Candidates beginning the application process might find it helpful to read through some of the back issues of a school’s paper.  Information from the papers can become a valuable addition to application essays later this summer – perhaps you would like to help organize one of the conferences or speaker series profiled . . . → Continue Reading]]> For those applicants looking for some fun summer reading that has the added benefit of enhancing your law school applications, the archives of student newspapers are a wonderful resource that is well worth exploring.  Student papers often offer excellent insight into the culture on campus and provide a great window on the events and controversies at each school, making them an important part of the law school application research process.

Candidates beginning the application process might find it helpful to read through some of the back issues of a school’s paper.  Information from the papers can become a valuable addition to application essays later this summer – perhaps you would like to help organize one of the conferences or speaker series profiled in the paper?  Maybe the summaries of athletic matches stir your competitive spirit and inspire you to join one of these activities at law school?  Alternatively, perhaps you’ve appreciated how helpful the student newspaper is to applicants and would like to contribute to its production as a law student?  Each of these ideas for involvement can help you tailor your application essays to a school while adding flavor and interest.

For applicants’ convenience, we’ve listed below student newspapers published at several of the leading law schools in the United States:

Chicago Law School: Chicago Maroon
Columbia Law School: The Columbia Law School Newspaper
Duke Law School: The Devil’s Advocate
George Washington University Law School: Nota Bene
Georgetown University Law Center: The Georgetown Law Weekly
Harvard Law School: Harvard Law Record
NYU Law: The Commentator
The University at Buffalo Law School: The Opinion
University of Miami Law School: Res Ipsa Loquitur
University of Michigan Law School: Res Gestae
UCLA Law: The Docket
UVA Virginia: Virginia Law Weekly
Washington and Lee School of Law: The Law News

Happy reading!

Stanford’s approach to pro bono (law-related community service) is somewhat unusual, in that students complete all pro bono work on a voluntary basis.  While most law schools that have a robust pro bono program, such as Penn and Columbia, require that students perform a minimum number of hours of eligible work in order to graduate, Stanford’s Levin Center devotes its considerable resources just to the students who are interested in making the most . . . → Continue Reading]]> In today’s Trivia Tuesday, we’re taking a peek into Stanford Law School’s Pro Bono Program, which is run through the law school’s John and Terry Levin Center for Public Service and Public Interest Law.

Stanford’s approach to pro bono (law-related community service) is somewhat unusual, in that students complete all pro bono work on a voluntary basis.  While most law schools that have a robust pro bono program, such as Penn and Columbia, require that students perform a minimum number of hours of eligible work in order to graduate, Stanford’s Levin Center devotes its considerable resources just to the students who are interested in making the most of them.  Despite the voluntary nature of pro bono at Stanford Law, a significant – and increasing – proportion of the 1L class gets involved with Stanford’s Pro Bono Program each year.  In the Fall of 2009, 140 students in the Class of 2012 registered to participate in the program, more than any other SLS class to-date.

Under Stanford’s Pro Bono Program, 1Ls sign up and pledge to perform at least 50 hours of pro bono work during their three years at SLS.  After completing two mandatory training sessions on ethics and professional responsibility as well as interviewing skills and cultural competency, the Levin Center helps students find placements with organizations seeking volunteers.  Many students do most of their pro bono work with the Levin Center’s nearly two-dozen projects, such as the SLS Social Security Disability Project and Elder Law Pro Bono Program, which are supervised by local legal aid and non-profit organizations and are held throughout the academic year and summer.  Upper-level students who are working for a clinic can apply to their pro bono goal any extra time spent at the clinic above the clinic’s credit requirement.  In addition, students are encouraged to find their own volunteer opportunities.

The most popular pro bono opportunity offered at SLS is the Pro Bono Alternative Spring Break, through which Stanford Law students commit their Spring (and, in some cases, Winter) break to working full-time in a legal capacity.  In the past, small groups of SLS students have provided legal assistance to at-risk communities in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and around the Gulf Coast following Hurricane Rita.  This week, Stanford Law students on Alternative Spring Break are traveling to Haiti with the University of Miami School of Law Health and Elder Law Clinic, as we reported in February, to help Haitians register for Temporary Protected Status in the US.

Stanford Law students who complete at least 50 hours of service graduate with Pro Bono Distinction, which is symbolized by a lapel pin that they wear during the graduation ceremony, and are honored at the Public Interest Awards ceremony in May.

For more information about pro bono opportunities at leading U.S. law schools, be sure to read the Clear Admit Law School Guides!

Last week UM announced that this clinic’s work could be used as a spring break alternative for law students throughout March, . . . → Continue Reading]]> Throughout the month of March, law students from four different law schools have the chance to go to the University of Miami School of Law Health & Elder Law Clinic, advocating for Haitians who came to the U.S. before the devastating earthquake that occurred last month.  Through the clinic, law students can help these legal immigrants file for temporary protected status (TPS), thus enabling them to stay in the U.S. and continue to earn money, which the Haitians can send back to Haiti to help their families who are still recovering from the effects of the earthquake.

Last week UM announced that this clinic’s work could be used as a spring break alternative for law students throughout March, which prompted an overwhelming response from law schools and students volunteering their services.  Ultimately, it was decided that 10-15 law students from Stanford University, the University of San Francisco, the University of Memphis, and New England Law | Boston.  Students from each school will receive training regarding immigration law, privacy concerns, and logistical operations, and then spend five days in March processing the TPS applications from the initial stages to their completion.

UM’s Health & Elder Law Clinic has been offering these TPS application services since February 5 and has since then successfully completed 50 TPS applications.

The Federal Appellate Clinic is a one-semester offering designed for upper-level students who will draft appeals for criminal defendants referred by the Federal Public Defender.

In the release, the clinic’s director, Professor Ricardo J. Bascuas, stressed that students will “advance their written advocacy and client communication skills” through the program.  Miami law students will work collaboratively to produce appeals briefs.

The Tenants’ Rights Clinic will center on clients who are evicted from public and subsidized housing, receive Section 8 terminations, and have their housing . . . → Continue Reading]]> The latest evidence of legal education pushing toward experiential learning comes from the University of Miami School of Law, where two new clinics were recently announced in a school press release.

The Federal Appellate Clinic is a one-semester offering designed for upper-level students who will draft appeals for criminal defendants referred by the Federal Public Defender.

In the release, the clinic’s director, Professor Ricardo J. Bascuas, stressed that students will “advance their written advocacy and client communication skills” through the program.  Miami law students will work collaboratively to produce appeals briefs.

The Tenants’ Rights Clinic will center on clients who are evicted from public and subsidized housing, receive Section 8 terminations, and have their housing applications denied.  Through the clinic, students will serve tenants through all legislative housing steps, from research to drafts to representation.  The clinic will also allow Miami’s Legal Services organization to aid more clients.

In this space, we’ve recently covered other initiatives at Miami Law that combine practical exposure for students with legal aid for the disadvantaged.  In October, we touched on Miami’s development of fellowships to counsel homeowners in foreclosure cases.  In December, we relayed the law school’s Hunger Project, which advocated policy reforms and led rights seminars.

In South Florida, the University of Miami School of Law recently conducted a filing session to interview and screen applicants, and to facilitate application paperwork.

“As lawyers, none of us can administer field medicine, and we aren’t logistics experts,” said JoNel Newman, the director of the law school’s Health and Elder Law Clinic.  “But this is a way we can help.  It . . . → Continue Reading]]> In the wake of Haiti’s devastating Jan. 12 earthquake, the White House granted Temporary Protected Status to existing Haitian immigrants, allowing them to remain and work in the United States for 18 months.  Subsequently, two law schools with sizable local Haitian populations have stepped up to provide legal support for obtaining such status.

In South Florida, the University of Miami School of Law recently conducted a filing session to interview and screen applicants, and to facilitate application paperwork.

“As lawyers, none of us can administer field medicine, and we aren’t logistics experts,” said JoNel Newman, the director of the law school’s Health and Elder Law Clinic.  “But this is a way we can help.  It may not be as dramatic, but it’s equally-important – and will have a lasting impact on Haitian families.”

Farther north, Boston College Law School has been offering similar legal counsel to Haitian immigrants, as students, faculty and alumni have worked on clarifying immigration law, enhancing communication and organizing free legal clinics.

Associate Professor Daniel Kanstroom nearly echoed Newman in articulating the response by the law school community: “It’s not as traumatic as responding to the crisis on the ground, but the legal community is scrambling to figure out the best way to proceed.”

The South Florida area and Greater Boston have the largest and third largest populations of Haitian immigrants in the United States, respectively.

A creation of the school’s Center for Ethics and Public Service, the Hunger Project, as detailed in a school press release, offers legal services and more basic volunteer aide for South Floridians.

Aziza Naa-Kaa Botchway, a local attorney and the project’s director, stressed the importance of such an initiative at present: “Hunger and food insecurity have long been concerns in low-income communities…. However, the work of the Hunger Project is particularly important now because with our current economic crisis more and more people may find themselves skipping meals or . . . → Continue Reading]]> With economic conditions further distressing the needy in the surrounding area, the University of Miami School of Law is attempting to alleviate such circumstances through a laudatory program.

A creation of the school’s Center for Ethics and Public Service, the Hunger Project, as detailed in a school press release, offers legal services and more basic volunteer aide for South Floridians.

Aziza Naa-Kaa Botchway, a local attorney and the project’s director, stressed the importance of such an initiative at present: “Hunger and food insecurity have long been concerns in low-income communities…. However, the work of the Hunger Project is particularly important now because with our current economic crisis more and more people may find themselves skipping meals or cutting back on the quality or quantity of food they purchase.”

For the project, law students lead rights seminars, refer clients and partner with legal advocates to encourage pertinent hunger policy reforms.  The students also help stock and dispense items for local food pantries and distribution programs.

Engaging with other actors in the area, the Hunger Project is partnered with the Historic Black Church Project and law students work alongside groups like the YMCA and younger students from Ransom Everglades High School.

And with the situation direst in Florida, the University of Miami School of Law has established eight fellowships so that recent graduates can address case backlogs built up at legal aid groups.  Each of the foreclosure defense fellowships is worth $10,000.

According to the article, Florida currently has the country’s highest foreclosure rate, at 17%.  Additionally, in South Florida alone, the number of 2009 foreclosures is expected to jump approximately 600%, in comparison to figures from 2006, to 150,000.  Further, citing a recent study . . . → Continue Reading]]> With the nation’s current mortgage crisis resulting in unprecedented numbers of foreclosures, a weekend article in TIME suggested an affiliated “emergency” situation: a shortage of lawyers to counsel homeowners in such foreclosures.

And with the situation direst in Florida, the University of Miami School of Law has established eight fellowships so that recent graduates can address case backlogs built up at legal aid groups.  Each of the foreclosure defense fellowships is worth $10,000.

According to the article, Florida currently has the country’s highest foreclosure rate, at 17%.  Additionally, in South Florida alone, the number of 2009 foreclosures is expected to jump approximately 600%, in comparison to figures from 2006, to 150,000.  Further, citing a recent study from the NYU School of Law’s Brennan Center for Justice, the TIME article indicated that as many as 86% of foreclosure victims in “hard-hit areas” did not have legal counsel last year.

The Miami fellowships were established by lobbying efforts from Professor Michael Froomkin as homeowner advocates in general push for more pro bono work in the foreclosure realm.  Foreclosure is rarely a full-time legal practice and largely falls to real estate attorneys and legal aid agencies.  Legal counsel can help homeowners keep their homes or make foreclosures more palatable and less costly.

Speaking to the potential role law schools could play in mitigating the situation, the article also cited The ROOF Project, which includes Yale Law School.  ROOF is not a fellowship program, but also arranges for students to work on local foreclosure cases.