ACS’s nationwide network of student chapters is fostering a new generation of progressive leaders. Through hundreds of programs each year featuring renowned advocates, scholars and judges addressing a wide range of legal and policy issues, chapters educate their members about the critical issues facing our country. Working with ACS lawyer chapters and the national office, they also provide students with meaningful opportunities for professional development and mentoring; participation in substantive projects; and membership in both a local community and a national network. Currently, there are over 180 law school chapters.
A list of all student chapters is available here.
If you are interested in helping to organize an ACS student chapter, please contact Student Chapters, at campus@ACSLaw.org or 202-393-6181.
Attention 2012 Convention Student Attendees: National Convention Tips
Please click HERE to access helpful tips for convention. If you have any questions, please email us at campus@acslaw.org.
For students who also received transportation scholarships for convention, please complete the Convention Reimbursement Request Form and send it with receipts to accountspayable@acslaw.org no later than July 16, 2012.
1Ls, 2Ls and 3Ls: Sign Up for ACS Summer Lists Now!
ACS wants to continue to engage with you during the summer months, especially in cities where we have active lawyer chapters. Lawyer chapters across the country will sponsor sibstantive programming, social events, and networking opportunities open to ACS students. To take advantage of these opportunities and to receive information about ACS events in your summer location, please sign up here.
Congratulations to the 2012 Constance Baker Motley National Writing Competition Winners!
ACS is pleased to announce the winner of the 2012 Constance Baker Motley National Writing Competition: Sam Simon of Harvard Law School. Sam will receive an opportunity to publish his paper in the University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law and $3,000. Carolyn Homer of the George Washington University Law School and Evan Barret Smith of the University of Pennsylvania Law School were selected as runners-up and will each receive $1,000.
Access the 2012-2013 Model Calendar for Student Chapters here!
The 2012 Spring Student Chapter Newsletter is now available! Access it here.
2012 Judicial Clerkship Guide
For those interested in applying for judicial clerkships the Judicial Clerkship Guide: Information, Timelines & Practical Advice from Former Clerks will provide insights and tips about the process.
Student Chapter of the Week
Throughout the academic year, the ACS Student Chapters Department honors a Student Chapter of the Week each week. The chapter is featured on the ACS website and in the ACS weekly bulletin. The Student Chapters of the Week are chapters that have held exceptional programming, have aligned themselves with the priorities of the national office or have established themselves as a premier student group on campus. Click here to read about the great work our chapters are doing this year.
In the News: Spring 2012
BU Today featured BU School of Law students who volunteered with ACS’s Constitution in the Classroom program this spring.
The Harvard Law School chapter of ACS sponsored “A Progressive Vision of National Security,” featuring former Senator Russ Feingold, on April 19th.
The Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder covered an April 17th forum on voter identification co-hosted by the William Mitchell ACS Student Chapter.
Catholic University covered an event on judicial ethics hosted by the CUA Law ACS Student Chapter on April 17th.
Harvard Law School covered an April 10th event hosted by the HLS ACS Student Chapter on the CIA and the rule of law.
On April 9, Georgetown Law Weekly featured an event co-sponsored by the Georgetown ACS Student Chapter on contraceptive coverage.
The ACS Student Chapter at Washington & Lee University held a debate on gay marriage on April 4th. The University announced the event here.
The ACS chapter at St. Mary’s University School of Law co-hosted an event on April 3 on Texas's judicial vacancy crisis. Center for American Progress co-sponsored the event and covered it here.
ACLU mentioned an April 3rd ACS event at Georgia State University on the changing landscape of Georgia's election laws.
The ACS Student Chapter at Stetson Law School co-sponsored a forum on free speech rights with the ACLU on April 3rd. Read more on the event here.
On April 3rd, CSPAN featured an ACS event at Cardozo School of Law on the ACLU in American life.
San Antonio Express News covered an April 3rd event at St. Mary's University Law School, co-sponsored by ACS. The discussion, "Texas Courts in Crisis," featured two of the state's U.S. congressmen.
The ACS chapter at Harvard Law School hosted a voting rights symposium on March 31st, which included State Rep. Clyde of Kent, Ohio. Read more here.
On March 25th, David Barclay, president of the ACS chapter at University of Kansas, announced the chapter's recent revival on campus.
LegalNews.com covered an ACS event at Cooley Law School - Lansing on March 23rd. The panelists discussed their experiences arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Washington University - St. Louis Student Chapter hosted an event on youth advocacy and school desegregation on March 22nd as part of the University's Youth Justice Program. Read more here.
On February 29th, the ACS Harvard Law School Student Chapter co-sponsored a discussion of the National Defense Authorization Act and indefinite detention. Read more here.
The UNLV Boyd School of Law ACS Student Chapter co-sponsored a panel on February 21st on the judicial vacancy crisis in Nevada and the United States. For more about this event, click here and here.
On February 16th, the ACS Student Chapter at Brigham Young University hosted a discussion of the role of the judiciary in interpreting the Constiution. Read more the event here.
The ACS Student Chapter of Suffolk Law School co-sponsored a panel on the legal implications and significance of Occupy Boston. Read more about the February 13th event here.
On February 10th, the ACS Student Chapter of Cooley Law School, Auburn Hills co-hosted an event to raise awareness of human trafficking. For local coverage of this event, click here and here.
The Drexel University ACS Student Chapter hosted the Secretary of Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection on February 8th. Read more about this event here.
The ACS Student Chapter at Drexel University hosted a panel discussion on February 7th about the musical "The Scottsboro Boys." Read more here.
On February 7th, the ACS Student Chapter of Drexel University co-sponsored an event titled "Constitution in 2020: Reproductive Rights on the Horizon." Read more here.
The ACS Student Chapter of Univeristy of California, Irvine co-sponsored a panel on the impact of Citizens United on judicial elections. Read more about the February 6th event here.
On January 31st, the ACS Student Chapter at Harvard Law School presented "Overturning Citizens United: Amendment or Convention?" Read more about the event here and here.
The ACS Student Chapter at University of Richmond hosted an event on January 25th titled "Wrongfully Convicted: The Thomas Haynesworth Story." Read more here.
Southern Methodist University's ACS Student Chapter hosted a panel on the death penalty on January 25th. Read more about the event here.
On January 20th, the ACS Student Chapter at University of Detroit Mercy School of Law co-hosted "Ten Years After: News from Guantanamo." For Detroit Legal News coverage of the event, click here and here.
On January 19th, the ACS Student Chapter at the University of Arizona College of Law held an event on judicial independence featuring Marsha Ternus, former Chief Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court. For local coverage of the event, click here and here.
The ACS Student Chapter at University of Detroit Mercy School of Law co-sponsored a panel discussion with the Michigan Lawyer Chapter on arguing before the Supreme Court. Detroit Legal News reported on the January 19th event here.