Diversity at Marquette Law: Community Engagement

Wisconsin Statewide Pre-Law Diversity Conference & Law Fair 
Save the Date! February 2, 2024. Registration will open soon!

This annual and completely free day-long event is held each spring semester. Attendees can anticipate a busy and exciting day of activities including a discussion on law school admissions featuring guest speakers, breakout workshops for students & pre-law advisors, and lunch during a mock law school class. Admissions representatives from law schools across the nation join us to meet with advisors and students during a Law School Fair.

The event brings together students, advisors and admissions representatives to discuss applications, trends, and opportunities in legal education. Specifically tailored to advisors and pre-law students from Wisconsin and neighboring states, the event helps attendees gain a better understanding of both the admissions process and the study of law.

Summer Youth Law Institute
The Summer Youth Institute is designed to introduce middle and high school students from the City of Milwaukee to the legal system, expose them to careers in law, and provide them with practical tools for achieving their educational goals. The program includes interactive lessons, critical thinking exercises, practice in writing and oral advocacy, instruction from guest speakers, and field trips to area law firms, corporations, and courthouses. Local judges, lawyers, and law students serve as instructors and mentors. The Summer Youth Institute is a program of Marquette Law School and the Eastern District of Wisconsin Bar Association, in collaboration with Just the Beginning Foundation, Johnson Controls, the Association of Corporate Counsel Wisconsin Chapter, and Kids, Courts & Citizenship, and in cooperation with DiscoverLaw.org.

Clinics & Coursework
Marquette Law School is known for its commitment to graduating students who are ready to practice law. Thus, it is common to find our students (often working aside our alumni) engaged in the Milwaukee community in a diverse array of experiential options--enrolled in dozens of clinics, internships, and fieldwork opportunities; helping fledgling businesses get started with the help of our Law and Entrepreneurship Clinic; and providing about 10,000 hours of pro bono work annually in the community vis a vis the Marquette Volunteer Legal Clinics and numerous other endeavors. Be sure to explore our extensive Experiential Learning opportunities.

Council on Legal Education Opportunity
In 1968, the Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO) was founded as a non-profit project of the American Bar Association Fund for Justice and Education to expand opportunities for minority and low-income students to attend law school. Since then, more than 8,000 students have benefited from CLEO pre-law and law school academic support programs, attended law school, and joined the legal profession. CLEO extends the legal education and professional pipeline by offering training and workshops to college and post-college students who are interested in attending law school and pursing a legal career. Further, CLEO stresses stress the importance of the students' commitment to serve under-served and low-income communities upon graduation. Marquette University Law School is proud to be member of the Consortium on Diversity in Legal Education as a Partner School.