Local Affiliate

Laredo-Webb County Bar Association – Prelaw Chapter Initiative
By: Kimber J. Palmer, J.D.

Laredo, Texas, a bustling city on the U.S.-Mexico border, is home to Texas A&M International University (TAMIU), the Laredo-Webb County Bar Association (LWCBA), and the Laredo Young Lawyers Association (LYLA). Together, these groups have found a way to influence and inspire the next generation of lawyers.

A few years ago, the LWCBA “adopted” the prelaw student organization of the university, and they formed the Prelaw Chapter of the LWCBA. The merging of efforts to provide information about the legal profession, experience for prospective law students about the legal profession, and the encouragement by practicing attorneys has resulted in a significant increase in student participation in prelaw activities.

Laredo attorneys, judges, and law departments of local agencies bring prelaw students in as interns and observers to learn the real world of the legal profession. The students volunteer at various LWCBA fundraising and community events throughout the year. Each semester a pinning ceremony provides the students with a feeling of inclusion and acceptance that goes a long way to the realization that they can achieve their goals of attending law school and becoming a member of the legal profession.

The students also take an oath that acknowledges joining the organization may be their first step toward becoming an attorney and that their conduct from that point forward will “live up to the high ideals of the legal profession.” They grant that their conduct thereafter will reflect on themselves, the university, and the legal profession.

Kimber J. Palmer is a full-time instructor with the A.R. Sanchez Jr. School of Business teaching law-related courses. She also serves as the university pre-law advisor.