Law Student FAQs

• All EMS event requests will be reviewed and must be approved by Carmina Ocampo.  You cannot publicize your event until it has been approved by Carmina.

• Only two authorized representatives from each student organization and journal may reserve rooms for events online. We have asked each student organization and journal for the names and email addresses of the two individuals who should have access to EMS. Please note that you will not be able to share accounts, as users will log in to EMS using their Law School credentials and Multi-Factor Authentication. These two individuals will also be authorized to create event postings on MyLaw.

• You must use EMS to book any rooms at the law school, and also spaces such as the Shapiro Courtyard. Tables, easels, and ice buckets must also be reserved through EMS.

• EMS will open up to all student organizations and journals on August 26, 2023. Starting that day, the designated representatives for your organization will be able to make reservations for fall semester only (August 28 through November 22). We will open up spring semester reservations a few weeks before spring semester begins.

• Due to space constraints at the law school, we have created a new policy of allowing each organization and journal to reserve up to four lunchtime events per semester.   Except as provided in the next bullet point, an organization/journal may not plan more than four lunchtime events a semester. A lunchtime event is defined as taking place anytime between 12:15 and 1:30pm.

• Student organizations and journals may reserve the following smaller rooms 2442 (holds 20), 3211A (holds 18), and 3393 (holds 16) at any time during the semester. These rooms are ideal for small board meetings.  The four lunchtime event limit (explained in the prior bullet point) does not apply to meetings that you schedule in these smaller rooms.

• There is no limit to the number of non-lunchtime events that you may plan in a semester. We therefore encourage you to plan events in the evenings. However, there is a limit of two events per day.
   
• You should only reserve one room for your event, but EMS will allow you to make two reservations a day for rooms or spaces at the law school. However, for events that require more than two reservations a day (such as for conferences, competitions, etc.), you should contact our Director of Student Life, Carmina Ocampo, at ocampo@law.ucla.edu to ask for approval to reserve additional space.

• If you are planning an event outside of the law school, you must still create an event for it on EMS. The system will allow you to reserve non-law space.

• If you need any help with EMS, please email our Student Affairs Coordinator, Theresa Robbinson at robbinson@law.ucla.edu.

• ​Plan carefully and in advance! Major events should be planned at least six months in advance.

• The following website shows all events that have been booked on EMS: https://schedule.law.ucla.edu/ . Your board members who do not have EMS access can view this website but they cannot logon to EMS.

• CHECK FOR CONFLICTS: When choosing a date and time for your event make sure you check for conflicts! This is very important.
  • Avoid conflicts with events planned by the Dean’s Office or Student Affairs, or other major events being put on by other departments at the law school.
  • Avoid conflicts with events planned by departments and programs that are similar in subject matter as yours that may draw the same audience.
    • For example, if your student organization is planning an event with the topic of social or racial justice, check to make sure that you’re not conflicting with the CRS, PILP, Environmental, Criminal Justice, or Human Rights programs. Similarly, if you’re planning an entertainment law event, make sure you’re not conflicting with events planned by the Ziffren Center. Check to make sure that you’re not conflicting in a problematic way with any of the other departments or centers.
  • Avoid conflicts with other student organization events that may appeal to the same groups of students.
  • Co-sponsor events when you can to ensure a better turnout. One organization must take the lead on planning the event and booking a room on EMS.
  • If you are planning events for 1Ls, be mindful of their LRW memo deadlines.  Also check to make sure that you’re not conflicting with any events that are targeted towards 1Ls. There are many events for 1Ls in the spring, including many planned by Career Services.
  • There should only be one conference/symposium at the law school taking place on the same day.
  • If you are planning an event that may conflict with another group, department or program, email the person who is planning the other event and check in with them about your plans and coordinate with them. As a courtesy, make sure you’ve informed them about your event in advance.

• STARTING LUNCHTIME EVENTS: Lunchtime events should start no earlier than 12:15pm. A professor must have 10 minutes after every class to talk to students without being interrupted. If a class ends at noon, no one should enter the room for your event until 12:10, and the start time of your event should be at 12:15.  Please make sure that food delivery people and students do not enter classrooms until 12:10.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT ROOM: Make sure you’re booking the right size room for your event. Don’t book a room that is too big for your event if you expect a smaller number of people. We might change your room if you’ve booked a room that is too big for your event. 

• If your organization is asking to spend more than $3,000 on an event, you must first email Carmina Ocampo to let her know about the event and the anticipated costs. You may not proceed with planning your event until she has approved it.
• If your organization or journal is planning a symposium or a conference you must email Carmina Ocampo to let her know what you are planning and the date.
• You must speak with the Business & Finance Office (BFO) if your event includes any of the following: will have paid performers/speakers, takes place outside the law school, involves contracts or will serve alcohol. Contact is Dennyses Hernandez (hernandezd@law.ucla.edu) or Aaron Farasat (farasat@law.ucla.edu).

• Reserve tables/ice tubs for your event on EMS. Student Affairs has one 4-foot table, six 6-foot tables & two 8-foot tables and seven ice buckets.
• Go to the Business & Finance Student Resource Page to fill out these forms:
  • Make sure you read the Food & Trash FAQ below.
  • For food orders: LVO (Low Value Order) / Purchase Order Request Forms.
  • Facilities Service Requests (FSRs): to clear out trash, unlock rooms, and re-stock bathrooms with toilet paper during Friday night or weekend events. (Student orgs. are charged for FSR services)
  • Courtesy parking for guests/speakers. Your organization will be charged for parking.
• AV: To request AV services, email AV (avhelp@law.ucla.edu) at least two weeks in advance.
• Security Concerns: If any of your speakers will need security, you must email Carmina Ocampo to let her know at least one week in advance.

Consider doing the following:

• MyLaw: Create a MyLaw Event so your event will be displayed in the Insider Email, on the Law Link app, and on the master calendar. Only the two individuals who are authorized to book rooms on EMS may create MyLaw events. Event notices take two business days to be approved. Your event will appear on the master calendar after it is approved, but it cannot appear on the Insider Email until two weeks before your event. So you must select a display date that is two weeks before your event. If you have questions about creating your event on MyLaw email mylaw@law.ucla.edu.
• Student Announcements: Email studentaffairs@law.ucla.edu the exact text or a word document of the email you want sent out. Unless indicated, email will go out to all students. If you would like the announcement to go out at a specific time, please indicate that as well. Each organization/journal is allowed one announcement per semester.
• Digital Signage & Posters: Upon approval from Student Affairs, you are allowed to display up to two posters per semester on the middle signage in the main lobby and an unlimited number of posters on the rotating signage. Please submit your poster to Student Affairs via email, and it will be displayed on the signage once approved. The school will continue to print big posters, but they are only allowed outside the room where the event is taking place at or near the time of the event. Canva.com is a great free resource to create posters. Best resolution would be 1080 px x 1280 px at 300 dpi.
• Law Link App: Post about your event on the Wall.

• ​Order food: Use the Restaurant/Catering Reference Guide on MyLaw to order food for your event from the food vendors listed on it.  Please note that Dean’s Funding CANNOT be used to purchase alcohol.

• Submit an LVO: Request a Limited Value Order (LVO) on MyLaw  for the amount that you will need to pay for your food. An LVO is what you should submit to Business and Finance (BFO) to request payment for food for your event. If your event is co-sponsored by other organizations or departments, please note that in the “special instructions/notes” section and email confirmation of sponsorship to Antonio Miranda of BFO at mirandaa@law.ucla.edu.

• Submit purchasing order to food vendor: Once you submit an LVO, BFO will email you a purchasing order that you should then forward to the restaurant/caterer to pay them within a day or two of receiving the purchasing order from BFO. The food vendor will be paid directly by the BFO office with the purchasing order.

• Send BFO an invoice: After your event you will have to send BFO a final invoice that shows how much you spent. Payment is usually issued 30 days after BFO receives the final invoice from you. The sooner you get BFO the final invoice, the sooner they can pay the food vendor. Make sure to ask the food vendor for a final invoice and send it to BFO as soon as you can. You must send BFO the invoice no later than 3 days after the date of your event. 

• Send BFO proof of attendees: After your event, you will also need to email or submit a numbered sign-in sheet or numbered rsvp list to BFO to show proof that people attended your event.  BFO requires that student organizations list the affiliations of guests. If only students attended your event, indicate to BFO that only students attended the event. But if other staff/faculty/Dean attended then you must write down the affiliations for each guest (who is not a student). You must submit this proof no later than 3 days after the date of your event.

• Plan ahead! Typically BFO needs 1-2 business days’ notice before an event, if not more, to generate a purchasing order, so make sure to submit your LVOs ahead of time to give BFO enough time to process your request. If you chose a food vendor from the reference guide that is on the BFO page on MyLaw, you can pay them with a purchasing order. But if you chose a vendor that is not listed on that guide, then you will need to request a W-9 form from the vendor and it will take 3-5 business days for BFO to enter them into the system, so plan ahead of time.

• ​Your organization is responsible for making sure that classrooms are clean and ready for use after your event. If you are serving food, you will need to provide cardboard trashcans with liners and remove them from the room after the event concludes. Make sure that your attendees only throw food in the trashcans that you provide and that you remove the trashcans from the room when your event is over and empty them out.

• Borrow cardboard trashcans and liners from the Student Affairs hallway closet (borrow the keys to the closet from the Student Affairs office). Trash from the cardboard trashcans should be taken to the large dumpsters near Lot A, Murphy Hall and the pay-by-space area of the law school. Empty pizza boxes should be tossed away in the blue pizza box bin in the courtyard near the student lounge. Trashcans should be returned to the Student Affairs closet. Return closet keys to Student Affairs immediately upon the completion of your event.

• Any communal food should be left in the Student Kitchenette, Room 1339.

• We do not have custodial services over the weekend so if you have an event on Friday evening or over the weekend, you will need to submit a Facilities Service Request (FSR) to have trash picked up. Student organizations get charged for FSR services. You can find the facilities price list on MyLaw.

Business and Finance Student Event Planning Checklist - Updated Spring 2019

(MyLaw>Dept: Business and Finance>General: Student Resource Center)

1. Check your Monthly Statement to Check Account Balance

• You can view your balance at Student Organization/Journal Monthly Statement
  • Monthly statements are updated on the 15th of each month.
• Note: If you need access to this information, ask your student organization’s president.
  • Passcode is typically given to Presidents, Editors, and Business/Finance Managers.
  • Contact your Business and Finance (B&F) Representative for the passcode, if needed.

2. If you anticipate any of the following for your event, please contact your B&F Representative AT LEAST ONE MONTH PRIOR TO YOUR EVENT. (Antonio Miranda: mirandaa@law.ucla.edu)

• Alcohol
• Contracts/Terms and Conditions (anything requiring a signature)
• Deposit/Advance Payment
• Expense over $5000.00
• Family/Spouse in Attendance
• Gifts
• Honorarium
• Large Events (Alumni Dinners, Conferences, Symposiums, Etc.)
• Outside Event Location
• Paid Performers/Speakers
• Promotional Items (T-Shirts, Mugs, Etc.)
• Use of UCLA Logo/Trademark

3. If your event does not include the above listed, proceed to the Student Resources Page on MyLaw:
Go to the Student Resource Page to fill out these forms:

• LVO (Low Value Order) / Purchase Order Request Form | Time Requested: 1 business day
  • Use this form to request an LVO to order food, linens, printing, etc.
  • Reference the Restaurant/Catering Reference Guide on MyLaw for a list of locations that accept LVOs.
  • If the event is co-sponsored by other organizations or departments, please note it in the “Special Instruction/Notes” section and email confirmation of sponsorship to your B&F Representative.
  • Contact your B&F Representative if you would like to set up a new vendor that has agreed to accept LVOs (we will need a W-9 form from the vendor; process to set up a new vendor takes 3-5 business days, so plan accordingly).
• Facilities Service Requests (FSRs) | Time Requested: 3 business days
  • Use this form to clear out trash, unlock doors during weekend events, etc.
  • If your event will occur during the weekend, please contact your B&F Representative at least 1 week in advance.
• Courtesy Parking | Time Requested 1 business day
  • Use this form to provide parking (Lot 2/3) for guests/speakers.
  • If you anticipate courtesy parking for 10+ guests, please contact your B&F Representative at least 1 week in advance.

4. If you will be requesting reimbursement, please provide the following:

• Travel/Non-Travel Reimbursement Form:
  • Travel Reimbursement Form: for every expense made while traveling (such as airfare, taxi fare, hotel, and meals)
  • Non-Travel Reimbursement Form: for every expense made while not traveling (such as office supplies, or entertainment)
• Itemized Receipts/Invoices (must include description of each item purchased)
  • If entertainment expense, please also attach numbered guest list with affiliations
• Proof of Payment (4 digits of credit card indicated on the receipt or copy of credit card statement)
• Note: Each person should pay for his or her own expenses. UC Policy does not allow you to seek reimbursement for other’s expenses (e.g. lodging for other traveler’s rooms).