Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, International ( or P.A.D.) is the largest
professional
A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...
law
fraternity
A fraternity (from Latin language, Latin ''wiktionary:frater, frater'': "brother (Christian), brother"; whence, "wiktionary:brotherhood, brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club (organization), club or fraternal ...
in the United States. Founded in 1902, P.A.D. has since grown to 717 established pre-law, law, and alumni chapters and over 330,000 initiated members. Application for membership to Phi Alpha Delta is available to undergraduate students, law school students, lawyers, judges, and politicians.
Three of the sitting Justices of the United States Supreme Court are members of P.A.D. From 1964 to 1968, Tom C. Clark, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, served as Supreme Vice Justice of the Fraternity. Seven U.S. Presidents have likewise been members of P.A.D.https://www.pad.org/page/ProminentPADs
Organization and government
Pursuant to the Fraternity Policy Manual and By-Laws of Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, International, the supreme governing body of the Fraternity is the International Chapter in Convention Assembled. The International Chapter is composed of up to two delegates (and alternates) from each active law school and alumni chapter, up to two alumni members at-large from each district, each District Justice, each International Officer, and each former Supreme or International Justice in attendance. Conventions are convened once every two years, usually in August.
Between conventions, the Fraternity is governed by an International Executive Board (IEB) composed of the International Justice, the International Vice Justice, the International Secretary, the International Treasurer, the International Marshal, and 4 Members at-Large. An International Tribunal composed of the Chief Tribune and two Associate Tribunes hold judicial authority within the Fraternity. All 12 International Officers are elected at Biennial Conventions.
For organization purposes, the Fraternity is geographically divided into thirty-three districts covering North America. For each district, the International Justice, with the advice and consent of the IEB, appoints a District Justice to serve as regional coordinator and work with Law School and Alumni Chapters within their district. Each District Justice may have one or more Assistant District Justice(s) to assist them in their work. District Justices are appointed, volunteer positions.
History
Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, International, is a professional fraternity composed of pre-law and law students, legal educators, attorneys, judges, and government officials.
Baird's Manual (20th ed.) reports that a short-lived predecessor group that informally served law students, Lambda Epsilon, had formed at Chicago in 1897. It existed until November 8, 1902, at which time this local group was reorganized into Phi Alpha Delta.
Phi Alpha Delta was founded on November 8, 1902, for the purpose of promoting professional competency and achievement within the legal profession. Today, P.A.D. is the world's largest law fraternity with 206 law school chapters, 99 alumni chapters and 316 Pre-Law chapters in the United States (including
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
),
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
and
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
.
P.A.D. was the first law fraternity to admit members of all races, creeds, colors, religions and national origins.
Phi Alpha Delta became the first law fraternity to admit women in September 1970. In 1972
Phi Delta Delta
Phi Delta Delta () was a women's professional law fraternity founded in 1911. It merged with Phi Alpha Delta in 1972.Phi Alpha Delta History /ref>Laura Duncan, "Happy Birthday, P.A.D.s", Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, November 13, 1992. Law Bulletin Publishing Company (Chicago, 1992) P.A.D. is the only law fraternity to admit undergraduate students interested in the law. P.A.D. also sponsors an annual International Pre-Law Conference and Mock Trial Competition. P.A.D. is the only law fraternity to receive federal funding from the U.S. Department of Justice for its Law Related Education program.
P.A.D. hosts a "Senior Transition Program", aimed to help undergraduate seniors transition from the life of undergraduate studies to law school.
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...
(1913–1921)
:
Warren G. Harding
Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular sitting U.S. presidents. A ...
(1921–1923)
:
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...
(1945–1953)
:
Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...
(1977–1981)
:
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
Warren E. Burger
Warren Earl Burger (September 17, 1907 – June 25, 1995) was an American attorney and jurist who served as the 15th chief justice of the United States from 1969 to 1986. Born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Burger graduated from the St. Paul Colleg ...
(1969–1986)
:
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Joan Ruth Bader Ginsburg ( ; ; March 15, 1933September 18, 2020) was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1993 until her death in 2020. She was nominated by Presiden ...
Samuel Alito
Samuel Anthony Alito Jr. ( ; born April 1, 1950) is an American lawyer and jurist who serves as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was nominated by President George W. Bush on October 31, 2005, and has served ...
(2006–present)
:
Sonia Sotomayor
Sonia Maria Sotomayor (, ; born June 25, 1954) is an American lawyer and jurist who serves as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. She was nominated by President Barack Obama on May 26, 2009, and has served since ...
(2009–present)
:
Elena Kagan
Elena Kagan ( ; born April 28, 1960) is an American lawyer who serves as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. She was nominated by President Barack Obama on May 10, 2010, and has served since August 7, 2010. Kagan ...
(2010–present)
Notes
See also
*
Order of the Coif
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(honor society, law)
*
The Order of Barristers
The Order of Barristers is an honor society for United States law school graduates. Membership in The Order of Barristers is limited to graduating law students and practicing lawyers who demonstrate exceptional skill in trial advocacy, oral advo ...
(honor society, law; litigation)
*
Phi Delta Phi
Phi Delta Phi () is an international legal honor society and the oldest legal organization in continuous existence in the United States. Phi Delta Phi was originally a professional fraternity but became an honor society in 2012.
The fraternity ...
(honor society, law; was a professional fraternity)
*
Alpha Phi Sigma
Alpha Phi Sigma () (Phi is pronounced "fi") is the only Criminal Justice Honor Society accredited by the Association of College Honor Societies. Traditionally a national organization serving United States universities, recent expansion into Canadi ...
(honor society, criminal justice)
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Lambda Epsilon Chi
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(honor society, paralegal)
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Delta Theta Phi
Delta Theta Phi () is a professional law fraternity and a member of the Professional Fraternity Association. Delta Theta Phi is the only one of the two major law fraternities to charter chapters (senates) in the United States at non-American Bar A ...
(professional fraternity, law)
*
Gamma Eta Gamma
Gamma Eta Gamma () is a professional law fraternity and was a member of the Professional Fraternity Association.
Chapters are limited to law schools on the approved list of the American Bar Association.
History
Gamma Eta Gamma was founded on Fe ...
(professional fraternity, law)
*
Phi Beta Gamma
Phi Beta Gamma () was a professional fraternity in the field of Law.
History
Phi Beta Gamma was founded on April 24, 1922 at Georgetown University School of Law. It was a founding member of the Professional Interfraternity Conference in 1928 an ...
(professional fraternity, law)
*
Phi Delta Delta
Phi Delta Delta () was a women's professional law fraternity founded in 1911. It merged with Phi Alpha Delta in 1972.Sigma Delta Kappa
Sigma Delta Kappa () is a Professional Fraternity in the field of Law. It was founded in 1914 at the University of Michigan Law School.
History
Sigma Delta Kappa was founded as a Men's Professional Fraternity for Law on August 14, 1914.
The found ...
(professional fraternity, law)
*
Kappa Alpha Pi (professional)
Kappa Alpha Pi () or KAPi (pronounced "Kap-ee") is a co-ed pre-law fraternity that began at The University of Michigan.
Declaration of Purpose
"The purpose of this Fraternity shall be to foster knowledge of the law for undergraduate students; t ...
(professional fraternity, pre-law)
*
Kappa Beta Pi
Kappa Beta Pi () is a Legal Association which was formerly a professional law sorority in the United States.
History
Kappa Beta Pi was founded at Chicago-Kent College of Law, Chicago, Illinois on . Its Founders were:
The sorority was incorporat ...
(originally women's professional fraternity, now legal association, law)
*
Nu Beta Epsilon
Nu Beta Epsilon () is a professional law fraternity .
History
The fraternity is the result of a merger between two substantially identical groups: Nu Beta Epsilon, founded in 1919 at Northwestern University School of Law and Alpha Kappa Sigma ...
(Jewish, originally men's professional fraternity, law, dormant?)
References
* ''Directory of Membership 2006 - Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, International'', Harris Connect, Inc. 2006.
* ''In re Application of Henry M. Day, et al.'', 181 ILL. 73, 54 N.E. 646, 1899 Ill. LEXIS 3011 (1899).
* Judice, C. Raymond, ''Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity: A History'', 1968.
*
The Political Graveyard
The Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 277,000 American political figures and political families, along with other information. The name comes from the website's inclusion of burial locations o ...