Tim Tai

On Feb. 1, the Yale College Council will host its inaugural “Pre-Professional Development Conference in Law, Policy, Government, and Non-Profits” pre-law conference.

The event will be held at the Law School and is intended to provide insight into the law school admissions process and network with distinct professionals in the legal field. Sabrina Guo ’27, a pre-law coordinator with the Yale College Council, was the main organizer who conceived the idea for the inaugural pre-law conference and assembled the speaker roster. 

The keynote speaker for the event will be Jef McAllister ’77 LAW ’86, managing partner at McAllister Olivarius, an international law firm headquartered in the U.S. and UK, and the former TIME magazine London Bureau Chief. Law School Dean Heather Gerken will be the guest of honor and recognized at the conference for her tenure at Yale Law School and her work with the Hurst Horizon Scholarship Program, which provides two access-to-law-school pipeline programs.

“It is wonderful that Yale students are putting together this conference and I’m honored to take part in it,” Gerken said. “It has been one of my highest priorities as Dean to widen access to the legal profession. Through initiatives like the Hurst Horizon Scholarship Program and our two access-to-law school pipeline programs, we aim to remove barriers facing the most talented law school applicants and to support them every step of the way.”

Yoselin Colin ’27, the pre-law professional development coordinator for the Yale College Council and one of the conference organizers, said that the conference’s inception was inspired by the feelings of doubt and confusion many law applicants have.

“We wanted to demystify the process and create a space where students from all backgrounds could feel empowered and excited to pursue their legal aspirations,” Colin said. 

McAllister, in preparation for his keynote address, hopes that the conference will provide students interested in the legal field with invaluable opportunities to “get ahead.”

Previously, the News reported that many pre-law Yale College students felt a lack of support in their application journeys to law school. 

Ann Olivarius ’77 LAW ’86 SOM ’86, one of the panelists at the conference, believes that the conference is an essential opportunity for Yale students interested in law and professional development.

“Events like this take you out of the Yale bubble and into the real world,” Olivarius wrote in an email to the News. “They allow you to see how your knowledge can be applied and to knowledgeably focus on your options.”

Anant Raut ’96, another panelist at the event, mirrored these sentiments. Raut hopes that his speech reinforces in the students the ideal that networking and connections supersede classes and undergraduate preparation.

Additionally, Raut wants to communicate the viability of a career to students unsure about how to navigate life post-college.

“[This event] is great for showing Yalies that there are lots of fun and exciting things you can do in law or policy and not be a disappointment to your parents,” Raut wrote. “Additionally, the focus by admissions officers on schools on seeing leadership skills in applicants has, in my opinion, created a generation of students focused on entrepreneurialism to an unhelpful degree. Hopefully, this conference will change mindsets.”

Tickets for the conference sold out in minutes, and organizers are now working to expand capacity to reach demand.

Members of the second panel of speakers, Deja Morehead LAW ’25 and Jon Perdue, Yale Law School Director of Recruiting and Community Engagement, will also be featured to discuss proactive measures to navigate the individual interests and preferences of each school. 

Morehead, managing editor of the Yale Law Journal, hopes that the conference is an opportunity for student empowerment and understanding that the most imperative aspect of a successful law school application is the story it tells.

“I plan to encourage students to present their authentic selves,” Morehead said. “They should tell the story of why they are interested in pursuing law school and what they would contribute to both the classroom and profession through their application materials. Overall, I hope attendees walk away from my panel empowered to navigate the law school admissions process without fear.”

The conference will be held on Feb.1 from 1-5:30 p.m. in YLS SLB 127.

Correction, Feb. 1: This article was updated to correct Jef McAllister’s title as managing partner at McAllister Olivarius, an international law firm headquartered in the U.S. and UK, and the former TIME magazine London Bureau Chief.