By Rachel Royster | News Editor
The Baylor Law School will host its annual event, the People’s Law School, in an all-virtual setting on Saturday for the 17th consecutive year. The event is designed to educate consumers about their legal rights.
The free event is open to anyone interested and will consist of 18 classes ranging from “Top Scams During the COVID Pandemic” to “Don’t Learn Your Law from the Movies” to “Carry On: A Basic Primer of Texas Gun Law.”
“Since 2005, the People’s Law School, a free community outreach event hosted by Baylor Law, has helped thousands of Central Texas residents learn about their legal rights and responsibilities at more than 250 individual sessions,” Leah Teague, professor of law and event coordinator, said. “We’re so honored to be able to continue our 16-year tradition of sharing clear, easy-to-understand information about important legal topics that affect each and every one of us.”
The courses are taught by volunteer attorneys and legal experts, according to the People’s Law School website. Teague said the event is assisted by student hosts who are members of the Baylor Public Interest Legal Society. Together, volunteers, experts and students work together to make an understanding of the law more attainable to those who don’t have adept legal experience.
“We want the public to have a better understanding of laws and government, as well as their rights and duties in society,” Teague said. “We also want the public to see lawyers as valuable professionals who seek to serve and help.”
Teague said the People’s Law School has seen over 250 attendees — most of whom return annually to learn more about different topics.
“The reviews are consistently favorable, with expressions of appreciation for the topics and gratitude for the service provided by the Law School and the local lawyers, judges and other professionals who volunteer their time to present informative and beneficial sessions,” Teague said.
In Thursday’s Presidential Perspective, President Linda Livingstone said the event has been historically successful in teaching citizens about different aspects of the law.
“This free community outreach event has helped thousands of Central Texans learn about their legal rights and responsibilities from Baylor professors, local judges and attorneys and other professionals throughout the years,” Livingstone said.
The event will be a half-day curriculum from 9:15 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. on Saturday. For the full course list and to register, go to https://www.baylor.edu/law/PLS.
“The law and its application impact every aspect of our lives but is something that is completely unknown to the vast majority of us and can be confusing,” Ed Nelson, Baylor Law School director of marketing and communications, said. “That’s why Baylor Law offers the People’s Law School every year … to make the law ‘user-friendly’ and to offer helpful sessions for non-lawyers to get a grasp of some legal fundamentals to help people protect their rights.”
