Continue reading Alumni Attorney Talk | Justin RandallAlumni Attorney Talks is a virtual series that aims to provide prospective law students with helpful insights about attending law school and pursuing a legal career. This series features interviews with University of Illinois alumni working in a variety of diverse settings within the legal profession.
Professional Readiness Part I: Finding Value in Different Types of Experiences
The Professional Readiness Series is designed to offer insights for building skills and pursuing experiences for success in the professional world. Because it can be challenging to know where to begin, how to search, what to prioritize, and which opportunities to pursue – this series will help guide students through creating connections, recognizing the value of diverse experiences, and exploring a wide range of internships and professional roles.
2025 – 2026 PLAS Year in Review
The 2025–2026 academic year was once again both demanding and rewarding, marked by numerous achievements alongside the expected challenges of navigating the undergraduate experience, professional opportunities, and another highly competitive admissions cycle. We are incredibly proud of the perseverance, resilience, and successes demonstrated by our Illini pre-law students and alumni throughout the year and congratulate our entire Illini pre-law community on another fantastic year!
On behalf of PLAS, we thank our Illinois pre-law student & alumni leaders, law expert volunteers, and all who supported our pre-law Illini this academic year! Per tradition, we have compiled highlights from the year to celebrate all that has been achieved. We hope you’ll take a few minutes to enjoy and celebrate with us as the academic year draws to a close!
Check out this year’s highlights in the video below!
Read below for some highlights from this year!
Continue reading 2025 – 2026 PLAS Year in ReviewAlumni Attorney Talk | Dakota Richmond
Continue reading Alumni Attorney Talk | Dakota RichmondAlumni Attorney Talks is a virtual series that aims to provide prospective law students with helpful insights about attending law school and pursuing a legal career. This series features interviews with University of Illinois alumni working in a variety of diverse settings within the legal profession.
The Intersection of STEM and Law
How do STEM and law intersect?
Did you know that STEM majors can (and do!) go to law school? While it may be true that liberal arts majors, including political science, are the most common majors associated with future interest in law school, do not be fooled! Many practicing lawyers and law students obtained undergraduate and/or graduate degrees in STEM subjects. While STEM stands for Science – Technology – Engineering – Mathematics, there are numerous unique majors that may fall within these broad categories, including majors related to Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering, Earth Sciences, Health Sciences, Information Technology, Mathematics, and Physics!
Continue reading The Intersection of STEM and LawPre-Law Course Planning & Recommendations
It’s time to get excited about Summer and Fall courses! Each semester, we receive many questions from pre-law students regarding courses helpful in preparation for law school. Each semester Pre-Law Advising creates resources with suggested classes that pre-law students might find useful and interesting when planning and exploring a legal education.
In general, students interested in going to law school should take classes that focus on analytical and critical thinking, communication, research and writing, and, when possible, legal topics of interest. Additionally, pre-law students should consider courses in topics that will help foster knowledge in topics helpful to learning law, such as business, history, technology, and more! Finally, students should also focus on developing skill sets in areas that will support future success in law school and the legal profession, including personal development.
The general recommended course lists include classes from many disciplines that might serve one or more of the goals articulated above. We encourage you to consider departments that offer courses in areas you would like to further explore!
Continue reading Pre-Law Course Planning & RecommendationsAlumni Attorney Talk | Lauren Ceckowski
Continue reading Alumni Attorney Talk | Lauren CeckowskiAlumni Attorney Talks is a virtual series that aims to provide prospective law students with helpful insights about attending law school and pursuing a legal career. This series features interviews with University of Illinois alumni working in a variety of diverse settings within the legal profession.
OCI: On-Campus Interviews – Earlier than Ever
What is OCI?
On-Campus Interviews or OCI is a long-established term used to describe the structured process for hiring law students into primarily Big Law firms each year. OCI is a very competitive process, as law firms aim to recruit the highest-achieving students from law schools across the country. Law students who interview through the OCI process hope to secure positions as summer associates at law firms for the summer following their second (2L) year of study. Firms utilize OCI and resulting summer programs to determine which students will receive full-time offers of employment following graduation. Students interested in post-graduation Big Law positions will find those positions largely through the OCI process, which begins well before their final year (3L) of law school.
Continue reading OCI: On-Campus Interviews – Earlier than EverAlumni Attorney Talk | Jennifer Kuo
Continue reading Alumni Attorney Talk | Jennifer KuoAlumni Attorney Talks is a virtual series that aims to provide prospective law students with helpful insights about attending law school and pursuing a legal career. This series features interviews with University of Illinois alumni working in a variety of diverse settings within the legal profession.
Alumni Attorney Talk | Jeff Gaster
Continue reading Alumni Attorney Talk | Jeff GasterAlumni Attorney Talks is a virtual series that aims to provide prospective law students with helpful insights about attending law school and pursuing a legal career. This series features interviews with University of Illinois alumni working in a variety of diverse settings within the legal profession.