Earle Mack School of Law Weekly Newsletter: Oct. 10, 2011

In this Issue:

• Scholarships, Fellowships, and Writing Competitions
• Transactional LawMeet
• Office of Student Affairs
• Congrats to Students Selected for National Trial Team Competitions

• Public Interest Week
• Academic Skills
• Student Bar Association
• Student Organizations
• Events on Campus and Around Town
• Bar Prep Course Providers
  
• Event Advertisement Policy

Scholarships, Fellowships, and Writing Competitions

Writing Competitions

2011 NLR Law Student Writing Competition - Deadline: October 17
For details, please visit http://www.natlawreview.com/NLR-law-student-writing-competition.

2012 ACCFSL Writing Competition - Deadline: December 1, 2011
For details, please visit http://earlemacklaw.drexel.edu/docket/enewsletter/091911/2012ACCFSLComp.pdf.

New! The Dukeminier Awards Best Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Law Review Articles 2012 Student Writing Competition - Deadline: January 1, 2012
For details, please visit http://wiwp.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012-Dukeminier-Awards-Student-Note-Announcement.pdf.

American Indian Law Writing Competition - Deadline: January 31, 2012
For details, please visit http://www.ailr.net/writecomp.

Scholarships

Sadie T.M. Alexander Book Fund Scholarship and Justice Juanita Kidd Stout Tuition Scholarship - Deadline: October 13, 2011
The National Bar Association Women Lawyers Division, Philadelphia Chapter awards two scholarships to deserving female African-American law students. There will be one Justice Juanita Kidd Stout Tuition Scholarship awarded in the amount of $5,000 and up to six Sadie T.M. Alexander Book Scholarships awarded in the amounts of $500 (possibly up to $1,000). The deadline to apply is October 13, 2011. The application materials for the scholarships are available by clicking on the following link: http://earlemacklaw.drexel.edu/docket/enewsletter/092611/NBAScholarshipApplication2011.pdf

James W. Stoudt Memorial Law School Scholarship - Deadline: December 2, 2011
The Pennsylvania Bar Foundation is currently accepting applications for the James W. Stoudt Memorial Law School Scholarship. This award provides four, $3,000 scholarships, two of which are specifically designated to support minority law students, to second year students attending any one of the eight accredited law schools presently serving Pennsylvania. Applicants must be able to document residency with either a current voter registration card or current Pennsylvania driver’s license. Applications are due December 2, 2011 and can be found at http://www.pabarfoundation.org/Programs%20and%20Awards/James%20W.aspx.

Donald W. Banner Diversity Scholarship - Deadline: January 5, 2012
For details, please visit http://www.bannerwitcoff.com/about/diversity/.

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Transactional LawMeet

ATTN: All Students Interested in Business Law

The Earle Mack School of Law at Drexel University is participating again this year in the annual Transactional LawMeet. The Regional Rounds of the Meet will be held on February 17, 2012.

Students who are interested in participating as a member of a Drexel team must participate in an on-line version of the Meet that begins on October 14. This MiniMeet will be accessible on www.LawMeets.com beginning at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, October 14 and will require that you prepare and submit a three-minute video response to a hypothetical client problem. Like the full Meet, the problem involves an executive compensation issue. Your submission will be due on or before 5 pm on Sunday, October 23.

For additional information, please visit: http://www.earlemacklaw.drexel.edu/academics/concentrations/business_and_entrepreneurship/transactional-lawyering-meet/mini-meet/

Contact Professor Karl Okamoto at ko54@drexel.edu with any questions.

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Office of Student Affairs

Employment Affidavit Reminder!
Employment affidavits for the 2011-2012 academic year are now past due! The deadline for ALL students was October 1, 2011. As a reminder, all upper class students are required to fill out a new form every year. If you have not submitted your affidavit, please stop by the OSA as soon as possible to do so.

Spring Registration for 2Ls and 3Ls
Registration will begin for all third-year students on Wednesday, October 19, 2011 at 12:45 p.m. and will end at 11:59 p.m. on the same day. Registration will open again for all continuing Upper-Level students on Friday, October 21, 2011 at 12:45 p.m. and remain open through Monday, January 16, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. For further registration and course information, please consult the Spring 2012 registration webpage linked below.

Please also be advised that financial holds are scheduled to be placed on delinquent accounts around October 20, 2011. A hold on your account will prevent you from registering for your spring courses so please check your e-bill in advance to ensure that you do not have any outstanding balance.

http://www.earlemacklaw.drexel.edu/studentLife/studentAffairs/registration_materials/2011-2012-spring-registration/

1L Elective Registration
An information session will be held on Thursday, October 13, 2011 at 3:45 p.m. in Room 140 to introduce the 1L electives for Spring 2012. The elective preference survey for all first-year students will open on Monday, October 17, 2011 at 12:10 p.m. and will close at 11:59 p.m. the same day. For further registration and course information, please consult the Spring 2012 registration webpage linked above. Course summaries are available within the linked Spring Master Schedule. Please also be advised that financial holds are scheduled to be placed on delinquent accounts around October 20, 2011. A hold on your account will prevent you from registering for your spring courses so please check your e-bill in advance to ensure that you do not have any outstanding balance.

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Congrats to Students Selected for National Trial Team Competitions

Professor Gwen Roseman Stern and the trial team coaches would like to congratulate the students who were selected to compete in our three national competitions in the fall. The tryouts for the spots were very rigorous and all students who tried out were terrific. Good luck to our competitors in the fall! Below are the list of the selected students:

Michael Benz
Maggie Wheltle
Carla Wasko
Frank Palecko
Stephen Kulp
Stephanie Luzzi
Lauren Katona
Racquel Hubbs
Ted Kopec
Doug Lavenberg
Cynthia Jentch

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Public Interest Week

The first annual Public Interest Week is coming!

Wednesday, October 12—Wednesday, October 26: Criminal Law Society will be running a drive for “Cradles to Crayons,” a charity for children in low-income families in Philadelphia. Collection boxes will be located on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th floors by the elevators.

Wednesday, October 12 | 12:00 p.m.: American Constitution Society will be hosting Judge Lisa Rau of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas as she discusses public interest careers in Constitutional law. Lunch will be provided

Thursday, October 13 | 2:00-3:30 p.m.: Career Strategies Office and Office of Experiential Learning will be participating in “President Obama’s Champions of Change.”

This national on-line conversation among law students and faculty, public service lawyers, and Attorney General Eric Holder, seeks to get thousands of future agents of legal change talking about what lawyers can do to close the justice gap. After, Attorney General Holder will field questions submitted electronically from these students in classrooms across the nation about how to use their legal training to help secure equal access to our justice system.

There will then be an extended Q & A session with Drexel’s Pro Bono director, Karen Pearlman, for students to come and ask questions about pro bono opportunities at Drexel.

Thursday, October 13 | 4:00 p.m.: Career Strategies Office brings you the 4th Annual Public Interest Reception. Please RSVP in Symplicity under “Events”; 1Ls please RSVP directly to Rashida West at rtw27@drexel.edu.
Attire is business Casual. Reception to follow in 3rd floor Gallery.

Table Talk: 4:00-5:30 p.m.
Guests agencies will include:

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Academic Skills

Academic Skills Fall Workshops for 1Ls

The Academic Skills Program lunch-time workshops are open to all first-year students. The workshops, led by Professors Kraybill and Coleman, focus on the skills needed for academic success in substantive law courses and Legal Methods. Workshops take place on Wednesdays* from 12:15-1:15 in either Law 240 or 440. No registration is required, just bring your lunch and join us. We'll bring snacks!

October 19 | Exam Writing Skills (Practice Exam) | 12:15-1:15 in Law 240
October 26 | Exam Writing Skills II (Practice Exam) | 12:15-1:15 in Law 240
November 9 | Exam Success Strategies | 12:15-1:15 in Law 240
Thursday, November 17* | Self-Editing the First Year Memo | 12:15-1:15 in Law 240

*NOTE: The final workshop will be held on Thursday, instead of Wednesday.

The Academic Skills Workshops schedule is available for download at this link.


Fall Dean’s Scholar Session Schedule

Schedule Change: Professor Asbury's Tuesday Dean's Scholar Sessions will no longer be held in Room 230. Instead, they will be held in Room 140. A revised copy of the schedule will be posted shortly. The older version can be downloaded here.

If you have any questions, contact Professor Nancy Kraybill at nck26@drexel.edu or stop by her office, Room 418 (on the 4th floor next to Classroom 420).

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Student Bar Association

Halloween Party! Friday, Oct. 21

Get out your most creative costume and join the Student Bar Association for our annual Halloween Party held at Field House (1150 Filbert Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107) on October 21, 2011 from 8:00-11:00 p.m. All students will receive 2 drink tickets (good for domestic beer, house wine or wells) and $3 beers, $4 wines, $4 well drinks and $5 call drinks until 11!!! Guests are welcome to attend; however, drink tickets are given to students only. Prizes will also be awarded for the top five costumes!!!

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Student Organizations

American Constitution Society
The Earle Mack School of Law at Drexel University Chapter of the American Constitution Society was chosen by the national American Constitution Society as the Student Chapter of the Week on October 7, 2011, the second consecutive year the Drexel Chapter has received the honor.

For updates, e-mail Drexelacs@gmail.com add us on TWEN, and join our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/groups/195032537196988/.

See http://www.acslaw.org/studentchapteroftheweek and http://www.earlemacklaw.drexel.edu/studentLife/organizations/Student%20Orgs/American%20Constitution%20Society/

Today! Monday, October 10 in Room 140 at 5:00 p.m., we will be having another Supreme Court litigator! Sean Summers, an experienced litigator, will speak about arguing Snyder v. Phelps (131 S.Ct. 1207). This was the First Amendment case about the Westboro Baptist Church protesting at military funerals. His practice centers around broad-based business and commercial litigation, and his background includes prosecution experience with Army JAG. One of his past cases was also memorialized in the book "The Officer's Wife" by Michael Freeman, which became the subject of an NBC Dateline episode. You can get more information at:
http://www.barley.com/news/Snyder_v_Phelps.cfm and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snyder_v._Phelps.
Food will be served!

Tuesday, October 11 in Room 240 at Noon - "Wrestling With God: The Court's Tortuous Treatment of Religion" with Professor Patrick Garry of the University of South Dakota. Prof. Garry is both a Ph.D. in Constitutional History and J.D. A widely published author in academia, non-fiction, and fiction, we will hear him speak about his criticism of the Supreme Court's confusing and contradictory establishment clause jurisprudence, and an offering of a new constitutional model that better reflects the intent of the framers and reconciles the establishment clause with the free exercise clause. - Co-sponsored with Drexel Federalists and Drexel Christian Law Students

Wednesday, October 12 in Room 240 at Noon - "Judge Lisa Rau"
Judge Lisa Rau will discuss public interest law. Food will be served.

Monday, October 17 in Room 240 at Noon - "Medical Malpractice through Sidney Lumet Films"
Professor Barry Furrow and Professor Peter Hoffman will discuss medical malpractice aspects of the Sidney Lumet films "The Verdict" and "Critical Care".
Lunch will be served. - Co-Sponsored with the Drexel Health Law Society.

Tuesday, October 18 from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. in Room 240, ACS will be simulcasting: The Declaration Of Independence: An illegal document? The event, an Oxford Style Debate, will include some of the most distinguished barristers in England, including Lord Goldsmith (formerly Attorney General under Tony Blair), Michael Beloff, QC, and Sally O’Neill, QC. The U.S. Team is just as impressive, and includes: Dean David F. Levi (Dean of Duke Law School and former Chief United States District Judge for the Eastern District of California); the Honorable Louis Pollack (former Dean of Yale and the University of Pennsylvania and Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania); and Kathleen Sullivan (Professor at Stanford and named Partner at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP). The debate will last 60-90 minutes, and Prof. Abu El-Haj has agreed to lead a Question & Answer session immediately following. Pizza will be served!

Thursday, October 20 from 4:00- 5:00 p.m. in Room 240, Professor Kent Greenfield will discuss his book "The Myth of Choice." Following the event, there will be a reception & book signing in the Second Floor Gallery. More details to follow.


Black Law Students Association
Workshop: "Extra Skills for Research and Writing" | October 24 | 12:15-1:15 p.m. | Room 240
This program is for students who need additional help with their writing. Professor Coleman will give detailed instructions on successful writing tips for the first year memo, in addition to her already scheduled weekly academic skills sessions. This is for students who need extra guidance with their work.


Brehons
Brown Bag Lunch Series | First Wednesday of Every Month | 12:00 p.m. | Room 230
The Drexel Brehons invite you to join us for our Brown Bag Lunch series. On the first Wednesday of each month, the Drexel Brehons will host a brown bag lunch in which a practicing lawyer from the Philadelphia Brehons will speak about his practice area and career path. This is a great opportunity to learn more about different areas of the law and network! The next brown bag lunch will be held on November 7th.


Criminal Law Society
Public Interest Week Donation Drive | October 12 – October 26 | 12:00 p.m. | Room 230
Ready for fall cleaning? We will be collecting gently used items- children’s pants and shorts, footballs, basketballs, soccer balls, infant car seats, puzzles and games, baby toys, baby books, sneakers (adult sizes 2-8), baby carriers, pack n’ plays, diaper bags and new socks and underwear. All Donations will be delivered to Cradles to Crayons which benefits children living in low income situations. If you wish to volunteer to help transport the goods, please e-mail drexelcrime@gmail.com. Boxes will be located in the elevator lobbies on the second, third, and fourth floors.

Federalist Society
Event: "The Court's Tortuous Treatment of Religion" | October 11 | 12:00 - 1:15 p.m. | Room 240
We will be hosting USD Law professor Patrick Garry to speak on the Supreme Court's confusing and contradictory establishment clause jurisprudence. He will offer a reconciliation in a new constitutional model that better reflects the intent of the framers. The event is co-sponsored by the Christian Legal Society and the ACS. All opinions welcomed! Lunch to be served.


Health Law Society
Upcoming Events:

• Speaker: Jim Beasley | Thursday, October 13 | 3:50 p.m. | Lunch provided
  
• Event: "Medical Malpractice through Sidney Lumet Films" | Monday, October 17 | 12:00-2:00 p.m. | Room 240 | co-sponsored by ACS
  
• Speaker: Emily Webber | Monday, October 24 | 5:00-6:30 p.m. | Reception to follow

Latin American Law Students Association
"Black in Latin America" Series | September 15 - October 20
In celebration of Hispanic/Latino Heritage Month, September 15, 2011 through October 20, 2011, LALSA is hosting a documentary viewing and discussion of "Black in Latin America" a four part PBS series dealing with race relations and the Afro-Latino culture across six countries, including Brazil, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Mexico, and Peru, each country serving as representative of a larger phenomenon.

Join LALSA on Thursday, October 20, from 4 p.m. - 6 p.m., in room 140, as we explore the last episode in the series: Mexico & Peru: The Black Grandma in the Closet

In Mexico and Peru, Henry Louis Gates explores the almost unknown history of the significant numbers of black people -- the two countries together received far more slaves than did the United States -- brought to these countries as early as the 16th and 17th centuries, and the worlds of culture that their descendants have created in Vera Cruz on the Gulf of Mexico, the Costa Chica region on the Pacific, and in and around Lima, Peru. Following the film viewing,Professor Bret Asbury will be facilitating a discussion with students. Food and refreshments will be provided.


OUTLaw
Philly AIDS Walk | October 16
OUTLaw has a team for the Philly AIDS Walk, which raises funds and awareness for HIV/AIDS education, community outreach, and support. The walk takes place on October 16th. Interested students and faculty may register online at www.aidswalkphilly.org. The team name is OUTLawDrexel, and registration is FREE!


Young Lawyers' Division of the PBA
YLD Networking Happy Hour | October 11 | 6:00-8:00 p.m. | Ladder 15, 1528 Sansom Street
Registration is required. For details, please visit http://www.philadelphiabar.org/page/EventDetails?appNum=1&eventID=YLD1011.


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Events on Campus and Around Town


Human Rights and the Rule of Law in Haiti

Brian Concannon, one of the world’s leading attorney working for human rights for Haiti, and founder and director of the Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti, will be visiting the Earle Mack School of Law on Thursday, October 13th from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. in Room 240, to talk about the state of human rights and the rule of law in Haiti, and what lawyers and law students can do to help. The International Law Society and National Lawyers Guild will both be sponsoring this engagement.

Stay afterward for a brief presentation by Philadelphia attorney and Adjunct Professor of Law, Thomas Griffin, who will discuss the Haiti Justice Project, the “Human Rights Advocacy” class on the March 2012 Drexel Delegation to Haiti and how you can apply!


Justice Stephen G. Breyer to Speak at the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia
October 13 | Crystal Tea Room in the Wanamaker Building at 100 Penn Square East

U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen G. Breyer will speak Oct. 13 at the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia on the topic, “Making Our Democracy Work: A Judge’s View.”

Justice Breyer will discuss how the Supreme Court can keep things running smoothly without compromising Constitutional law, by respecting the power of the other branches of federal government. He will also offer his perspective on how the Court can work within the confines of democracy while maintaining public confidence.

A limited number of tickets will be made available to students at the price of $10.
The event will be held in the Crystal Tea Room in the Wanamaker Building at 100 Penn Square East, Philadelphia. Additional information is available here.

Reservations are required and may be made at www.wacphila.org/programs/center_city.html#breyer or by calling 215-561-4700.


NIAF Graduates to Leaders (G2L)
Saturday, October 15, 2011 | Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey

NIAF is offering a Graduates to Leaders Workshop that focuses on professional leadership skills. The Program will examine the success of Italian Americans’ in the legal profession as well as outline how leadership skills assisted the speakers in achieving their professional goals. The guest speakers will give advice and motivate college students and young professionals in the legal profession. The workshop is being offered in conjunction with the New Jersey Italian American Heritage Commission Conference on Saturday, October 15, 2011.

The Keynote Speaker is Hon. Samuel A. Alito, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Registration is $25.00 and includes the NJIAHC Conference, the G2L workshops and an annual membership to NIAF. Recent college graduates and young professionals ages 21 and over are invited to participate. Additional information and the registration form are available for download here. Space is limited to a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, please contact Alexandra Dall at adall@niaf.org or call 202-939-3118.


New! How to Make the Most of Your Legal Career

2011 CAA Blood Drive



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Bar Prep Course Providers

Kaplan Bar Review

Kaplan Bar Review offers you a free MPRE Review that you can access anytime at your own convenience. Books can be picked up at the Kaplan Bar Review table. The Kaplan MPRE course includes:

Substantive MPRE Outline

MPRE QBank: Our online MPRE QBank contains over 175 test-like questions with detailed answer explanations. You can use it to create customized quizzes and analyze your progress. It works with you to identify your strengths and weakness.

Question-based review workshops: Each workshop starts with a quiz, followed by a question-by-question review of core concepts and how they are tested.

MPRE practice tests: Test yourself with two 60-question test-like exams.

This free MPRE course can also be a good supplement for your Professional Responsibility class, or in conjunction with other MPRE reviews to compare the different teaching styles of each course.

To enroll, please go to www.kaplanpmbr.com, call 800-523-0777 or stop by the Kaplan Bar Review table.

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Event Advertisement Policy

The new Event Advertisement Policy (“EAP”) is as follows:

Newsletter:

If you would like to have your event included in the Weekly Newsletter, please submit a short announcement to Dean Oates and Alanna Bridgett by Wednesday at 12:00 p.m. for the following Monday issue. If you do not receive a response from Alanna or Dean Oates within 24 hours, please resend the announcement.

Flyers/Posters:

• All flyers and posters for law school events are to be submitted by email to Dean Oates, Dean McGovern, Alanna Bridgett, and Jerry Arrison for approval.
• Upon Dean Oates’ approval, the flyers will be posted on the plasma screens.
• Five stamped, color copies of the flyers can be picked up from Alanna Bridgett in Suite 400.
• Flyers may only be posted on bulletin boards in the School of Law Building and only the five stamped flyers picked up from Alanna Bridgett may be posted.
• Flyers may only be posted on floors 2, 3, and 4. Only one flyer may be posted on floors 3 and 4. On the 2nd floor, only 1 flyer may be posted in the elevator lobby and only 1 flyer may be posted in the gallery. On the 3rd floor, only 1 flyer may be posted on the bulletin board near the rear stairwell.
• Approved posters may be displayed in the lobby on the day of the event only. Posters must be removed at the end of the event.
• Poster size shall not exceed 20” x 30”.
  

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