s | b | a CHICAGO-KENT STUDENT BAR ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER
October 9, 2023
SBA is here to keep you connected; please reach out to sba at any time!
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Upcoming Events/Deadlines October 10: World Mental Health Day – Events through OSA Legal Externship Information Session October 11: Workshop – Reflective Practice BIRA Panel Events October 12: IPLS Mixer October 13: Last day to buy Fall Social tickets October 16: International Day with ILSA October 17: First-Gen Legal Research Workshop Law Lab & Bloomberg event October 19: Workplace Law info session October 20: Fall Social at Replay!
Announcements SBA wants to encourage everyone to be aware of COVID as the winter months and holiday travel approaches. Washing your hands, masking when appropriate, and avoiding sharing food are easy ways to prevent spread. Check with healthcare professionals about further recommendations. Resources: How to Protect Yourself and Others | CDC
Academic and Bar Success:
Alumni: ConneKtions @ Dinner is Back! ConneKtions @ Dinner is an opportunity for alumni and students to get together and learn more about one another. Additionally, it is a chance for students to learn about the day-to-day life of a lawyer and discuss other pressing questions about the law. From October 13-23, Chicago-Kent alumni will host a student or group of students for dinner at a day, time, and location predetermined. Students will select alumni based on their availability. You can register here
Illinois Tech Title IX Office: October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Upcoming Events: Oct. 10th Pick up a ribbon, a cookie and learn more about Domestic Violence Awareness Month and the Title IX Office on the 3rd floor, outside the Spak, Noon – 2:00pm Oct. 17th Domestic and Sexual Violence Panel Discussion, Room 520, Noon – 2:00pm Oct. 26th Self-Defense Class in Morris Hall, 6pm-7:30pm. Must complete the Assumption and Release Waiver to participate. Illinois State Bar Association:
Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) has free student memberships for up to 4 years.
A free membership has at least two significant benefits for students: first the ISBA emails daily or sometimes twice a day blurbs on every new case that has been decided in Illinois and significant cases decided nationally. Second, students can purchase ISBA materials at member prices which are significantly less than if they were not a member. Use the link above if you are interested in becoming a member!
Law Lab:
Join us on October 17 to hear about the exciting work that the Data INDG department is doing at Bloomberg. This is a great opportunity to learn about potential careers in legal tech while enjoying lunch sponsored by Bloomberg. Chicago-Kent students interested in learning how they can leverage their legal education and interest in technology will not want to miss this!
Legal Externship Program: On Tuesday, October 10 at 12:00 in room 165, join Legal Externship Program Director Jon Decatorsmith, along with current and past externship student participants to learn more about the program. Students in the program will talk about their experience and, along with Professor Decatorsmith, will answer questions. For more information about this program, please visit our webpage.
Library Resources:
The library has put together research guides for all 1L and many upper level courses! The guides include links to West Academic Study aids, CALI lessons, past exams, secondary sources, and more.
Upper level courses: https://guides.kentlaw.iit.edu/study-guides 1L courses: https://guides.kentlaw.iit.edu/first_year/study-guides
Office of Student Affairs:
Public Interest Center:
Join the Public Interest Center, co-sponsored by SBA’s philanthropy committee, for a record expungement clinic partnering with Legal Aid Chicago! No prior experience is required. Great opportunity to provide legal assistance to people in need while gaining valuable experience.
Workplace Law Program:
Workplace law is one of the most dynamic fields in the legal profession right now, and there’s no better place to study it than Chicago-Kent. Learn more about the certificate program in Labor & Employment Law and hear from alumni working in a variety of labor and employment law jobs.
Workshops:
Workshop this week… Resources
Mental Health Resources at Kent:
Got any tips for having good mental health? SBA would love to hear it!
The Mental Health Committee of SBA needs your help in encouraging a culture of wellness at Chicago-Kent. To that end, we are asking our fellow students to anonymously share advice they would give a fellow student about protecting their mental health while in law school. One piece of advice that we collect will be shared in the SBA Newsletter each week as the “Mental Health Tip of the Week”. To share you best mental health tips, please visit the following link: https://forms.gle/g6djYHLQ7fep8U8e9
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
SBA: All general assembly meeting dates can be found on the SBA Website under the ‘about us’ tab. Find a complete list of organizations here:Student Organizations
This week, bar review will be at Theory in River North! If you would like to suggest a bar or happy hour for us to visit, please use the SBA suggestion box.
Fall Social
Join SBA in celebrating the semester at Replay! The last day to buy tickets is October 13th! The first 200 tickets sold will be $35 – your ticket gets you unlimited drinks and games! Non-drinking tickets and guest tickets are available! Replay is an arcade bar in Lincoln Park, their current theme is Cartoon Nostalgia. Email SBA with any questions.
BIRA:
The Bankruptcy, Insolvency, and Restructuring Association (BIRA), co-sponsored by the Corporate Law Society, is hosting a panel event on Wednesday, October 11, 2023 in Room 580. We are bringing in 4 amazing restructuring attorneys who will speak about their experiences, day-to-day work in bankruptcy, and current market trends.
First-Gen: Join Chicago-Kent’s Student Services Librarian, Shannon Conder, on Tuesday, October 17, 2023, at 12:00pm in Room 270 for a legal research workshop. Librarian Shannon Conder will provide a Westlaw and Lexis review session and a presentation on the Federal and State Court systems. FirstGen with any questions!
International Law Society:
ILSA is presenting the first ever International Day 2023 on October 16th! The date coincides with the UN’s Food Day, and we are excited to bring you a two-part event. First, we are hosting a Food Hall around lunchtime, where we are serving homemade foods from ILSA members, LLMs, JDs, faculty and staff. Second, we will host a panel with speakers who work and have experience in international law. Names to be announced soon! We hope to see you there!
IPLS: Chicago-Kent and UIC’s Intellectual Property Law Societies are hosting an exciting mixer for attorneys and law students, sponsored by Barnes & Thornburg, Crowell & Morning, and MBHB. Join us on October 12th from 6:30-9:30pm in Morris Hall to network with IP attorneys and enjoy some light refreshments. Please register using the link below. Middle Eastern and North African Law Students Association: Grab your costumes and get ready for a fun night! Chicago-Kent MENALSA is co-hosting a Halloween Bar Review with our friends at Northwestern Law, DePaul Law, UIC Law, NIU Law, and LUC Law. The event will be held on Thursday, October 19th @ 6:30 PM. The event will take place at Benchmark (1510 N. Wells St., Chicago, IL 60610). See the flyer for more details.
