A Day in the Life

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. 

Lions and Tigers and Bears - Animal Law Week!

This week was Animal Law Week here at U of C.  The Student Animal Legal Defense Fund is collaborating with the Chicago Law Animal Welfare Society to bring awareness of these issues to U of C.  We have had several events and speakers on campus, including the Humane Society and the HSUS National Campaign to End Dog Fighting.

One of our student bloggers, Alex Kolod, talked yesterday about Christine Korsgaard's lecture on "Interacting With Animals: A Kantian Account."

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!

Hinton Moot Court Finals

Making it to the Hinton Moot Court Finals is no small feat.  The four finalists, Cleve Doty '09, Kyle Reynolds '08, Stephen Schwartz '08, and Michael Walsh '08, persevered through two grueling rounds of arguments against some stiff competition from their talented classmates.  Now with the Finals just hours away some of our finalists shared their thoughts on this year-long experience.

"Moot Court has been a wild ride. I showed up for both the preliminary and semi-final rounds intending to put in a good effort even though I was I sure I wouldn't move on, yet I was pleasantly surprised when I did.  The faculty panel [comprised of Professors Julie Roin, Lisa Bernstein and Tom Ginsburg]: they ask all of those hard questions you hope they're not going to raise.  As for the Finals, I'm just happy to participate.  My parents are flying up from Texas and it will be an honor to argue with the other finalists."  - Cleve Doty '09

"The Moot Court competition has been terrific thus far.  You have to be at your best, of course, because you're up against some of the best legal writers and debaters at the Law School.  Even though the competition is tough the competition have been very collegial because some of my favorite people at the Law School have been involved.  I'm excited to advance with the other finalists and to argue before a panel of federal judges."  - Stephen Schwartz '08

"I watched the moot court competition during my first two years at the Law School and it looked like a great time.  So far it has met my expectations.  Like working in the Clinic, moot court is a good measure of how much I've learned in three years (and how much I will learn in the next thirty years).  I'm excited to argue in the last round when the all the judges come to town."  - Michael Walsh '08

The Finals will be held tomorrow, May 6th, before a panel of prestigious federal judges, Frank Easterbrook, Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and U of C Senior Lecturer in Law, Judge Margaret McKeown of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and Judge Barbara Rothestein of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.  This year's case is Carcieri v. Kempthorne, 497 F.3d 15 (1st Cir. 2007) which addresses the question of whether the federal government has the ability to take land into trust for Native American Indian Tribes not recognized until after the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934.  Good luck to our finalists!

Student Organizations 101: Environmental Law Society

Next in "Student Organizations 101" series is the Environmental Law Society (ELS) which, in conjunction with the Public Interest Law Society, held a lunchtime speaking event on careers in public interest work in environmental law.  Below is a recap of the event, and an introduction to ELS, by Kristin Greer Love ('09).

"Last week the Environmental Law Society (ELS) and the Public Interest Law Society (PILS) co-hosted "So, You Want to Save the Planet?: Public Interest Work in Environmental Law," a lunch talk with three young attorneys who are fighting the good fight for the environment.  Our lunch panel featured Andrew Armstrong of the Illinois Attorney General's Office's Environmental Division, Sherry Daun ('03) of the Chicagoland Bicycle Foundation and Meleah Geertsma of the Environmental Law and Policy Center.  Law students, undergraduate students from the College, and graduate students from the Harris School of Public Policy joined three public interest attorneys for a delicious lunch from a Hyde Park institution, Snail Thai restaurant.

The three lawyers shared invaluable insights for students who are interested in pursuing public interest work soon after law school.  Armstrong worked for a couple of years in the private school, gaining invaluable litigation that made him a stand-out candidate for his current job in the Attorney General's Office.  Daun began as a volunteer with the Bicycle Federation, while practicing elsewhere and now works with lawmakers and city officials to improve funding and planning for alternative transportation and to advocate for cyclists.  Geertsma completed a one-year Master's Degree program in Public Health after her J.D. which broadened her knowledge base and better prepared her to litigate and investigate complex public health and environmental concerns stemming from coal power plants.

Their advice? First, network with attorneys who have jobs that you would love to have a few years after graduation and talk with them about how they made it.  Next, read about loan forgiveness programs for public interest lawyers and borrow as little as possible during law school.  On the same note, live like a law student after graduating and use your income to pay down your debt.  The panelists also suggested courses such as Legislation for those interested in government practice such as working in a legislator's office or as a liaison between a public interest organization and legislators; Administrative Law and Environmental Law for those interested in (what else?) environmental work.  Another piece of advice was to consider a joint-degree program such as a JD-MPP [such as the program available at the Law School] that will add value and make you a better candidate on the public interest job work.  The panelists also suggested working in the private sector is also a great way to develop your skills before moving to a public interest position where you are likely to have a lot of responsibility right from the beginning.  Finally, they suggested volunteering and/or interning with organizations during law school to get a sense of whether you would like to work with them after law school."

Kristin also gives a run-down on past and future events ELS organized and embodies the type of commitment and enthusiasm students at the Law School have for their causes and interests, and the way they seek to inform the rest of the community about new issues.

"Earlier this year ELS sponsored a talk on congesting pricing with Visiting Professor Jonathan Nash [also a past Law School Bigelow Fellow to our very own Student Services Fellow, Kristen Mercado ('04)], a service trip to nearby Jackson Park to help with a habitat preservation project, and an outing to the annual Chocolate Festival at the Garfield Park Conservatory, a beautiful cultural and botanical center on Chicago's West Side.  In the Spring Quarter, we will host a talk with Professor Eric Posner among others on climate change justice.  We're also planning several events for Earth Week, including talks on homeland security and the environment, environmental issues in the Supreme Court, carbon markets, as well as a trip to dine at Chicago's Green Zebra and a river restoration project."

No one can call these ecologically-minded students lazy!  For more on other student organizations that contribute to the rich and diverse community at the Law School, revisit the blog soon.  You can also learn more about the intersection between the law and the environment you can soon read a review and listed to a podcast of the latest in the Chicago's Best Ideas series, "Climate Change and the Battle of the Generations," delivered by Dean Saul Levmore.

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.

Student Organizations 101: Asian Pacific American Law Students Association

As part of a series of introductions to the more than sixty student organizations at the Law School we are pleased to present an introduction to the Asian Pacific American Law Students Organization (APALSA).  APALSA, like many of our other student organizations, recently sponsored a lunchtime speaker event.  Karen Kim ('09) and James Moon ('09) provides with a recap of a recent event:

"Recently the University of Chicago's Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (APALSA) held a lunchtime speaker events featuring two prominent government attorneys.  The first was Asheesh Agarwal ('97), Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice (DOJ) in Washington, DC.  The second was Manish Shah ('98), Assistant United States Attorney for the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois here in Chicago.

Messrs. Shah and Agrawal spoke generally about the appeal of government positions in contrast to private practice.  They also discusses the role of political ideology in government services and the importance in legitimacy in federal law enforcement.  Mr. Agrawal shared his experiences in recent federal issues involving voting discrimination, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and political appointments within the DOJ.  Mr. Shah talked about the role of a prosecutor, the benefits and drawbacks of being a government prosecutor in contrast to a litigator in private practice, and the general difficulty of reconciling differences of opinion with the administration setting policy. 

Overall, the event was one of many activities sponsored by APALSA this year.  In addition to hosting a number of guest speakers, APALSA members volunteer monthly at a downtown legal aid clinic, run a Big & Little Sibling mentoring program for its junior members, and help organize networking events with APALSA groups from surrounding schools.  Through its activities, APALSA aims to foster a sense of community and provide a network of formal and informal support for Asian-American law students here at U of C."

Thanks to Karen and James for the recap and check back to the blog for the next installment in Student Organizations 101!

The "Over the Hump" Party: U of C Students Celebrate the Mid-Point of the Year

U of C students are well-known for their dedication to their studies but they are also great at bringing balance to their lives with lots of fun.  Sara Feinstein (08), our Law Students Association President, gives us an example of the way our students celebrate the mid-point of the year:

"Students at the University of Chicago tend to embrace a "work hard, play hard" mentality.  The quarterly Law Students Association party exemplifies this mentality.  During Winter Quarter, after the 1L students complete their second Bigelow writing assignment, LSA hosts a heavily subsidized party affectionately called "Over the Hump."  This party, usually on a Thursday night, involves drinks, dancing and a much needed opportunity for law students to relax with their friends.  Over 200 law students attended the event held on February 7th at Club 720."

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.

"Super Wednesday" Coffee Mess

Each Wednesday morning the whole Law School community gathers in the Green Lounge for coffee, donuts and conversation for the longstanding Coffee Mess tradition.  This past Wednesday's Coffee Mess had a special theme.  The Law School Democrats hosted a "Super Wednesday" Coffee Mess that allowed students to informally discuss the results of Super Tuesday with faculty, including Professors Cass Sunstein,  Alison LaCroix, Adam Cox and Gerald Rosenberg.  Hollin Kretzmann ('08), a member of the group, provided us with the student perspective on this great event:

"Students across the country are keeping tabs on the primaries and talking about the election results and the Law School students are no different.  But what if we added the insights of Obama's top legal advisor, a couple of Constitutional scholars and economic experts to the mix?

What you get is the the Law School Democrats hosting of an informal "Morning After" discussion during Coffee Mess, inviting politically engaged faculty to sit with students over coffee and bagels to pour over the Super Tuesday results.  The diversity of opinions precluded a consensus on what Tuesday's results mean, but you can be sure professors and students had a lot to say!"

Although this event was a theme Coffee Mess, the type of interaction it fostered is indicative of the collegial and friendly Law School community, and something I always happily anticipate each Wednesday!

For some more faculty commentary on the presidential campaigns you can read Professor Geoffrey Stone's recent piece on former President Bill Clinton's role in the election in the Chicago Tribune, as well as other musings on current events and emerging legal issues on the Law School's widely renowned, frequently updated Faculty Blog.