CATEGORY - EVENTS

March 4, 2010

Michigan Law School to Host Symposium Examining Civil Rights Issues in Urban Neighborhoods

This Friday and Saturday, February 5th and 6th, Michigan Law School‘s Journal of Race & Law plans to host a symposium entitled “Reinventing the Wheel: Why Broken Cities Stay Broken and New Ways Civil Rights Attorneys Can Fix Them.” The event will focus on addressing civil rights issues in urban environments nationwide and marks the journal’s fifteenth year of publication.

The group explains that “our symposium looks to examine civil rights struggles and why the traditional remedies worked, what the newer or existing problems are and why such solutions don’t work, as well as developing concrete solutions to such problems through a focus on Detroit.” Keynote speaker Columbia Law Professor Jack Greenburg, former director and counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, will open the program. Greenburg will be joined by a number of other speakers, including Dr. Arthur Johnson, the former director of the Detroit Branch of the NAACP and a former deputy director of the Michigan Civil Rights Commission The closing keynote will come from noted trial attorney and legal journalist Raymond M. Brown.

Discussions to take place during the two-day event “will include a look at problems overcome by 20th Century civil rights lawyers, how new issues mean old methods no longer work, and how the first two topics can help today’s civil rights lawyers analyze and correct systemic problems in Detroit and elsewhere in the country.”

For more information on the symposium, or to register for the event, visit the Michigan Journal of Race & Law’s website.

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# posted by admin @ 8:00 am in Events, School: Michigan

February 4, 2010

NYU School of Law Hosts 33rd Annual Public Interest Legal Career Fair

Today and tomorrow, February 4th and 5th, New York University School of Law will be holding its 33rd annual Public Interest Legal Career Fair, recognized as the nation’s largest public interest legal career fair. The event is hosted by the school’s Public Interest Law Center (PILC).

The fair offers students a valuable opportunity to meet and talk with employers at information tables, and some students even have the chance to interview for internships and permanent jobs. Last year, representatives from 200 organizations and over 2,000 law students attended the event.

The event is held in NYU’s Vanderbilt Hall, and runs from 9:20 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. To learn more about to event and to review a list of participating schools, click here.

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# posted by admin @ 8:00 am in Events, School: New York University

November 9, 2009

U. Iowa’s Center for Human Rights Marks Anniversary

To commemorate its tenth anniversary, the University of Iowa Center for Human Rights (UICHR) is currently hosting two weeks of events and dialogue.

The anniversary, which began last week with a film series, continues in earnest through this week with panel discussions, forums, lectures and performances on the Iowa City campus.

While the center is university-wide in its scope and though the anniversary features a diverse collection of scholars and rights advocates, legal opinions are to be well-represented throughout the UICHR activities.  Indeed the center was founded in 1999 by Burns H. Weston, a professor at the University of Iowa, College of Law.

Perhaps the most prominent opinion to be featured belongs to Michael Ratner, a professor at Columbia Law School and the President of the Center for Constitutional Rights.  This week, Ratner will deliver the keynote address on national security and privacy rights, and will participate in the “Lawyers & Leaders forum” entitled, “Activist Lawyering: Fighting the Good Fight and Even Winning (Sometimes).”

The week’s panels also include law professor viewpoints on child rights, labor rights and gender rights, among other events.  The UICHR anniversary is open to the public, and more information can be found on the UICHR event schedule page.

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# posted by admin @ 11:59 am in Events, School: Iowa

October 28, 2009

Admissions Tip: Off-Campus Recruiting and Information Sessions

For all those applicants who have recently opened a calendar to plot out the next few months only to realize they can’t possibly fit in campus visits on top of jobs, school, and personal statements, never fear!  It’s true that traveling to a school’s campus is an ideal way to learn about their law program, but visiting is often not a viable option for applicants who are located remotely or unsure of their level of interest in a given school.  The good news is that law schools might very well come to them.  Many law schools hit the road and embark on worldwide tours to dispense information and recruit qualified applicants.  Such events offer a great opportunity for interested students to meet with admissions staff (and sometimes with current students and/or alumni), learn about the program and ask specific questions.

Most of the top schools are already on the road and ready to wrap up in mid-November, so we recommend looking into the travel schedules for programs of interest and planning accordingly. Keeping in mind that these schedules are updated and amended throughout the fall, here are some of the top programs’ itineraries for the remaining weeks ahead:

Berkeley / Boalt:
http://www.law.berkeley.edu/199.htm

Boston College:
http://www.bc.edu/schools/law/meta-elements/pdf/recruiting_calendar_20093.pdf

Chicago:
http://www.law.uchicago.edu/events/admissions

Columbia:
http://www.law.columbia.edu/jd_Intro/visiting/ontheroad

Duke:
http://www.law.duke.edu/admis/travel/

George Washington University:
http://www.law.gwu.edu/Admissions/JD/Pages/Recruitment_Schedule.aspx

Harvard:
http://www.law.harvard.edu/prospective/jd/visit/recruiting.html

Michigan:
http://www.law.umich.edu/prospectivestudents/admissions/Pages/meetus.aspx

Minnesota:
http://www.law.umn.edu/prospective/recruiting.html

New York University:
http://www.law.nyu.edu/admissions/jdadmissions/visitingnyu/offcampusvisitsandlsacforums/index.htm

Notre Dame:
http://law.nd.edu/admissions-and-financial-aid/recruitment-schedule

UCLA:
http://www.law.ucla.edu/home/index.asp?page=887

University of Pennsylvania:
http://www.law.upenn.edu/prospective/recschedule.html

University of Washington:
http://www.law.washington.edu/Admissions/Recruit.aspx

USC / Gould:
http://lawweb.usc.edu/how/jd/recruitingSchedule.cfm

Vanderbilt:
http://law.vanderbilt.edu/prospective-students/admissions/campus-visit-calendar/index.aspx

Yale:
http://www.law.yale.edu/admissions/recruiting.htm

Need more law school information?  Make sure to check in with the Law Blog next week for further details.

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# posted by admin @ 8:00 am in Admissions Tip, Events, School: Berkeley / Boalt, School: Boston College, School: Chicago, School: Columbia, School: Duke, School: George Washington University, School: Harvard, School: Michigan, School: Minnesota, School: New York University, School: Notre Dame, School: UCLA, School: USC / Gould, School: University of Pennsylvania, School: University of Washington, School: Vanderbilt, School: Yale

October 16, 2009

Law School Recruitment Fairs Take Center Stage

In early August, we let you know about the LSAC Law School Recruitment Forums, which offer prospective law school applicants the chance to meet with representatives from a number of programs.

After two recent forums in the Northeast, LSAC next moves to Chicago, Ill. for a one-day event on Saturday, Oct. 17 before a two-day iteration descends on Atlanta, Ga., beginning on Friday, Oct. 23.  The Atlanta forum is the last scheduled event of 2009, with further forums set for 2010.

As we told you in August, these forums are not established for school representatives to evaluate prospects, but perspective students can find them helpful for asking questions about a school’s qualifications and student body profile.  Additionally, the forums offer workshops and discussions on such topics as “Financing a Legal Education.”

The Chicago LSAC forum preempts another Midwest law school recruitment opportunity, as Indiana University (IU) is set to host 111 law programs on Tuesday, Oct. 20.

As outlined in an IU press release, the Bloomington, Ind. campus’ Law School Fair will also be informational.  The 111 law schools participating make up more than half of the ABA-accredited institutions in the country.

The Law School Fair will also feature a morning panel discussion entitled, “What Really Works in a Law School Application.”  IU is expecting some 600-800 prospective students in attendance for its free forum.

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# posted by admin @ 7:58 am in Events, School: Indiana

August 18, 2009

Participants Complete Summer Institute for Global Justice at Utrecht University

J.D. students from around the world recently completed this year’s Summer Institute for Global Justice, a six-week intensive program that exposes attendees to international and comparative law. The institute, now in its fifth year, is held in Utrecht, the Netherlands, and is co-sponsored by Washington University Law, Case Western Reserve University School of Law and Utrecht University.

While enrolled in the program, participants have the opportunity to learn from prominent experts in the field of international law, including such persons as Distinguished Visiting Jurists Larry Johnson and William Shabas. Many student report that, on top to regular class sessions, many professors arrange for “evening hours,” often held at nearby bars and restaurants. In addition to the courses taught, students will also be free to visit The Hague, a 30-minute train ride from Utrecht, which serves as the headquarters of the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court and the Permanent Court of Arbitration, including many others courts and conferences.

Several of the courses taught during the institute not only educate students about various issues related to comparative law, but also invite attendees to explore the functions of the diverse courts and groups present at The Hague. Each year, the program arranges for several field trips to the institutions, and hosts presentations by their leading officers.  This past summer, one trip focused on the institutions housed in the Peace Palace , including the International Court of Justice and the Permanent Court of Arbitration, while the second focused on the international criminal courts and tribunals housed in The Hague . In addition to The Hague, Brussels, the location of NATO and the Council of the European Union, is a two-hour ride away.

During the program, held this year from June 6th – July 18th, each student enrolls in three courses, for a total of six credits, choosing from this six that are offered. All courses are three weeks long and are worth two credit units apiece.The courses offered during Summer 2009 were:

International Criminal Law & Procedure
International Civil Litigation.
Contemporary Developments in International Human Rights Law
Whistleblowing in Comparative Perspective
Intellectual Property & International Trade and Development
The Law of International Organizations

The program is ABA-accredited, and most U.S.-based law schools allow students to transfer these credits to their home institutions, though most participants report that the credits earned do not accelerate graduation.

Students in good standing as their home programs, as well as alumni, are encouraged to apply to the program, though space is limited to 60 students to ensure a small class size and more intimate seminars. Tuition, excluding travel, food and personal expenditures, was $3,600 for U.S. participants this summer, though the price is student-loan eligible at many law schools. Individuals interested in learning more about the program or applying for next year’s session should visit the Summer Institute for Global Justice website.

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# posted by admin @ 3:08 am in Events, School: Washington University in St. Louis

August 3, 2009

LSAC Law School Recruitment Forums

Recently, we discussed the search data for the ABA-LSAC official guide, a source made available by the LSAC for prospective law school applicants. This week, we’d like to highlight another valuable opportunity organized by LSAC – the LSAC Law School Forums. These forums, scheduled to be held in several major cities during the fall and winter, offer J.D. hopefuls the opportunity to meet with representatives from a wide variety of law schools in a centralized location. Although many of the representatives hold positions in their school’s admissions office, attendees will also have the chance to meet with faculty members, recent graduates and current students.

Prospective J.D. candidates who attend the forums are encouraged to meet with the individuals representing their target schools in order to learn more about the program’s curriculum, facilities, research and clinical programs and student body. Although attendees are advised that the representatives are not there to evaluate the candidacy of prospective applicants, some individuals may find it helpful to ask questions about the school’s qualifications and student body profile. In order to make the most of a forum experience, and because of the large number of participating schools, individuals registered for the event are encouraged to spend some time narrowing down their list of target programs ahead of time.

In addition to hosting school representatives, the forums also arrange several general workshops and discussions. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis; attendees should review the day’s schedule in advance to ensure that they are able to attend the meetings that most interest them. Among the events planned are the workshops “About the LSAT” and “Financing a Legal Education.” The workshops and seminars are designed to help students gain insights and strategies for the upcoming application process.

The forums, which tend to attract large crowds, are generally held in hotel ballrooms. Each school is allotted a table, which is attended by at least one representative and generally stocked with admissions materials, viewbooks and current application forms. For the sake of convenience, visitors are given a forum map with the location of each school in attendance. Last year, 190 schools attended at least one event; because of this, many attendees report spending the entire day at the event.

The LSAC forums are free, but interested individuals are still encouraged to register early in order to save time at the event and receive any updates about the event. To view the schedule of upcoming forums, and to review the list of last year’s participating schools, visit the LSAC website.

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# posted by admin @ 10:42 am in Events, General

June 25, 2009

CLEO Summer Institute 2009

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Council on Legal Education Opportunity’s (“CLEO”) annual Six-Week Summer Institute, a non-profit program run through the American Bar Association Fund for Justice and Education.  Approximately 80 students are taking part in the program this year, which is being held from June 7-July 17 at the University of Pittsburgh Law School and Southern Illinois University School of Law.  The Institute mirrors the experience of the first weeks of law school, providing instruction in essential skills, such as legal research and writing, as well as fundamental blackletter law topics, such as contracts and criminal law, to prepare students to excel at law school.  Courses are taught by law professors at the host school, and students receive extra support from the two teaching assistants, frequently alumni of the Institute, who live with them in the residence halls on campus.

CLEO is designed to benefit law school applicants and admitted students who come from under-privileged and non-traditional backgrounds, many hailing from urban and rural areas that do not offer much in the way of academic and personal support to prospective law students.  Many CLEO students each year have been accepted to law school on the condition that they attend CLEO prior to matriculating, while 60% have already been accepted to their school of choice and are attending the program to get a head-start on their law school career.  CLEO boasts that over 95% of participants each year attend law school in the fall.  Graduates of the Summer Institute are urged to take advantage of other professional development opportunities offered by CLEO, including bar preparation assistance and career fairs.

The cost of participating in the Six-Week Summer Institute is $2,000 per student, though the program reserves several spots in each class for low-income students, who pay just $200.  Applicants to the Institute must also apply to at least one CLEO Member School or Supporting/Sustaining Institution, in addition to submitting LSAT scores, a personal statement and a completed application.  The deadline for CLEO Summer Institute applications is usually in early February.

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# posted by admin @ 4:39 am in Events