2024 ACS National Convention: Student Attendees

Are you a law student or a pre-law student attending the 2024 ACS National Convention? If so, we are thrilled to welcome you to Atlanta! Whether you are new to ACS or have been engaged with ACS all through law school, we welcome you to attend and participate in these special students-only activities and opportunities. If you have any questions regarding convention, please do not hesitate to reach out to campus@acslaw.org.

Saturday, June 8, 2024
12:30 - 4:00 p.m. ET
Westin Peachtree Plaza
210 Peachtree St NW
Atlanta, GA 30303

Schedule

The Student Retreat is open to all student attendees of the 2024 ACS National Convention.

12:30 p.m.:        Welcome featuring Russ Feingold, President, ACS

12:45 p.m.:        Keynote Remarks from Hon. Nancy G. Abudu, U.S. Circuit Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

1:00 p.m.:          Small Group Networking featuring:

  • Hon. Nancy G. Abudu, U.S. Circuit Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
  • Thea Cohen, Director of Strategic Engagement, ACS
  • Zack Gima, Vice President of Strategic Engagement, ACS
  • Taonga Leslie, Director of Policy and Program for Racial Justice, ACS
  • Caroline McNamara, Staff Attorney, American Civil Liberties Union of Florida; ACS Next Generation Leader
  • Zinelle October, Executive Vice President, ACS
  • Meghan Paulas, Vice President of Network Advancement, ACS
  • Dan Roth, Law Office of Dan Roth
  • Dorothy Singletary, Assistant General Counsel, SEIU
  • Rylee Sommers-Flanagan, Founder and Executive Director, Upper Seven Law
  • More names to be announced

2:00 p.m.:          ACS Townhall featuring:

  • Joey Vettiankal, ’24 Vanderbilt Law School, ACS Student Board Member;
  • Nicole Devereaux, JD Candidate ’26, American University Washington College of Law
  • Thea Cohen, Director of Strategic Engagement, ACS;
  • Peggy Li, Senior Director of Chapters, ACS

3:00 p.m.:          Progressive Wins and the Fight Ahead: Today and Tomorrow featuring:

  • Caroline McNamara (she/her), Staff Attorney, American Civil Liberties Union of Florida; ACS Next Generation Leader
  • Rylee Sommers-Flanagan, Founder and Executive Director, Upper Seven Law
  • Dorothy Singletary, Assistant General Counsel, SEIU
  • Moderated by Jordan McNamara, Director of Chapters, ACS

3:50 p.m.:          Closing

Scholarships

Learn more about the types of scholarships ACS can provide, what ACS scholarships cannot provide, and scholarship requirements. Scholarships will be granted on a rolling basis, so apply now »

Scholarship Requirements
To receive your scholarship award, you must:

  • Attend all portions of the National Convention.
  • Complete all your volunteer assignments (up to 4 hours) which will be assigned closer to the convention.

Our funds are limited, so if you are unable to attend or comply with any of the above requirements, please let us know immediately so that we can offer the award to another student.

Reimbursements
If your scholarship award included travel funds, please see the instructions below for Scholarship Reimbursements. Please note that we will not review or process reimbursement requests until after the 2024 National Convention.

  1. Save all receipts and payment records of the items for which you are seeking reimbursement.
  2. No later than June 30, 2024, submit a reimbursement request through our Chapters Dashboard.
  3. Be sure to attach all relevant receipts to your request. Please note in the additional comments section the amount you were approved. If you have difficulty accessing or utilizing the Chapters Dashboard, please reach out ASAP to campus@acslaw.org with your receipts, mailing address, and the full name for your reimbursement check.

A separate reimbursement must be made for each scholarship recipient. Reimbursements are typically mailed within 4-6 weeks. Errors in submissions could cause a delay.

Email campus@acslaw.org if you have questions about any part of this process, or to check on the status of your reimbursement.

Thursday Activities


Law Student Member Centennial Park Tour and Happy Hour
coordinated by the Emory and Georgia State Chapters

Thursday, June 6
9:00-10:30 p.m. ET

Join your fellow student attendees for a Walking Tour of Centennial Park led by GSU Leader Zach Vigneau. Students will have an opportunity to ride the SkyView Ferris Wheel, learn more about local sites, and convene for a Happy Hour at Park Bar (starting at 10:00 p.m. ET).

Prices

  • Riding the Ferris Wheel costs $17.50. Discounted tickets may be available on Groupon.
  • Park Bar: Cash bar available.

Walking shoes recommended.

Networking


Networking Dinner

Networking Dinner. Students will also have an opportunity to sign up for a networking dinner at the 2024 ACS National Convention. The dinners are scheduled for 8 pm on Friday, June 7 and we keep the dinners to 6-8 students to allow for a good group discussion with your dinner host. Students will have the ability to select from several networking dinner hosts, but seats are limited and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Student registrants will receive an email to sign up for networking dinners in late May.

Coffee Matches

Students will have an opportunity to get matched with a lawyer attending National Convention to grab coffee and discuss career paths at a time during convention convenient to both the mentor and mentee. If you noted that you were interested in being a coffee match mentee in your convention registration, you will get connected to your coffee mentor right before the National Convention. If you have not heard anything by Tuesday, June 4, please let us know ASAP by emailing campus@acslaw.org.

After getting matched, it is expected that law student mentees respond back to their mentors with available times for a meeting. If you do not hear back, calendar to follow-up in 3 days. If you still do not hear back, email campus@acslaw.org.

FAQs


What is the dress code?

Thursday: Business
Friday: Business Casual
Saturday: Casual

Bring comfortable shoes!
Reference photos from past ACS Conventions.

If you have questions regarding what to wear, please do not hesitate to reach out at campus@acslaw.org.

Any tips on networking?

We recommend having an elevator pitch ready:

– Name
– School
– Grad Year
– Connection to ACS
– Legal Interests

Be ready to ask questions:

– What is your connection to ACS?
– What kind of law do you practice?
– Can you tell me more about a case/issue that you are currently working on?
– Did you always know that you wanted to do this work?

Take notes and make sure to follow-up with any connections you make by the following Monday. If you have business cards, bring them (but no need to make business cards if you do not already have them).

I need to check out of my hotel on Saturday. Where do I store my bags?

If you are staying at the Westin Peachtree Plaza, please go to the front desk to have them store your luggage.

If you are staying at a different hotel, please see if your hotel will store your luggage for you.

If you’ve exhausted these options, please let us know. We have limited space to store bags, but may be able to make accommodations.