The Law Fair takes place on Friday, November 17th, 2023 from 5:30 P.M. to 7:30 P.M. EST at Harvard University Graduate School of Education in the Gutman Conference Center.

No. This event is for anyone interested in pursuing law school. Ideally, it would be most helpful to students who are in high school and college as well as college graduates. However, it would also be extremely beneficial to young people (middle schoolers) interested in exploring career options and needing to see successful Black legal professionals. It would also be helpful to working professionals and those who are looking to change careers or revisit the path to a legal education when life has taken them in a different direction. There is something that can be gained from anyone in these groups. Everyone is welcome.

This year’s event is fully in person. There will be limited sessions that will be offered virtually. However, there will not be any live streaming and those watching online sessions will not get the same experience as those who attend in person. Those who are able to attend in person will benefit from considerably more in terms of content and in-person networking opportunities. They will also be able to take advantage of recorded virtual sessions after the in-person event. However, we will still provide sessions of value, although more limited, to those who are completely unable to attend travel and attend in person.

No. The conference will not be livestreamed.

You can register online. Registration is now open via the website at www.blackprelawconference.org or via Eventbrite.

The Law Fair is open to law schools, law-related non-profit organizations, and legal employers.

We require all attendees to either be fully vaccinated and show a copy of their immunization card. For those unable to produce an immunization card or have other reasons for not being vaccinated, they must show a negative test result from a covid rapid test that was taken within 24 hours of the conference date. You can show a negative test result by bringing the result or picture of a negative result from a covid rapid test which can be purchased from CVS or Walgreens. CVS and Walgreens offer several at-home covid tests for as little as $9.99. Tests may be available for free if you have health insurance or meet other CDC guidelines.

We do our part to make the event affordable and accessible by making it completely free. However, we are unable to help you cover the cost of travel or hotels to get to the venues where the event is hosted. We do provide an attendee sponsorship booklet which provides suggestions on ways to raise money and get others to sponsor your trip 

Not at all. We could easily charge hundreds of dollars for what we provide. We are clear that other events that offer the type of programming we do charge attendees high fees to attendes. However, we intentionally choose not to because we want to make this event accessible and widely reach our target audience of Black people who aspire to become lawyers one day. We know and understand that many of the people we want to reach may not be able to afford traditional conference fees and by not charging fees hope to eliminate that barrier. 

However, please do not mistake our choice to make the event free for it being something of lesser value. All participants will take away priceless information, resources and connections that can shift their thinking and change their lives if acted upon. Please understand that although it costs participants nothing, it costs us. Consider that the planning and execution of this event takes hundreds of hours of time by a team of people and thousands and thousands of dollars. We help cover our costs through sponsors that help us cover those costs so that we will not have to charge our registrants to participate. 

We see this event as an investment in our community and want to sow into the lives of aspiring Black lawyers so we do this work as a service to those we reach out to, to the legal community, and to our society which needs greater representation of Black lawyers serving in various leadership roles.

We plan to provide snacks and bottled water whenever possible. However, we are unable to provide free meals to participants. There are several affordable fast food establishments near the venues where we are hosting the sessions. Plan to budget for meals if you can.

Yes, we provided a list of recommended hotels in Cambridge and Boston. We have made agreements with some of the hotels to provide discounted rates to our conference attendees.

Bring pens and paper to take notes, business cards if you are able to get some printed, and a positive mindset, willingness to learn, and openness to meeting new people.

We strongly suggest that you pre-register in order to ensure that we can properly prepare for you. However, we aim to not turn anyone away so if there is space, we will make room for those interested in attending.

We will provide a recording created by the conference founder on how to maximize your conference experience. We will also provide a conference strategy booklet which provides tips on things you should do to prepare for the conference experience so you can go in with a plan on how to get the most out of the opportunities that the conference provides.

Yes, all participants will have the opportunity to take headshots if they would like them. If interested, please fill out this form. We will let you know the times and locations at the event. After you have had your headshot taken, we will provide you with a download link and passcode to download your individual headshots.

Sign up by filling out this form. Make sure that you plan to wear comfortable walking shoes and that you have funds for public transportation. You can also choose to take an Uber/Lyft and meet the group at the meeting points at the designated times. Make sure to complete the form so that we are able to give the law schools a headcount so they know how many prospective law students to expect.

Sign up by filling out this form. We need for you to complete the form so that we can add your name to the list and we can look for you on the day of the tour. We also need to know how many people will be joining us just in case we need to split up the groups.

Sign up by filling out this form. We need for you to complete the form so that we can add your name to the list and we can look for you on the day of the tour. We also need to know how many people will be joining us just in case we need to split up the groups.

No. All tours are free of cost. However, you will be responsible for the cost of your own transportation to get there and must meet the group at the designated meeting point. Note that these are walking tours and not bus tours. You must bring your walking shoes, a bottle of water and a snack to keep you going.

Sign up by filling out this form.

Yes. We will do our best to provide either one-on-one or small group (no more than 4-5 people) opportunities via phone call or virtually via Zoom with current law students, lawyers, or volunteer law school administrators for those unable to attend in person.

Yes. We will provide Certificates of Participation for those who attend in person. You must request the certificate by filling out the required form and you will be able to download it from a link provided.

Sign up by filling out this form.

No. You must attend in person and recite the Aspiring Lawyers Success Pledge and be pinned by a current lawyer. We are unable to mail out pins. However, we can send you a copy of the pledge to download and read.

If possible, please dress professionally – in business professional or business casual wear which would include a black, navy or grey pants suit, dress suit or skirt suit, and a dress shirt, polo shirt, or blouse. Wear comfortable shoes. Note that we will never turn anyone away based on how they are dressed so do your best and come. Don’t let what you do or do not have in your wardrobe stop you from participating in this event.

Yes. It will likely be cold. The temperature ranges from a low of 38 to a high of 52 during the month of November. Plan to bring a sweater or coat.

Yes, you must sign the Covid-19 policy waiver and release form and the terms and conditions prior to entering the event.

Please send an email to sponsorship@blackprelawconference.org.

Please contact us no later than two weeks before the conference and let us know about any disabilities you might have. We will try our very best to work out a plan to accommodate you at the venues where the event will be hosted on the days you will be in attendance. Send an email to info@blackprelawconference.org with “Accommodations for Disabilities” in the subject line.

Yes. We welcome family members, mentors, and friends to attend to support someone in their life serious about exploring whether law school is for them.