Law Offices:
News & announcements for the week of
March 5, 2001

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PRESENTATION ON WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7 
TO LAW OFFICES BY THE U.S. DISTRICT COURT 
FOR EXCELLENCE IN PRO BONO AND 
PUBLIC INTEREST SERVICE

The Seventh Circuit of the United States District Court shall express its appreciation of the important work of the law school legal clinics in the Northern District of Illinois by officially recognizing the legal clinics at their Second Annual Awards for Excellence in Pro Bono and Public Interest Service, to be held on Wednesday, March 7, 2001.  The awards ceremony will be held  on Wednesday, March 7, 2001 at 3:30 p.m. in the Ceremonial Courtroom of the Dirksen Federal Building, 219 S. Dearborn Street.

 “Clinical students become more effective lawyers through engaging in lawyering activities under careful supervision of clinical teachers who engender in them a commitment to serving the disadvantaged,” wrote Chief Judge Marvin Aspen.

This award recognizes clinical law teachers for their dual role as effective instructors of lawyering skills and as role models for students who need to conceptualize the high expectations of the legal profession.

Faculty and students are invited to attend the award ceremony.
 
 

JUDICIAL EXTERNSHIPS:  FALL 2001 SEMESTER
STUDENTS MUST HAVE A MINIMUM 3.25 G.P.A. TO APPLY



    A judicial externship enables a student to become involved in particular legal problems through research and writing, and to contribute to the resolution of those legal problems.  Depending upon the judge, an extern may have the opportunity to observe the day-to-day routine of a judge and discuss with the judge and the judge's law clerk those legal problems which attorneys face in their profession, and the specific problems which attorneys confront in their courtroom.  Take advantage of this prestigious learning opportunity while enhancing your marketability in the legal world!

Application Process

     Applications for the Fall Judicial Externships are available both in the Law Offices reception area (Room 600), and in the Career Services Office. 

      Completed applications for Fall Externships should be submitted to Ms. Carole Ross, Secretary to Professor Gross, Room 612 of Law Offices, by Thursday, March 15, at 5:00 p.m.
 
 



NEW COURSE:  TAX FRAUD AND RELATED CRIMES

This two-credit course (no paper) will focus on the elements, defenses, sentencing  trends and emerging legal issues associated with the major federal tax crimes,  including the granddaddy of them all, attempted tax evasion. We will discuss IRS and Department of Justice investigative authority, techniques, and prosecution policies, as well as the government’s substantial forfeiture power. Other topics will include the interplay with civil tax penalties, an overview of applicable federal sentencing guidelines, trial tactics, and select ethical issues.  Special attention will be devoted to analyzing the evidentiary proof necessary to sustain the substantive crimes, and particular strategies that might effectively weaken or even terminate a pending administrative investigation.  The class will be taught by Professor Jonathan Decatorsmith, a former senior trial attorney with the IRS and tax fraud specialist, and currently the Supervisor of the Tax Litigation Clinic.   Though not required, it is recommended that students have completed Tax Procedure, Evidence, and one Criminal Procedure class.
 
 

A NEW CLINICAL PROGRAM -
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & ENTREPRENURSHIP CLINIC (ITEC)

Chicago-Kent College of Law’s Information Technology & Entrepreneurship Clinic (ITEC) fills two needs in the Chicagoland technology community. First, ITEC provides competent technology law services to small technology firms and local start-ups, at affordable rates through its unique fee generating model (hyperlink).  ITEC attorneys and students help these companies stay abreast of the rapidly evolving legal issues relevant to the technology entrepreneur. 

Second, and most importantly, ITEC provides Chicago-Kent law students with practical, hands-on experience working on cutting-edge legal issues, under the supervision of experienced technology attorneys.  These students will then travel into the Chicago legal market upon graduation, providing Chicago with technologically savvy lawyers to meet its developing technology law needs.

ITEC assists new ventures through the each stage of developing a start-up -- business organization; protection of intellectual property rights; transactional and contract drafting; and, current advice regarding evolving legal issues relevant to doing business on the Internet.  Students who intern in ITEC will assist in providing legal services to established IT companies and Internet start-ups.
 
 

A NEW CLINICAL PROGRAM - 
FIRST DEFENSE LEGAL AID

First Defense Legal Aid (FDLA), the only program of its kind in the country, fills the gap in Illinois’ public defender system by providing 24-hour free legal representation to adults and children in police custody or under police investigation.  FDLA provides a unique “frontline” criminal defense experience for students, enabling them to see: how evidence is collected and created; the tactics of the Chicago Police Department when trying to extract a confession or question witnesses; the role that the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Felony Review Team plays during the beginning stages of a criminal investigation; and the utter vulnerability of children and adults when under intensive and sometimes abusive interrogation.  In addition to this stationhouse representation, DSLA also works toward the permanent improvement of our criminal justice system by educating the public, organizing community residents to combat police misconduct, by engaging in legislative and community advocacy, investigating patterns of misconduct by the Chicago Police, taking select criminal defense cases to trial, and initiating 42 U.S.C. §1983 litigation to improve the policies and procedures of the Chicago Police as they relate to the treatment of persons in police custody.

Students participating in the FDLA class must be eligible for a Illinois Supreme Court Rule 711 license.  Students representing FDLA clients at Chicago Police Stations will gain unique insight into the criminal justice system at its earliest stage and be able to:
 

1. View and Document Line-Ups, DNA testing, and Halt Lie Detector Tests.
2. Assert a Client’s 5th Amendment Right to Remain Silent and 6th Amendment Right to Counsel.
3. Gather Information from the Police on the Progress of the Investigation.
4. Document Police Brutality and other Misconduct.
5. Counsel Clients and Provide Information to their Families.
6. Interview Witnesses.
7. Demand a Client’s Immediate Release at the Police Station and in Court.
 
 

LAW OFFICES OF CHICAGO-KENT

The Law Offices of Chicago-Kent offers nine long-standing programs in live-client clinical legal education which accommodate over 150 students in the fall and spring semesters and over 50 students in the summer semester. 

For a complete description of all clinical programs, please visit the Law Offices' Home Page at www.kentlaw.edu/academics/clinic
 
 
 
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