The purposes of the Organization for Women Law Students and Staff (OWLSS) are to address the changing needs and problems of women in the legal profession and to develop, recommend, and implement new programs, with particular emphasis on the needs of women at the Iowa law school. OWLSS serves as a support group for women within the College of Law, but many of the programs it sponsors are of interest to the larger law school community. Its membership is open to both women and men who are law students, law faculty members, or law staff members.

Some of the activities OWLSS has sponsored in the past include: fall recruitment of prospective women law students, safety-in-numbers program (sign-up in the library for women to accompany each other to the parking lot or bus stop after dark), regular brown bag lunches with guest speakers, sponsorship of members to the annual National Women and the Law Conference, support networks, a regular newsletter, a mentoring program, and joint programs with the medical and dental women students.

Organization of Women Law Students and Staff