legal writing and participate in a courtroom simulation course. While they are involved in the program at the law school, the students live in University dorms. Law student counselors attend class with them and are available around the clock for assistance and guidance. The PLUS students also have the opportunity to interact informally with Villanova Law professors, with law students who serve as research assistants for law professors, and with practicing lawyers and judges. PLUS typically attracts in excess of sixty applications from top students, primarily from historically black colleges and universities nationwide, from which 24 students are selected to participate.
In addition to providing an introduction to law study, the PLUS program helps students comprehend the approach and seriousness students must bring to their undergraduate studies if they wish to be successful candidates for law school.
In the three years that the program has been held at Villanova Law, 56 students have participated with many going on to attend law school. Villanova Law Professor and Associate Dean William James, a Morehouse College graduate who received his law degree at Howard University School of Law, oversees the program. He brings to the PLUS program over thirty years of experience in law school admissions and law teaching. Dean James ensures that the program gives students exposure to various areas of the law and the demands and rigors of a legal education. PLUS aims to increase the much-needed diversity in legal education, and the program’s success has drawn the attention of the bar and legal educators. |
