Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood will speak at Mississippi State as a part of the universityܬs Pre-Law Society speaker series.
Hood will speak at noon on Sept. 22 in the John Grisham Room of the Mitchell Memorial Library, and the program will be open to the public. Hoodܬs visit is just one of the many activities planned by the Pre-Law Society, said society president Brian Pugh.
The society hopes to provide opportunities this year for undergraduate students to network with lawyers and to prepare for the Law School Admission Test.
ܬBasically, we are preparing undergrad students for law school,ܬ Pugh said.
Diane Wall, associate professor and faculty adviser to the society, said the society hopes to bring a session of the Mississippi Court of Appeals to campus as well.
ܬWe have the acceptance from the Mississippi Court of Appeals to hold court on campus,ܬ Wall said.
The session of court is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 14 and will be held at the Hunter Henry Center.
ܬThere will be a panel of three judges, and they will probably hear two cases,ܬ Wall said.
The court has been to Ole Miss and Southern Miss in previous years, but this is a first-time event for Mississippi State.
The cases will be open to the public, but people cannot enter and leave while court is in session.
The cases will most likely be civil cases and last approximately 40 to 45 minutes.
Pugh said he is looking forward to this school year and hopes the society will continue to grow. The society has approximately 70 people on the mailing list.
ܬWe extend an invitation to all students interested to attend meetings and become members,ܬ Pugh said.
It is beneficial for future law students to join because the society will be giving free LSAT practice exams, as well as having a certified Kaplan test prep instructor give test-taking tips, Pugh added.
Andrew Baker, the societyܬs chief of staff, said the society is very helpful in preparing students for law school.
ܬIn my opinion a lot of the benefit comes from interaction with older students. You can learn a lot about the LSAT and other things from those who have been in the program a while,ܬ Baker said.
Most students do not take a practice LSAT before they take the official test, Baker said.
The LSAT is unlike other tests that students have taken, and some students enter the exam unprepared, Baker said.
Baker looks at the Court of Appeals coming to State as a huge opportunity for the university.
ܬIf we set a good atmosphere, then they will want to come back. We want people to realize that we have a good deal of students who leave MSU and go on to places like Ole Miss Law,ܬ Baker said.
Baker said that MSU undergraduates are just as equipped to continue to law school as Ole Miss students.