The Common Law

Anyone who enjoys "The Common Law" should attend the People's Law School on Saturday, Feb. 24, on the UT Law School campus. PLS is a free event designed to provide basic legal information to the community, demystify the law, and educate people about their legal rights. People who attend PLS will have the chance to learn the basics of common, practical, and everyday legal issues from some of the most distinguished attorneys in the city.

PLS offers roughly 40 different classes on a variety of topics. General topics like family law (divorce and child custody), consumer law (deceptive car sales, home/car repairs, and identify theft), employment law (for employers and employees), and wills and estate planning will be offered. More focused classes include small-business law, elder law, personal bankruptcy, and entertainment law (with separate classes for writers, film-industry professionals, and musicians) and real estate law (buying and selling property).

The PLS event will take place at the UT Law School (727 E. Dean Keeton); doors open at 8am, and an optional orientation with introductory remarks from Judge Orlinda Naranjo starts at 8:30am.

Courses will take place over three time slots (9, 10:30am, and noon). For example, you can take a wills and estates course at 9am, a small-business course at 10:30am, and an identity-theft course at noon. You are not, however, required to attend all three class sessions (i.e., you can come to only one class if you want). Each class lasts roughly 75 minutes and is followed by a 15-minute Q&A session at the end.

Check out www.peopleslawschoolaustin.com for more information about PLS, including the entire class schedule, directions to the UT Law School, and free parking. Organized by the Austin Bar Association in partnership with the UT School of Law, Lawyer Referral Service, and K-EYE, PLS is a great way to learn about the law, and best of all, it's absolutely free. I hope to see you there!