A Day in the Life

Some light reading for the long weekend ahead!

I am in the office today catching up on a few things before the long weekend.  As I am clearing out my inbox, I wanted to share with you a couple of articles about Hyde Park, the Chicago neighborhood where the Law School is located.  As you probably know, Hyde Park has become very popular with the election of Barack Obama.  Yes, I have driven by his home a couple of times since it is only 10 blocks from the Law School.  So if you have a chance and are interested in learning more about Hyde Park, take a look at these articles:

http://www.timeout.com/chicago/articles/features/58991/pride-barack-stroll

http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/explore/chi-obama-tour-1113nov13,0,2599878.story

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/15/AR2008101503728.html?sub=new&sid=ST2008101503923&s_pos=

http://www.findingdulcinea.com/features/feature-articles/2008/november/Hyde-Park-A-Love-Affair-with-Obamas-Neighborhood.html

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20081116/news_1t16obama.html

http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/12/21/travel/21surfacing.html?ref=travel

Happy Holidays!

The fall quarter is officially over!!!  Faculty and students are on break with classes resuming on Monday, January 5.  We here in admissions, though, are busy processing and reviewing applications.  Soon we will also start sending out decisions.   We will continue to write on this blog during break but there isn’t exactly a lot going on since there are no students or faculty around!  I know we have written a couple of times about the building renovations that were recently completed at the Law School.  We have taken this one step further as our own Professor Douglas Baird hosts a short tour that is available to watch on line.  Here is the link  http://www.uchicago.edu/features/20081215_lawschool.shtml

Happy Holidays!!

Skadden Fellowships Awarded to Two U of C Students!

As you may already know if you have been following our blog, we often discuss the broad range of career resources, services, and opportunities available to our students as they pursue summer and long-term legal employment.  On that note, I am writing today with some very exciting news to share with you.  We are happy to announce that two of our third-year law students have been awarded two-year public interest fellowships from the Skadden Fellowship Foundation, recently described by Lois Casaleggi, our Senior Director of Career Services, as “one of the premier post-graduate public interest fellowship programs”.

Kristen Greer Love will be working at a center for migrant rights in Mexico, where she will focus on transnational workers’ rights law and protecting the rights of guest workers who come to the United States.  Kent Qian will be working in Northern California with the National Housing Law Project assisting tenants in foreclosed properties.  Please read the press release to learn more about the inspiring projects that Kristen and Kent will be pursuing, the Skadden Fellowship, and to read Dean Saul Levmore's thoughts.

The public interest job search for law students is a very individualized process (particularly in comparison to the private sector job search) and requires applications, essays, and other targeted efforts. The Office of Career Services provides comprehensive assistance and support to students pursuing careers in public interest law, including work with domestic and international nonprofit organizations and government agencies.  Please review our recent blog post about funding for students who work in public interest positions following their first year of law school (approximately one third of our students work in the public sector during their first-year summer) and look for an upcoming discussion about our Hormel Public Interest Program on this blog.

Summer Funding for Public Interest or Government Work

Last week, we posted a story about a new International Human Rights Program here at Chicago. Students will not only be able to work in places such as New Delhi, Sydney, and London, but the Law School will also provide funding for them to do so. Our Heerey Summer Public Interest Fellowships are one such source of that funding. The great thing about our program is that students can work in a wide variety of jobs - from one of these new positions abroad to the AG's office in New York. In fact, any position that involves legal work for the public interest, a non profit, or governmental organization could qualify for funding. The only caveats are that students need to work full-time for at least 4 weeks in their qualifying position and they need to make less than $1200 per week. In return, students receive a $6,000 partially forgiveable loan: $3,000 of it is forgiven when they complete their 1L summer work and the remaining $3,000 balance is payable over a year later, after they have had a chance to make serious cash at a firm their 2L summer. For 2Ls who decide to work in the public interest again their second summer, they could have the entire $6,000 forgiven. A large number of Chicago students use this funding each summer to pursue the summer job of their dreams. We have funded students working abroad and in states from Alaska to California and New York. As you research law schools, I encourage you to think about your employment prospects and the financial support that different schools provide. In future posts, I will also provide information on our Hormel Public Interest Program - another great source of support for our graduates who want to go into public service and government work.

What Are We Reading?

Ever wonder what the faculty here at U of C read whilst curled up by the fire (yes, the winter season has already kicked in!)? Ranging from law and history to fiction novels, this What Are We Reading section details the latest books that our faculty have read and enjoyed. Take a crack at To Kill A Mockingbird (recommended by Professor Emily Buss) or Stalin: A Biography (one of Professor Brian Leiter's picks).

Law school applicants are always asking for that great summer reading list before school starts. So, here is your chance to start becoming as well read as our faculty!