A Day in the Life

New Clinical Oppportunity: Federal Criminal Justice Project

The Mandel Legal Aid Clinic is proud to announce the creation of a new clinical opportunity, the Federal Criminal Justice Project (FCJP).  FCJP will be led by Director Alison Siegler, formerly an attorney with the Federal Defender Program and instructor of Federal Sentencing course here at the Law School. 

The primary mission of the FCJP is to zealously represent indigent defendants charged with federal crimes while giving students a unique opportunity to practice in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.  The FCJP will represent clients from arrest through trial/plea bargaining and sentencing and will also represent clients on appeal.  Students will be assigned to cases in teams of two and among their responsibilities will be interviewing of clients and witnesses; conducting and participating in bond hearings, preliminary hearings, arraignments, plea and sentencing hearings, and trials; preparing and filing written motions; negotiating withe the United States Attorney's Office and probation officers; and participating in investigations.  In addition to representing individual clients the FCJP will serve as an information clearinghouse and resource for Chicago-area federal criminal defense lawyers and will work to address larger systematic problems with the federal criminal justice process.  Projects members will also attend weekly sessions with the Director that will include exercise and simulations, lectures and discussion sessions. Finally students will take courses in Evidence, Criminal Procedure I, a new course this fall, Federal Criminal Procedure and participate in the Intensive Trial Advocacy Workshop before the start of their 3L year.

The Federal Criminal Justice Program marks the second new clinical project this year, and joins the Exoneration Project as part of an ever expanding number of clinical opportunities offered to our students.  The FCJP will launch in the Fall Quarter.

Congratulations to the Winners of the 2008 Hinton Moot Court Competition

In follow-up to Monday's posting about the Hinton Moot Court Finals we are pleased to announce that this winners of the 2008 Hinton Moot Court competition were Kyle Reynolds '08 and Michael Walsh '08.  All the contestants received copious and glowing reviews from all three justices each of whom expressed their delight in seeing any of the finalists in their courtrooms in the future.  Congratulations to all the finalists and the hard-working Moot Court Board for organizing yet another amazing competition!

Announcing the New Student Events Podcast

In recent months, here at the Law School we've seen an increasing number of student organizations start recording their events for online distribution. Faced with an embarassment of riches, we've decided to launch a new podcast dedicated just to student org-sponsored events, which we're calling "Open Minds" (if you've seen the fences around the fountain construction lately, you'll catch the reference). And don't worry -- student events featuring Law School faculty will be added to both podcasts feeds, so you won't miss any of that Chicago audio goodness.

You can subscribe to Open Minds via iTunes or using the podcatcher of your choice.

CLF Auction Raises Record-Breaking $89,000 for Summer Public Interest Grants

On January 31st the Chicago Law Foundation hosted its annual Public Interest Auction.  Not only is the Auction one of the biggest fund-raising efforts for CLF it is also one of the biggest social events of the year.  Lauren Kramer ('08), one the organizers of the event, provides us with this recap:

"As students entered the Green Lounge, they were greeted by the CLF Board dressed to the nines in flapper costumes and gangster gear, only to be whisked back in time to an era when the gin was always cold, the band played all night, and everyone would unwind and "speakeasy."

During the silent auction, a jazz band played 1920S hits as guests bid on the vast and varied collection of items available.  Highlights included Professor Epstein's vintage ties, a full collection of Supreme Court Bobble Heads, the new iPod Touch, and the remote control boats that formerly graces the Law School fountain.  Tables laden with delicious snacks and bartenders shaking or stirring with true grace only added to the atmosphere.

As the silent auction came to a close and Professor Baird stepped up to the podium to begin the live auction portion of the evening, guests sat forward on their chairs and grasped their number with sweaty palms, ready to ferociously bid.  Early in the auction, students showed that they were ready to throw down some serious money for public interest.  A Neiman Marcus gift card and personal shopper, dinner with Professor Samaha, and a night of poker with Professors Posner and Gersen were early favorites.  As the auction progressed, the fervor only increased with intense bidding wars over a Bulls game with Professor Henderson, the opportunity to attend the 2008 NBA Draft and have lunch with the NBA's Deputy Commissioner, and a Kirkland & Ellis-sponsored trip for four to Italy.

All in all, CLF raised over $89,000 at this fabulous event, more than doubling the success of past years.  The entire $89,000 will support students who choose to work in the public interest sector.  We can only hope that next year will be even better!"

Thanks to Lauren for the great recap and congratulations to all the members of CLF who worked so hard to make this year's Auction such a fantastic success and, of course, thanks to all the members of the Law School community who so generously gave to support our students who dedicate themselves to serving those so much in need.

Welcome to Sarah Rewerts, Our New Director of Financial Aid

My name is Sarah Rewerts and I joined the Admissions Office in late November as the new Director of Financial Aid.   I am excited to join such a vibrant and intellectually curious community.  In my role, I serve as a liaison between our students and the University’s Student Loan Administration Office (SLA),  administer Chicago’s Hormel Public Interest Program (HPIP), and assist our Dean for Admissions with evaluating applications and recruiting each year’s entering class.  Following my graduation from law school a decade ago, I began working within the higher education arena.  For eight of those years, I have assisted prospective law students as they navigated the worlds of admissions and financial aid.  Most recently, I directed the office of admissions at a Washington, DC based law school but the opportunity join the Chicago community brought me happily back to the Midwest!  I’m looking forward to meeting and working with many of our students as they pursue their academic and professional goals.

Welcome (Back) Our New Associate Director of Student Affairs, Maureen Sheehan ('04)

I'd like to welcome (back) the newest member of the Law School's great administrative team, Maureen Sheehan, our new Associate Director of Student Affairs, and one of my own law school chums!  Here's a brief introduction from Maureen:

"My name is Maureen Sheehan and I returned to the Law School this August to serve as the Associate Director of Student Affairs after graduating from the Law School in 2004.  In this role, I provide guidance to our student organizations, advice about course selection, and I am a resource for students on a variety of personal and academic matters.  I decided to leave my transactional practice at a large Chicago law firm to return to the University of Chicago Law School because I am committed to both the academic mission of the Law School and the richness of student life here.  Together with the rest of the student services team, we help ensure that our students enjoy a smooth transition to law school and that our students have a great experience while they are here."

We hope that Maureen's decision to return to the Law School, like my own, helps give you a sense of how happy and satisfied our students find their experience with us!  Once again, welcome back, Maureen!!

The Chicago Forum is Coming!!

Well now that you know what to ask about when you come to a LSAC Law School Forum, I would like to remind you that this Saturday, September 15 is the Chicago Law School Forum.  It is being held at the Chicago Marriott Hotel located at 540 N. Michigan from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.  If you would like to register please visit the LSAC website and look for the link to the registration page on the right-hand side of the page.  It will be a very informative event with over 165 law schools in attendance.  Also, there will be a number of panels being presented they will give you insight into various parts of the admissions process as well as information about careers in law.  The University of Chicago Law School will be at Table 48 which will be in the all the way in the back corner to the right as you walk through the doors to the ballroom.  We will have several representatives from the Law School present including Kristen Mercado, our Student Services Fellow, current students including Tim Cleary, Kyle Ortiz and Karen Courtheoux who are 2nd year students.  So if you are going to be in Chicago this weekend, make sure and stop by our table to pick up a copy of our 2007-2008 viewbook and other materials.  We look forward to seeing you!

U of C Admissions Spotting

We have been working on our 2007 recruiting travel schedule.  Each fall members of the Law School community travel around the country visiting schools and cities where we spread the good word about the Law School and the law school experience in general.

One of the first things we do is attend the LSAC Forums, which are usually held in ballrooms at hotels in large cities.  The Forums have over 150 law schools represented and they are a great place to pick up materials and to gather answers to your basic questions from many schools all in one stop.  LSAC (which also lists the full range of recruiting events) also provides information sessions at the Forums about all aspects of the admissions process.  The Forums are a great place to meet someone from our office but because of the large number of people it is hard to have in-depth conversations. 

You might also consider attending one of the school-specific fairs, usually hosted by an individual university's prelaw office.  The school fairs are smaller versions of the Forums, with about a hundred schools represented, gathered in one large room and ready to provide you with materials and answer some simple questions.  I highly recommend checking with your prelaw office or the prelaw website at your nearest university to find a convenient school fair.  These individual school fairs are an easy to check out numerous law schools all in one spot.

Finally we visit schools on our own or with a small group of other law schools.  At these panel discussions we give a general prelaw presentation and an overview of our program.  These sessions are a great way to learn more detailed information about the application process and our school.  They are informal, relaxed and interactive -- questions and participation from attendees are encouraged! 

For all the details on these coming attractions visit our 2007 Fall Recruiting Calendar!

Author: MM

Summer Hiatus

We're going to take a little break from blogging here for the rest of the summer. We'll be back in mid-August. in the mean time, we encourage you to catch up with our old posts that you may have missed. Don't forget to sign up for our feed so that you'll be the first to know when we start writing again! hAve a great rest of your summer!

Welcome

Welcome to the newest member of the University of Chicago Law School blog family! We hope that this will give you a window into the lives of our students, faculty, staff, and friends. Check back often for updates starting September 1 (coincidentally, the first day we start accepting applications for the Class of 2010).