We are here to support you! At the Center for Pre-Law Advising (CPLA) we provide advising and other resources to UW-Madison students and alumni at all stages in the process of considering, preparing for, and applying to law school.
CPLA offers a mix of in-person (1305 Linden Drive, Suite 205) or remote (Zoom, Microsoft Teams, etc) appointments.
Current students, please schedule via Starfish. Alumni, we invite you to fill out our Alumni Appointment Request Form to set up an appointment with a CPLA advisor.
Please note: Application documents (resumes, personal statements, etc) generally require an appointment to be reviewed. Please be aware that there can sometimes be a 1 to 2 week wait for appointments in spring. Thank you for your understanding as we do our best to serve and support all those exploring and applying to law school. We look forward to working with you!
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*Advisees who wish to bring an additional person to an appointment (friend, parent) will need to have an approved FERPA release on file – email your advisor prior to your appointment for more information.*
Questions? Please email us at information@prelaw.wisc.edu.
Pre-Law Advisor | Janet Mitchell, J.D.
Janet earned her J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School and her Bachelor’s degree 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 multi-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) | Ambar Cornelio
Ambar earned her B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she majored in Art History and Spanish. Ambar is currently in her third (3L) year at the University of Wisconsin Law School. Ambar is a member of multiple law student organizations including the Wisconsin Law Review, Public Interest Law Foundation, Women’s Law Student Association and Labor & Employment Student Association. Ambar is excited to help future law students meet their goals at each step of the application process.
As a Pre-Law Graduate Advisor, Ambar is available to meet with any undergraduate student or alumnus of UW-Madison.
Pre-Law Graduate Advisor and UW Law Student (2L) | 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 currently in her second (2L) 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
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.
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.