Most student Crits say that activism--such as holding protests--is a vital part of their participation in CLS. A belief that the legal system is corrupted by prejudices, they say, implies that they must do something to change it.

But, according to some would-be disciples, however, taking CLS off law campuses presents a paradox.

"CLS is so critical of the system there's no way to work within the system," says second-year student DePace. "CLS people may criticize public interest law because public interest law is trying to work within the system instead of changing the system. Maybe the only place to [practice CLS] is in a faculty at a law school."

Since CLS focuses on the law's alleged bias, adherents hope to reach out ot those whom they see as suffering from that prejudice. Entitled "Race, Class and Gender," this year's three-day conference attempts to interest minorities and women by including many workshops about feminism and discrimination.

"If you look at this conference, there are enormous numbers of persons who are not white males," Boyle says. "We've done very well. We invited [Harvard Professor of Law Derrick Bell, who is Black], and while he may not be a CLS adherent, he's nevertheless someone who appreciates CLS insight."

"In the last couple of years the CLS movement has gone through a positive transformation, largely through the addition of minority voices that weren't a part of the movement before," Drury says.

Yet while CLS professors--who are predominately white--say they are fighting for more diversity at law schools, outsiders charge the movement itself is exclusive.

"It's a rethinking and an examination of how we view the legal structure of the country, through an absolutely leftist lens," says Debbie J. Israel, a second-year student at Rutgers Law School. "It's as exclusionary in its nature and hypocritical as the right wing and establishment it critiques."

Drury responds, "If you look at law school faculties in general, it's all white males. So almost any movement in law is going to be dominated by white males."

But while Crits strive to unite all of those they see as oppressed, some of the people they hope to attract--including some minority student groups--say they don't want to jump on the CLS bandwagon.

"We did not want to seem as a group of fair-weather radicals," says Sung-Hee Suh, president of the Harvard Asian-American Law Students Association, at an activism workshop. "We felt strongly about excluding any ideological themes. Once the coalition becomes identified as only political or ideological, we're going to lost what support we have. I don't mean to offend anybody, but I don't want the coalition to be contaminated by the CLS stigma."

At the conference, the professors spend a great deal of time exposing novice students to their left-wing theories. Frug, nibbling from a Marriottcatered fruit spread, says that attracting new students is the most important part of the gathering.

"There are a lot of new people in a lot of new things, but that happens at every convention," Frug says. "At every conference, half the people have never come before. The change and growth of [the CLS movement] is people bringing different interests."

And in passing references to different fields of academia, the professors and students say that CLS has sister movements in other areas of study.

"The same kind of thought is going on in all the academic fields," says Mern Horran, a third-year student at American University's Washington College of Law. "They've got CLS under different names in different areas. It's going on in all the disciplines." She cites deconstructionism in literature as one example.

Those who aren't yet convinced of the CLS dogma say they leave with a better understanding of the thinking, but more questions about its applications for practice.

"It's elevated my awareness," Israel says. "I don't know what happens after this. Does everybody go and look for law firms that are CLS-oriented?"