A Day in the Life

Time, and Technology, March On

This post is to let our readers know that we’re “archiving” the Day in the Life blog. We’ve had a wonderful time writing it and have had great feedback from our applicants about it, but we think the time has come to communicate with you in new and different ways. We find that each year we don’t have that many new things to add to our advice about personal statements and the like, but the advice from previous years is all still valid. So we encourage you to use the archive of this blog as a resource, and we’ll leave it here for you to read.

We hope that you’ll visit our redesigned website as well, as it is chock full of information about our school, the applications process, and many more things that we think our applicants might want to know. You can also follow the Admissions Office and The Law School on Twitter, or see what some of our students and faculty are tweeting about at TweetChicago.

Thanks for keeping us company on this blog these past few years!

Podcast: Dean Perry on "Creating the Killer Law School Application"

The Law School's own Assistant Dean for Admissions Ann Perry recently participated in the recording of a podcast called "Creating the Killer Law School Application." According to LawSchoolPodcaster.com, the podcast will

"examine how students can make their applications stand out, what admissions committees are looking for in the applications and how students can showcase their unique accomplishments and shine despite perceived weaknesses."

Other guests included:

• Andy Cornblatt, Dean of Admissions, Georgetown University Law Center
• Paul Bodine, Senior Editor at Accepted.com and author of Great Personal Statements for Law School
• Derek E. Meeker, Senior Law School Consultant for AdmissionsConsultants, Inc. and former Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at University of Pennsylvania Law School
• Mark Aziz, Georgetown University Law Center Law Student

Justice Breyer Visits the Law School

Although the height of the admissions season has caused a brief hiatus in posting on the blog (applications at Chicago are up this year, which means it has been quite busy around here), we thought today would be a great day to post because there are some exciting things going on at the Law School.  This weekend, the Law School is hosting a "Shakespeare and the Law" conference, featuring a special guest - Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer!  Faculty member Richard Posner, who sits on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, will also be performing.  If you want to read more about the conference, check out this post on the Faculty Blog.  

On a somewhat related note, there is a buzz around the Law School as everyone eagerly awaits the announcement of President Obama's first Supreme Court nominee.  Law School professor and Judge Diane P. Wood, currently a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, has been reported to be on the short list for the Supreme Court nomination.  (There was an interesting profile of Judge Wood in the New York Times earlier this week.)  Judge Wood currently teaches a 1L Civil Procedure course at the Law School. 

Another Clinic Project Making Good Things Happen!

Recently the Institute for Justice Clinic on Entrepreneurship finished a major project they had been working on for several months.  Self-Help Inspired People LLC (SHIP) came to the IJ Clinic last year with a compelling idea for bringing employment and stability to the lives of ex-offenders through entrepreneurship. They had tough questions about how a sustainable and profitable business arrangement could be successfully accomplished. Their goal was to set up a business for local farms on the South Side of Chicago. SHIP stakeholders were very enthusiastic but were hesitant to make investments in this urban farmers’ market venture because they didn’t have a model for the governance and operations of such an entity.

This is where the IJ Clinic stepped in to fill in this missing piece. Two of our IJ Clinic students, Laura Ebberson, '09, and George Houhanisin, '10, spent months working with SHIP counseling, researching and drafting the necessary corporate documents to make this dream a reality. SHIP’s LLC operating agreement has been signed and they have taken the first steps towards executing their business plan for setting up these urban farms and bringing fresh fruits and vegetables to the area from these local farms. It will be great to have an apple or tomato that has been grown just blocks away. The IJ Clinic experienced firsthand how the positive force of entrepreneurship to empower under-served communities can be unleashed through zealous and creative transactional legal representation.

Here is a photo from the triumphant day when the agreement was signed.

News from our Clinics: The Federal Criminal Justice Project!

Professor Alison Siegler, who is the newest member of our legal clinic, is in charge of the Federal Criminal Justice Project. The FCJP is a terrific opportunity for students to gain experience practicing in federal courts while representing indigent defendants who have been charged with federal crimes.  Two of our 3L students, Kristin Greer Love and James Burnham, recently filed an amicus brief in the Seventh Circuit dealing with the "fast track" sentencing disparity, a cutting-edge legal issue.  Kristin, James, and two other 3Ls, Emma Mittelstaedt and Stephanie Holmes, also recently helped a draft a petition for a writ of certiorari on this issue, asking the U.S. Supreme Court to resolve a current division among the Circuits over the correct answer. Both briefs were quoted on the “Sentencing Law & Policy” blog, the premier sentencing blog in the country and  the first blog ever to be cited by the U.S. Supreme Court.  Here is a copy of the amicus brief and here is a copy of the cert petition -- both with the students' names listed.

The students are very excited about having filed their first briefs and cert petition. As Professor Siegler explains, “My goal is for my students to get lots of practical experience working with clients and in federal court, and also to get them involved in the most contested legal issues of the day.” And as Kristin relates, this first year of the clinic has been very successful: “It is very exciting to both get direct litigation experience and to work on one of the most interesting and controversial issues in sentencing law today.” “We are spending more time practicing in federal court through the clinic than most law firm associates,” said Stephanie.  Emma notes that “I have always been interested in criminal law, and the clinic provides an opportunity to make a real difference.” Finally, James adds: “The fast-track disparity is likely to end up before the Supreme Court soon, and our clinic may be lucky enough to take it there.  We just filed our own fast-track appeal in the Seventh Circuit.  If the Supreme Court doesn’t grant cert on the Eleventh Circuit case, there’s a chance they’ll take ours.”  Congratulations Kristin, James, Stephanie, and Emma, and good luck with your cases!

International Press come to Chicago to look at the Credit Crisis!

Law and Philosophy have always intersected and a Dutch TV station came to campus in January to do a documentary featuring our faculty and students discussing the human and ethical issues emerging from current economic crisis.  For the most part, what has happened and continues to happen in the financial markets is legal but is the outcome fair?   The Dutch TV station felt it would be interesting to explore this issue from the University of Chicago as it is the academic community where both economist Milton Friedman, staunch promoter of free market capitalism, and President Barack Obama taught.

About ten of our law students will explore new ways and solutions to "repair" any possible injustice caused by the current financial crisis.  They will do this by taking a moral perspective rather than going down the more conventional road of financial and corporate legislation.  The sessions are hosted by philosopher and Law School professor Martha Nussbaum and the students will collect evidence and advice from other professors from the University of Chicago including Douglas Baird, David Weisbach, Brian Leiter, Eric Posner and Todd Henderson.  Law Students featured are Pier Petersen, Brett Reynolds, Katy Welter, Eric Gyasi, Gretchen Helfrich, Alex Kolod, Chris Trendler, and Ruben Rodrigues.    

The program recently aired is primarily in English with Dutch subtitles, although it begins with a few minutes of mostly Dutch. To launch it, you may need to select the media player option that works with your system, listed to the right of the video.  Very interesting! 

A New Dean in 2010

As some of you may have heard, our Dean, Saul Levmore, announced last Monday that he will be stepping down from the Deanship no later than the summer of 2010. Here is his announcement to the Law School community:

Dear Colleagues and Members of Our Community,

I have long said that eight years is about the longest a dean should serve, and I am now in that eighth year. Consequently, President Zimmer will soon ask a faculty committee at the Law School to begin the search process for a new Dean. In making this announcement now, the President, the Provost, and I allow the Law School ample time to search for its next Dean. The likely starting date would be in the Summer of 2010, but I stand ready to end my term as dean before then if the law faculty, President, and Trustees find their next agent quickly. Between now and then, there is much to do, and I promise my full energy to the initiatives underway as well as to new ideas for the improvement of a place that has never stood still despite its greatness. I do, however, look forward to resuming life as a full-time member of the faculty, embarking on other adventures, and teaching and writing about new interests.

It is all too common in these announcements to list the buildings renovated, the capital campaigns completed, the faculty hired, and the programs launched. We should be proud of such things, but I prefer to associate myself with the terrific and important work done by faculty colleagues and with the great students who have blossomed here during my time as dean. Ours is a Law School that cannot possibly be accused of simply giving its stamp of approval to talented inputs, and we should take special pride in the value we have added as a community to the people and ideas that pass through here.

Saul Levmore
University of Chicago Law School

You can also read a bit more about Dean Levmore’s plans, including his commitment to re-embracing his role as a full-time scholar and teacher here at the Law School, in this article.

A search committee is now being formed, and we’ll let you know who the members are as soon as they are announced. All of us here in admissions look forward to assisting the search committee in any way we can, and to working with our new dean when the time comes.   However, for the next couple of admissions cycles, we have Dean Levmore at the helm and truly appreciate his committment to admissions.

Yesterday at the Law School!

Yesterday in the Green Lounge I was able to support several student activities which were "tabling" during the day. First, I paid for the silent auction item I won at the Chicago Law Foundation auction held last week. It was a fun night with a tropical theme and the best news is they raised over $40,000 to help students who are doing public interest jobs in the summer. I won the gift certificate to the bakery Sugar Bliss. There were some fabulous live auction items included the following:

• Improv with the Icon: This prize brings together two of Chicago’s most legendary institutions: Second City and Richard Epstein. Eight students are invited to join Professor Epstein for a night of comedy at the renowned improv club, followed by dinner in Old Town.
• Midway Masala: Professor Nussbaum will cook an authentic Indian meal at her home for up to six people. Just to keep things extra interesting, Judge Posner will join the group for dinner. Sounds spicy!
• Inclusionary Vibes at Wrigley Field: Professor Strahilevitz will take three students to see the Cubs, date TBD. Suggested icebreaker: Does the social normative framework of the Friendly Confines dictate that one drinks Budweiser or Old Style (or both)? Tickets generously provided by Jones Day.

I also purchased tickets for the Law School Musical which is this weekend. The title this year is "Chicago First: A Musical We Can Believe In". This is always a fun event and the students put in a lot of time and effort. We have some very talented students here at the Law School. Finally, I made several (more than I should have) stops at the Spring Break of Service (SOS) bake sale. They are raising money for their trip to Mississippi Center for Justice which is a nonprofit, public interest law firm that has focused on the massive housing-related legal needs post-Katrina. Approximately 34 law students will participate this year during Spring Break! I ended the day at our annual Coase lecture given by Omri Ben-Shahar. His talk was titled, "Myths of Consumer Protection: Information, Litigation and Access". The lecture was an introduction into the economic analysis of consumer protection. The courtroom was standing room only and the questions/answer period after the lecture was lively!

As you can see the days at the Law School are action packed. I am sure I missed some other opportunities but I did have applications to read!

PS I also wanted to remind you to check out the faculty blog for interesting discussions. One particular post I have been meaning to highlight is the one about the panel discussion held several weeks ago with Judge Posner and Professors Nussbaum and Case. This panel was organized by several student organizations. To read more, go here on our faculty blog.

An Update from the International Law Society

In the Admissions Office, we have the opportunity to speak with many prospective students about their interests in the law. International law is one area of interest that we hear mentioned very frequently. Accordingly, we thought you may be interested in this update from Curtis Strong, Vice President of the Law School’s International Law Society, discussing the study of international law at U of C.

The Law School has been well known for its reputation in many things: outstanding faculty scholarship, high clerkship placement with federal judges, law and economics, and more recently, President Barack Obama. Historically, international law has not made that "well known" list. However, that has recently changed with some of the exciting new developments at the Law School in the international law arena.

Faculty: The Law School has added some amazingly bright new international law scholars to its faculty in recent years. They include Thomas Ginsburg, Daniel Abebe, Rosalind Dixon, and Anu Bradford (among others). This new team of international law scholars has helped catapult the University of Chicago to the forefront of international legal studies.

Classes: With the influx of outstanding international law professors, the Law School now offers a wealth of classroom opportunities for international law study. The international curriculum includes enough courses to keep zealous international law enthusiasts busy through law school. These classes include International Human Rights, International Organizations, Law of the European Union, East Asian Law, Women living under Muslim Law, International Arbitration, and Comparative Constitutional Law (just to name a few).

Student Publications and Organizations: The Law School is home to Chicago Journal of International Law, one of the most respected and cutting-edge international law journals in the world. This student-run journal began in 2000 and has quickly come to the forefront of international scholarship. Recent publications discuss the reconstruction of failing states, global trade, and the link between Islam and international law.

In addition, the International Law Society has seen a tremendous resurgence in the past two years and is currently laying the groundwork for a very ambitious future, including possible participation in international moot court competitions. The International Human Rights Society has also organized, and has already begun to facilitate discussion about international human rights problems and solutions among the Law School community.

Other student organizations help foster an international culture at the law school and maintain awareness of international legal issues. These organizations include the Japan Law Society, Latino Law Students Association, Middle Eastern Law Association, South Asian Law Students Association, and Asian Pacific American Law Student Association.

Employment Opportunities: Approximately five percent of our students accepted summer positions in foreign countries last summer with foreign businesses, law firms, and public interest organizations.

In addition, a new International Human Rights Summer program was announced this year at the Law School. Students in this program will be linked with Professors Martha Nussbaum, Rosalind Dixon, and Thomas Ginsburg to assist with their research. Students will also have an opportunity to work during the summer with human rights organizations in various locations, including South Korea, England, South Africa, Australia, and India. On a related note, the Law School also offers generous summer funding and a loan repayment program to assist students who pursue public interest employment.

The Law School has also offered the opportunity for one student to work during the summer at the law office of Nagashima Ohno in Tokyo, Japan. This student will work in a paid summer associate position in Tokyo with one of the top law firms in Japan. By all accounts, former participants have absolutely loved the experience.

Lastly, the Office of Career Services ("OCS") is an excellent resource for students interested in pursuing international law careers in foreign countries, or even just for a summer. OCS continually updates the international opportunities that are available for students, and has had tremendous success putting students in touch with contacts who are willing to help students find job opportunities abroad.

With these developments, the University of Chicago Law School has become one of the premier international law institutions in the country and we plan to get even better!

If you have questions about studying international law at the University of Chicago Law School, the International Law Society can be reached at [email protected].

What is up in the Admissions Office????

Happy Friday!  The admissions office is humming along and I thought it would be a good time to give an update of how the cycle is going.  Our applications are up about 5% with just a little more than a week before the deadline.  We expect to get over 5500 this year!  So if you haven't finished your application yet, do so very soon!  There are a lot of applications to read so you can guess what I will be doing this weekend!  And as you may know, we have started rolling out decisions and will continue until the last application is read! This is a tough time of year because we get such terrific applications and we just can't admit everyone, the committee's decisions are difficult. So with that being said, if you have already applied you can continue to check your status on our on-line status checker.  However, please be patient if you haven't heard from us yet, as every application is reviewed twice by a member of the admissions committee.   If you haven't applied and our still looking into law school and live on the West coast I encourage you to go to the Los Angeles and San Francisco Law School Forums which are in a little over a month. It is a great way to gather information about a lot of law schools.  Our director of financial aid, Sarah, will be there representing Chicago.  The admissions cylce never stops!