Student Organizations

American Association for Justice

The Mission of the American Association for Justice is to promote a fair and effective justice system—and to support the work of attorneys in their efforts to ensure that any person who is injured by the misconduct or negligence of others can obtain justice in America’s courtrooms, even when taking on the most powerful interests.  AAJ promotes justice and fairness for injured persons, safeguards victims' rights—particularly the right to trial by jury—and strengthens the civil justice system through education and disclosure of information critical to public health and safety. With members worldwide, and a network of U.S. and Canadian affiliates involved in diverse areas of trial advocacy, AAJ provides lawyers with the information and professional assistance needed to serve clients successfully and protect the democratic values inherent in the civil justice system.

American Bar Association, Law Student Division

The American Bar Association, Law Student Division, strives to defend liberty and pursue justice through community service projects and leadership. Our organization is also designed to increase law student awareness and knowledge of the benefits, programs, and services provided by the LSD of the ABA. ABA facilitates student interaction with FCSL faculty and local practitioners, and nurtures a growing ABA presence in the Jacksonville community via community service and involvement.

Animal Law Society

The Animal Law Society is dedicated to provide a forum for education, advocacy, and scholarship aimed at protecting the lives and advancing the interests of animals through the legal system, and raising the profile of the field of animal law through local, state, and national involvement.

Asian Pacific American Law Students Association

To provide a forum to voice Asian Pacific student concerns and experiences relating to legal education, the legal field, and to discuss issues of significance relating to the Asian experience in mainstream America.

Black Law Students Association

The Black Law Student Association (BLSA) is a national organization that includes more than 170 member law schools. Our main function is to assist our members in the development of their legal careers, to provide opportunities for exposure to various areas and aspects of the legal profession, and to improve the black community’s access to the law.

CAPIL

Florida Coastal Association of Public Interest Law also known as, CAPIL, seeks to educate, prepare, encourage, and inspire future lawyers that will recognize inequities that exist in our legal system and dedicate their professional lives to the development of a more just society.

CAPIL is the local school chapter of, and is affiliated with Equal Justice Works: “Working to remove the economic barriers that confront future public interest lawyers.”

Caribbean Law Students Association

Our mission:

We seek to involve Caribbean Law Students in activities that encourage academic and professional excellence, and to promote a greater awaremess and commitment to the Caribbean Community in North Florida.

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Members Area

Christian Legal Society

The Christian Legal Society (CLS) is a student-run organization founded with the intent to nurture and encourage Christian law students with resources aimed at fostering spiritual growth, compassionate outreach, and the integration of faith and practice. Our mission is to inspire, encourage, and equip law students, both individually and in community, to proclaim, love and serve Jesus Christ through the study and practice of law, the provision of legal assistance to the poor, and the defense of religious freedom and sanctity of human life.

For more information:
National: http://www.clsnet.org/
Student Ministries: http://www.clsnet.org/law-students/cls-law-student-ministries-mission

Corporate and Business Law Society

The Corporate and Business Law Society seeks to promote a social and academic atmosphere that will enrich students with vital skills to ascertain successful careers within the legal profession as well as corporate professionals that work within the legal field. The goal of CBLS is to create an understanding of all aspects of the corporate and business world. The CBLS is dedicated to fulfilling this mission within the legal community but also extending itself outside the legal arena to charitable organizations.

Chief Executive Officer

  • Alicia Menardy
Chief Operator Officer
  • Monique Goran
Treasurer
  • Adam L. Tucker
Secretary
  • Kristen Sinnott
Chair
  • Lindsey Thomas
Vice Chair
  • Michael Wickenhauser
Parliamentarian/ Historian
  • Victoria Eppie
Public Relations
  • Tomeshia Beckett
Director of Marketing
  • Chantel Simon
Pro Bono Committee Chair
  • Christopher Presley
Finance Committee Chair
  • William Davis
Events Committee Chair
  • Mariel Reyes   

Criminal Law Society

The Criminal Law Society is an organization designed to help create strong ties between its members and the criminal law community. This society’s goal is to assist its members in establishing bonds with a variety of legal professionals in the criminal law sector. We strive to achieve this goal by providing numerous opportunities to gain experience and familiarity with criminal law.

Sharepoint Site:

PRESIDENT:

  • Farrah El- Shawarby

VICE PRESIDENT:

  • Samantha Dunlap-Smart

SECRETARY:

  • Kaylee Tatman

TREASURER:

  • Maria Georgiou

PARLIAMENTARIAN:

  • Joshua Townley

Faculty Advisor:

  • Dean Rosa DuBose

Entertainment Law Association

The Entertainment Law Association is focused on bringing together Florida Coastal law students who share a common interest in entertainment law and intellectual property. ELA’s goal is to foster student involvement in arts and entertainment in the Jacksonville community; this is achieved by ELA’s monthly production “Culture on the Coast,” which provides students with a compilation of cultural events taking place in the Jacksonville area.

Environmental Law Society (ELS)

The Environmental Law Society (ELS) is a student-run organization at Florida Coastal School of Law. ELS’s primary concern is the promotion of environmental awareness and protection in the Jacksonville area. Through various community service projects, ELS aims to provide a venue for like-minded students interested in environmental law and community involvement to work together to better our world, one step at a time. Another major goal of ELS is the furtherance of environmental education on the FCSL campus and within the community.

Currently, we promote environmental awareness and education with our community-oriented projects and by always trying to set a good example for others. Our biggest community service event is our annual Sea Oats Project. Every spring, ELS works with Atlantic Beach to repair malnourished beaches. The sea oats we plant protect the dunes, provide a habitat for animals, protect sea turtle nesting areas, and prevent erosion. ELS works with many other student organizations to increase the Sea Oats Project efforts and protect more beaches each year. ELS operates on an open-door basis; we welcome all FCSL students, faculty, and staff to any of our meetings and activities throughout the semester. With FCSL’s Environmental Law Certificate Program, we hope that ELS will grow as a force on campus.

2011-2012 officers:

  • President—Shannon Blankinship
  • Vice president—Chelsea Farrell
  • Secretary—Eileen Laux
  • Treasurer—Ashley Harvey
  • Pro bono coordinator—Nick Woo
  • Scholarship and Networking Chair—Jayme Miller
  • Webmaster—Diana Mederos

Family Law Society

The Family Law Society (FLS) at Florida Coastal School of Law is committed to promoting family law as a branch of law in its own right rather than its own litigation. We are dedicated to promote and provide education, the skills necessary in the practice of family law, to provide opportunities for members to meet, exchange knowledge, views, ideas, and fostering connections with the greater Jacksonville legal community.

FCSL Democrats

The FCSL Democrats pledges itself to provide a forum for those interested in the ideals of the Democratic Party. The FCSL Democrats will educate law students about the philosophy of the Democratic Party and its current status. Furthermore, it is the FCSL Democrats intention to provide opportunities for law students to participate in democratic affairs at the local, state, and national level.

Federalist Society

The Federalist Society was founded on the principles that the state exists to preserve freedom, that the separation of governmental powers is central to our Constitution, and that it is emphatically the province and duty of the judiciary to say what the law is, not what it should be.

The Federalist Society seeks both to promote awareness of these principles and to further promote their application by providing a forum for legal experts of opposing views to interact with members of the legal profession, the judiciary, law students, academics, and the architects of public policy.

Health Law Society

The Florida Coastal School of Law Health Law Society (HLS) is dedicated to raising the visibility of issues relating to Health Law throughout FCSL and beyond. HLS provides a forum for interaction and information exchange among law students interested in Health Law issues and public policies surrounding Health Law, including but not limited to: issues of healthcare litigation and liability, HMOs, disability rights, elder care, medical ethics, in-house counsel, and comparative health systems. In addition, HLS is dedicated to serving as a resource for career opportunities and mentors within the field of Health Law.

Hispanic American Law Students Association

The Hispanic American Law Student Association (HALSA) welcomes all Florida Coastal students to join our organization as we represent diverse backgrounds and promote diversity on campus. We form a close-knit family and make an effort to help each other prepare for final exams. We also encourage networking with lawyers in the community via our mentor-mentee program with the Hispanic Bar of N.E. Florida. HALSA also cares about the community and usually volunteers at the Sulzbacher House and Hubbard House. HALSA hosts some fun events every year such as Salsa Night with free salsa lessons and Sabor Latino, a Latin food plate sale.

Human Rights Law Society (HRLS)

Our missions is to:

  • Promote awareness of human right issues and discuss the avenues that the legal community can use to addressing human rights issues.
  • Promote awareness of human trafficking issues, promote protection of its victims, and promote the enforcement of law.
  • To provide an open forum to discuss all the issues affecting human rights today.
  • Represent the Florida Coastal community through its engagement with local community.

Human Rights Law Society SharePoint Site

International Law Society (ILS)

The International Law Society is dedicated to the promotion of International Law that encompasses a vast understanding for differences both culturally and legally in the various legal systems of the world. In August 2008, the International Law Society (ILS) at Florida Coastal School of Law was recognized as an official chapter of The International Law Students Association (ILSA). The International Law Students Association is a global organization linking International Law Student Associations throughout the world and provides opportunities to meet international law students from all regions of the globe through various events and conferences. Joining ILS will provide great opportunites and benefits to those who enjoy travelling abroad and plan to practice in the area of international law.

Irish American Law Society

Italian American Law Students Association

 The Italian American Law Students Association (IALSA) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization committed to serving the needs of the Italian American community at Florida Coastal School of Law and promoting a positive image of the Italian American culture.  IALSA is dedicated to preserving the heritage of Italian Americans, the nation's 5th largest ethnic group, and promoting diversity within the Florida Coastal community.  IALSA affords Florida Coastal students the opportunity to participate in social, educational, and professional events while emphasizing the contributions of prominent Italian Americans in the legal field.  In 2008, IALSA gained national recognition and affiliation with the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF), who serves as a major advocate in Washington, D.C. for 25 million Italian Americans.

J. Reuben Clark Law Society

Mission Statement:

"We affirm the strength brought to the law by a lawyer's personal religious conviction.  We strive through public service and professional excellence to promote fairness and virtue founded upon the rule of law."

 

Jewish Law Students Association

The mission of the Florida Coastal Jewish Law Students Association is: Fostering a Jewish identity in legal professionals and students and promoting their active involvement in the Jewish community. Membership is open to any member of the FCSL community regardless of religious affiliation.

Lambda Legal Society is a support system and social circle for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender law students and their allies who share a vision for equality regardless of sexual orientation. The organizations programs and events are intended to serve as a means to advance GLBT rights in the legal community and society and provide charitable assistance to the GLBT community. The organizations membership includes both straight and GLBT law students.

Law Students Against Violence

Law Students Against Violence is a philanthropic organization that strives to help end violence against all peoples both locally, nationally, and internationally. Each year, LSAV presents The Vagina Monologues, which is directed and performed by an all law student cast. All of the play's proceeds are then donated to the Hubbard House, a local battered womens shelter.

Members Area

Get your tickets now! 2010 Vagina Monologues!

Muslim Law Student Organization

MLSA hopes to play a key role in facilitating dialogues to promote understanding, tolerance, and the exchange of ideas among law students of all religions, races, and backgrounds. We also aim to encourage the active involvement and integration of Muslims into the American legal system and to promote greater diversity in the legal profession. Through its activities, MLSA plans to promote the balanced and comprehensive professional, spiritual, cultural, and academic development of all law students, regardless of their religious or racial background.

http://www.nmlsa.org/

Military Law Society

The mission of the Florida Coastal Military Law Society is to promote awareness ofthe relationship between Military Law, Civilian Law and International Law.  The Military Law Society is open to every member of the FCSL student body and seeks to bring open discussion to all the issues that affect the military today.  The military law society seeks to represent the Florida Coastal community through its engagement with the local community including the military community.

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members area

Phi Delta Phi

The International Legal Fraternity of Phi Delta Phi, established in the year 1869 to promote a higher standard of professional ethics, is the oldest legal organization in continuous existence in the United States and the premier legal fraternity in North America. Phi Delta Phis first gathered nine years before the American Bar Association and still hold unique positions in the history of the North American bench, bar and the law schools. During the past three decades, Phi Delta Phi’s reputation as an organization devoted to legal excellence has continued to spread throughout North America and Europe.

Pro Bono

The Pro Bono Project helps law students develop an awareness of their ethical and professional responsibilities to provide service to their community. Pro bono work is volunteer legal and non-legal work done without credit or compensation that law students perform to benefit individuals, groups or organizations whose resources are limited. Participation in the program provides students with the opportunity to perform valuable community service while learning about the legal needs of the under-served and developing the legal skills and gaining the experience necessary to help meet those needs.

Public Speaking for Lawyers

The mission of the Public Speaking for Lawyers group is to provide a mutually supportive and positive learning environment in which every member has the opportunity to develop oral communication and leadership skills, which in turn fosters self-confidence and personal growth in the field of law.

The Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Club (RPPTL) at Florida Coastal School of Law is affiliated with (and borrows its nickname from) the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law section of The Florida Bar. The RPPTL section is the largest section in the Florida Bar with over 10,000 attorney members. It is also one of the most active.

It is not a coincidence that the RPPTL Section is so large. A huge portion of Florida's economy (and a corresponding large portion of the demand for legal services) is directly related to Real Estate in its various forms. In an older state, Estate Planning and Probate opportunities abound.

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How to join

News & Events

Republican Legal Society

The Republican Legal Society strives to promote conservatism and aid politically interested students in their development into strong Republicans and successful lawyers. We are actively involved with the Jacksonville Young Republicans, the Clay County Young Professional Republicans, and the Republican Party of Florida. Our members have worked various campaigns, been delegates in Republican Debates, worked for public officials, and even gone on to serve as an elected officials. We are proud to claim as our founder, The Honorable Matt Shirk, Public Defender for the 4th Judicial Circuit. Please join as throughout the year as we bring in esteemed speakers for meetings and serve our community through various pro bono activities. Please email President, Madelyn Pittman (C483984@law.fcsl.edu), for more information on how you can join the Republican Legal Society.

South Asian American Legal Society

Sports Law Society

The Florida Coastal School of Law Sports Law Society is founded with respect to, and committed to the achievement of, the following goals:

  • To provide students interested in careers in the Sports Law field with an opportunity to associate with others who share similar aspirations;
  • To bring issues in Sports Law to the attention of all interested parties at the Florida Coastal School of Law (FCSL);
  • To sponsor special events – including, but not limited to, guest speaker appearances, seminars and panel discussions – at which dialogue offering expert knowledge and insight into the Sports Law field will be exchanged with the FCSL community;

  • To have its members become involved in the local community to promote the Sports Law Society and Florida Coastal School of Law as a whole.

Technology Law Students Association

Our Mission:

The mission of Technology Law association is to provide a forum for discourse in the area of intellectual property and technology-related law areas of law. Technology law is focused to teach and promote all arenas of technology throughout Florida Coastal School of Law with our Student Ambassador Program and outreach events.

The Volunteer Immigrant Student Alliance

The Volunteer Immigrant Student Alliance functions as an educational forum that fosters fusion among the multicultural student organizations and strives to promote equality of justice for vulnerable sectors of society. Our goal is to build a unified voice that advances and defends basic human rights and provides equal opportunities for all individuals. VISA advocates for a comprehensive national immigration policy that affords due process of the law to all immigrants, regardless of status. We strive to bring societal acceptance to cultural diversity and awareness to the issues that form the current national immigration policies.

Women Law Students’ Association

The mission of the Women Law Students’ Association (WLSA) at Florida Coastal School of Law is to promote equality among students, faculty, and staff; to create an environment for women to thrive while in law school and during their career through support, community service, and recognition of success; and to make a meaningful contribution to the Jacksonville legal community.