Welcome Back! Congratulations to all first-year students
on completing your first semester of law school, and to upper-level
students for making it one semester closer to graduation.
I hope everyone had a restful holiday break.
Academic Calendar Reminder. Classes will not be held on
Monday, January 19, in commemoration of Martin Luther King
Day. Spring semester classes will
start on Tuesday, January 20. Because Martin Luther King Day
is an official university holiday for the first time this
year, this also means that the Law School building will be
closed on January 19.
Spring 2004 Course Information:
Changes to the Spring Schedule. A list of
changes to the Spring schedule (additions, cancellations,
and one exam change) is linked
to this page. I would particularly like to highlight a
new clinical program, with preference given to evening students,
sponsored by the Law School in conjunction with the Coordinated
Advice and Referral Program for Legal Services (CARPLS).
Classroom Assignments. Classroom assignments for
Spring courses are posted in the front lobby and linked
to this page.
Initial Reading Assignments. Initial assignments for
many Spring courses are linked
to this page.
Bookstore Hours. The bookstore's hours are linked
to this page. Please note that the bookstore will not
be open on Monday, January 19, due to the Law School's observance
of Martin Luther King Day.
Trial Advocacy Section Assignments. Assignments for
the Spring sections of Trial Advocacy 1 and Trial Advocacy
2 are linked
to this page.
Adding Classes After the First Week. You may add
an open course without special permission until the end of
the first week of Spring 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 the second
week of the semester.
ASP Small Group Sessions. Please see the Student
Services section of the Record for information about the
Academic Support Program, including membership criteria for
ASP small group sessions and the process for petitioning into
the small groups. For more information about the Academic
Support Program and study resources, please visit the ASP
web site.
Final Exams. The final exam schedule for the Spring
semester is linked
to this page. The Student
Handbook requires that you take your finals at the times
scheduled, even if you have two exams in a row, or one at
6:00 p.m. and another at 8:30 a.m. the next morning. Absent
extraordinary circumstances, the only exception is if you
have three exams scheduled consecutively (which rarely happens)
or two exams scheduled at the same time. If you believe you
have an exam conflict or other circumstances justifying the
rescheduling of an exam (see Student
Handbook sections 7.2 and 7.3), please contact Jamie Lake,
the Director of Student Services (e-mail: JLAKE).
Distribution of Spring U-Passes and New ID Cards. Spring
U-Passes and new Chicago-Kent ID cards will be distributed
in the front lobby on Tuesday, January 20, from 11:45-1:00
and 4:00-6:00 pm. All students should pick up a new ID card.
For more information on the U-Pass program and which students
qualify for participation in the program, see the Student
Services section of the Record.
"Law as a Profession: From Law Student to Lawyer,"
Wednesday, February 25 (required for all 2L students).
All second-year students are required to attend the annual
Law as a Profession Day program on Wednesday, February 25.
Attendance at Law as a Profession Day is a graduation requirement.
If you are a second-year student and have not yet registered
for the program, please do so as soon as possible through
the online course registration system (course number 121-001
for day students, 121-051 for evening students). If you have
any questions, please contact me (ssowle@kentlaw.edu).
ASP Workshop: "Learning From Experience: How to Interpet
Your Exam Results and Plan Ahead." Are you curious
about how to interpret your grades? Do you want to find out
how your first semester results can affect your future law
school performance? Are you looking for tips on the most effective
way to do an exam review with a professor? All of these topics
will be covered in the Academic Support Program's final 2003-2004
workshop on Wednesday, January 28, 3:00-4:00 pm (for day
students) and 5:00-5:45 pm (for evening students)
in Rm. C50. Although the workshop is mainly aimed at first-year
students, all students are welcome to attend. If you are unable
to attend but would like to see a videotape of the program,
contact Jamie Lake (e-mail: JLAKE).
Save the Date: Family and Friends Day, January 31.
We will be offering a Family and Friends Day program on
Saturday, January 31, from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. The program
is intended to give your spouses, partners, parents, children,
and other important people in your lives the opportunity to
visit the Law School and get a taste of what you are experiencing
as a law student. The program will include a continental breakfast,
mini-classes taught by me and Prof. Brill, and a mock trial
demonstration featuring members of our award-winning Trial
Team. If you would like to attend, please complete the response
form linked
to this page no later than January 27. If you have any
questions, please contact Jamie Lake (e-mail: JLAKE).
Bar Registration for First-Year Students. First-year students
who plan to take the Illinois Bar Examination after graduation
should register with the Illinois bar examiners. The registration
materials must be postmarked by March 1, 2004. The
forms and instructions are available on the bar examiners'
web site: http://www.ibaby.org.
Although you are not required to register as a first-year
student, the advantage of doing so is that you will avoid
paying a late fee of $350 imposed on those who register at
any point after March 1 of their first year. If you are uncertain
whether you intend to practice in Illinois, you may want to
consider waiting to register and paying the late fee should
you eventually decide to take the Illinois bar exam. The application
form is very comprehensive and requires you to provide a significant
amount of background information, some of which may be difficult
to remember or obtain. I suggest that, if you do plan to register
by the March deadline, you begin working on the materials
sooner rather than later. If you have any questions about
the application materials, you may call the Illinois Board
of Admissions to the Bar at 217/522-5917.
All information you disclose on the bar registration application
should be consistent with answers to questions on your Application
for Admission to the law school. Please note, however, that
the bar registration application asks for a considerable
amount of information that you were not asked to provide
on our Application for Admission. You only need to be concerned
about the consistency of your answers for questions asked
on both forms. You can amend your Application for Admission,
if necessary, by addressing a letter to me setting forth
the details of the omission or misrepresentation and the
reason for it.
Representatives from the Illinois Board of Admissions to
the Bar will visit the Law School early in the Spring semester
to answer questions concerning the completion of the bar
registration application. We will announce the date and
time once the session has been scheduled.
First-year students who think they may practice in another
state should contact the bar examiners office in
that state as soon as possible to determine their registration
requirements. Booklets with the addresses and phone numbers
of state bar examiners offices are available for you to
consult in the Registrar’s office and in my office.
July 2004 Illinois Bar Exam. Applications for the
July 2004 Illinois bar exam must be postmarked by February
1, 2004. The forms and instructions are available on
the bar examiners' web site: http://www.ibaby.org.
Please note: Even if you registered with
the bar examiners as a first-year student, you must still
file a final application by February 1. If you did not register
during your first year, you will need a separate set of
application materials, which contains both the registration
application and the final application. Please be sure that
you obtain the correct materials. If you have any questions
about the application materials, you may call the Illinois
Board of Admissions to the Bar at 217/522-5917.
The law school sends a “Certificate of Dean of Law School
Proof of Legal Education” to the Illinois bar examiners
for every student who graduates in May. Please be sure to
file an Application for Graduation so that we will know
you plan to graduate in May.
All information you disclose on the bar application should
be consistent with answers to questions on your Application
for Admission to the law school. Please note, however, that
the bar application asks for a considerable amount of information
that you were not asked to provide on our Application for
Admission. You only need to be concerned about the consistency
of your answers for questions asked on both forms. You can
amend your Application for Admission, if necessary, by addressing
a letter to me setting forth the details of the omission
or misrepresentation and the reason for it.
Note about religious conflict with July bar exam:
The first day of the Illinois bar exam this year falls on
the Jewish holiday Tisha B'Av. If this provides a conflict
for you, please see the Student
Services section of the Record for more information.
Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE).
The MPRE is required for admission to the bars of most jurisdictions,
including Illinois. The exam is administered in March, August,
and November each year. You may take the exam after you
have completed the equivalent of two full academic years
of law school, i.e., after you have completed two-thirds
of the academic requirements for the J.D. degree. Applications
for the next exam, on March 8, 2003, are available in the
Registrar's office. The deadline for applying for the March
exam is February 3, 2004 (the late deadline is February
19).
Academic Calendar for 2004-2005. The Academic Calendar
for 2004-2005 is linked
to this page.
Reminder About IIT's Political Activity Policy. IIT’s
General Counsel would like to remind employees and students
of the university’s obligation as a tax-exempt entity to
refrain from engaging in any partisan political activities.
This policy applies to all academic units within IIT, including
the Law School. Violation of the prohibition against such
activity could jeopardize IIT’s tax-exempt status. While
individuals are free to express their opinions and to support
political candidates on their own, it must be clear that
the individual is acting on his or her own behalf and not
on behalf of IIT. In no event may the name, symbols, or
resources of the university be used to participate or intervene
in any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition
to a candidate for political office. Specific examples of
impermissible activities include the use of university letterhead,
campus mail, or IIT e-mail accounts to solicit support or
contributions for a candidate; using university funds to
purchase tickets for a candidate's fund-raiser; and putting
campaign posters on university property. If you have any
questions or concerns about this policy, please contact
Mary Anne Smith, Vice President and General Counsel of IIT,
at 312/567-3034.
Joke of the week. Question: What occurs once
in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand
years? Answer: Click
here.
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