As a UW-Madison student you will have access to CPLA’s resources for as long as you need them.
Undergraduates and alumni (no time limit!) will access Pre-Law advising in a variety of ways:
- Talking directly with our advising team during appointments and drop-ins
- Exploring curated website resources and Pre-Law 101 on Canvas (Sign up for Pre-Law 101 HERE!)
- Following @uwprelawcenter on Instagram and reading the Pre-Law Press monthly newsletter
- Hearing from law school representatives and practicing attorneys at special events
See below for information on scheduling appointments and attending virtual drop-in hours.
Questions? Contact us at information@prelaw.wisc.edu.
CPLA Appointments and Fall Semester Drop-Ins
*Note: October appointments are reserved for students/alumni actively applying to law school.*
CPLA offers a mix of in-person and virtual appointments throughout the year as well as virtual drop-in hours during October and November. Drop-in hours are posted to the CPLA Events Calendar.
- New transfer students and continuing students: Please schedule appointments via Starfish.
- Alumni: Please fill out our Alumni Appointment Request Form to set up an appointment with a CPLA advisor.
- First year students (AKA freshmen): First check out this section of our website, curated just for you! In addition to our Pre-Law 101 Canvas orientation and Fall Drop-Ins, we welcome you to make appointments in spring semester.
Please note: Application documents (resumes, personal statements, etc) generally require an appointment to be reviewed. We strongly advise planning ahead in your application process, as there can be a 2 to 3 week wait for appointments in the fall and 1 to 2 week wait in the spring.
Meet our Advising team
Pre-Law Advisor | Janet Mitchell Griffiths, Juris Doctor (JD)
Janet earned her J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School and her B.A. from Marquette University, where she majored in Theatre Arts and Education. Janet has over a decade of experience as an educator in the test prep industry, teaching students how to succeed on exams like the LSAT, GMAT, and GRE, facilitating workshops on admissions processes, and supporting applicants in crafting personal statements. In addition to her role as a Pre-Law Advisor, Janet teaches the CPLA LSAT Workshop Series, a four session self-study primer offered multiple times throughout the year.
Pre-Law Advisor | Carley Gomez, PhD, MFA
Carley Gomez serves as a Pre-Law Advisor and CPLA’s Lead for Professional Development. She has a PhD in English from the University of Missouri and an MFA in Writing from The School of The Art Institute of Chicago. For the past five years, she’s taught undergraduate English courses at the University of Missouri, often at the intersection of rhetoric and social justice issues. The connection between writing, literature, and law is ever-present, and she is passionate about teaching rhetorical skills and helping people find their voices as they pursue their goals and write their personal statements.
Pre-Law Graduate Advisor and UW Law Student (3L) | Bridget Cook
Bridget earned her B.A. from the University of Michigan, where she majored in English and Environmental Studies. Before attending law school, she spent one year volunteering with AmeriCorps and then worked in sustainability for 3 years at a large international corporation. Bridget is in her third (3L) year at the University of Wisconsin Law School. Bridget is a member of the Wisconsin Journal of Law, Gender, & Society and is serving as the Vice President of Communications for the Women’s Law Student Association. Bridget has also worked as a research assistant for a professor during law school and secured internships in the Real Estate practice area. Bridget is excited to help prospective law students with any and all parts of the law school application journey!
As a Pre-Law Graduate Advisor, Bridget is available to meet with any undergraduate student or alumnus of UW-Madison.
Director of Pre-Professional Advising | Molly Reinhard, MS
Molly serves as Director of Pre-Professional Advising, which includes the Centers for Pre-Law and Pre-Health Advising. She has worked in student services at UW – Madison since 2007, with a focus on supporting educational equity, student retention, and career/academic exploration. Current committee memberships include the Career Services Executive Council (CSEC), Law & Policy Working Group, and the Campus Pre-Health Committee (CPHC). She holds a B.A. in Sociology from UW – Madison and an M.S. in Cultural Foundations of Education & Community Engagement from UW – Milwaukee, along with training in counseling skills, facilitation, and restorative justice.
Molly’s primary focus areas for 1:1 advising include supporting students who are *early in the process* of Pre-Health or Pre-Law preparation/exploration, as well as direct referrals from campus partners such as DDEEA.
Additional Campus Advising Resources
Career Exploration Center (CEC)
The Career Exploration Center supports undergraduates in all UW-Madison schools and colleges to explore majors and careers. Meet with a CEC advisor for help considering how your interests, skills, and values connect to career development.
Cross-College Advising Service (CCAS)
Cross-College Advising Service academic advisors are knowledgeable about all the majors and programs offered on campus. Meet with a CCAS advisor to explore your options and for help selecting coursework aligned with your goals.
SuccessWorks in the College of Letters & Science (L&S)
SuccessWorks houses a range of resources for students majoring in L&S programs and campus-wide students. One of their Career Communities is focused on Government, Policy, International Affairs, & Law!
ADVISING & CONFIDENTIALITY:
We are here to support you in reaching your goals, including navigating academic or personal challenges as they relate to pursuing professional programs after graduation. Your meetings and student records are protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and waiving this right requires official documentation. If you would like a parent, partner, or friend to accompany you during a meeting, you must fill out this UW form consenting to the sharing of your information during the meeting. Submit the form to the Registrar’s Office as instructed, along with a copy to your advisor, prior to the meeting.
While our advisors are able to keep most conversations private in accordance with FERPA, sometimes information disclosed during advising or in personal statements requires us to communicate with other support offices on campus (such as the Dean of Students or the Title IX Coordinator).
Why are we required to discuss certain situations with other offices? Due to various federal, state, and UW policies, we are not Confidential Campus Resources when it comes to incidents such as sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating/domestic violence, stalking, or sexual discrimination. Two examples of Confidential Campus Resources are University Health Services and the McBurney Disability Resource Center.
To learn more about efforts related to campus safety and expectations of faculty and staff, please speak with your advisors or visit the Title IX information page and Clery Act information page.
The goal of communication is to ensure a safe and healthy campus community, and to ensure that students receive the information they personally need to be safe and healthy. However, we understand that you may have questions or concerns about these policies. Please do not hesitate to bring these up with your advisor.