ULA History

The Undergraduate Law Association (ULA) was created in 1978 to provide students interested in law with information regarding legal opportunities and to familiarize those interested students with ABA-approved law schools throughout the United States and their admissions procedures. With that preamble in mind, the ULA was re-chartered on campus during fall, 2002. The purpose was to create an association for students of all majors interested in law.

In its course of 25 years on campus, the ULA has struggled to maintain active involvement from the student body. For this reason, during much of its existence, it has been merged with the Political Science club and, therefore, hidden under the umbrella of a larger association. Before its re-chartering in fall, 2003, the ULA had been inactive on campus for two consecutive years.

Interested in networking through the ULA, William Plevy began to search for membership throughout the Cal Poly community. To his surprise, the ULA was not a functioning club on campus. Fortunately, he came into contact with Dr. Phil Fetzer, who was the newly appointed department chair of the Political Science department. One of Dr. Fetzer’s top priorities was to breathe new life into the ULA. William Plevy and Dr. Fetzer quickly formed a partnership and they began to work on networking the student body and faculty to get things off the ground.

The response was overwhelming. Faculties from around campus were all very willing to get the word out and assist the association in whatever means possible. The student body quickly responded with sincere interest and excitement about the possibility of a law club on campus. Students were interested in not only joining such a club, but partaking in active leadership and responsibility. With that support and motivation, the demand was present to create the ULA as a distinct, solely operated association.