Chicago-Kent home page Student portal Faculty portal Staff portal About The Record Current Record headlines Publication deadlines The Record archives

Office of Academic Administration and Student Affairs

Asst. Dean Stephen D. Sowle

Week of November 24, 2014
Student Portal Page
Student Health Insurance FAQ

Law School Survival Guide
U-Pass FAQ

Click here for Dean Sowle's Record Archives

Academic Calendar Reminder. Thanksgiving vacation runs from Thursday, November 27, through Sunday, November 30. Classes resume on Monday, December 1. The building will be closed on Thankgiving Day and on Friday, November 28. Click here for information about building and Library hours over the weekend (scroll down to the Building and Library Hours section).

The class schedule for the final week of classes is as follows:

Monday, December 1: Monday classes meet (Labor Day make-up)
Tuesday, December 2: Thursday classes meet (Rosh Hashanah make-up)
Wednesday, December 3: Friday classes meet and Wednesday classes 4:00 & after meet (Thanksgiving and Rosh Hashanah eve. make-ups)
Thursday, December 4: Thursday classes meet (Thanksgiving make-up)
Friday, December 5: Make-up Day.

Read period runs from Saturday, December 6 through Tuesday, December 9. Exams start on Wednesday, December 10 and end on Friday, December 19.

Spring 2015 Schedule and Registration.
 

Final Spring 2015 Schedule and Registration Bulletin. The final Spring 2015 class schedule, the Registration Bulletin, and the course and exam grids are available by clicking here, or by going to the Current Students Portal page and clicking on the Spring 2015 Quick Guide link. Print copies are available on the table near the third floor elevators. 

•Changes/Corrections to Schedule. Please note the following changes/corrections to the final schedule. A revised version of the schedule has been posted on the Spring 2015 Quick Guide page.

Corrections:

-ADR in the Workplace (427-01) (intensive class): Priority for this class will be given to students seeking the Labor and Employment Law Certificate.

-Semester Law Firm Associate Program (570-01): The class session for this externship will meet Thurs. 4:00-5:30pm (not 4:00-4:55pm).

-Trial Advocacy 1 (Friday morning section): The course number for this section is 555-02 (not 555-01).

Additions: We have added the following courses.

Madrid System for International Registration of Marks (1 credit)
287-01
Prof. Mariano Municoy
The class will meet Monday, January 12 - Friday, January 16, for three hours each day; the exact times will be announced later. There will be a take-home exam early in the Spring semester.
Description: There is no prerequisite for this class. The class will analyze what is currently known as the “Madrid System” for the international registration of marks (the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks of 1891 and the Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement adopted in 1989). The procedures to achieve the registration and maintenance of a mark in the International Register administered by WIPO will be reviewed in detail as well as the relationship of the Madrid System with other international IP agreements. Additionally, the factors to be considered when assessing the pros and cons of using the Madrid System instead of the alternatives (national or regional registration systems) will also be covered.

U.S. Supreme Court Theory and Practice (2 credits)
147-01
Prof. Michael Scodro
Thursdays 6:00-7:50pm
No final exam
Description: This class examines many facets of the U.S. Supreme Court, including practice before the Court at the certiorari and merits stages, oral argument, the methods by which the Court processes cases, and popular and scholarly debates over the Court’s role. In addition to class participation, students are graded on a legal brief (generally 15-25 pages in length) and on their performance in a moot court.

Registration Instructions. Registration will take place from Tuesday, November 25, 8:30am through Tuesday, December 2, 11:00pm. You may register at any time during that period. After the end of the initial registration period, the registration requests will be processed according to each student’s registration priority. In other words, registration will not be conducted on a first-come, first-served basis. As long as you register during the designated period, you will have an equal chance of being admitted to a class as other students within your registration priority group. 

To learn what classes you have been admitted into, you must check the online registration site on or after Friday, December 5. Registering for a class during the initial registration period is no guarantee that you will be admitted into the class – you must check the web site on or after Friday, December 5 to learn what classes you have been admitted into.

•Graduating Students: Reduced Loads and Tuition Discounts. Students graduating at the end of the Spring 2015 semester who need fewer than the minimum number of hours to graduate may take fewer credits without special permission. In addition, if you will be graduating at the end of the Spring 2015 semester, and will be taking more than the 87 credits required to graduate, you may receive a 50% discount on each credit you take over the required 87 credits. If this affects you, please contact me by email no later than Friday, January 30, 2015, and I will arrange for the credit to be applied to your account. Please note: Any credits taken above the 87 credits required for graduation are not eligible for federal financial aid.

Registration for First-Year Students. First-year Day Division students should register for Civil Procedure, Property, and Legal Writing 2 for the Spring semester. (Please be careful to register for the Civil Procedure and Property classes listed for your current section, and for the Legal Writing section taught by your current professor.) For their final course, full-time Day Division students should also register for one of the "1L Your Way" options listed below. First-year Evening Division students should register for Contracts and Legal Writing 2; Evening Division students may also register for the evening section of Property, or may defer Property to the Summer 2015 term.

1L Your Way. Full-time Day Division students should register for one of the following: (1) Legislation; (2) the Clinical Rotation (if you applied for and are selected for it); or (3) one of the designated elective courses listed below. If you register for, but are not admitted into, an elective class, you will be able to register for Legislation or another available elective during the add/drop period. If you do not take Legislation in the Spring, you will be required to take it in Fall of your second year. You may also register for electives other than those listed above, if they fit into your schedule and you receive permission; contact Dean Sowle if you are interested in registering for such an elective.

Legislation (a 3-credit required course). Students who do not take Legislation in the Spring will be required to take it in the Fall of their second year.

The Clinical Rotation (2 credits). We were able to accept all students who applied for the Clinical Rotation, including those who applied after the initial deadline. We will notify you prior to the start of registration as to the specific rotations you were selected for.

An elective class. We have designated the following courses as automatically available for first-year students: Business Organizations (4 credits), Patent Law (3 credits), Employment Relationships (3 credits), International Law (3 credits), and Criminal Procedure: Adjudicative Process. Business Organizations, Patent Law, and Employment Relationships will be offered in the day (in the same time slot as Legislation). International Law and Criminal Procedure will be offered in the evening. A second section of Business Organizations will be offered at 4:00. With permission, students may take other electives that fit their schedules (requests should be sent to Dean Sowle). Upper-level required courses may not be taken (this includes Constitutional Law, Professional Responsibility, Legal Writing 3, Legal Writing 4, and seminars). Depending on demand, we may not be able to accommodate all first-year students who wish to take an elective, although we are hopeful there will be sufficient spaces available for all interested students.

To ensure that all full-time first-year students are assessed on a common set of courses, grades for Legislation or for an elective taken its place will not be considered in calculating Spring class ranks for first-year students or for purposes of probation and dismissals, Law Review selections, or merit scholarships for first-year students. The Clinical Rotation will be graded pass/fail and thus won't count into students' GPA's for that reason. Grades for Legislation and electives will be included in all subsequent class rank calculations.

Fall 2014 Final Exams.

Exam Schedule and Exam Number. The final exam schedule for the current semester is available here. You will be notified of the classroom assignments for your exams prior to the start of exam period. To find your personal exam schedule, go to your Web for Students account and navigate to "Fall 2014" link under the "Schedule" heading in the lefthand menu. Your exam number is also provided there.

Exam Conflict/Reschedule Requests. The period is now closed for requesting an exam reschedule due to an exam conflict or other reason.

Exams Method Registration. The period is now closed for exam method registration.

Notices about SofTest: Students taking exams on laptop must download and install the SofTest exam-taking program. You will receive information from the Information Technology Services department about when and how to do this. Even though you do not need to submit an Exam Method Registration form to use your laptop for exams, you do need to download and install SofTest.

Unless a professor specifies otherwise, SofTest is configured to lock students out of other programs and services on their computers for the duration of the exam. This means that, unless a professor specifically authorizes access, students will not have access to notes, outlines, or other materials stored on their hard drive or the network.

The Information Technology Services department (ITS) will provide detailed information on the use of laptop computers and Lab computers during exams. For now, please make a note of the following items:

  • All students have to download the latest version of SofTest software. Previously installed SofTest versions may not work for the Fall 2014 exams and have to be uninstalled prior to the installation of the new version.
  • The SofTest software for exams will be available for download beginning November 18, 2014.
  • Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8 are the only supported Windows platforms for exams. Windows XP and Windows 8 RT are not supported.
  • Mac Mavericks, Mac Mountain Lion and Mac Lion are the only supported Mac OS X platforms for exams on computer at Chicago-Kent. Mac "Tiger" (Mac OS 10.4), "Leopard" (Mac OS 10.5.6) and "Snow Leopard" (Mac OS 10.6.8) are no longer supported.
  • Mac OS X "Yosemite" (10.10) is not officialy supported at this time. ExamSoft hopes to enable support by Fall 2014 exams.
  • A native Mac version of the SofTest exam-taking software is available for Mac users to download. "Virtualized" Windows operating systems via products such as Parallels Desktop or VMware Fusion will not function for exams.
  • Any individual found to be running an unlicensed or "pirated" operating system on their computer may be declined technical assistance.
Notice About Borrowing Laptops: The Information Technology Services department has a limited supply of laptop computers reserved for use in emergency situations that arise during exam period. These laptops may be used (subject to availability) if your computer has problems immediately before or during an exam, as long as the problem is not due to your failing to properly configure or register your laptop to run the SofTest program. Because of limited supply, the ITS department's laptops are not available for general loaning purposes during exam period. However, if you have exceptional circumstances that you believe justify borrowing a laptop for an exam, please contact Dean Sowle to discuss your situation.

Notice to Hand Writers: Students who are hand writing an exam will be placed in the same room used by laptop users for that exam. Hand writers will not be put in a separate room.

Availability of Professors' Old Exams. Many professors make their old exams available for students to review. Exams after 1982 are available online by clicking here. Exams dating from 1982 and before are bound in volumes available in the 10th floor reading room in the Library.

Praxis Certificate Enrollment Still Open. The Praxis Certificate program is still accepting enrollment of second-year full time students, and second-year and third-year part-time students. Students may enroll online up to January 20, 2015, by clicking here. The Praxis Certificate is designed for students who are interested in fully embracing an experiential course of study. In addition to completing 24 credits in approved experiential coursework, Praxis students learn about some of the most important "practice competencies" of successful attorneys, chart their progress toward developing these skills, and learn how to package and market their experience to potential employers. Students may enroll in Praxis concurrently with other Chicago-Kent certificate programs. Click here for more details about the program requirements. If you have questions about the program, please contact Professor Maureen Aidasani (maidasan@kentlaw.iit.edu).

Teaching Assistant Applications for Spring 2015. We are soliciting applications from upper-level students for the following Spring 2015 Teaching Assistant positions:

Day Division
Civil Procedure (Prof. Steinman, Prof. Rosen, Prof. Laser)
Legislation (Dean Sowle)
Property (Prof. Perritt, Prof. Boni-Saenz, Prof. Stern, Prof. Baker)

Evening Division
Contracts (Prof. Rosado)
Property (Prof. Atuahene)

Click here for more information on being a Teaching Assistant and for the application form. Applications are due by Wednesday, November 26.

Teaching Evaluations.
 Teaching evaluations will be distributed in the coming weeks to elicit students' opinions about the quality of teaching at the Law School. Evaluations are anonymous and will not be available to professors until grades are turned in. Instructors will review the responses to improve the quality of their instruction and courses. The evaluations are also considered as one important factor in tenure, promotion, and compensation decisions for full-time faculty and are used as a factor in determining the effectiveness of part-time instructors.

Joke of the Week. I remember the first time I saw a universal remote control. I thought to myself, "this changes everything!"

CALENDARS

.: Main Chicago-Kent event
   calendar

.: Academic calendar

.: CLE calendar

.: Alumnae/i event calendar

.: Admissions calendar

Chicago-Kent home page Student portal Faculty portal Staff portal About The Record Current Record headlines Publication deadlines The Record archives