Student Organizations
Getting involved in one of our many student organizations and professional associations is a great way to gain valuable leadership experience, make connections, and have fun. Get to know your classmates by volunteering for service activities or joining our Student Bar Association.
The staff in the Office of Student Life are your student organization and program experts, ready to engage you in leadership building, service projects, and so much more! We encourage all students to get involved in co-curricular activities and student organizations because we know how valuable these involvement opportunities are to personal and scholarly success. Join your fellow students by participating in a recognized student organization … and if you don’t see one you like, we can help you start a new one!
Your chance to make a difference is now - get involved!
Being a law student at the University of North Dakota School of Law is more than just going to class, reading cases, and taking exams. We believe that students play a critical role in developing a legacy of service, leadership, and excellence at the School of Law. As such, it is important for you to take an active role in the decision making process which shapes the law school experience. From being a part of the many student organizations to being President of the Student Bar Association, there are endless possibilities for those who want to be involved, as well as lead among their peers.
Student Bar Association Office
School of Law, Room 260F
215 Centennial D, Stop 9003
Grand Forks, ND 58202
The purpose of the Agricultural Law Association (ALA) is to promote agricultural law at UND School of Law. The goal of this group is to connect interested students with practicing attorneys involved in the ag industry or agricultural-related areas of the law. ALA aims to foster healthy conversations about issues in the ag industry and ag law field. ALA is designed to educate law students about the importance of an agricultural-friendly society and to provide students who did not grow up with a background in agriculture, a chance to learn about the different facets of the industry. Our geographic location at UND enables us to have access to great opportunities to work in and impact the local agriculture industry.
Before attorneys ever argue in front of a jury or enter a courtroom, they will have the opportunity to assist conflicting parties in one of the many methods of alternative dispute resolution (ADR). These ADR strategies are designed to give two or more conflicting parties cost-effective and flexible methods to resolve their issues outside of litigation. The ADR Board has been formed to assist and educate current law students to better understand these strategies and why they are important to their career. The first goal of the ADR Board is to connect students with attorneys and other professionals who are experienced in the practice of ADR. The second goal is to expand student knowledge and skills through mock scenarios involving negotiation, arbitration, or client counseling.
The University of North Dakota School of Law’s American Constitution Society (ACS) seeks to “promote 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.”
ACS is a professional legal organization promoting and facilitating discussion and debate of progressive public policy ideas and issues. ACS provides incredible networking opportunities for law students, legal scholars, lawyers, judges, and other legal professionals. Each year, ACS hosts a national convention in Washington, DC and invites law students and legal professionals from all over the country to attend!
ACS has approximately 200 law school student chapters and 40 lawyer chapters around the country.
The UND Black Law Students Association, founded in 2009, is an affiliate of the National Black Law Students Association (NBLSA) formed in 1968 to articulate and promote the needs and goals of Black law students and effectuate change in the legal community.
The UND chapter membership is open to all UND students particularly students from underrepresented minority groups. The National Black Law Students Association is the largest student run organization in the United States with over 6,000 members, NBLSA is also comprised of chapters or affiliates in six different countries including The Bahamas, Nigeria, and South Africa. We are proud to share in the rich history of the national organization and seek to carve out our own place in the increasingly diverse upper plains region of the United States.
Business Law Association (BLA)[BROKEN LINK] provides a forum to exchange ideas for students interested in the intersection of business and the law. BLA strives to connect members to practitioners in the field of business law and provide networking opportunities within the business law community. The organization will foster social interaction for students by sponsoring events and other recreational activities.
The Canadian Law Student Society is dedicated to uniting all law students interested in learning about law and legal developments in Canada, or those that have an interest in practicing law in Canada. It is our mission to provide opportunities for professional growth both in the U.S. and Canada. We hope to foster dynamic discussion among all student members, faculty, alumni, and administration concerning a variety of topics involving both U.S and Canadian issues. We encourage communication about the different opportunities available to Canadian students receiving their education in the U.S. Further, we strive to develop professional contacts with our northern neighbors.
The purpose of the Criminal Law Association is to provide an opportunity for our members to explore all facets of the criminal law practice area.
All currently enrolled students of UND are eligible for membership, as are all faculty and staff at the University of North Dakota. Interested members of the community are also welcome to join.
Dues must be paid by all members. The fee is $10 for new members and $5 for returning members per year. Please visit our Westlaw Twen page and add as a course or like our group on Facebook to keep up to date on organization events.
The abundance of natural resources in North Dakota places our state among national leaders in oil, coal, and renewable energy production. As oil and electricity production continues to grow, so too does the field of energy and natural resources law.
The Energy Law Association is the University of North Dakota's first and only student organization devoted to the issues and opportunities in energy and natural resources law. By participating in the Association's activities, members can expect to obtain a working knowledge of the bodies and functions of oil and gas, public utilities, and environmental law.
The purpose of the Environmental Law Society (ELS) is to educate, promote the awareness of, and stimulate community involvement in environmental issues as well as conduce legal discussions, forums, and educational events related to legal issues associated with the environment.
"The courts must declare the sense of the law; and if they should be disposed to exercise WILL instead of JUDGMENT, the consequence would be the substitution of their pleasure to that of the legislative body." - The Federalist No. 78.
The University of North Dakota School of Law Federalist Society is a group of law students interested in the current state of the legal order. We hold a variety of views and ideologies, but we share a common belief 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 it should be.
The Society at the University of North Dakota School of Law seeks to promote an awareness of these principles by sponsoring debates and lectures on all topics of the law. It has also created a conservative and libertarian intellectual network that extends to all levels of the legal community. We welcome all who are interested in these ideas to participate.
The above statement is adapted from a statement that appears on our national organization's web-site. The views expressed herein represent solely the views of the page author, and have not been reviewed or approved by the National Offices of the Federalist Society or the University of North Dakota School of Law.
The purpose of the Organization is to promote awareness of immigration law and careers therein; to encourage greater student involvement with respect to immigration law issues; and promote community involvement and participation.
We are a student organization concerned with human rights. We seek to increase awareness, educate others and actively work to decrease human rights violations in our community and around the world.
The purpose of the Organization is to promote mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing.
To advance the Organization's purpose, the Organization will raise awareness about mental health and wellness, work to reduce the stigma associated with mental health and wellness, and encourage students to practice healthy choices to create a more well-balanced life to more easily navigate the challenges of law school and their future professional careers.
UND’s Law Women’s Caucus was founded to advance the rights and improve the position of women and all persons in society by furthering legal, civil, and human rights, and to foster a closer relationship between law students at the University of North Dakota and other legal and women’s organizations.
The Law Women’s Caucus hosts general meetings, panels, socials, and speakers on various topics related to promoting women. We also host our annual Helen Hamilton Day to celebrate the first woman graduate from the University of North Dakota School of Law!
The Law Women’s Caucus provides a great network of students, attorneys, judges, and legal educators to promote the advancement of women in the legal field.
The University of North Dakota School of Law Moot Court Association is dedicated to providing students with the opportunity to hone written and oral advocacy skills in a competitive environment.
The Moot Court Association provides interested students the opportunity to participate in an appellate moot court intra-school competition. During the past few years, members of the association also have participated in the National Moot Court Competition and various regional competitions.
Moot Court teams at the UND School of Law have had success on a local and national level.
The Multicultural Law Students Association is dedicated to addressing cultural, ethnic, identity, LGBTQIA, and socio-economic issues facing students at the University of North Dakota School of Law.
The Native American Law Students Association (NALSA) is devoted to increasing awareness of legal issues affecting the rights of individual Indigenous peoples and tribal sovereignty over Indian country, and preparing students to practice in settings where Indian and Tribal Law issues arise.
NALSA is open to all law students, and hosts speakers, discussions and events on current topics affecting Indian country.
Nearly every year we send one or two teams to the national NALSA Moot Court Competition featuring Indian and Tribal Law issues and send several students to the national Federal Bar Association’s Indian Law Conference.
Mission: Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity International is a professional law fraternity advancing integrity, compassion and courage through service to the student, the school, the profession and the community.
Vision: We are the preeminent law fraternity promoting the bonds of fraternalism and we are the leader in the development and advancement of professional ideals.
Core Values: Bound together by tradition and our common interest in the law, we share these core values: Integrity, Compassion, Courage, Professionalism, Service, Diversity, and Innovation.
Declaration of Purpose: 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 Delta Phi International Legal Fraternity is one of the newest and oldest organizations at the University of North Dakota School of Law. We are members of the Bruce Inn, first chartered in 1912. We had become briefly inactive in recent years, but re-chartered in 2009.
Phi Delta Phi was established in 1869 to promote a higher standard of professional ethics. It is among the oldest legal organizations in North America and even predates the American Bar Association. What sets PDP apart are our strong international reach, devotion to legal excellence, and our restriction of membership only to law students and legal practitioners.
Phi Delta Phi has one hundred and thirty-one active chapters -- called Inns -- in the Western Hemisphere and the number increases yearly. Phi Delta Phi has initiated in excess of 200,000 members making it the world's largest legal fraternity whose membership is restricted to students and practitioners of the law.
The Rural Practice Association (RPA) intends to address the legal needs of the State of North Dakota by encouraging students to consider employment opportunities in rural communities throughout the state. To that end, the Organization will provide students with an opportunity to learn about the legal profession in North Dakota's rural communities and to network with members of the legal profession in those communities. RPA will allow students to make informed decisions about rural practice through activities that will demonstrate the available opportunities to practice law in rural communities and the legal needs of these communities and their members.
The Student Sports Law Association was created for those UND students who are interested in seeking employment in the realm of Sport and the Law. At this point in time, the organization is young but is hoping to gain support for the upcoming year.
There are various activities that the organization hopes to offer members such as trips to sports teams to visit their legal department, speakers, such as sports agents, networking opportunities and regular information on legal jobs in sports. Membership is open to all UND students.
Mission
To uphold and to advance the science and art of jurisprudence;
to train in all fields and phases of trial advocacy;
and to support and improve the University of North Dakota.
We provide students with the opportunity to develop courtroom advocacy skills and gain exposure to trial theory and practice.
Student affiliates of North Dakota Association for Justice
Membership in this organization shall be without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sexual orientation, ethnicity, national origin, disability, age, marital status, veteran status, political belief or affiliation, or membership or non-membership in any organization.
Student Trial Lawyers Association[BROKEN LINK]
AVIATION LAW SOCIETY
The UND School of Law Aviation Society is for those interested learning how the Law and Aerospace industries work together. Members will have the opportunity to meet and learn from leaders in the Aviaiton and Aerospace legal field.
Delta Theta Phi (ΔΘΦ) is a professional legal fraternal organization committed to providing a spirit of cooperation by offering an opportunity for lawyers and law students to promote their personal, professional, and intellectual growth through networking, leadership training, scholarship, guidance, and a collective responsibility to the fraternity and the future of the legal profession.
PUBLIC INTEREST LAW STUDENT ASSOCIATION (PILSA)
PILSA encourages students to participate in opportunities in the government and non-profit sector, and supports students in their search for such opportunities. Our goal is to increase knowledge, awareness, and interest in the field of Public Interest Law.