All Student Organizations and Journals

Public Interest Law Foundation (PILF)

The Public Interest Law Foundation is an organization devoted to the public interest. It is an independent, not-for-profit corporation that raises money and uses it to support public interest pursuits at Columbia Law School and beyond. The foundation helps to enable students to pursue unpaid public interest internships through the annual PILF auction, and provides grants to nonprofit organizations around the country, donating approximately $80,000 to $100,000 each year.

Contact: [email protected]

Queer and Trans People of Color (QTPOC)

Queer and Trans People of Color (QTPOC) serves as a safe space and an empowerment resource for QTPOC and QTPOC allies at Columbia Law School. This group recognizes that identity is intersectional and creates spaces where folks can embrace and celebrate gender expression, sexual orientation, as well as racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Contact: [email protected]

Racial Literacy for Racial Justice (RLRJ)

Racial Literacy for Racial Justice (RLRJ) aims to foster racial literacy at CLS through curricular reform and extracurricular engagement. We believe that every law student should graduate with the racial literacy they need to effectively combat systemic injustice, deconstruct social hierarchies, and reconstruct a more just and equitable society.

Contact: [email protected]

Secularism Society (SecSoc)

The Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment prohibits the government from punishing citizens for exercising their religious beliefs—including a lack of religious belief. The main mission of the Secularism Society (SecSoc) is to uphold this right, by promoting the constitutional principle of separation of church and state. SecSoc shall aggregate current and former Law students, faculty members, professionals, and other individuals interested in defending religious liberty and tolerance, intellectual diversity, and a pluralistic, democratic society in which people of all religious affiliations– including atheists, nontheists, agnostics, and people unaffiliated with any religion– are valued, respected, and free from discrimination.

Contact: [email protected]

Society for Chinese Law (SCL)

The Society for Chinese Law is for students interested in Chinese legal development, U.S.-China relations, and legal practice in China. Society events provide a great way to meet scholars and practitioners in the field of Chinese law. They are also excellent opportunities for students to network with others hailing from around the world with similar passion in China and those who have a great diversity of experiences working in or with China.

Contact: [email protected]

Society for Economic Analysis of Law (SEAL)

Currently Inactive

The Society for Economic Analysis of Law (SEAL) enables students to discuss breaking questions about the impact of economic methodology on the science of law. Students  engage in immersive panels and debates with guest lecturers and faculty experts. The Society also provides resources to students interested in current and future opportunities in the field.

Society for Korean Legal Studies (SKLS)

The Society for Korean Legal Studies (SKLS) is an organization for those in the community interested in Korea, organizing career, social, and academic events related to Korea and Korean interests. SKLS also aims to promote the study of Korean law and legal institutions.

Contact: [email protected]

Society for the Advancement of Law and Talmud (SALT)

The Society for the Advancement of Law and Talmud (SALT) is for all Columbia Law students interested in the study of Talmud, Talmudic Law, or the intersection between Talmudic Law and US Law. It seeks to create a community for Talmud scholars of all levels and to help them excel in their academic and professional development through facilitating daily or weekly study sessions, holding monthly talks by members of the Society, conducting panel discussions, or hosting guest speakers.

Contact: [email protected]

Society of Law and Ethics (SLE)

Currently Inactive

The Society of Law and Ethics seeks to explore the ethical issues that arise in the practice of law. Through panels and featured guest speakers, the society’s aim is to critically examine a range of professional contexts in which law and ethics seem in tension, and to determine ways in which they can be reconciled. In these debates and discussions, the society wishes to provide a forum for students to navigate the dilemmas they may face as future legal practitioners, whether in private, public, or government practice. SLE insists on respect for well-considered points of view and takes no normative position as an organization.

Contact: [email protected]

Society of Law, Science, and Technology (SLST)

The Society for Law, Science and Technology is focused on science and technology and their influence on law and policy. Society topics of interest include patent law, cyberlaw and internet issues, biotechnology, privacy, telecommunications, information management and e-discovery, venture capital and startups, and general intellectual property issues. It organizes panels, lectures, and practitioner networking events that connect students to professionals in the field.

Contact: [email protected]