Kick-off dinner celebrates new Prelaw Society

A group of faculty, staff, students, alumni and members of the area’s legal community will gather for a dinner on Oct. 27 to celebrate the founding of a new Prelaw Society at Radford University.

The Prelaw Society is designed to work in conjunction with the Prelaw fraternity at Radford University.

“The purpose of the Prelaw Society is not to supplant the Prelaw fraternity, but to support it by providing a vehicle through which not only students, but also members of the professional legal community, as well as alumni and friends of the institution can join in supporting our prelaw students,” said College of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences Dean Katherine Hawkins.

The Prelaw Society has a simple – yet aspiring – goal.

“Our goal is to educate students about the role of law in a free nation founded on Constitutional principles, as well as about the profession of law,” Hawkins said. “We also recognize it is incumbent upon us to work together with the legal profession to increase the diversity of the membership in that profession.”

The Prelaw Society came about from benefactors Joel and Rhonda Collins.

"While Dr. Kate Hawkins was Chair of the Department of Communication Studies at Clemson University, she did most of the work to establish and lead the William T. Howell Prelaw Society," Joel Collins said. "Over the last decade that society has served to introduce the legal profession to hundreds of undergraduate students, many of whom are now enjoying success practicing law. We are confident this success  story will be proudly replicated at Radford University."

Any student, regardless of major or other selection criteria, can be a member of the Prelaw Society.   There are no costs associated with membership and any Radford students can participate in any of the activities to be sponsored by the Prelaw Society.