s | b | a CHICAGO-KENT STUDENT BAR ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER
February 7, 2022
Announcements
Welcome back, students! Please continue to send all Newsletter submissions to sbanewsletter.
Fitness Center Lockers: Please note that the fitness center lockers are not for overnight use. The lockers are only to be used while you are using the Fitness Center. Items left overnight may be thrown out.
Tech Guide: Attached to this email is SBA’s Tech Guide. Please reference it for any technology-related problems you might encounter this semester.
National Security Law Conference:The Future is Now: Emerging Technologies and National Security Law. The conference is hosted by the Chicago-Kent’s Center of National Security and Human Rights Law. This year’s conference will be a one-day virtual conference held Thursday, February 17, 2022.
As a student of Chicago-Kent you are entitled to complimentary registration for the conference. To receive this discount, click here to register and enter the discount code: CKCLE1 at checkout.
Registration is now open and we encourage you to invite members in your network to register for the conference.
We hope that you are able to join us this year!
Student Organizations
American Bar Association (ABA):
If you would like to be more involved in the ABA or make the most out of your free membership, register for an account here and don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions! Some benefits of that account include:
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Free Membership in up to 5 Sections, Divisions, and Forums
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Access to ABA Advantage Programs
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Free content
And if you go for the premium $25/year membership, you also get:
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ABA Career Forward Powered by Korn Ferry Advance
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After the Bar digital publication
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ABA Bar Bundle Prep (discounts to various prep services)
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ABA Legal Ethics Bundle (MPRE Prep)
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90 Day Free Trial of Quimbee Gold Plan with up to 50 case briefs
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Free JD Advising 1L sheets, discounts on tutoring and law school resources
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Access to leadership opportunities and national competition
ABA Section of Intellectual Property Law (ABA-IPL) Trivia!
Law students are invited to join ABA Section of Intellectual Property Law (ABA-IPL) leaders for our networking and trivia event on Thursday, February 10 at 4PM ET. Meet various leaders from the ABA-IPL Section to learn more about how to get involved with the Section and their careers in IP law. At the end of the event, we will host a trivia game! Participate for the chance to win a FREE 2022 IPLSPRING law student registration.
Big Law is Not Your Only Option: The Solo and Small Firm Experience
This FREE program will feature an expert panel of attorneys with a vast array of experience working in different practice settings, who have all ended up in a solo or small firm. The program will include time for questions from participants. All are welcome to attend!
Legal Tech Fictional Writing Competition
Science fiction story telling allows us to imagine possibilities outside of what exists today and re-imagine new possibilities in the law, legal access, and racial justice.
The ABA’s Young Lawyers Division and the Access to Justice Tech Fellows are hosting the Legal Tech Fictional Writing Competition for law students. The goal is to get law students to think critically about how technology will impact the future practice of law, and access to justice in a fun engaging way. The resulting stories will prompt conversations in the legal field about the upcoming changes in a new and creative way.
Think you can write a compelling short story in 1,500 words or less? Enter the Legal Tech Fictional Writing Competition for your chance to win $1,000 in cash, and get published in the American Bar Association magazine. The deadline for submissions is Tuesday, March 1st, 2022
Black Law Students Association (BLSA):
Black Legal Scholars on IG (@ckblsa): Throughout Black History Month, every Wednesday and Friday, Chicago-Kent’s BLSA chapter will honor a Black legal scholar advancing the rule of law and making strides on behalf of Black Americans in their day-to-day work. The first two include our very own Professor Bernadette Atuahene and Professor Randall L. Kennedy of Harvard University. Stay tuned for more entries over the next few weeks!
National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day:
Today, Monday, February 7th, 2022, we celebrate National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day! The first National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day was marked in 1999 as a grassroots-education effort to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS prevention, care, and treatment in communities of color.
Tomorrow, Tuesday, February 8th, 2022, join Chicago-Kent’s BLSA and Lambdas chapters as we table in the lobby from 11 a.m. CST to 2 p.m. CST to pass out educational and HIV/AIDS prevention materials.
Represent Your Favorite HBCU: On Wednesday, February 9th, 2022, please join BLSA in representing your favorite HBCU! HBCUs are a source of accomplishment and great pride for the African-American community as well as the entire nation. These institutions train young people who go on to serve domestically and internationally in the professions as entrepreneurs and in the public/private sectors. Many within the Chicago-Kent community attended an HBCU for their undergraduate education!
Panel Discussion and Debate on Critical Race Theory: On Tuesday, February 15th, 2022 from 12 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. CST via Zoom, please join ACS, BLSA, and FedSoc for a panel discussion and debate on Critical Race Theory. The conversation will be moderated by Chicago-Kent Professor Nancy Krent and law students will have the opportunity to hear from Northwestern Law Professor Paul Gowder; Chicago-Kent alumna Deborah Caldwell-Stone from the Freedom to Read Foundation; Chicago-Kent Professor Sheldon Nahmod; and Devon Westhill from the Center for Equal Opportunity.
Young, Gifted, & Black Alumni Panel: On Monday, February 21st, 2022, at 6 p.m. CST via Zoom, please join BLSA and the Career Services Office (CSO) for an alumni panel discussion featuring past presidents of BLSA for career advice and other thoughts about navigating law school and the profession.
Ida Platt Forum: On Thursday, February 24th, 2022 at 6 p.m. CST via Zoom and in honor of Black History Month, the Black Law Students Association (BLSA) at the Chicago-Kent College of Law is proud to announce a new annual program entitled the “Ida Platt Forum” in honor of the first African-American woman to be licensed in the State of Illinois. The event will focus on race, advancing the rule of law, and feature trailblazing Black women making strides within the legal profession.
In the first iteration of the program, we expect to invite the Honorable Ann Claire Williams, one of only two people of color to ever serve on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.
The panel will be moderated by Associate Professor of Law Kimberly Bailey, another phenomenal Black woman in her own right. Topics of discussion will include being working moms as Black women, navigating the complexities of the law, their commitment to public service and civic engagement, advice to law students/young lawyers, and her path to the federal bench.
My Black Is Beautiful 2: Save The Date for Monday, February 28th, 2022 in the evening. To close out Black History Month, BLSA is excited to announce the return of My Black Is Beautiful 2 for the third year! This event will celebrate Black art and culture in its various forms. Attendees will have the chance to enjoy singers, poets, rappers; view Black artwork; and shop with Black vendors. More details to follow in the coming weeks!
Chicago Bar Association (CBA): Are you looking to expand your professional network? Maybe you’re searching for a mentor or just want to be more involved and get your name out there. Through the Chicago Bar Association, you can establish yourself and develop professional relationships throughout the Chicago legal community. Law students can become members for just $12/year. Memberships include entry to networking events (galas, holiday parties, outings, and more), access to fascinating educational events and materials developed by top attorneys, and the opportunity to make new friends with other law students and professionals. Learn more and sign up for your membership here.
For any questions or for help organizing a group to attend a CBA event, reach out to our school’s CBA representative, Rana Salem (rsalem).
Criminal Law Society: Please join us for our General Body Meeting on Tuesday (tomorrow), February 8th in Room 704 or via Zoom.
Kent Justice Foundation (KJF): KJF will be holding a General Body Meeting on Tuesday (tomorrow), February 8th at noon. Please come to learn about our spring events and fundraisers and how you can get involved to assist with planning! We’ll email out a Zoom link in advance of the meeting–hope to see you there! Send an email to kjf if you’d like to join our mailing list.
Racial Equity and Advocacy Alliance (REAA): Join the Racial Equity and Advocacy Alliance on Tuesday, February 8th at 12pm(CST) via Zoom for their first general body meeting of the semester! The meeting will provide an opportunity to check-in and discuss plans for the spring.
Society of Women in Law (WIL): General Body Meeting – On Tuesday, February 22, at 1:00 PM, the Society of Women in Law will host its Spring 2022 General Body Meeting. The Executive Board will introduce themselves, share plans for this semester, and lead a fun "speed dating" activity for members to get to know one another better. This event will be hosted on campus in Room C50, and on Zoom via this wil with any questions you might have.
Upcoming Events
More events may be found on the SBA calendar. Please make sure you are accessing via your Kent email address.
Important Dates to Remember
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Black History Month – February |
Each February, Black History Month honors the struggles and triumphs of millions of American citizens over the most devastating obstacles — slavery, prejudice, poverty — as well as their contributions to the nation’s cultural and political life. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, African Americans make up about 14 percent of the U.S. population. National African American History Month was the inspiration of Carter G. Woodson, a noted scholar, and historian, who instituted Negro History Week in 1926. He chose the second week of February to coincide with the birthdays of President Abraham Lincoln and the abolitionist Frederick Douglass. The celebration was expanded to a month in 1976, the nation’s bicentennial. President Gerald R. Ford urged Americans to“seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of [B]lack Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.” To learn more we suggest visiting the DuSable Museum, the first independent museum celebrating Black culture, here in Chicago. |
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
From Career Services:
Chicago Bar Association Young Lawyers Section’s Practice Tracks sessions. Spots fill up fast, so sign up quickly.
What is Practice Tracks?
The Young Lawyers Sections is excited to host Law Practice Tracks virtually during the month of February 2022. This is a valuable opportunity to connect with young lawyers in the Chicago area for networking, for mentorship and to ask questions about the day-to-day practice of law in a small group setting. No matter what your schedule, we have a session that fits in your calendar! Connect with someone who practices in an area you are interested in, or a setting you would like to learn more about, to gain insight into what area you would like to pursue. Find out what the day-to-day life of an attorney is actually like with Law Practice Tracks.
How do I Sign Up?
So that as many CBA Law Student Members as possible can take advantage of this opportunity, please do not sign up for more than 3 sessions. You will be emailed the Zoom link for your virtual Law Practice Tracks session prior to the event, along with a sample list of questions and other resources to prepare you for the meeting.
Click here to see the schedule and sign up.
Questions?
Email acruz with questions.
Commercial Bar Exam Preparation Courses:
Chicago-Kent 3Ls – BARBRI is here to help as graduation and the bar exam approach! Each of BARBRI’s three course options (Mallory.guerreso or by phone/text at 815-791-3485.
Helix Bar Review by AccessLexSM offers comprehensive online courses for the entire Uniform Bar Exam (UBE), the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE) portion of all bar examinations, and the Multistate Professional Responsibility (MPRE) examination. Our new and innovative course platform is designed to keep you focused and engaged while ensuring you cover each testable substantive area of law on the exam. We incorporate workshops and webinars designed to teach you skills and strategies necessary to perform well on each part of the exam and at your peak on exam day. Engagement, efficiency, and effectiveness of study as the key elements for your bar preparation period and Helix Bar Review. When you study with Helix you surround yourself with a Team of bar examination experts, all licensed attorneys with years of bar preparation experience, at no additional cost to you. AccessLex Institute, for over 40 years, is the largest nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting law students from admission to law school to admission to the legal profession. For more information – including at-cost pricing and FAQs, visit Helixbarreview.org or drop us a line at Connect@Helixbarreview.org.
Kaplan Bar Review offers both live and on demand course options for bar seekers all in one package. With Kaplan Bar Review you receive a full-service bar course that contains over 4,500 MBE questions including NCBE released questions, unlimited essay grading + an essay bank, a pass guarantee or your money back if you do 75% of the course and so many other great features. You can do 100% of Kaplan Bar Review On Demand; or you can attend live streaming lectures at no charge. The lectures are recorded and available on-demand as well. For more information about course options for Chicago Kent students please reach out to Victor.Piemonte. Our books ship when you enroll for the summer course and our best pricing goes thru February 24th, 2022 for 2L’s and 3Ls. Thank you.
Themis Bar Review is designed to help you pass the bar exam. Using the most current research on memory retention and comprehension, we have built an online, on-demand lecture-based program. Our course offers innovative tools, including an Adaptive Calendar and Study Pacer that, together, help keep your study schedule on track. Pair those with a dedicated Personal Success Team, unlimited essay grading, and dynamic illustrations to reinforce rules and rationales, and you have resources that work for every type of student and every learning style. However you plan to study, you can trust that our transparent, expertly developed methods will help you walk into the bar exam with confidence."
Birthdays & Special Days – February
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February 1 |
Patrick Owens, 2L |
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February 2 |
Maeghan Hoal, 2L |
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February 4 |
Sophia Lischewski, 2L |
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February 11 |
Ryan Martin, 2L |
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February 16 |
Patrycia Piaskowski, 2L |
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February 16 |
Anastasia Redmond, 2L |
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February 19 |
Cassidy Aranda, 1L |
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February 25 |
Chloe Bell, 3L |
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February 25 |
Professor Laurie Silvestri |
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February 27 |
Christian Sanchez, 3L |
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February 29 |
Anna Ylitalo, 1L |
*if you wish to share your special date with the student body, click here