s | b | a CHICAGO-KENT STUDENT BAR ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER
March 20, 2023
SBA is here to keep you connected; please reach out to sba at any time!
Announcements
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 2023 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 Applications for the Fall 2023 semester will be available shortly.
Cook County Public Defender Minority Law Student Career Informational Session: The Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender (CCPD) is inviting minority law students to an exclusive in person evening informational session on Friday, March 31, 2023 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Students will have an opportunity to network with members of our executive team and Assistant Public Defenders, while engaging in a lively discussion on the real-life experiences and pathways to becoming an Assistant Public Defender. This informational session will include a keynote address by Sharone R. Mitchell, Jr., The Public Defender of Cook County, and a panel discussion with Assistant Public Defenders with ample time for questions. Light refreshments will be provided. You can register for this event via the Eventbrite link until March 24, 2023.
For questions about the event or to submit a question in advance, please reach out directly to Crystal Brown at crystal.brown, or Executive Assistant Jennifer Green at Jennifer.Green.
Litigation-based Certificate Programs: Students who wish to refine their focus can consider earning a certificate in that area. In addition to many of the other fine programs, applications are now available for:
Litigation and Dispute Resolution (LADR): https://www.kentlaw.iit.edu/academics/jd-program/certificate-programs/litigation-and-alternative-dispute-resolution
Criminal Litigation:
https://www.kentlaw.iit.edu/academics/jd-program/certificate-programs/criminal-litigation
Workplace LADR:
JD Certificate Fair: Chicago-Kent offers a wide variety of certificate programs that allow students to focus on a specific area of law or expertise. We invite you to join us at the JD Certificate fair on Wednesday, March 29 from 3:00 – 4:30 on the first floor to hear more about these programs and ask questions of the faculty supervisors and participating students.
Seminar Research Session: ASP and the Law Library are collaborating to host a research session! This session will be particularly helpful for seminar students, and any student looking to learn more about Bluebook Citations.
Our plan is to first go over the basics of Bluebook citation. We will then move to going over the research process itself, which will include highlighting some secondary resources and databases that students might not be familiar with. Finally, we’re going to go over some Word tricks that will make writing your papers a bit easier (i.e. § symbol shortcut!).
The session will be on March 27 at 1:30 PM in Room 165, and is scheduled for an hour, but it may run shorter.
To RSVP, please fill out this short Google Form. This will allow us to easily send out our slides and a recording of the presentation afterwards, as well as giving us an idea of what kinds of topics everyone is working on! A sign-up sheet will also be available during the session.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at sconder or slayman2 if you have any questions!
JD Actors/Volunteers Needed for LLM Client Interviews (small time commitment, via Zoom, service hour credit!): Professor Contento is looking for volunteers to play a client for LLM students to interview. The Zoom interviews will take place Friday, March 31 beginning at 12:00 noon. The total time commitment for JD students is between 1 and 1.5 hours. She’ll send a short "client fact sheet" for the students to read, and then on March 31, the students will role play a client for approximately 20 minutes. There’s an optional feedback session afterwards, that the JD students can attend if they wish. This is a great way for our JD students to interact with our international students, and a great way for the JDs to have some creative fun. And, JD students will receive a service credit for participating!
Interested volunteers email Professor Contento directly at LContento
Law Firm Externship Opportunities: As announced by Dean Sowle, there are exciting and prestigious law firm externships available for 6 credits this fall via the Semester Law Firm Associate Program (SLFAP). Applications are due to sblaz by March 28, 2023.
Got Accommodations? Share your experience with the process! A group of students is evaluating the current accommodations process to look for ways to make it more clear and efficient. We have created a survey, which will be used for academic purposes in Legal Project Management & Legal Process Improvement (LAW-494-81), and your feedback would be very helpful. We appreciate your participation!
Link: https://forms.gle/KSXHsAnS2ZM3Yk9r6
Study Abroad Program: Associate Dean of International Programs, Adam Weber will be hosting an info session to JD students who are interested in participating in the program. It will be held on March 23 , at 11am. Room 520.
Fall 2023 Judicial Externships: Applications for Fall 2023 Judicial Externships are now available electronically on the sblaz) by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 21, 2023.
An informational meeting was held about judicial externships on February 8, 2023, which is available to watch on Panopto, and externship documents are also available in 12Twenty’s resource folders.
Chicago Bar Association YLS Transactional Negotiation Competition – Call for teams:
The Chicago Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Section is excited to announce its first annual Transactional Negotiation Competition! Sponsored by the YLS Business Transactional Law Committee, this competition will aim to provide law students with an opportunity to hone their legal skills outside of the classroom and courtroom and learn more about transactional law. For more information and the competition rules, feel free to check out our page here.
Registration is open now for A Teams! Click this link to register your school’s team. Space is limited and first come first serve, so be sure to sign up today!
For schools interested in registering more than one team, B Team registration will go live on February 10, pending availability from the first round of registration.
Date(s): April 1 and 2, 2023
Location: Virtual Platform
Cost: $300/team
Questions? Reach out to yls.
Office of Admissions:
Office of Continuing Legal and Professional Education: Please join us for the following upcoming conference(s). As faculty and staff of Chicago-Kent, you will receive complimentary registration. Enter the discount code: CKCLE1 at checkout.
The Danger Inside the House: Addressing the Threat of Domestic Violent Extremism l March 23, 2023
For the last few years, the threat of violent extremism primarily has originated from domestic actors, rather than from abroad. Although the U.S. government has developed highly successful investigatory and prosecutorial strategies to combat internationally-based violent extremism, the domestic threat poses additional challenges because of the constitutional protections afforded to U.S. citizens. This all-day, in-person, seminar explores the evolving domestic violent extremism (DVE) threat and identifies ways in which federal, state, and local governments can work with non-government organizations and the private sector to mitigate the threat. Register Today!
44th Annual Kenneth M. Piper Lecture l March 28, 2023
Join us to hear Charlotte Garden, Julius E. Davis Professor of Law at the University of Minnesota Law School, deliver this year’s Kenneth M. Piper Lecture. In this lecture, Professor Garden will address what strikes and other collective action might look like in a fissured or virtual workplace. As to both fissured and virtual workplaces, Professor Garden will consider what an “equal and opposite” reaction might look like – for example, a strike of an employer that mainly transacts business online might call for the deployment of a digital picket-line. Professor Garden will also discuss how the law might impede or support new forms of collection action that result from these changing business practices. This free lecture will be held in the Chicago-Kent College of Law Ogilvie Auditorium and is in-person only and will not be live-streamed.
Resources
Mental Health Tip of the Week: Stay Hydrated
Every organ in our bodies needs water to function properly and our brains are no exception. Studies have shown that drinking less than two glasses of water per day can increase your risk of anxiety and depression. Additional studies have found that a decrease in water intake can have an adverse affect on your mood. Drinking the recommended six to eight glasses of water per day can be a great step towards having good mental health.
sources: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6147771/; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3984246/
Quiet Study in Library: As our community returns to in-person study and instruction at the Conviser Law Center, the Law Library, in conjunction with the Student Bar Association, wants to remind students that the Law Library is a quiet study space. Talking is discouraged in open seating areas where, if necessary, conversations should be brief and very quiet. For group study and discussion, the Law Library offers ten study rooms students can reserve at the Service Desk on the 9th floor.
Exit Escort Service: In the evening hours, a Public Safety officer is available to provide a walking escort for those with concerns about their personal safety. This service applies to any location within a two block radius of the Conviser Law Center, including Union Station and many adjacent parking locations. Please see the officer(s) on duty at the front desk, or call the Public Safety number, 312-906-5030. Please also see the below survey!
Student Organizations
APALSA Bake Sale: The APALSA Bake Sale is back! Come find us in front of the SPAK on the 3rd Floor on Monday, March 20th from 1:30-6PM to get some delicious snacks!
BLSA Alumni of Color Panel: Join us on Thursday, March 23, 2023 from 5:00pm – 7:00pm, as we bring you our annual Alumni of Color Panel
Business Law Night: Hosted by CLS, BIRA and APALSA
Please join our panel discussion with Chicago corporate attorneys on Wednesday, March 29 at 6:30PM in Room 704 ! This will be followed by an opportunity to network, gain a mentor, and learn something new! Food and refreshments provided while they last. Please RSVP here.
Community Education Presentation: Domestic Violence & Legal Protections for Survivors
Join Chicago-Kent’s Public Interest Center, the Child and Family Law Society, and Women in Law, on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, at 3:00 PM in Room 520 for a Community Education Presentation covering:
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an explanation of the nature and dynamics of domestic violence (“DV”);
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focusing on the counter-intuitive or less-known aspects of DV, including the substantial barriers to safely leaving an abusive intimate partner;
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a discussion of the kinds of services and resources that DV service organizations provide, including risk assessment and safety planning;
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a description and explanation of the key laws in Illinois that DV survivors can use to address the various harms they have suffered and help them overcome the barriers to becoming safe—including the many forms of protection under an Illinois Order of Protection, housing protections under the Safe Homes Act and Eviction Act, employment protections under VESSA, the possibility of compensation for certain damages under the Crime Victims Compensation Act, and finally the protections in divorce and parentage cases relating to the allocation of parenting time and decision making, and restrictions on parenting time, to protect DV survivors and their children from further abuse.
A 2L student, Sylvie Durlacher, will give the Presentation. Sylvie is enrolled in Domestic Violence Law, Policy, & Community Engagement at UIC Law. She will be giving this presentation on Domestic Violence and legal protections for survivors in Illinois as her culminating project for the course. RSVP here!
ELS Earth Day Fundraiser: Please save the date for the ELS Earth Day Fundraiser, April 21. Please email els for ticket and donation information.
Jewish Law Students Association: The Jewish Law Students Association is hosting two events on the topic of antisemitism in the coming weeks as part of our Diversity Week efforts.
On Wednesday, March 22 at 12pm, Room TBD, Professor John Geiringer will be hosting a brown bag lunch discussion on the rise of Nazi Germany and what lessons can be drawn for today’s political and legal landscape. This event is open to all students and RSVP is not necessary.
This lecture will be followed by a special event on Sunday, March 26 at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Skokie, IL. Our group will be given a tour of the museum by an experienced docent and our day will end by a meaningful discussion/Q & A with a Holocaust survivor. Transportation will be provided from Chicago-Kent at 12pm and should end back there no later than 4pm. This event is at no cost to students. Please RSVP Here by March 22nd.
As future attorneys and leaders, we hold a unique role to advocate for one another, and it is important to learn from history when looking to the future.
Please let any member of the JLSA Board (Joshua Kibert, Ben Sheinbein, Evelyn Tarnovsky) if you have any questions.
Kent Justice Foundation (KJF): We at KJF would like to formally invite you to attend our Spring Event! This will be a fun evening of food, drinks, and prizes and – as always – all money raised goes directly back to Kent students who are doing unpaid public interest work this summer.
Tickets are only $10 and include food and an open bar.
There will also be raffle prizes and auction items up for grabs! What kinds of prizes, you ask?…
Raffle Prizes include:
Barrister’s Ball tickets
Barbri and Themis gift certificates
Tickets to comedy clubs, museums, and theaters
Gym/yoga class packs
VIP experience for 6 at Hue
And more!
Auction Items include:
Dinner for 7 students at Prof. Baker’s house
Bulls game with Prof. Donelson (3 students)
Dinner & a movie at Dean Sowle’s house (4 students)
Dinner & drinks with Prof. Walters (4 students)
Lunch and Cubs game with Judge Erickson (3 students)
And more!
You can pre-purchase your tickets at the link below til March 21. All pre-purchases will include 3 complimentary raffle tickets!
Lambdas LGBTQ+ Judges Night: Join CK Lambdas for LGBTQ+ Judges Night! [Facebook: Register here: https://forms.gle/mJFDWBKuuQAioccQA
This event will feature a panel of five LGBTQ+ judges. The panelists will answer questions about their experience of being a queer judge. We hope to solicit questions from the audience as well. All queer law students and our allies from across Cook County are welcome. After the panel discussion, we hope to offer light refreshments and an opportunity to network with the panelists and other AIJ members in attendance.
When: 3/20 6:00pm-8:00pm, registration beginning at 5:30pm.
Where: Chicago-Kent College of Law Ogilvie Auditorium
Register here: https://forms.gle/pc3ZhrM5y8KcjsVXA
My Body My Data: Privacy in a Post-Dobbs Landscape: Please join us on Thursday, March 30th at 5:30 pm for a panel discussion exploring how the recent Dobbs decision may affect body and data privacy in areas across health services, employment, and technology. A networking event with passed hors d'oeuvres and drinks will follow!
Registration: through the QR code on the flyer or at this link.
Navigating Diversity Job Fairs: On Tuesday, March 21 at 12pm in room C35, join the Career Services Office, current students, and alumni to learn more about the Cook County Bar Association (CCBA) Minority Job Fair and other regional diversity job fairs. We will discuss how to prepare for and successfully navigate these fairs, including application, resume, and interview tips. Co-sponsored by WIL, Lambdas, APALSA, HLLSA, MLSA, First Gen, and BLSA.
Parents and Caregivers of Chicago-Kent (PACCK): Every 4th Monday, PACCK will be hosting a student lunch support hour from 12-2pm in the game room on the fifth floor. Food will be served. All are welcome; however, we highly encourage the attendance of parents and caregivers. Come eat and chat with parents and caregivers as we uplift and support one another. Please know this is meant to be a safe space where you are supported. Spread the word. PACCK specializes in supporting law students who have an extra responsibility of providing care to others. We'd love to see you there.
Service Week: The Student Bar Association (SBA) Philanthropy Committee is pleased to announce the Second Annual Service Week here at Chicago-Kent College of Law, in partnership with the Public Interest Resource Center. Get those pro bono hours in and help us continue the tradition of giving back to our Chicagoland communities!
These opportunities have quick deadlines, so sign up ASAP! If you have any questions about Service Week or reporting your pro bono hours, please contact Philanthropy Committee Co-Chairs Janie Sanford (jsanford1) and Alexandria Devlin (adevlin1).
OVERVIEW: Sign up for any of our events using this Google Sheet, there are tabs for each day.
Monday, March 20: Virtual Fundraiser for Garfield Park Conservatory
Tuesday, March 21: Garfield Park Conservatory Palm Room Project (Sign up by Monday, March 20)
Wednesday, March 22: Virtual Smithsonian Transcribe-A-Thon
Thursday, March 23: Brave Space Alliance Pantry Drive
Sunday, March 26: Shamrock Shuffle Aid Station Volunteer (Sign up by 11:59 pm CT Sunday, March 19)
QUICK REGISTRATION LINKS:
Habitat for Humanity ReStore (BOTH THIS LINK and THIS LINK)
Slavic Law Student Association:
Haymarket Happy Hour
Come hang out with us at Haymarket Pub & Brewery on Friday, March 24th, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM! Hope to see you there! [RSVP HERE]
Co-Sponsored by the Slavic Law Student Association, Sports & Entertainment Law Society, Hispanic-Latinx Law Student Association, Chicago-Kent Journal of Intellectual Property, Asian Pacific American Law Student Association, American Civil Liberties Union, and Themis Bar Review.
Women in Law & Racial Equity and Advocacy Alliance:
Upcoming Events
MARCH 20-26: Service Week
MARCH 20: APALSA Bake Sale
MARCH 20: Women in Domestic Violence Careers Panel
MARCH 20: Lambdas LGBTQ+ Judges Night
MARCH 21: Navigating Diversity Job Fairs
MARCH 21: Judicial Externship Applications Due
MARCH 22: JLSA Brown Bag Lunch w/ Professor John Geiringer
MARCH 23: BLSA Alumni of Color Panel
MARCH 23: Study Abroad Info Session
MARCH 23: KJF Spring Event
MARCH 24: Haymarket Happy Hour
MARCH 26: JLSA Event at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center
MARCH 27: Seminar Research Session
MARCH 28: Law Firm Externship Applications Due
MARCH 29: Business Law Night
MARCH 29: JD Certificate Fair
MARCH 29: Community Education Presentation: Domestic Violence & Legal Protections for Survivors
MARCH 30: My Body My Data: Privacy in a Post-Dobbs Landscape
MARCH 31: Cook County Public Defender Minority Law Student Career Informational Session
More events may be found on the SBA calendar. Please make sure you are accessing via your Kent email address.
Birthdays & Special Days – March:
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3/2 |
Junyi Xie, 1L |
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3/10 |
Sumayya Hameed, 1L |
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3/11 |
Andrea Teran, 2L |
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3/24 |
Mel Williams, 1L |
*if you wish to share your special date with the student body, clickhere