p.m. Student Organization Presentations and Lunch (Baker 240/242)

• Phi Alpha Delta
• ACLU-OU
• Mock Trial
• Ohio Innocence Project-U
• Students Defending Students

1:15 – 2:30 p.m. Roundtables (Baker 240/242)

• Cause Lawyering
• Gender and the Law
• Practicing Law During the Pandemic
• This Year at the U.S. Supreme Court
• Election Law Issues

2:35 – 3:15 p.m. Keynote Address: Honorable Zachary Saunders (Baker 240/242)

3:15 – 4:30 p.m. Student Award Ceremony and Concluding Reception (Baker 240/242)