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I am an 1L. So we have this legal fraternity IN LAW SCHOOL - phi alpha delta - apparently a national organization. You only need 80 dollars to join. It seems like the bar is really low. Most undergrad honor societies/fraternities of this sort required impressive academics, like 3.7 or top 10%. And it is 80 dollares to join. Does anyone think it is worth joining simply out of networking opportunities and so forth?

I thought it was a great chance to get to know other aspiring law students. They usually bring in a few speakers who are happy to answer questions. Plus they give you info about law fairs and etc. I wouldn't call it a resume boost though.

Edit: just saw your stats. Its probably not worth it.

Not really. I was in it, and it didn't really offer me much in the way of benefits. It does depend in part on the school you're at. If you think these people are driven and you may end up working with them some day, the networking opportunities may be good. Most people from my UG didn't even end up going to law school (although a few did go to HYS and CCN, but they were diamonds in the rough).

However, since they are all pre-law, they often take classes together, and it was sometimes nice to have an ally in the harder classes.

But in short, it is generally not worth joining just for networking.

It's worth it if you have a chapter that has a strong alumni base where you want to practice. If it isn't, if it's still going to be fun, then it's worth it. Not a tough decision really.

I was in it as well. Like any other academic/professional fraternity, it depends how active your chapter is and IMO, its greatest benefit is merely another extracurricular activity listed on the resume . We typically had a speaker every month or so (local lawyers, cops, etc) and our biggest event was a law school panel we hosted annually with mostly TTT lwa schools. I would check it out but definitely join with a friend; it will be much more fun!

APHill wrote:So we have this legal fraternity on campus - Phi Alpha Delta - apparently a national organization. You only need 80 dollars to join. It seems like the bar is really low. Most undergrad honor societies/fraternities of this sort required impressive academics, like 3.7 or top 10%. And it is 80 dollares to join. Does anyone think it is worth joining simply out of networking opportunities and so forth?

Are you in UG or 1L?

1L at T30. and I highly value the 80 dollars it will cost.

APHill wrote:1L at T30. and I highly value the 80 dollars it will cost.

PAD membership is generally only worth the networking you get out of it. At my particular LS, that's not a lot. I'll punt my opinion and agree with this guy/gal...

savagedm wrote:It's worth it if you have a chapter that has a strong alumni base where you want to practice. If it isn't, if it's still going to be fun, then it's worth it. Not a tough decision really.

OK, I am keeping the 80 dollars then, thanks.

savagedm wrote:It's worth it if you have a chapter that has a strong alumni base where you want to practice. If it isn't, if it's still going to be fun, then it's worth it. Not a tough decision really.

Seconded (just saw this was Savs, of course we agree lol). Most of the chapters in Chicago plan joint events, and we have a VERY strong alumni presence here. In Chicago, it's almost silly not to join. The networking opportunities are ridiculous. I'm going to our Founder's Day auction this week. It'll be swimming with alums.

That said, if the alumni presence at events isn't there, I guess you could say it's not as worth it. But seriously, 80 bucks? Come on, I bet you spend more than that in a week on eating out/grabbing coffee on campus.

I pack a salad every day and do not drink coffee.

Impressed. Good for you. I can tell you I do NOT eat a salad every day hahaha. I'd keel over by about 2:30 (cue the 5 hour energy commercial ha).

But still, 80 bucks? I mean, you did at least join the bar associations in your area, right? Because I can understand that if you're getting your networking in there, PAD would be less worth it.

However, in the past 3 months, I've met and networked with a whole host of attorneys and a federal district court chief justice, all PAD alums at PAD events. Pretty sweet. And I'd say worth my 80 dollar investment.

chicagolaw2013 wrote:Impressed. Good for you. I can tell you I do NOT eat a salad every day hahaha. I'd keel over by about 2:30 (cue the 5 hour energy commercial ha).

But still, 80 bucks? I mean, you did at least join the bar associations in your area, right? Because I can understand that if you're getting your networking in there, PAD would be less worth it.

However, in the past 3 months, I've met and networked with a whole host of attorneys and a federal district court chief justice, all PAD alums at PAD events. Pretty sweet. And I'd say worth my 80 dollar investment.

+1, same.

Sav, I got a fevah. HA love the 'tar.

ok i guess i will look into it then. Not sure how many alums they have in the area though.

Two Words: Outline Bank.

They're not goldmines and its always more beneficial to make your own, but its definitely helped for formatting and double-checking my own to look at someone else's.

It's probably the most exciting thing going on in the entire city of Williamsburg.