The Legal Research Club was founded in 2017 to address a gap between students having themselves listed as a pre-law student and the involvement they actually carry out that will adequately prepare them for success in law school.

Mock Trial, the Pre-Law Students Administration, and several other organizations are well established groups that provide students with opportunities to expand their involvement around campus while also pursuing their areas of interests. Until the Legal Research Club’s founding two years ago, students lacked access to an organization on campus that focused on the research and writing necessary for law students’ success.

“Our mission is to equip undergraduates with the skills necessary to excel in research, expand on legal issues within the nation and within the state, and excel in the publication of an undergraduate law review,” said Sophia Warner, a senior majoring in international studies and the Legal Research Club’s president.

The Capstone Journal of Law and Public Policy, the first undergraduate law review in the state of Alabama, is the manifestation of the Legal Research Club’s mission statement. The journal was published for the first time last year as an online publication but is expanding to a print edition this year, giving undergraduate students exposure to research while also providing them with published work to show to law schools.

Warner said since the club’s foundation two years ago, it has expanded from less than a dozen students to a membership of over 120.

“We want to redefine what it means to be a pre-law student at The University of Alabama,” Warner said. “If you have pre-law on your DegreeWorks, we want you to have something to back that up.”

In addition to this journal, the Legal Research Club produces the Capstone Commentary, an online blog that provides students with a platform to address legal issues ranging from education to foreign policy and immigration.

Kileen Dietrich, a sophomore majoring in political science and journalism, serves as the editor of the Capstone Commentary. She said that while there are five designated contributors to the blog, they accept submissions from any student at the University.

The Legal Research Club will be celebrating the release of its second edition of the Capstone Journal of Law and Public Policy with an open event on April 25. The publication will include nine articles from students at The University of Alabama, Vanderbilt University, Samford University, and The University of Florida.

“This year we decided we wanted to establish ourselves not just as the undergraduate law journal in Alabama, but as the undergraduate law journal of the South,” Warner said.

Collaboration is of utmost importance to the executive team of the Legal Research Club. The designated contributors serve as mentors to club members, providing a resource to students with similar areas of specialized interest.

“Something big about this club is the ability to grow within the club,”Dietrich said. “It’s really tailored to what side of law you want to do.”

Olivia Brick, a junior majoring in political science, serves as the director of outreach for the Legal Research Club.

“When I got involved as a sophomore, I had been saying since I was a freshman that I was pre-law and maybe didn’t completely know what that meant,” Brick said. “I feel like I’ve learned about what to expect in law school. Now when I apply to law school, I can show that I’m a published writer and I did this research about a topic I’m super passionate about.”

Brick’s experience serves as a testament to the club’s goal for pre-law students at the University.

“We really wanted to make a club where every single person feels welcome and appreciated and sees that their skills are valued,” Warner said. “We will meet you where you are, and we will help you reach your academic and professional goals.”