On Saturday, February 15, Regent Law Admissions partnered with our Black Law Students Association to host a Pre-Law Day event entitled, "The State of the Black Law Student in America.”
The event was designed for minority high school and undergraduate students from along the East Coast to learn about the importance of increasing diversity in legal education and the profession, the law school experience, the application process, and to network with legal professionals.
Esé Ighedosa, Associate Counsel for the Carolina Panthers, opened the event with a keynote address discussing the State of the Black Law Student in America.
Several local attorneys, including Regent alum, were eager to participate in the “Legal Speed Networking” segment. Students interacted one-on-one with attorneys and learned about attorneys’ time in law school and their transition into their legal careers.
Later in the day students were also able to hear from The Honorable Tanya Bullock, presiding judge of Virginia Beach Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court and Regent Law alum speak about Increasing Black Diversity in the Legal Profession.
Attendees also had the opportunity to participate in a mock class, taught by none other than Regent Law Professor Gloria Whittico. The case students reviewed was Plessy v. Ferguson, a landmark 1896 U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the “separate but equal” doctrine.
Students prepared by reading the case before class and Professor Whittico used the Socratic method to discuss the case. Plessy involved a law passed in Louisiana in 1890 “providing for separate railway carriages for the white and colored races.” When African American train passenger Homer Plessy refused to leave a seat in a whites-only car, he was arrested and ultimately convicted for violating the law. The Supreme Court upheld the conviction, finding that the Louisiana state law allowed for “equal but separate accommodations for the white and colored races.” It was not until 1954, in Brown v. Board of Education, that the Supreme Court would unanimously agree that racial segregation was unconstitutional.
The visiting students answered questions with surprising ease. Their excitement for law school was evident through their preparedness to discuss the facts and analysis of each case.
The day ended with an optional tour where current law students had the chance to show these prospective law students around campus and share some of their experiences at Regent Law as well. The day ended with many students leaving having made great connections with law students, recent graduates, and experienced attorneys.
The event was designed for minority high school and undergraduate students from along the East Coast to learn about the importance of increasing diversity in legal education and the profession, the law school experience, the application process, and to network with legal professionals.
Esé Ighedosa, Associate Counsel for the Carolina Panthers, opened the event with a keynote address discussing the State of the Black Law Student in America.
Several local attorneys, including Regent alum, were eager to participate in the “Legal Speed Networking” segment. Students interacted one-on-one with attorneys and learned about attorneys’ time in law school and their transition into their legal careers.
Later in the day students were also able to hear from The Honorable Tanya Bullock, presiding judge of Virginia Beach Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court and Regent Law alum speak about Increasing Black Diversity in the Legal Profession.
Attendees also had the opportunity to participate in a mock class, taught by none other than Regent Law Professor Gloria Whittico. The case students reviewed was Plessy v. Ferguson, a landmark 1896 U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the “separate but equal” doctrine.
Students prepared by reading the case before class and Professor Whittico used the Socratic method to discuss the case. Plessy involved a law passed in Louisiana in 1890 “providing for separate railway carriages for the white and colored races.” When African American train passenger Homer Plessy refused to leave a seat in a whites-only car, he was arrested and ultimately convicted for violating the law. The Supreme Court upheld the conviction, finding that the Louisiana state law allowed for “equal but separate accommodations for the white and colored races.” It was not until 1954, in Brown v. Board of Education, that the Supreme Court would unanimously agree that racial segregation was unconstitutional.
The day ended with an optional tour where current law students had the chance to show these prospective law students around campus and share some of their experiences at Regent Law as well. The day ended with many students leaving having made great connections with law students, recent graduates, and experienced attorneys.