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Week of April 4, 2016

LAW OFFICES NEWSLETTER

View the latest Law Offices newsletter to find out what is currently happening and hear from students who talk about their clinic experiences.

LAW OFFICES - IN-HOUSE LEGAL EXPERIENCE

The Law Offices gives students the opportunity to learn how to practice law under the close supervision of a clinical faculty attorney - an experience that is available only in the law school’s in-house clinical programs.

Applications for both the Summer and Fall 2016 semesters of the Law Offices are now available on the table by the third floor elevators, in the Law Offices reception area and online.

Summer 2016 applications are due on Tuesday, April 5 at 4:00 p.m.

 

LITIGATION AND ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION (LADR)

The due date has passed for the LADR certificate program but we can still accept applications. Applications can be found online and can be turned in to the receptionist in the Law Offices, Suite 600.

CRIMINAL LITIGATION CERTIFICATE PROGRAM

The due date has passed for the Criminal Ltigation Certificate Program but we can still accept applications. Applications can be found online and can be turned in to the receptionist in the Law Offices, Suite 600.

ACCESS2PRACTICE
LEGAL EXTERNSHIP PROGRAM

Summer/Fall 2016

A2P Legal Externship (LEP) is a 4-credit hour non-graded program which enables you to extern with a supervising attorney in a wide variety of legal areas – private or public, civil or criminal. Externships are available for the Fall, Spring and Summer semesters. Some public sector externships enable you to obtain a 711 license and appear in court.

Why Extern?

To become a good lawyer and to supplement what you learn in the classroom, you need practical experience in real-world legal work. Most students aren't fortunate enough to receive a paid clerking position — or even a volunteer opportunity — that teaches what they want to learn. LEP presents a unique and important opportunity to gain exposure to an area of the law in which you are interested and helps you significantly broaden your future employment opportunities.

Students interested in civil law may extern in a wide variety of places. For example, some have externed at the City of Chicago Corporation Counsel's Office, Office of the Illinois Attorney General, Illinois Commerce Commission, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Internal Revenue Service, and Environmental Protection Agency, as well approved in-house corporate legal counsel. And students interested in criminal law have externed at the US Attorney's Office, the Office of the Federal Defender, and at the offices of the State's Attorney and Public Defender in Cook County as well as the surrounding counties.

Summer/Fall Access2Practice LEP

Summer Access2Practice LEP differs from Fall/Spring LEP in that summer students have a greater choice of placements. Whereas Fall and Spring placements are almost exclusively in the public and not-for-profit areas, Summer LEP includes a significant number of private placements in law firms and in-house corporate legal departments. These private placements are supervised by designated alums and both the alum teaching supervisors and placements have been screened and approved by the Chicago-Kent Faculty Externship Screening Committee specifically for this program.

As of Monday, February 22, Symplicity will post many Summer LEP placement opportunities for which you can apply. Please scroll to Access2Practice: Private Summer for these special opportunities. The applications to the participating member placements will be submitted through a centralized data base and sent electronically to the respective placements on Wednesday, March 23, 2016. Each teaching attorney/placement then independently screens and selects its own extern(s).

Application Process:

Information and application packets for Summer and Fall 2016 are available in the Law Offices reception area (Room 600), in the Career Services Office, on the table by the third-floor elevators, and online.

Opportunities:

Fall 2016 Legal Externship Program
For Credit Only (4 Credits)
In-House Corporate
Allstate Insurance Company, Northbrook, IL

As part of Chicago-Kent's Fall 2016 Legal Externship Program, Allstate Insurance Company will select a Chicago-Kent student extern. The extern receives 4 (Pass/Fail) credit hours and devotes 16 hours a week to fieldwork with the corporation's legal department.

Allstate Insurance Company has one of the largest legal departments in the country and their practice involves virtually every area of the law. Various practice groups comprise the Department, including: Dispute Resolution Services (which includes litigation), Government & Industry Relations, Investments & Business Transactions, Corporate Governance, and Business Conduct.

An extern will be exposed to a wide variety of matters and legal activities depending on the practice area(s) to which the extern is assigned over the course of the semester. Activities can include research, drafting, counseling business clients on a wide variety of issues and negotiating transactions.

To Apply:

Prospective 3Ls Only
Applicants must submit a resume and unofficial transcript to Mr. Waqas Durrani (waqas.durrani@allstate.com) by no later than Monday, April 11, 2016.

if you have any questions, contact Prof. Gross (vgross@kentlaw.iit.edu).
 

Fall 2016 Legal Externship Program Opportunity
For Credit Only (4 Credits)
Seyfarth Shaw, LLP
Intellectual Property (IP)

As part of Chicago-Kent's Fall 2016 Legal Externship Program, Seyfarth Shaw, LLP, will select a Kent student for a for-credit Fall 2016 Legal Externship in their IP division. The IP extern essentially becomes a member of the firm's IP group for a semester. He/she typically does legal research and writing (not usually formal memos) that would otherwise be "billable" work, except does not bill for time. The work can be in any area of IP, copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, advertising, privacy, Internet, or related issues and is not limited to people with technical backgrounds. Take advantage of this exciting opportunity!

To Apply:

Prospective 2Ls and 3Ls must have a minimum G.P.A. of 3.1.

Please submit your resume and unofficial transcript to Prof. Gross by Wednesday, April 6, 2016, at 5:00 p.m. Do not apply directly to the law firm.

If you have any questions, contact Prof. Gross (vgross@kentlaw.iit.edu).
 

Fall 2016 Legal Externship Program Opportunity
For Credit Only
Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP


As part of Chicago-Kent's Fall 2016 Legal Externship Program, Hinshaw & Culbertson will select a Kent student extern. The extern receives 4 (Pass/Fail) credit hours and devotes 16 hours a week to fieldwork at the firm. The extern will work in 3 groups: Business Litigation, Government Litigation and Insurance. There is also an accompanying classroom component on designated Wednesdays at 4:00 p.m.

To Apply:

Prospective 2Ls and 3Ls must have a 3.1 minimum G.P.A.

Please email your resume, unofficial transcript and writing sample to Mr. Laurence Tooth (LTooth@hinshawlaw.com) by Thursday, April 7, 2016.

If you have any questions, contact Prof. Gross (vgross@kentlaw.iit.edu).


Fall 2016 Semester Law Firm Associate Program

Chicago-Kent's Semester Law Firm Associate Program (SLFAP) is a unique for-credit non-graded program open to 2Ls and 3Ls with a minimum 3.1 GPA. Semester Associate externs work for academic credit (without pay) as "Associates" for designated prestigious firms.

Semester Associate externs receive 6 credits and devote 24 hours a week during the semester to the fieldwork component. Students gain experience and perspective from work on different aspects of litigation and transactions, and firms strive, to the extent possible, to expose students to a range of legal problems demanding varying skill sets or competencies. In conjunction with the fieldwork, there is an accompanying classroom component, scheduled on designated Thursdays from 4:00-5:30 p.m.

This is a terrific opportunity to learn substantive law and about life in a law firm as well as more about your own strengths, and to make an impression on the lawyers with whom you come into contact (even though there is no expectation of future employment).

To Apply for Fall 2016 SLFAP:

Below are the participating firms and legal practice areas. All prospective 2Ls and 3Ls who wish to apply for an externship at any of the firms listed below, please email a current resume and unofficial transcript to Professor Gross (vgross@kentlaw.iit.edu) by no later than 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 6, 2016. Also indicate to which firm(s) you are applying.

Each firm will conduct its own selection process. You must accept the first offer you receive and cannot withdraw after your acceptance with the respective firm.

Participating Firms:

Beerman Swerdlove LLP
Family Law

Deutsch, Levy & Engel
Commercial Litigation

Michael Best & Friedrich LLP
IP Law

Segal McCambridge Singer & Mahoney, LTD
Commercial Litigation (possibly some toxic tort)


Please contact Professor Gross at vgross@kentlaw.iit.edu immediately if you are selected.

Student Argues Before Judge

Kudos to Law Offices student Tracy Harkins, supervised by Professor Richard Kling, who argued in front of a 7th Circuit Judges Kanne, Hamilton and Sykes in Federal Court on Wednesday, October 7. The oral argument was based on the appeal of the district court's denial of a motion to suppress evidence. Tracy argued that the finding of reasonable suspicion, in support of a "Terry" stop, at the district court level was erroneous, on the basis that the facts the district court found supported reasonable suspicion were not articulable and reliable enough to confer such suspicion.

In The News

Clinical Professor of Law Richard Kling is quoted in a Chicago Sun-Times article about former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich’s latest appeal efforts.

  
The Chicago Daily Law Bulletin published an article focusing on the legal writing and clinical education programs.
 

Professor Richard Kling was interviewed by Fox 32 about the possibility that consumers may soon be able to shop for legal services via Groupon. Watch the interview here.
 

Remembering the 1963 March on Washington - A talk with Clinical Professor Richard Kling
 

Clinical Professor Ed Kraus spoke with Peoria's WEEK-TV about the needs of diabetic children in schools and the necessity of accommodation from and education of school staff, for a story about a local couple whose 10-year old son has struggled to perform needed care on the bus: http://www.cinewsnow.com/news/local/Mom-says-son-denied-to-properly-treat-diabetes-is-life-or-death-issue-200679431.html
 

IIT Chicago-Kent Legal Fellow/Research Associate Sarah Blenner, who works with Clinical Professor Ed Kraus in the Health & Disability Law Clinic, discussed privacy and discrimination concerns surrounding a new policy in which CVS drugstores will require employees to submit to body weight and BMI testing or face higher health insurance premiums, in an ABC 7 News story. View the video.

 

For a complete description of all clinical programs, please visit the Law Offices' Home Page at http://www.kentlaw.iit.edu/legal-clinics

For a description of all externship programs, please visit the Externship home page at http://www.kentlaw.iit.edu/externships.

 

 

 

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