The idea for a pre-law library on the Iowa State campus began in a business communications class.

Sondra Wilson, a junior in entrepreneurship, collaborated with a team of four on an ENGL 3020 consulting report in favor of a pre-law library. 

“You could choose a curriculum that ISU currently doesn’t offer that it should offer, or you could choose something that could be in the Student Innovation Center that is not,” Wilson said. “I was talking with my teacher, Dr. Betcher, during her office hours about a lawsuit I was dealing with and how I was having a really hard time. I wasn’t able to find the help that I needed… I was kind of telling her how I’ve lived in other parts of the country where you go into a law library and a law librarian actually helps you, and I said it just feels like everywhere you go here in Iowa, people just say, ‘Find an attorney.’”

Wilson said nobody talks about how expensive attorneys are. Her teacher mentioned that a law library would be something that could go in the Student Innovation Center, and that’s how the idea developed.

“The team just voted unanimously because we all thought that a law library was what was needed. And so I gave my pitch, and they all agreed,” Wilson said.

Furthermore, Wilson said the library would provide a place to meet and collaborate.

“Pre-law track is open to students of any major, so a lot of pre-law students don’t really come across each other, necessarily,” Wilson said.

She mentioned that a pre-law club exists but focuses on preparing students for the LSAT and moving on to law school.

“We are all going to law school, but people that are interested in criminal justice could collaborate together at a law library, could study together and also work on lawsuits,” Wilson said. “I could definitely use some help from people that were interested in civil rights law, but I have no idea where to find them on campus, and there’s nowhere to collaborate that way. So I think for pre-law students, it would give us a way to start meeting other students that are interested in the fields that we’re interested in.”

Paul Johnson, director of student legal services, said a law library would provide learning opportunities.

“[It would be] an opportunity to learn legal research, [and] getting prepared for going to law school,” Johnson said.

He said he thinks students should have resources for law.

“We could teach people how to research law with a law library and to critically examine the law, [and] legal issues,” Johnson said.

Wilson said the library resources for law have outdated and limited materials. She added that student legal services can help, but generally, they can’t do much for civil cases.

“They can help with divorce and custody when there’s no children involved. And, they can help with tenant-landlord disputes, but approximately well over 80% of cases are civil cases, and so that means any student that has any legal issue that falls outside of the few categories that student legal services help with, they essentially don’t have anywhere to turn to or anywhere to go,” Wilson said.

However, Wilson said a law librarian could point students to the necessary resources.

“A law library would fill in the gaps and give us students pre-law or not, it would give all students a place that they could go to find help with those types of cases,” Wilson said. “92% of low income Americans are not able to afford an attorney for civil cases currently.”

Johnson mentioned that there are people they can’t represent for various reasons.

“We can point them to the law library [and] tell them what to look for regarding policies and procedures and old cases, things of that nature,” Johnson said.

According to Wilson, the goal of the library is to make it geared toward laypersons.

“The types of things we’d like to see in the law library [would] make it very user-friendly, and have every type of form you could want to file, just more educational information,” Wilson said. “Maybe some video [on] one of those kiosk sort of things, where people could go and sit and watch educational videos. There would be a place where speakers could come and give talks.”

Their consulting report was submitted to the associate director of the Student Innovation Center in hopes of moving forward with this idea.

To take a look at their consulting report, visit this link for more information.