Students are encouraged to involve themselves in the life of the law school community through participation in activities and organizations. The Student Bar Association and numerous other student organizations offer programs and activities of interest to our diverse student body. They also provide opportunities for leadership and service to the school and the community.

Aggie Law Students

Aggie Law Students seeks to assist those law students who have obtained a degree from Texas A&M and/or have some Aggie connection and wish to realize the benefits of being plugged into the Aggie Network. To that end, the organization invites Aggie attorneys to speak at its meetings, often in a more informal setting where students can ask all types of questions. Aggie Law Students has organized happy hours to gather and watch Texas A&M athletics BTHO their Big 12 opponents. In addition, Aggie Law Students provides a connection to the organization's professional counterpart, the Texas Aggie Bar Association.

American Constitution Society

The American Constitution Society for Law and Policy (ACS) promotes the vitality of the U.S. Constitution and the fundamental values it expresses: individual rights and liberties, genuine equality, access to justice, democracy and the rule of law. These abiding principles are reflected in the vision of the Constitution's framers and the wisdom of forward-looking leaders who have shaped our law throughout American history. ACS believes that law can and should be a force for improving the lives of all people. We are revitalizing and transforming legal and policy debates in classrooms, courtrooms, legislatures and the media, and we are building a diverse and dynamic network of progressives committed to justice.

Asian Pacific American Law Students Association

AALSA aims to educate, advocate and promote Asian-American interest by encourageing Asian law students' participation, leadership and community involvement at the law school and throughout the Dallas, Fort Worth area. AALSA also works to build strong bonds between other minority organizations at SMU. AALSA provides a network of support for its members, all incoming first-year students and alumnus. Our meetings, events and forums allow all members, and the greater law school community, to benefit from sharing experiences and to build relationships that will last long beyond law school.

Association for Law and Politics

The Association of Law & Politics (ALP) serves as a non-partisan student organization to promote political awareness and involvement at Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law. The Goals of ALP include: facilitating non-partisan dialogue on political issues; raising awareness of political issues among law students; encouraging current and future participation in the political process and the larger civic community; the examination of political issues from a legal perspective; and providing information related to careers in political advocacy and public policy.

Association for Public Interest Law

APIL is dedicated to public interest work in Texas and serves many purposes, including: (1) raising awareness of public sector jobs through job fairs and speaking events; (2) helping students explore how attorneys address social issues, such as domestic violence, child abuse, and immigration; and (3) raising money through our annual APIL Fools Auction to provide stipends for law students, who will intern for non-profit agencies during the summer. Please visit the APIL website for more information: http://people.smu.edu/apil

Black Law Students Association

The Black Law Students Association (BLSA) is one of the largest student-run organizations in the nation. Originally founded in 1968 on the campus of NYU Law School by Mr. AJ Cooper, BLSA's mission is to articulate and promote the needs and goals of black law students, as well as effect change within the legal community. The SMU Chapter perpetuates that mission through academic programs that facilitate the transition to law school for students of all races, ethnicities, and nationalities. In addition, we provide professional development programming that enables our students to learn more about the legal profession through various networking and business etiquette events. Finally, we participate in various community service initiatives so that students may learn to better balance their legal career with their community involvement. BLSA is an all-inclusive organization and ALL students are welcome to attend meetings and social events held throughout the school-year. We look forward to seeing you at a meeting or an event!!!

Christian Legal Society

We encourage and support students through relevant and inspiring speakers, provide events of interest to all students, and build a network with other Dallas Christian attorneys through our new mentor program.

Corporate Law Association

The CLA seeks to further the individual welfare of its members, to foster education and research in the fields of law and commerce, and to educate the student body to appreciate the integration of law and commerce.

Criminal Law Association

The Criminal Law Association's purpose is to educate students about the different aspects of criminal law and provide them with opportunities to network with professionals who have already made their mark in the field.

Energy Law Association

The SMU Energy Law Association's (ELA) objectives are to raise awareness of energy related legal issues; to generate student interest in energy law, to facilitate an ongoing dialogue regarding energy law and related legal issues; and to embrace the educational opportunities of law students interested in energy law. ELA meets these objectives through meetings, speakers, and mentoring.

Environmental Law Society

The mission of our organization is to promote environmental awareness throughout our school and community, encourage activism in environmental issues, and help give students interested in environmental law a means to meet people working in the area of environmental law while learning more about the career options available in the field.

Family Law Association

The SMU Family Law Association (FLA) works to bring together students who are interested in learning about the field of Family Law. The FLA sponsors speakers and events to promote awareness of family law issues and career opportunities, and serves as a source of family law information to both the law school and the local community. In addition, the FLA works to promote interaction with the Dallas Bar Association Family Law section to provide networking and mentoring opportunities for students interested in Family Law

Federalist Law Society

Founded more than 25 years ago, the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies is a group of conservative and libertarian lawyers founded on the principle 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 the law should be. The Federalist Society currently has active chapters at every ABA approved law school and more than 40,000 active lawyer-members. By welcoming all students and indeed all viewpoints to participate in our debate panels, speaker events, community outreach and social/professional networking events, we believe that the vital sharing of opinions and discussions of such opinions will lead to a more enlightened and thus more educated, tolerant and cohesive generation of lawyers.

Health Law Association

The objectives of the SMU Health Law Association (HLA) are to raise awareness of health related legal issues; to generate student interest in health law, to facilitate an ongoing dialogue regarding health law and related legal issues; and to embrace the educational opportunities of law students interested in health law. HLA meets these objectives through meetings, speakers, and mentoring.

Hispanic Law Students Association

HLSA's purpose is to serve as a support organization for Hispanic students, to facilitate awareness of education and professional opportunities to these students, and to promote Hispanic interests and awareness in the larger community through involvement with other campus minority organizations, community service projects, and interaction with the Dallas Hispanic legal community. By planning meetings and events that welcome all students at SMU Dedman School of Law, HLSA aims to serve the larger law school community, as well as those who choose to be HLSA members.

Intellectual Property Organization

The IPO is one of the most active interest based organizations of Dedman School of Law. Meetings are frequently held to cover various aspects of Intellectual Property including Copyright, Trademark, Tradeservice, and Patent Law. IPO also hosts numerous speaker events to discuss topics such as the practical business application of IP law and how to prepare for the the Patent Bar. IPO also serves as a career base for students interested in IP law as we are the first to hear about job, moot court and out-of-school networking opportunities specifically designed for students interested in IP.

International Law Review Association

The International Law Review Association (ILRA) is responsible for publishing quarterly issues of both The International Lawyer (TIL) and Law and Business Review of the Americas (LBRA). ILRA takes on forty to fifty new student editors each year. Students with high academic achievement, in the top 25% of their class, as well as those who demonstrate superb writing skills in the annual write-on competition are invited to join. Students take part in editing and preparing for publication the articles printed in our two journals. They also submit written works of their own, a number of which are published in both TIL and LBRA. LBRA was started by a group of professors here at SMU, while TIL is an official publication of the American Bar Association's International law section and is one of the most widely distributed international law journals in the world.

International Law Society

Mission Statement: promote awareness, study, and understanding of international law and related issues; to encourage communication and cooperation among law students and lawyers internationally; to contribute to legal education; to promote social responsibility in the field of law; to increase opportunities to learn about other cultures and legal systems worldwide; and to publicize career opportunities in international law.

J. Reuben Clark Law Society

We affirm the strength brought to the law by a lawyer's personal religious conviction. Our goals are to foster public service and professional excellence in order to promote fairness and virtue founded upon the rule of law.

Jewish Law Students Association

JLSA is a cultural, social, and educational organization that reflects the varied interests of the Jewish student community of SMU Dedman School of Law.

Longhorn Bar Association

The Longhorn Bar Association serves the interests and needs of SMU Dedman School of Law students who are also alumni of The University of Texas at Austin or who are Longhorns at heart. The Goals of LBA include: Connecting SMU law students and UT alums to the legal community and providing a common/communal network for UT alums at SMU Dedman School of Law. The Objectives of LBA include strengthening the UT-SMU network in the legal environment in Texas and organizing UT athletic game watching festivities for group members.

Muslim Law Students Association

The MLSA is an educational, religious, social, and cultural organization. Its goal is to serve the unique interests and needs of SMU Dedman School of Law students interested in the impact of the legal system on the Muslim Community and conversely, the impact of the growing Muslim community on the American and International Legal Systems. We will have educational and social events throughout the semester. Everyone is welcome!

Older Wiser Law Students (OWLS)

OWLS (Older and Wiser Law Students) is dedicated to meeting the needs and concerns of the non-traditional SMU Dedman Law student, including but not limited to married students, students with children, those who hold full time jobs and/or are returning to school from the position of an established career, and part-time and evening students. OWLS also sponsors SMU Law Babies, a social group for law students with small children.

Phi Alpha Delta

The purpose of this Fraternity shall be to form a strong bond uniting students and teachers of the law with members of the Bench and Bar in a fraternal fellowship designed to advance the ideals of liberty and equal justice under law; to stimulate excellence in scholarship; to inspire the virtues of compassion and courage; to foster integrity and professional competence; to promote the welfare of its members; and to encourage their moral, intellectual, and cultural advancement; so that each member may enjoy a lifetime of honorable professional and public service. Phi Alpha Delta ("PAD") welcomes you to SMU Dedman School of Law! PAD is the largest law fraternity in the county and is a great organization from which to begin your legal career. This year we are planning a number of social events and speaker conferences that are a great way to meet other law students and have some fun. PAD will be accepting new members at the beginning of the semester and will also be hosting a welcome back happy hour where new or prospective members can meet PAD's returning students. We will be sending out more information about recruiting and events during the first few weeks of school. We look forward to meeting you!"

Phi Delta Phi

Phi Delta Phi (aka "PDP") is SMU Dedman School of Law's only Legal Honors Fraternity. During the spring semester of each school year, Phi Delta Phi invites the top 33% of the class to become initiated. PDP is an International Legal Fraternity that was established in 1869, and it is now the world's largest legal fraternity. Please note that to become a member of PDP, you may not be a member of any other legal fraternity. The most notable activity of PDP is the Teddy Bear Immunity toy drive and fundraiser, in which PDP collects teddy bears, or alternatively $5 donations, from SMU law students. In exchange for their donations, the students receive immunity from getting called on in their classes, and the proceeds are used to give teddy bears to children for comfort during times of sickness and tragedy. For more information on Phi Delta Phi, please see the website at http://phideltaphi.org/pages/home.php.

Real Estate Law Association

The Real Estate Law Association serves the unique interests of law students interested in pursing a career in real estate through connecting law students to the larger real estate legal community. We invite real estate practitioners in the fields of law and finance to speak at workshops and seminars at the law school. We encourage networking in the real estate community by keeping students updated on DFW real estate events and organization membership opportunities.

Science and Technology Law Review

The SMU Science and Technology Law Review is a student-run and student-edited legal journal dedicated to publishing scholarly work exploring emerging legal issues in intellectual property, science, and technology. The journal is an official publication of the Southern Methodist Dedman School of Law and is published three times per year: Fall, Winter, and Summer. SMU Science and Technology Law Review publishes articles dealing with the many substantive law issues affecting computers and technology. This includes patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, domain names, privacy rights, e-commerce issues, criminal law, dispute resolution, jurisdiction, comparative law, and other areas in which the use of technology raises new or interesting legal issues. For more information, please visit our website at www.smu.edu/stlr.

SMU Law Review Association

The SMU Law Review Association ("SMULRA") is an autonomous, student run organization that is responsible for publishing the SMU Law Review and the Journal of Air Law and Commerce. In addition, the SMULRA organizes and hosts the Corporate Counsel Symposium in the fall and the Air Law Symposium in the spring. Journal members are responsible for all aspects of the publication of both journals. This includes soliciting submissions, selecting articles for publication, editing the articles, and distributing the completed journals to subscribers. Additionally, students are responsible for organizing and hosting two symposia of the highest quality by recruiting speakers, advertising and marketing the event, organizing CLE accreditation in the fifty states, running the pre and post-event conferences, as well as overseeing the actual symposium. Journal members are selected according to class rank and performance in the annual write-on competition.

SMU OutLaw (formally LEGALS)

Outlaw is a student organization dedicated to gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender persons and their allies in society, in the legal community, and at SMU Dedman School of Law. Outlaw provides a forum for the discussion of legal, social, political, and academic issues affecting our community.

Sports & Entertainment Law Association

The SMU Sports and Entertainment Law Association is a student run organization that facilitates various sports and entertainment law related events for educational and networking purposes. We bring in guest lecturers from major sports and entertainment firms in the DFW metroplex to give lunch talks. We collaborate with the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers and the Dallas Bar Association to organize workshops and outings. We bring in speakers from major sports law institutes and ABA accredited law schools. Our primary goal is to assist aspiring sports and entertainment attorneys in making the necessary connections to facilitate a future in sports and entertainment law. Our secondary goal is to educate law students about current trends in the sports and entertainment legal market. Additionally, our organization seeks to provide public service to the community through volunteer activities and donations.

Student Bar Association (SBA)

The SMU Student Bar Association is composed of all students in the School of Law. Officers, second-year, and third year class representatives are elected in the spring semester of each academic year. Class representatives for first-year students are elected approximately one month after the fall semester has commenced. Find more information about the Law School’s SBA on their website.

Women in Law

Women in Law (WIL) is a student organization that strives to increase career, mentoring and networking opportunities for all women at the Dedman School of Law. WIL is a platform for the professional advancement and collaboration of women in the legal profession. The organization develops programs in alumnae outreach, professional and personal development, recruiting and community service. In addition to a full calendar of events, WIL hosts an annual Spring Tea for all Dedman Law women students, professors, and alumnae. In 2007, WIL launched a new program, the Women's Welcome, as a fall kick-off event to welcome new and returning women students to the Dedman Law community.