The People’s Law School will help make various legal topics more “friendly”

By Rachel Royster | news editor

Baylor Law School will host its annual event, the People’s Law School, in an entirely virtual setting on Saturday for the 17th consecutive year. The event is designed to educate consumers on their legal rights.

The free event is open to anyone interested and will include 18 courses 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, 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 in more than 250 one-on-one sessions,” Leah Teague , professor of law and coordinator of the event , mentioned. “We are very honored to be able to continue our 16-year tradition of sharing clear, easy-to-understand information on important legal topics that affect all of us.”

Classes are taught by volunteer attorneys and legal experts, according to the People’s Law School website. Teague said the event was attended by student hosts who are members of the Baylor Public Interest Legal Society. Together, volunteers, experts, and students work together to make understanding the law more accessible to those without proper legal experience.

“We want the public to have a better understanding of laws and government, and 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 hosted more than 250 attendees, most of whom return each year to learn more about different topics.

“Reviews are consistently supportive, 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.

Looking ahead to Thursday, Speaker Linda Livingstone said the event has historically been successful in educating 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 over the years,” Livingstone said.

The event will be a half-day program from 9:15 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. on Saturday. For the full list of courses and to register, go to http://www.baylor.edu/law/PLS.

“The law and its application have an impact on all aspects of our lives, but it is something that is completely unknown to the vast majority of us and can be confusing,” said Ed Nelson, director of the Marketing and Communications from Baylor Law School. “That’s why Baylor Law offers People’s Law School each year…to make the law ‘friendly’ and to provide helpful sessions for non-lawyers to understand some basic legal principles to help people protect their rights. “