s | b | a CHICAGO-KENT STUDENT BAR ASSOCIATION
**check out our SBA Instagram this week for your chance to win ONE of THREE $5.00 Starbucks gift cards!
Announcements
Graduation Regalia – We know that due to the pandemic graduation looks a little different this year. The SBA wanted to make sure that the cost of regalia was low so that graduates felt like they were able to still participate – no matter how they choose to celebrate! We heavily subsidized the gown and hood, so that the total fee (including tax) is $15.20. Additionally, the school is offering the graduation tam and tassel at no cost. We hope that this lessened cost will allow graduates the opportunity to celebrate and take pictures with loved ones in their regalia! Please be sure to order your regalia by April 16 or else it may not arrive by the virtual graduation ceremony. Additionally, if you plan on participating in the mini ceremonies, please order ASAP as the regalia takes two weeks to ship. https://kentlaw.shopoakhalli.com/.
C-K Law Group: Work on real client cases under the supervision of an attorney and get law school credit! C-K Law group is now accepting applications for the summer 2021 semester. The due date for applications is TBD but is normally a few days before registration. For more information and to submit an application, visit our webpage: https://www.kentlaw.iit.edu/academics/jd-program/practical-skills-training/legal-clinics
Certificate Programs: Students who wish to refine their focus can consider earning a certificate in that area. In addition to many of the other find programs, applications are now available for:
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Litigation and Dispute Resolution (LADR): https://www.kentlaw.iit.edu/academics/jd-program/certificate-programs/litigation-and-alternative-dispute-resolution
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Criminal Litigation: https://www.kentlaw.iit.edu/academics/jd-program/certificate-programs/criminal-litigation
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Workplace LADR:
Fall 2021 Legal Externship Program Opportunity – For Credit Only (4 Credits) – Seyfarth Shaw, LLP. For 2L & 3L applicants:
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As part of Chicago-Kent’s Fall 2021 Legal Externship Program, Seyfarth Shaw, LLP, will select a Chicago-Kent student extern. The extern essentially becomes a member of the firm’s IP group for a semester, performing legal research and writing in copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, advertising, privacy, Internet, and other related IP issues. The position is not limited to people with technical backgrounds.
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The selected extern will receive 4 (Pass/Fail) credit hours and must devote 16 hours a week to fieldwork, which will be performed primarily, if not completely, remotely depending on the circumstances. There will also be an accompanying non-graded classroom component on designated Wednesdays at 4:00 p.m. This is a great externship opportunity!
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To Apply: Prospective 2Ls and 3Ls must have a minimum G.P.A. of 3.2. Please submit your resume and unofficial transcript to Suzanne Blaz (sblaz) by Wednesday, March 31, 2021, at 12:00 p.m. Do not apply directly to the law firm. If you have any questions, contact Prof. Gross (vgross@kentlaw.edu).
Events for This Week
Events may be found on the SBA calendar. Please make sure you are accessing via your Kent email address.
Monday, March 22
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9:00 AM: ASP Virtual Coffee Chat: How to Make the Most of Second Semester – Learn how to Maneuver Law School Challenges. Zoom link here. You did it. You got through your first semester of law school. Now that we’re in the middle of second semester, you may find yourself facing continuous challenges or perhaps even new challenges that are making this semester tough to maneuver. Ask yourself the following:
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Are you still struggling with managing your time? Are external distractions preventing you from focusing on preparing for class?
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Do you feel like you have to have this appearance of perfection? Do you feel overwhelmed?
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Are you having difficulty reading and briefing efficiently and effectively within a limited period of time?
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Are you struggling with absorbing and synthesizing the material learned in class?
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Are you behind in crafting your outlines? Figuring out what is relevant (and what’s not)?
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Do you wonder what you should be focusing on now "professionally" during law school (job searching, OCI, journals, moot court, law review, etc.)?
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If you’ve answered "yes" to some or all of these questions, please join us for a panel discussion with students who have been in your shoes. Let’s tackle some of these questions, so that you can feel more confident about how you’re studying and using your time this semester.
Thursday, March 25
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12:00p.m.: Join Cannabis Law Society and Racial Equity and Advocacy Alliance for their virtual event "Chicago Neighborhoods and Cannabis" on Thursday, March 25 at noon! To register, please RSVP to cannabislawsociety.
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5:00 p.m.: ASP Virtual Coffee Chat – Evening Division. Zoom link here. You did it. You got through your first semester of law school. Now that we’re in the middle of second semester, you may find yourself facing continuous challenges or perhaps even new challenges that are making this semester tough to maneuver. Ask yourself the following:
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Are you still struggling with managing your time? Are external distractions preventing you from focusing on preparing for class?
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Do you feel like you have to have this appearance of perfection? Do you feel overwhelmed?
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Are you having difficulty reading and briefing efficiently and effectively within a limited period of time?
-
Are you struggling with absorbing and synthesizing the material learned in class?
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Are you behind in crafting your outlines? Figuring out what is relevant (and what’s not)?
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Do you wonder what you should be focusing on now "professionally" during law school (job searching, OCI, journals, moot court, law review, etc.)?
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If you’ve answered "yes" to some or all of these questions, please join us for a panel discussion with students who have been in your shoes. Let’s tackle some of these questions, so that you can feel more confident about how you’re studying and using your time this semester.
Friday, March 26
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4:00 – 5:00 p.m.: SBA Open Door At 4 pm every Friday through April 30, SBA has committed to launching an unrecorded SBA Zoom session to lend an ear to students who wish to hang out, vent, problem solve, mingle, ask questions – whatever our peers might need to feel heard. Students and faculty are encouraged to swing by. The link is in the SBA Calendar!!
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On this open door, we would love to hear your “law school origin story.” Did a radioactive Bluebook spider bite you in a lab experiment gone awry? What brought you here?
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Writing Competitions
(we have so many that we now have a heading!)
Interested in submitting a paper to a competition? The law library has created a guide to student legal writing competitions. For more information, please see the library blog post about the guide.
The Black Law Students Association and the Student Bar Association are pleased to announce the Nickolas Johnson Writing Competition. In 2018, we lost a fellow classmate and BLSA member. This writing prize in Nickolas Johnson’s memory is to encourage students to tackle issues of mental health on campus and propose an idea to be implemented by BLSA and SBA for the upcoming school year. Click here for the application. Students can download the application by clicking on the documents in the guide, or find it attached to this newsletter.. The competition funding is donation based, and if you would like to donate, there is information provided below on how to do so. The hope is to raise $1,000 each year, which will allow the student who wins to be awarded $500, with the other $500 going to implementing the student’s proposal. The writing prize will take place from March 1 to April 19. A panel of judges will read the proposals from April 19 to May 10 and announce the winner on the May 10.
If you would like to donate to the Nickolas Johnson Writing Competition, please go to arogers11.
Future Events
Monday, March 29
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5:00 p.m.: Please join the Land Use and Real Estate Society for an alumni happy hour! On March 29th at 5 PM, alumni from throughout the real estate industry will be attending a virtual happy hour. This will be a great opportunity to network with current attorneys and other students interested in real estate & land use law. lure.
Tuesday, March 30
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12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Remote Lawyering – Roundtable discussion: On Tuesday, March 30, 2021 from 12:00 – 1:00, join our C-K Law Group attorneys as they address the unique challenges presented by “remote” lawyering. Litigating has, for many attorneys, been both problematic and yet also extraordinarily rewarding. We have scheduled an on-line roundtable discussion to share our insights and experiences with you, and to invite your comments and questions.
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Please RSVP here: https://forms.gle/fe5geiK5GtTvsoct5
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You will receive a link on or before the morning of the discussion.
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Friday, April 2
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4:00 – 5:00 p.m.: SBA Open Door At 4 pm every Friday through April 30, SBA has committed to launching an unrecorded SBA Zoom session to lend an ear to students who wish to hang out, vent, problem solve, mingle, ask questions – whatever our peers might need to feel heard. Students and faculty are encouraged to swing by. The link is in the SBA Calendar!!
Tuesday, April 6
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12:00 – 1:30 p.m.: Bar Performance Test Basics – this program will be recorded and posted to the bar support web page. View the information and links to review sessions here. You may contact Professor Kari Johnson with questions.
Resources
From ASP:
From the Library:
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The library has created a resource guide for APALSA and our Asian community, in light of recent events. Students may access the guide here.
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As part of the Chicago-Kent Law Library’s mission to support the needs of faculty, students, and staff of the law school, our newest library guide highlights resources to support the work being done to promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Chicago-Kent: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resources. In the guide, find links to books, specialized digital collections, study guides, and journals, with many titles you can access digitally through our collections even if you’re not visiting our library in person or requesting books via I-Share at this time. You’ll also find recommendations for antiracism books and authors to support the ongoing work of the Chicago-Kent Antiracism Statement from 2020.
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We hope you’ll review the resources and use the CK Suggests page if you have suggestions, reviews, or content you’d like to see in the guide in the future.
American Bar Association:
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Did you know that you get a free ABA membership as a law school student? Sign up using this link for all the perks of membership, including networking opportunities and awesome discounts to study resources! If you have any questions, email your ABA Rep Daniel Kfoury.
Birthdays & Special Days – March:
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03/02 – Callie Folke, 1L |
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03/04 – Ashley Morris, 1L |
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03/06 – Patrick Bovie, 2L |
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03/07 -Brett Simon, 3L |
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03/16 – Emily Jarrette, 1L |
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03/17 – Annora Alfonso, 1L |
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03/21 – Spencer Davidson, 2L; Aylissa Ritterhoff, 1L |
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3/24 – Lorianna Anderson, 2L |
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03/30 – Angelica Jalasco, 1L; Saynyenoh Warner, 1L |
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03/31 – Aaron Weiss, 2L |
*if you wish to share your special date with the student body, click here