Legal education at New England Law | Boston extends beyond the classroom. Our wide range of student law groups provides many opportunities for students to gain relevant career experience and forge valuable networking ties, while serving the community, making new friends, and having fun.
Active Student Organizations '23-'24
Affinity Groups
Asian Pacific American Law Students Association
The Asian Pacific American Law Students Association promotes cultural diversity and encourages conversation about the law in networking events, community involvement, and work with other organizations, including the Boston Lawyers Group and the Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts. Events include a 1L mentoring program and bowling night, volunteering at the Asian food pantry Rice Sticks & Tea, and the screening of Civil Rights & Wrongs: The Fred Korematsu Story on Korematsu Day.
Contact: apalsa@nesl.edu
Black Law Students Association
The Black Law Students Association promotes social justice and equality for all students, facilitates awareness of issues affecting law students of color, and works to create an inclusive environment for dialogue and interaction among all ethnicities. It hosts events that address issues facing law students of color; develops opportunities to interact with the Greater-Boston legal community; promotes diversity and critical awareness on sensitive issues; and collaborates with the Charles Hamilton Houston Enrichment Program, Minority Students Association, and other groups.
Contact: blsa@nesl.edu
Jewish Law Students Association
The Jewish Law Students Association is a social, cultural, and educational group that focuses on social and professional networking, and coordinates fun events that fall on Jewish holidays, including the Crash My Sukkah Party and Passover Seders. A speaker series brings in attorneys from the Boston area to network and to educate New England Law students about various areas of the law.
Contact: jewishlaw@nesl.edu
Latin American Law Students Association
The Latin American Law Students Association increases awareness of legal issues relating to Latin American communities through events and meetings; promotes diversity with events for all students; and provides a network for academic support, community outreach opportunities, and career counseling. The association also offers support to help 1L members complete their first year successfully.
Contact: lalsa@nesl.edu
Middle Eastern Law Students Association (MELSA)
The Middle Eastern Law Students Association (MELSA) is an affinity group at New England Law | Boston committed to serving and uniting Middle Eastern and North African students. MELSA’s mission seeks to build a cultural community and avenue between Middle Eastern and North African law students, and alumni, to promote the professional development and academic achievements of our members. Our affinity group encourages a more cohesive understanding of the Middle Eastern and North African cultures, politics, and legal institutions. Membership is open to anyone and everyone, including those who are not of Middle Eastern or North African descent.
Contact: sbamelsa@nesl.edu
Muslim Students Association
The Muslim Students Association is an organization that aims to embrace Muslim students from all walks of life and serve as a bridge between our members' commitment to their faith and the principles promoted by New England Law | Boston. The MSA provides a modest space for religious obligations for all faiths, conveniently located in the library. While one of MSA's goals is to accommodate Muslim students, we encourage all members of the student body to participate in some of our open social and educational events.
OUTLaws
OUTLaws works to educate, unite, and offer opportunities for the LGBTQ community and its allies. It sponsors programs relating to transgender identity awareness; seminars with legal professionals; panel discussions on family law, probate law, and tax and financial services; and events with other student organizations. It also collaborates with the Massachusetts LGBTQ Bar Association for monthly social mixers, a legal professional mentoring program, and volunteer public service opportunities.
Contact: outlaws@nesl.edu
South Asian & West Indian Law Student Association
The South Asian & West Indian Law Student Association promotes cultural diversity and equality for all students. It serves as a supportive resource for students of South Asian & West Indian descent, as well as all students. It hosts events that address issues unique to attorneys, and students of color, as well as cultural events that celebrate the South Asian Diaspora. Events include but are not limited to Domestic Violence Panel, Bollywood Trivia and Movie Nights, Chai Chats, Diwali and Eid Celebrations.
Contact: salsa@nesl.edu
Women’s Law Caucus
The Women’s Law Caucus promotes social justice and equality for women and men and strives to raise awareness and funds for problems, often described as women’s issues, that affect men, women, and children: domestic violence, breast cancer, same-sex marriage, and AIDS. Events have included a fundraiser during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a Women in Federal Practice panel with practitioners and judges (co-sponsored with the Federal Bar Association), and a screening of the documentary film, The Case Against 8 (with OUTLaws). The chapter’s Follies event raises money for a stipend for an intern working in the domestic violence field.
Contact: womenslaw@nesl.edu
Interest Area Groups
Art & Fashion Law Society (AFLS)
The Art and Fashion Law Society (AFLS) is committed to educating the NELB community about career paths in art law, fashion law, and related intellectual property fields. AFLS intends not only to be informative, but foster a community of like-minded individuals with an appreciation for the arts and fashion. Career related events such as panels with working attorneys in the art and fashion law fields are hosted for those interested in hearing more about the array of legal paths that exist within art and fashion law. AFLS also aims to offer immersive events such as fashion related movie screenings, paint nights, and museum visits to give students the chance to engage with the arts.
Contact: afls@nesl.edu
Business Law Society
The Business Law Society advances educational and career interests, promotes integrity and accountability for business and nonprofit organizations, and works with the Center for Business Law. Driven by its core values of developing leadership, personifying professionalism, and engaging in community involvement, the group focuses on awareness of business-related legal issues and provides opportunities to develop relationships within the business legal community through events, programs, and networking opportunities.
Contact: bls@nesl.edu
Cannabis Law Society
The Cannabis Law Society is an educational organization that provides students with an understanding of the Cannabis Law practice. Our organization offers NEL|B students the opportunity to meet and network with attorneys and regulators that are currently pursuing cannabis law. The Cannabis Law Society’s overall goal is to present students with the opportunity to learn and understand the cannabis law process in addition to recognizing the ongoing issues in the practice. We also provide students with a broad overview of advancements in the cannabis regulations for the state of Massachusetts as well as other states.
Contact: sbacals@nesl.edu
Criminal Law Society
The Criminal Law Society promotes social justice and equality, fosters relationships between criminal law practitioners and students aspiring to enter the field, and provides opportunities to effect change in the community. Events and activities have included LexisNexis practical-skills training, criminal law, alumni networking events, volunteer opportunities with the Massachusetts Department of Corrections, discussions with local judges and attorneys, and collaborations with fellow student groups.
Contact: sbacls@nesl.edu
Entertainment and Sports Law Organization
The Entertainment and Sports Law Organization supports students’ career aspirations through engaging and educational events and activities. Annual events include a speaker panel with entertainment and sports legal professionals, a student-faculty softball game, and a pub-night fundraiser. The chapter often works with similar groups from other law schools.
Contact: sportslaw@nesl.edu
Environmental Law Society
The Environmental Law Society promotes discussion and awareness of environmental legal issues through movie nights, the sharing of opinions and ideas, and an annual career panel of environmental and energy attorneys. The society supports a grant program that provides a stipend to a student with an unpaid summer environmental/energy internship. Fundraising includes a vegetarian potluck lunch for students
and faculty, the Go-Green! mixer, and the mid-spring semester bash,
co-hosted with the Animal Defense Fund.
Contact: environmentllaw@nesl.edu
Family Law Society (FLS)
The Family Law Society is for students interested in the family law practice area. The issues include, but are not limited to, divorce, custody, adoption, reproductive rights, and child rights and advocacy. The Family Law Society’s mission is to educate students on a broad array of family law issues; promote access to careers in the family law field by connecting the students with family law legal services, family law departments of medium-to-large size firms and family law solo-practitioners; frequently engage with family law professionals in the community to help students build relationships within the practice area; and advocate to the faculty to promote a larger course selection regarding family law practice.
Contact: familylaw@nesl.edu
Immigration Law Association (ILA)
The Immigration Law Association provides students with access to up-to-date information, career options, networking events, and community involvement. Partnering with New England Law’s Center for Law and Social Responsibility, the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, and the Greater-Boston Citizenship Initiative, the organization also arranges opportunities for students to intern at Citizenship Clinics.
Contact: ila@nesl.edu
Intellectual Property Law Association (IPLA)
The Intellectual Property Law Association acts as an intellectual property law information outlet for the New England Law community; enhances educational, cultural, and social opportunities through events and programs; provides students with a better understanding of intellectual property law and the industries surrounding it; and offers a forum to network within the intellectual property law industry.
Contact: ipla@nesl.edu
Public Interest Law Association (PILA)
The Public Interest Law Association strives to raise awareness of the needs, issues, and employment opportunities for federal and state administrative and regulatory agencies, advocacy groups, legal aid agencies, lobbyist groups, prosecution agencies, and public defenders’ offices. Its auction raises money for a summer grant program for students. Other activities include speaker panels, a networking event, volunteering at local agencies, and fundraisers to benefit Boston organizations.
Contact: pila@nesl.edu
Real Estate Law Society (RELS)
The Real Estate Law Society is a student organization with the purpose of promoting the exploration of real estate law, the cultivation of professional networks of students with firms and attorneys specializing in real estate law, and the exploration of events and history impacting the legal field of real estate law through discussion panels, outreach activities and expert speakers.
Contact: relus@nesl.edu
Tax Law Society (TLS)
The New England Law | Boston Tax Law Society (TLS) is a student organization providing a platform for students to gain experience and training in the field of tax law. The TLS provides supplemental curriculum for its members to develop and cultivate their legal education in a concentrated market. In conjunction with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Boston Tax Help Coalition, members will gain experience in income tax preparation services through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. Other networking events, seminars, and national tax moot court competitions are facilitated to provide training for members to remain competitive in a concentrated market. Driven by its core values of leadership development, professionalism, and community involvement, the TLS will help promote New England Law | Boston in both academic and corporate communities.
Contact: sbatls@nesl.edu
Additional Groups
American Constitution Society (ACS)
The American Constitution Society for Law and Policy promotes the US Constitution and its fundamental values: individual rights and liberties, genuine equality, access to justice, democracy, and the rule of law. The chapter provides opportunities to engage with speakers and with students and attorneys in other local chapters. Events have included a review of recent US Supreme Court decisions with New England Law professors, mentorship programs, and social events.
Contact: acs@nesl.edu
Debate Club
The Debate Club provides students with the opportunity to learn, practice, and compete in British Parliamentary Debate. British Parliamentary debate is a format used worldwide. Teams have fifteen minutes, without web access, to prepare for a round. Four teams (two people per team) compete in a round, two representing the government and two representing the opposition. Teams are ranked 1-4 according to their contributions to the round. The Debate Club holds weekly practice rounds and competes in several interschool competitions each semester. Debate experience in not required to join.
Contact: sbadebateclub@nesl.edu
National Lawyers Guild (NLG)
Established in 1937, The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) is the oldest, non-issue specific association of lawyers, legal workers, law students and jailhouse lawyers in the country. It is also the country’s first racially integrated bar association. Members work on a vast range of social justice issues including:
environmental sustainability, immigrants’ rights, housing, racial justice, disability rights, and mass incarceration. There are more than 20 Committees student members can join. Within the International Committee alone, there are 18 different Subcommittees. NLG provides a great networking opportunity as many members secure fellowships, internships, and jobs from connections they make in the Guild. There are also opportunities for leadership development where members elect a Student National Vice President to serve on the NEC each year.
Contact: nlg@nesl.edu
New England Latter Day Saints
The New England Law| Boston student chapter of the J. Reuben Clark Law Society (NE-LDS) is an organization of students who are members or friends of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. NE-LDS provides support and connection for students seeking to maintain a spiritual foundation throughout their study of the law and allows members opportunities to associate with other students who have similar interests and beliefs. New England LDS cultivates educational and employment opportunities through networking with alumni and other professionals in J. Reuben Clark Law Society Professional chapters. NE-LDS welcomes all students and faculty, regardless of their faith, identity, or practice.
Phi Alpha Delta Legal Fraternity | MacLean Chapter (PAD)
Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, International, seeks to create bonds between students and teachers of the law with members of the bench and bar, and to promote core values for a lifetime of honorable professional and public service. New England Law’s MacLean Chapter holds and co-sponsors events, including Dress for Success (with Brooks Brothers), Fixing Your Mid-Term Mistakes, Alternative Careers with a JD, and a 2L Appellate Brief Help Session (with the Intellectual Property Law Association).
Contact: pad@nesl.edu
Republican Law Society
The mission of the Republican Law Society to is provide a space at New England Law| Boston for the proliferation and study of Republican values in the law and the implication of said values. To that end, the Goal of the Society will be met by holding events with republican speakers who will provide perspective and context into Republican values; hold student meetings to study and debate Republican values and choices that the party makes that effects the law; and anything else that can be used to further the perspective of the Republican party in the law generally.
Contact: sbarls@nesl.edu
Student Bar Association
The Student Bar Association is the representative body of the students at New England Law | Boston and is affiliated with the Law Student Division of the American Bar Association. It co-sponsors speakers on legal and professional issues, organizes social activities, and offers opportunities to become active in the New England Law and Greater-Boston community. Our law student organizations are key components of our engaged community, and we invite you to learn more about them.
Contact: sba@nesl.edu
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