Law fraternity returns after ten years

For students interested in studying law and wanting to enjoy the brotherhood of a fraternity at the same time, there’s good news: Phi Alpha Delta is coming back to Penn after a hiatus of more than 10 years.

Phi Alpha Delta, a professional law fraternity, originated in Chicago 117 years ago when a group of students got together and stood up to protect their rights against an unfavorable rule of admission into the Bar Association . Its Penn chapter was active more than a decade ago, mostly in the Law School, and faded away for unknown reasons.

College sophomore Barry Johnson is the president of PAD’s new Penn chapter. He learned about PAD in the summer when he talked to a practicing lawyer who was a former member of PAD and contacted school officials and students in mid-July with the proposal to bring it back.

Johnson wanted to extend the scope of PAD from only focusing on studying law to doing community service and helping students get to know the legal industry.

“Unlike many student groups on campus that only focus on helping students preparing for LSAT, we engage a lot with the community. We also invite lawyers to talk about their experience so that students can have a feeling about the field,” Johnson said.

PAD is currently working with the Books Through Bars project to help distribute books to incarcerated people in Philadelphia. Another event the team is working on is a discussion on the recent marijuana decriminalization legislation. Johnson is planning to invite the city council members who voted on the bill — either for or against it — to talk about the issue.

Apart from its academic focus and devotion to community service, PAD is different from existing fraternities on campus because of its open membership: No one who applies will get rejected, as long as they pay their dues and follow PAD’s rules.

College sophomore Natalie Au found out about PAD during the summer and was immediately interested, as she is passionate about law and human rights issues. Au, now PAD’s Community Service Chair, is excited about PAD’s future.

“I really appreciate PAD’s presence on campus. I always wanted to discuss legal topics with a group of people who share similar interests,” Au said. “Now that I am the Community Service Chair, I want to act as a bridge between the brothers and the local community, and put the PAD ideals into real changes that could help the society.”

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