s | b | a CHICAGO-KENT STUDENT BAR ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER

AUGUST 30, 2021

Announcements

Fall 2021 Quick Guide: Please take a look at the Fall 2021 Quick Guide for important information as we begin a new school year.

COVID-19 Policies & Procedure: Please find Chicago-Kent’s current COVID-19 protocols here.

Add/Drop Period: The add/drop period for Fall 2021 ends on Wednesday, September 8, at 9:00pm. You may add an open course without special permission until the end of the first week of classes. During the second week, however, you may add an open course only with permission of the instructor. You may not add a course after Tuesday, September 8, at 9:00pm.

Academic Calendar for 2021-2022: For your reference, the academic calendar for 2021-2022 is available by clicking here.

Lockers: Returning students, if you forgot your locker number and combination, please email jabhijeet for that information. Thank you!

Chicago-Kent Peer Advisor Program: Each year, entering students tell us that much of their most informative and valuable information comes from other students. As someone who has been there, your advice can be critical to the success of our incoming class. As a Peer Advisor, you will be paired with one or two first-year students to provide one-on-one advice and guidance about adjusting to the law school experience.

If you are interested in becoming an advisor, please click on the following link and fill out the appropriate information.

How to stay connected at Chicago-Kent: Here are a few things we recommend you do NOW to stay connected throughout the year:

1. Add the SBA Calendar to your Google Calendar by following these instructions.

2. Attend the student organization fair tomorrow, Tuesday, August 31st.

3. Read the SBA Newsletter, which will be sent to your email every Monday morning.

4. Follow the SBA Instagram account: @sbachicagokentlaw.

5. Subscribe to receive notifications from the SBA Event Calendar. Instructions are here.

6. Reach out to SBA at any time with any questions.

Student Organizations

Student Organization Fair: The Student Organization Fair is TOMORROW, Tuesday, August 31st at 12:00 PM (daytime students) and 5:00 PM (evening students). This is a great opportunity for 1Ls & returning students to explore the different student organizations at Chicago-Kent! There will be an in-person option and a virtual option. The in-person option will take place on the 2nd & 3rd floor, in the lobbies. Keep an eye out for Zoom links for the virtual option.

“More” Moot Court Opportunities: Are you interested in moot court opportunities beyond Moot Court Honor Society, or ones that require the shorter time commitment of only one season? You’re in luck! Several Chicago-Kent student organizations sponsor teams to attend moot court competitions, and several professors coordinate sending teams to subject-specific competitions. Please find more about these competitions in this document.

ACLU: The Chicago-Kent ACLU is seeking students who are interested in participating in the Sixth Annual Religious Freedom Moot Court Tournament.

Location and Dates. The tournament will be held online this year. Students will write their briefs in September with a teammate. (Exact dates TBD.) The oral arguments will take place from Saturday, October 9, 2021, to Sunday, October 10, 2021.

Eligibility. Any student who is currently a 2L or 3L is welcome to apply. You do not need to be a member of C-K ACLU.

What to Submit. Please submit a statement of interest addressing what skills and strengths you will bring to the Moot Court team and why you are interested in the Religious Freedom Court Tournament, specifically. Additionally, please submit a resume (with your GPA omitted) and a writing sample (which will preferably be your appellate brief).

Please submit your applications to ckeller and aclu by Friday, September 3, 2021, at 5:00 p.m.

We look forward to reviewing your applications! Best of luck, and see the attached flyer for more information!

New Organization — Roman Law Society: The Roman Law Society’s focus is to develop a deeper understanding on the origins of our legal system, founded in Ancient Rome. Roman Law, along with the Roman system of government, was essential to the foundation of the United States Congress and the justice system used to this day. The Society’s purpose is to explore and share this knowledge about the ancient legal system outside of a classroom setting; to use the organization as a platform to learn from the past and understand what it can tell us about the present state of our legal system and where it may be heading. Overall, this society’s intent is to promote the principles of democratic society, a Republic governed by the will of the people.

National Security Law Society: The National Security Law Society (“NSLS”) is inviting all students with an interest—or even curiosity—in the most consequential issues facing America today. This is a wonderful opportunity to join a non-partisan group that explores and raises awareness about the legal issues in vital sectors like data privacy, the international community, the military, space exploration, and the intelligence community, to name a few. The NSLS works closely with the Center for National Security and Human Rights, which puts on conferences that regularly attract some of the world’s preeminent national security practitioners and scholars. Additionally, we are a relatively new group on campus, so this is your chance to get in, make an impact, make connections, and set yourself apart from others.

The NSLS seeks to foster its members’ professional careers and leadership capabilities. We give our members intellectual and creative freedom, by encouraging members to research, and then write about a diverse range of national security issues. Students’ writings will be published on our blog, which demonstrates your abilities, interest, and knowledge to prospective employers. You will get to network with our counterparts in other law schools in the Chicago community. Additionally, you will have access to speakers, current, and retired members of the broader national security community, who are eager to assist our members’ personal and career growth.

Upcoming Events

AUGUST 31st: Student Organization Fair

AUGUST 31st & SEPTEMBER 1st: February 2022 Informational Bar Exam Session

SEPTEMBER 10th: Back to School Bash! 7-10 PM at Fatpour Tap Works, 2005 W Division St. Chicago, IL 60622. Sign-up here, and see the attached flyer for more information.

More events may be found on the SBA calendar. Please make sure you are accessing via your Kent email address.

Future Deadlines

AUGUST 31st: Don’t forget, the first annual Racial Justice Writing Competition deadline is TODAY, August 31st by midnight. Papers written by Chicago-Kent students, inside or outside of class, on any topic related to racial justice may be submitted for consideration. Rules and submission details are HERE. Also, we are holding a naming contest for the competition! If you have a good idea for a name, submit it HERE. The naming contest prize is $100, and the prize for the best paper submission is $1,000.

SEPTEMBER 1st: If you carry your own personal health insurance and would like to opt out of the school’s required health insurance, you must complete this waiver before September 1st.

SEPTEMBER 3rd: Religious Freedom Tournament Application Deadline

SEPTEMBER 4th: All full-time J.D. students are enrolled in the U-Pass program. Your current Ventra U-Pass card will be activated to work from Monday, August 23 (the first day of regular classes) through Friday, December 20 (the last day of exams). The mandatory fee of $145 for the Fall semester will be billed to your student account. Students may choose to OPT OUT of the UPASS program for the semester by completing the Fall 2021 opt-out form by September 4th.. The form must be completed by this deadline to ensure your student account will not be billed the UPass fee.

SEPTEMBER 8th: Add/drop period ends.

Resources

Writing Competitions: 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.

From ASP: 1Ls: Listen from students and faculty on what strategies they used for academic success: https://youtu.be/wQquU7OyoTI

Bar Exam Preparation: Please join us for a February 2022 Informational Bar Exam session next Tuesday, August 31 at 12:00-12:30 in room 510 OR Wednesday, September 1 at 3:00PM. Sign up to attend here. (Signing up does not commit you to attending- it just allows me to get an idea of questions you may have.)

From the Library: Welcome from the Law Library – Your Allies for Success!

The Library staff is looking forward to working with you as you begin your fall 2021 semester as a 1L, 2L, 3L, or 4L. Are you working on a seminar paper, looking for a form, or writing a journal article?

The librarians can train you to develop research strategies using the over 100 databases available to you as a Chicago-Kent student. The library staff at our service desk can help you reserve a study room or assist you in checking out resources.

For tips on succeeding in law school and electronic study aids for your classes, check out West Academic Study Aids (WASA). Use the Create An Account link and register with your Chicago-Kent Law email. You can access these at any time – and add your own notes and highlights. For our new 1L students, look for messages in the next few weeks for steps to set up your Westlaw and Lexis accounts.

We look forward to seeing you in many classes helping you develop legal research skills and technical competence to prepare you for the legal marketplace.

Visit us in the library or contact refreq with your questions. Have a great year!

From Career Services: Welcome back, students! A number of employers have elected to conduct their formal recruiting efforts later in the fall. Their opportunities will be posted in the OCI section of Symplicity and each employer will have a recruiting session labeled by the employer’s name. Currently, there are several new recruiting opportunities that have been posted this week. Some additional opportunities will be added moving forward over the next several months.

Allstate Insurance – 2L, 3L Eve OCI Sept. 14 (application due Sept. 1)

Cook County State’s Attorney – 3L, 4L Eve OCI Sept. 27 (application due Sept. 1)

Birthdays & Special Days – August/September :

8/1	Yaz Alford, 1L
8/8	Mariami Tkeshelashvili, 3L
8/11	Hannah Saed, 2L
8/11	Alexa Hancasky, 3L
8/12	Hani Salameh, 2L
8/13	Ashley Rice, 2L
8/17	Kaleb Smith, 3L
8/18	Benjamin Levine, 2L
8/22	David Guerra, 2L
8/29	Romteen Bahramirad, 2L
8/31	Gabriela Padilla-Abarca, 2L
9/3	Shannon Cottrell, 3L
9/5	Ricardo Ramirez, 1L
9/10	Rebecca Chmielewski, 2L
9/10	Megan Hovde, 2L
9/19	Katherine Hanson, 3L
9/19	Subhiksha Gopal, LLM
9/19	Gabrielle Robles, 3L
9/26	Professor Lori Andrews
9/29	Emily Shapiro, 2L

*if you wish to share your special date with the student body, click here

Back to School Bash Flyer.pdf