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School of Law
Law Student Affairs
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Sidebar
March 16, 2026— Volume 15, Number 28
Apply Now: Fall 2026 Academic Success Fellows
Applications are now open for Fall 2026 Academic Success Fellow (ASF) positions in the 1L doctrinal classes and 2L Issue Spotting & Legal Analysis. The deadline to apply is Wednesday, March 18, 2026. Apply here: https://forms.gle/jJM77CUQQaRaxAFq7
Certificate Opportunity
The Office for Law Student Affairs invites you to participate in the inaugural cohort of the Conscientious Leadership in Law Program. This new certificate initiative features a three-part workshop series designed to bridge the gap between academic excellence and practice-ready leadership. Students who complete all three workshops will receive the Conscientious Leadership in Law Certificate. For more information and to register, click here. Lunch will be served!
Perform the National Anthem
Apply to audition to perform the National Anthem at the School of Law 2026 Commencement Ceremony by April 1st. Auditions are open to all USD School of Law students, including vocalists and instrumentalists. In-person auditions will be held April 7–10.
Upcoming Events
Monday, March 16
Tuesday, March 17
Ramadan Iftar
Tuesday, March 17, 2026 // 6:30 p.m.
Degheri Alumni Center, Room 120
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Wednesday, March 18
Bagel Breakfast
Wednesday, March 18, 2026 // 8:45 a.m.
Student Life Pavilion, Room 401
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Thursday, March 19
Theology on Tap
Thursday, March 19, 2026 // 7 p.m.
Student Life Pavilion, Room 401
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Saturday, March 21
Hike & Connect with APALSA
Saturday, March 21, 2026 // 9 a.m.
Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, 12600 N Torrey Pines Rd, La Jolla, CA 92037
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Monday, March 23
Tuesday, March 24
Wednesday, March 25
Thursday, March 26
Yoga in the Garden
Thursday, March 26, 2026 // 4 p.m.
Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice, Garden of the Sea
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Announcements
Announcements from SBA
Wednesday, March 18, 2026 - Noon-12:50 p.m. - SBA General Meeting - WH 2A
Tuesday, March 25, 2026 - Noon-12:50 p.m. - SBA Budget Committee - ZOOM
Campus Concerns and Comments Form
Barrister’s Ball 2026
Call for Commencement Speech Submissions
Graduating students of the Class of 2026 are invited to submit their speeches for consideration to represent the class as the student commencement speaker.
Submission Guidelines:
- Deadline: Monday, March 16th, by 5:00 p.m.
- Eligibility: Submissions are limited to graduating 3Ls/4Ps.
- Speech Requirements:
- Must be no longer than 8 minutes when delivered.
- Should not include any identifying information (e.g., name, student ID) on the document.
Selection Process:
- Speeches will undergo a blind scoring by a review committee.
- The top three finalists will be invited to audition their speeches in person on Tuesday, April 14th, during the lunch hour.
We encourage you to share your unique voice and inspire your peers as part of this memorable event.
Summer 2026 Non-Profit and Public Sector Fellowship
The Office of Career and Professional Development is excited to formally launch the Summer 2026 Non-profit and Public Sector Fellowship. This fellowship is an excellent way for eligible USD Law students to earn compensation while completing volunteer legal internships at non-profit and government agencies during the Summer of 2026.
If you're interested in applying for this Fellowship, you will first need to secure and accept a legal position for Summer of 2026. You will then need to complete these three items:
These forms and the recorded presentation are available in HireUSD in the Resource Library under Public Interest Funding for Summer.
The priority deadline to submit your application is March 20, 2026.
Please let Andrew know if you have any questions at publicsectorfellowship@sandiego.edu
DILSA Board Applications Open
Apply for a board position with DILSA for the 2026-27 year!
Apply here: https://forms.gle/A8RYPB5h1gydSuQZ7
Flyer Posting Policy
This is a reminder that all students are expected to comply with the law school’s Flyer Posting Policy. Flyers may be posted only in designated areas and may not cover or obscure other materials. Flyers that are properly posted in accordance with the policy may only be removed if they are clearly outdated (for example, if the event date or deadline has passed). In all other circumstances, students who have concerns about a posted flyer should contact the Office of Law Student Affairs.
The law school’s Freedom of Expression Policy and the Flyer Posting Policy are intended to protect our community members’ expressive rights and to ensure a respectful and professional learning environment for all.
Scholarship
Check out a comprehensive list of both USD and external scholarships to help fund your studies HERE.
Below is a partial listing of outside scholarships of interest for USD Law students. For a complete listing, please visit Outside Scholarships on the USD School of Law Financial Aid website.
James E. Beckley Law Student Scholarship $750 - $1,500 - Available to JD or LLM students currently enrolled. Selected writtings will be published in the Public Investors Advocate Bar Association. Deadline - March 27, 2026.
2026 Lem Garcia Law Scholarship $1,000 - Available to JD or LLM students currently enrolled and continuing enrollment into 2026-27. Deadline - June 25, 2026.
Nix Patterson Collegiate Scholarship $5,000 - Available to US citizens or permanent residents who are accepted or enrolled in law school with a 3.5 GPA or higher, and demonstrate community involvement. Deadline - July 31, 2026.
Graduate Student Life
Are you interested in connecting with other grad students across USD? Grad Life offers a wide variety of programming for grad and law students. See the events calendar and sign up for the newsletter! Check out the Grad and Law Student Handbook as well!
Student Writing Competitions
Looking for a way to get published? Maybe earn some extra cash? Then consider entering a writing competition. Visit Writing Competitions webpage for current opportunities. Deadlines vary and new competitions are posted periodically.
CalFresh Program
We recognize the importance of the CalFresh Program available to eligible, enrolled students and strongly encourage all to apply. CalFresh provides food resources in the form of an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card, which works like a debit card. This program helps many graduate and professional students purchase groceries 12 months a year. Visit CalFresh at https://students.getcalfresh.org/ to start your application. If you have questions about eligibility or need assistance with your application, please contact a CalFresh representative. Approval is determined by CalFresh and the State of California. Please contact the USD School of Law Financial Aid Office at lawaid@sandiego.com to request a CalFresh letter to submit with your application as supporting documentation. It is also recommended to include a copy of the 25-26 FAFSA Submission Summary (The FAFSA Submission Summary summarizes the information you reported on your FAFSA form and includes your estimated eligibility for federal funding, and your Student Aid Index (SAI) received by email from the Department of Education - Federal Student Aid after submitting the FAFSA) along with the CalFresh application, and USD supporting letter.
USD Food Pantry and Torero Closet
The USD Food Pantry in Hahn University Center (UC) 116 includes: food, school supplies, hygiene supplies, laundry detergent, etc. Additionally, we have a refrigerator and freezer to offer students fresh produce, dairy, and additional protein options.
The Torero Closet’s mission is to provide support and resources to members of the USD community who are low income students who express need, identify as former foster youth, homeless or at risk for homelessness, and those students who were emancipated minors or in legal guardianships. It is located at 5330 Linda Vista Road, just south of the West Parking Lot
TimelyCare
TimelyCare provides students with 24/7 access to campus health and counseling resources—anytime, anywhere.
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Sidebar is a weekly enewsletter prepared by the Office for Law Student Affairs and is emailed to all USD law students every Monday morning. It contains important deadlines, announcements and upcoming events for the following two weeks. Past issues of sidebar can be found online.
Submit your listing request online by noon on the Thursday before you wish the listing to run. Listing requests may be edited. Announcements will not be posted for more than two weeks.
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Law Student Affairs
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School of Law
5998 Alcala Park
San Diego, CA 92110-2492
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