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Michigan State University College of Law

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Student Group Event Planning Form (PDF) »

Lawyers as Leaders Institute

The program will include practical nuts and bolts procedures and polices, but will be enhanced with trainings from various experts on how to navigate the fundamental issues and complex conflicts that will arise in nearly any leadership role. All students holding executive board positions in all of our student groups, journals, moot court boards and organizations will participate as a unified team and meet on a regular basis to interact through these building-block trainings, but also have a consistent forum to share ideas, collaborate and foster community among these important groups.

Although a traditional assumption was that leaders are 'born, not made,' contemporary research is to the contrary. Studies of twins suggest that about 70 percent of leadership skills are acquired, not genetically based and . . . its major capabilities can be learned. Indeed . . . 'it would be strange if leadership were the one skill that could not be enhanced through understanding and practice.'

– Leadership: Law, Policy and Management, Deborah L. Rhode and Amanda K. Packet (Aspen: New York, 2011).

Year-at-a-Glance Lawyers as Leaders Schedule

Please mark on your calendar all of the upcoming dates and times for our events. Each student leader is to participate in at least 85% of all trainings and the Retreat I and II are necessary and required for all leaders.

Wednesday, August 22 @ 11:30 am -- Immersion Week - Student Leaders Lunch with the 1L Students (4th Floor Atrium) *optional*

Friday, August 24 @ 8:00 am - 12:30 pm -- Service Project - Student Leaders act as Site Leaders (Law College Front Lawn) *at least 1 leader from each group*

Thursday, August 30 @ 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm -- Student Organization Fair (Law College Veranda) *set up at 11:30 am

Friday, September 7 @ 9:00 am - 1:00 pm -- Lawyers as Leaders Retreat (Room 474)

Monthly newsletters provided online for Lawyers as Leaders

Meetings only on an as-needed basis throughout the year

Friday, March 8 @ 11:00 am - 1:00 pm*Replaced with Online Training Video -- Lawyers as Leaders Transition Meeting

Registration Form (All Groups) (PDF)

Transition Checklist for Journals / Moot Court (PDF) 

*Registration Packets (Form, Activities Report, Financial Report, Constitution/Bylaws) due by 5:00 pm Friday, March 29th to the Office of Student Engagement (Room 308) *no exceptions*

Thursday, April 18th @ 11:30am-1:00pm  -- Student Life Awards Banquet hosted by OSE, DSO and the SBA (Room 343) *all outgoing leaders should join us for an elegant banquet, group and individual awards

Student Group Resources

All student leaders should review the Student Group Handbook (PDF) from front to back to learn the policies, procedures, pull out great checklists for planning events and meetings and learn inside-information about where to look for important resources. This Handbook has been updated with a lot of important changes over the summer, so even returning leaders will need to review this. Encourage all of your colleagues to use this as a helpful resource when planning events and meetings.

Conduct a preliminary conflict check your proposed dates for a student group event by viewing the school calendar here. Then, you will want to submit your Event Planning Form (PDF) to the Events Office right away to reserve your date and time.


Funding Options for Student Groups

To start out the year, the SBA has disbursed $200.00 into each registered student organization's bank account with the Accounting office. This should be used as seed money to start up the year, host a Student Org Fair table, and hold your first informational meetings. As you prepare to host events and need additional funding, you should prepare a detailed budget to find out what your needs are. Then, review your options for obtaining funds and weigh the pros/cons of each. We will go over these in further detail at the Retreat, but some of your options include:

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