2026 PCAPLA Conference Call for Proposals
Justice in a Changing World
2026 PCAPLA Conference
May 31 - June 3, 2026
Seattle, Washington
Our 2026 PCAPLA conference, Justice in a Changing World: Technology, Equity, and the Rule of Law, will be held in Seattle, Monday, June 1 through Wednesday, June 3, 2026. There will be an evening reception on Sunday, May 31.
The law schools hosting this year’s conference are University of Washington School of Law, Seattle University School of Law, and Gonzaga University School of Law. Presentations, workshops, and panel discussions will take place at Seattle University School of Law and University of Washington School of Law.
We are calling on all our PCAPLA members, colleagues from other APLAs, law school representatives, PLANC partners, and pre-law advisors, to propose panels, workshops, round-table discussions, and plenary sessions. Proposals can be an idea for an interesting topic, an individual plan for a presentation, or a topic to be addressed by several speakers or a panel. Your proposal could be a completed program or a work in progress to be refined in the weeks following the submission of your proposal. Please provide as much detail as you can at the time of your submission, which will enable us to have an accurate reflection of what you have envisioned. The submission deadline is Friday, January 16, 2026.
Conference Themes:
The following themes are suggestions to help presenters frame their proposals. However, if you would like to present a proposal with a core theme other than what we suggested below, please feel free to do so and provide a general theme with your proposal for us to include in the program. This would also help attendees identify sessions that may be of interest to them. Please keep in mind that most presentations will be 50 minutes long.
1. The Nuts & Bolts of Pre-Law Advising:
This category will include a variety of topics intended for all pre-law advisors but could also be intended primarily new pre-law advisors or to provide valuable insights for seasoned advisors on some of the more challenging aspects of working with pre-law students. Possible topics in this category include a mock admission panel, personal statement considerations, application process, timeline, preparation, or other advising topics. Please indicate whether your proposal is intended for 1) all advisors, 2) new advisors, or 3) seasoned advisors.
2. Preparing Students for Law School and Careers in the Law
This category includes sessions involving preparation for law school, aspects of the legal job market that should be considered in advising students, legal career exploration before going to law school, teaching law to undergraduate students, and other innovative advising perspectives, events, or educational programs. Examples of sessions in this category could include how artificial intelligence (AI) will impact the legal professions, legal education, and pre-law advising; advising students about the changing financial aid landscape; teaching networking and professionalism to pre-law students; developing internships and connections with the local legal community; making sense of law school career data; exploring legal jobs in different industries; and helping students determine whether law school is the best path for their individual goals and career interests. Please indicate whether your proposal is intended 1) for students at the community college or 4-year undergraduate level, 2) to guide students on what to expect at the law school level, or 3) both and how they connect.
3. Pre-Law Outreach, Events, and Program Development:
This category focuses on best practices for outreach and development of programming to support pre-law students. These could be one-off events built around a particular topic, longer-term academic programs, or best practices on reaching law-interested students. The programming that pre-law advisors run for their students varies greatly from institution to institution. Proposals within this theme provide the space for advisors to showcase some of the great and unique programming they are running at their institutions. This category might include such topics as mock trial and moot court programs, developing mentorship opportunities, various methods of delivering programming to pre-law students (such as webinars, social media, etc.), structuring and sustaining a pre-law advising program, successful outreach to students, or other innovative programming, best practices, and recommendations, among other topics. Please indicate whether this event will be 1) a presentation, 2) a moderated roundtable discussion, or 3) include both.
4. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB)
This category focuses on advising and supporting first-generation, non-traditional, community college and transfer students, and other under-represented populations. Proposals with this theme in mind can focus on a variety of current, developing, and emerging topics addressing the multiple needs of underrepresented pre-law students and best practices. Examples might include panels discussing the progress and best-practices for pathways and pipeline programs, informal partnerships and alternate programs between community college and 4-year institutions, advising undocumented students, and diversity programs and initiatives designed to support non-traditional and underrepresented law school applicants. You might also consider putting together a panel of first-generation and underrepresented law school students or law school alumni to discuss how to help students find community in law school and professional associations, or to provide their perspective, feedback, and recommendations to pre-law advisors.
5. Hot Topics
This category focuses on emerging, developing, or urgent topics that have an impact or should be taken into account in advising pre-law students. The world of pre-law advising and law school admissions has changed significantly over the last decade. Proposals following this theme provide the opportunity to visit the topics most pressing to pre-law advisors today. Submissions can include any topic of importance to pre-law advising, with preference given to those topics that are most timely in the ever-changing landscape of law school admissions. Also included within this section could be a panel of law school deans, and presentations addressing the future direction of the legal education and the legal industry, taking into consideration the most current changes, transitions and other considerations.
Our PCAPLA Conference Selection Committee will begin the review of all remaining proposals submitted by the Friday, January 16 deadline with a plan to finalize the conference program and the law school visitation schedule by mid-February.
To submit a proposal, please complete the form at this link: PCAPLA 2026 Conference Call for Proposals
Additionally, if you don’t have a specific proposal but would like to contribute your perspective or area of expertise and would like to be considered for workshops or panels that others might be presenting, please contact Jennifer Noble at [email protected] and include PCAPLA 2026 in the subject line. Please explain your area of expertise and note examples of possible topics to which you could contribute.
Thank you in advance for your proposal submissions, guidance, and your contributions toward advising and preparing the lawyers and leaders of tomorrow.
Sincerely,
Your 2026 PCAPLA Conference Committee
PS–We are gathering information from potential attendees to better understand funding prospects for professional development in the current academic year (2025–2026) and next academic year (2026–2027). To help us, please fill out the survey here: PCAPLA Attendee Funding Survey
2026 PCAPLA Conference
May 31 - June 3, 2026
Seattle, Washington
Our 2026 PCAPLA conference, Justice in a Changing World: Technology, Equity, and the Rule of Law, will be held in Seattle, Monday, June 1 through Wednesday, June 3, 2026. There will be an evening reception on Sunday, May 31.
The law schools hosting this year’s conference are University of Washington School of Law, Seattle University School of Law, and Gonzaga University School of Law. Presentations, workshops, and panel discussions will take place at Seattle University School of Law and University of Washington School of Law.
We are calling on all our PCAPLA members, colleagues from other APLAs, law school representatives, PLANC partners, and pre-law advisors, to propose panels, workshops, round-table discussions, and plenary sessions. Proposals can be an idea for an interesting topic, an individual plan for a presentation, or a topic to be addressed by several speakers or a panel. Your proposal could be a completed program or a work in progress to be refined in the weeks following the submission of your proposal. Please provide as much detail as you can at the time of your submission, which will enable us to have an accurate reflection of what you have envisioned. The submission deadline is Friday, January 16, 2026.
Conference Themes:
The following themes are suggestions to help presenters frame their proposals. However, if you would like to present a proposal with a core theme other than what we suggested below, please feel free to do so and provide a general theme with your proposal for us to include in the program. This would also help attendees identify sessions that may be of interest to them. Please keep in mind that most presentations will be 50 minutes long.
1. The Nuts & Bolts of Pre-Law Advising:
This category will include a variety of topics intended for all pre-law advisors but could also be intended primarily new pre-law advisors or to provide valuable insights for seasoned advisors on some of the more challenging aspects of working with pre-law students. Possible topics in this category include a mock admission panel, personal statement considerations, application process, timeline, preparation, or other advising topics. Please indicate whether your proposal is intended for 1) all advisors, 2) new advisors, or 3) seasoned advisors.
2. Preparing Students for Law School and Careers in the Law
This category includes sessions involving preparation for law school, aspects of the legal job market that should be considered in advising students, legal career exploration before going to law school, teaching law to undergraduate students, and other innovative advising perspectives, events, or educational programs. Examples of sessions in this category could include how artificial intelligence (AI) will impact the legal professions, legal education, and pre-law advising; advising students about the changing financial aid landscape; teaching networking and professionalism to pre-law students; developing internships and connections with the local legal community; making sense of law school career data; exploring legal jobs in different industries; and helping students determine whether law school is the best path for their individual goals and career interests. Please indicate whether your proposal is intended 1) for students at the community college or 4-year undergraduate level, 2) to guide students on what to expect at the law school level, or 3) both and how they connect.
3. Pre-Law Outreach, Events, and Program Development:
This category focuses on best practices for outreach and development of programming to support pre-law students. These could be one-off events built around a particular topic, longer-term academic programs, or best practices on reaching law-interested students. The programming that pre-law advisors run for their students varies greatly from institution to institution. Proposals within this theme provide the space for advisors to showcase some of the great and unique programming they are running at their institutions. This category might include such topics as mock trial and moot court programs, developing mentorship opportunities, various methods of delivering programming to pre-law students (such as webinars, social media, etc.), structuring and sustaining a pre-law advising program, successful outreach to students, or other innovative programming, best practices, and recommendations, among other topics. Please indicate whether this event will be 1) a presentation, 2) a moderated roundtable discussion, or 3) include both.
4. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB)
This category focuses on advising and supporting first-generation, non-traditional, community college and transfer students, and other under-represented populations. Proposals with this theme in mind can focus on a variety of current, developing, and emerging topics addressing the multiple needs of underrepresented pre-law students and best practices. Examples might include panels discussing the progress and best-practices for pathways and pipeline programs, informal partnerships and alternate programs between community college and 4-year institutions, advising undocumented students, and diversity programs and initiatives designed to support non-traditional and underrepresented law school applicants. You might also consider putting together a panel of first-generation and underrepresented law school students or law school alumni to discuss how to help students find community in law school and professional associations, or to provide their perspective, feedback, and recommendations to pre-law advisors.
5. Hot Topics
This category focuses on emerging, developing, or urgent topics that have an impact or should be taken into account in advising pre-law students. The world of pre-law advising and law school admissions has changed significantly over the last decade. Proposals following this theme provide the opportunity to visit the topics most pressing to pre-law advisors today. Submissions can include any topic of importance to pre-law advising, with preference given to those topics that are most timely in the ever-changing landscape of law school admissions. Also included within this section could be a panel of law school deans, and presentations addressing the future direction of the legal education and the legal industry, taking into consideration the most current changes, transitions and other considerations.
Our PCAPLA Conference Selection Committee will begin the review of all remaining proposals submitted by the Friday, January 16 deadline with a plan to finalize the conference program and the law school visitation schedule by mid-February.
To submit a proposal, please complete the form at this link: PCAPLA 2026 Conference Call for Proposals
Additionally, if you don’t have a specific proposal but would like to contribute your perspective or area of expertise and would like to be considered for workshops or panels that others might be presenting, please contact Jennifer Noble at [email protected] and include PCAPLA 2026 in the subject line. Please explain your area of expertise and note examples of possible topics to which you could contribute.
Thank you in advance for your proposal submissions, guidance, and your contributions toward advising and preparing the lawyers and leaders of tomorrow.
Sincerely,
Your 2026 PCAPLA Conference Committee
PS–We are gathering information from potential attendees to better understand funding prospects for professional development in the current academic year (2025–2026) and next academic year (2026–2027). To help us, please fill out the survey here: PCAPLA Attendee Funding Survey
The submission deadline is Friday, January 16, 2026.
