January Intensive Research Week

Good morning sunshines! Here is a rough schedule of meeting times/ locations for our research week:

Wed., Jan 2
9:30 - 11:00 rm 97 -- LSSC-wide meeting
11:00-12:00 rm. 205
3:30 - 4:30 rm. 204

Thurs., Jan 3
9:30 - 10:30 rm 202
2:30 - 3:30 rm 86

Fri., Jan 4
9:30 - 10:30 rm. 54
2:00 - 3:00 Moot Courtroom
3:00 - 4:00 rm 97 -- LSSC-wide meeting


I will bring delicious treats to our first meeting, so please don't dread returning to school too much!

- Julia

Emily's Wonderful Orientation Manual -- Yours to Own!

Hi all! In case you glossed over SMR's lengthy email (I know I did), your SJP orientation manual is now available at Gnomon. It should cost somewhere b/w $4-$7.

Emily has done a wonderful job with this manual, and it will be very useful to you as you begin your SJP. We will begin our orientation week in January discussing the manual, so you will want to find some time over the break to read it. It is a very manageable length, and should probably take no more than 2 hours to read.

Enjoy!

-Julia

Pics from our bowling fiesta FINALLY online!!

You were afraid you would never see the beautiful memories. Rest easy. CLICK HERE
-Em

I MISS YOU!!!

Hey all. I'm on co-op right now, sitting at my desk, all by my lonesome with no one to roleplay with. That aside, I'm really digging BU General Counsel. Everyone is really nice and there is a great variety of work (most of it over my head right now!) I miss you guys so much and hope you're having a great time with Julia. Keep me posted and darn it, someone throw a party soon!

Ok, that's all. Back to work. In the meantime, if you miss me, just click HERE. Nathan, Belle, and I made a video for you.
Mele Kaleekee Maka - Emily

Lovely Reminder

Thursday, Nov. 8
(9:00a - 10:00a) Client meeting w/ Michael Foreman, Room 204, business casual
(3:30 - 4:30p) Discussion of final transition memo, Room 54

Thursday, Nov. 15
(12:00p) Lunch with Prof. Klare, location TBD

Important Info for this Week...

Hope you all had a great weekend. I had a great (though rainy!) time in NYC with my mom and am trying to get back on track. This week is a busy one, so here are the important dates to keep in mind.

* Tuesday, Oct. 30 - Welfare Regulation (p. 324) due (posted on LO11 Blackboard BY 8:00p)

• Group 1: Kryssie, Erin, Sam (Kryssie presents)
• Group 2: Kevin, Jen, Vanessa, Brandon (Kevin presents)
• Group 3: Rachel, Dave, Tenzin, Charlie (Dave presents)
• Group 4: Sarah, Audrey, Mike (Mike presents)

* Wednesday, Oct. 31 - HALLOWEEN! LSSC Makeup (12:00 - 2:00p, Emily's buying pizza, Room 201)
* Thursday, Nov. 1 - LO 11 Bowling Party!! (3:30 - whenever); NUSL Halloween Party @ Milky Way in JP later that evening

(Note - Because I'm extending the due date/time for your assignment, please make sure you have it in on time!!)

Regulation Exercise Info!!

Helpful resources

* LSSC Property Unit Readings and Unit Three welfare readings – on imaging, cultural competency and due process
* Welfare videos online on blackboard
* NJ v. Shack (p. 132)
* Susan Sturm’s article “From Gladiators to Problem-Solvers” on p. 85 AND Randall's article (p. 317)

Things to consider

* Budget constraints
* Political feasibility
* How multiple perspectives of the recipients and the Massachusetts DTA can be shape procedural due process surrounding welfare assistance

** Please review the other postings prior to class on Wednesday!!!

I would like to introduce you to my cat

This is Belle. She is tired. So am I. She sleeps WAY more than I do. :)

Short Survey from Last Thursday's Class

Please take this short survey so that I have feedback from our class. Thanks!!
Click Here to take survey

Groups for Next Week's Exercise

As a follow up to the group assignment for Thursday's advocacy exercise, I divided the groups in half to create four teams. They are as follows:
Plaintiffs:
*Audrey, Charlie, Erin, Kevin
*Brandon, David, Jen
Defendants:
*Kryssie, Rachel, Sarah, Vanessa
*Michael, Sam, Tenzin
(I will let you know next week who will be presenting for the groups but as I mentioned in class, I want everyone to prepare as if they are presenting.)
Have a GREAT WEEKEND!!

Exam Stuff

1) Tomorrow (Wed) from 3:45 - 4:45p, the Academic Success workshop (in rm. 97) is "How to Outline/Write an Exam Answer." I highly recommend checking it out. It's nice to have an entire hour devoted to understanding exactly what it is your profs are looking for in that crazy long essay.

2) Find more information re: the torts practice exam (exam #, when, who, how, etc) on the WeBoard "commons"

Check out the Law School Calendar

So, the law school is trying out this new electronic calendar and it's pretty cool. If you click on "Student Master Calendar" you can see when/where all things law school are happening. Good way to find out about student groups, speakers, sponsored events, etc. Click HERE.

IMPORTANT Upcoming Dates!!

I will add to this as things come up. My advice - deep breathing. ;)

Oct. 18 (Thur.) - Thurs class as usual but A LOT of reading, so start early!! (pp. 234-283 + film clips on general Blackboard site)
Oct. 22 (Mon.) - Torts practice exam (let me know if you need any help preparing!)
Oct. 24 (Wed.) - LO 11 Lunch, location TBD
Oct. 25 (Thur.) - Class - oral argument advocacy exercise, groups TBD (pp. 287-319)
Oct. 29 (Mon.) - Memo due in research/writing class
Oct. 31 (Wed.) - HALLOWEEN!!!
Nov. 1 (Thur.) - Class - Welfare Regulation exercise (pp. 322-348); NUSL Halloween Party at Milky Way
Nov. 8 (Thur.) - Our last class together :( Last transition memo due.
****NOTE*** Nov. 8 class time change: 9-10a (room 204) meet our client, 3:30-4:30 (room 54)

GROUP ASSIGNMENTS

Welfare Advocacy (10/25) - p. 292:
Plaintiffs: Audrey, Brandon, Charlie, David, Erin, Jen, Kevin
Defendants: Kryssie, Michael, Rachel, Sam, Sarah, Tenzin, Vanessa
(***Although the assignment says you'll choose one person to speak, I want you all to prepare and I'll let you know who is going to be advocating a day or so before the exercise***)

Welfare Regulation (11/1) - p. 324:
Group 1: Kryssie, Erin, Sam
Group 2: Kevin, Jen, Vanessa, Brandon
Group 3: Rachel, Dave, Tenzin, Charlie
Group 4: Sarah, Audrey, Mike

Final Transition Memo (11/8):
Group 1: Sarah, Kryssie, Dave
Group 2: Charlie, Vanessa, Rachel, Jen
Group 3: Tenzin, Mike, Brandon, Erin
Group 4: Sam, Audrey, Kevin

DON'T FORGET!!!!!

Please don't forget that I need your individual group process feedback forms back ASAP. You can either put them in my mailbox (by room 66) or hand it directly to me. I'm keeping track, so don't think you can sneak by me. :o) Email me if you need an extra one.

Questions about Client/Research/Deliverable??

If you have any questions to add to our class list, please post a reply thread on the discussion board on LO11's Blackboard. Thanks!!

Lunch - Wed. Oct. 24

We have a date for lunch on Wed. Oct. 24 @ noon. Where should we go???? You can reply to this post or email the group.

Second Transition Memo

Our second transition memo is due by Wednesday, October 10 - 5:00 p.m.

You will find everything you need to complete the memo on our team Blackboard - a copy of the assignment, the list of teams, additional research (law review article and EEOC hearing transcript), and two links on the discussion board (one for questions and one to post your final memo). Let me know if you need anything and have a great long weekend.

PS: Let's plan another lunch soon!

I mean, we were just discussing adoption...

I would like to think this is relevant to LSSC :) (I warned you about my guilty pleasure - celebrity gossip!) http://www.slate.com/id/2175303/

LO 11 Baby Love!!

On behalf of LO 11, I would like to proudly announce the birth of Vanessa St. Leger and her boyfriend Patrick's baby girl!!! Kayla Michele was born on October 2, 2007 at 9:28a, 7lbs 11oz, 19.5in. We are so excited for you both and can't wait to meet your beautiful daughter!!

Tomorrow's Class Info

As you all know, this week’s advocacy exercise will call for you to advocate from your client’s perspective, during a Legislative hearing. During the exercise, I will not be acting as your LF, but as an elected official—in a public hearing--fulfilling her duties on the Joint Committee on Health Care and Human Services. As an elected official, expect me to be fully versed with your written testimony, and interested in asking probing questions. You will be expected to adhere to a strict timeline, and also answer any questions I may have.

Please note that the hearing will begin promptly once class has begun, thus it is imperative that you come to class prepared to represent your organization’s perspective. Also, the LF’s expect that you all will have various questions about the upcoming transitional assignment. During this upcoming class, time will be set aside to address your questions.

See you all tomorrow!
Emily

Helpful Links for Advocacy Exercise

(This announcement can also be found on our LO11 Blackboard under Announcements)

The following links will be helpful to prepare for Thursday's exercise:

Sunday Globe Article on Adoption Changes
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/09/23/choices_of_the_heart?p1=email_to_a_friend

This link relates to an adoption bill in Arkansas. The bill attempted to restrict homosexuals from adopting or fostering children. A testimony from a judge against the bill was taped:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=2Q-V1podO10

Group Assignments for the Legislative Hearing Assignment

Charlie, Mike, Vanessa, Erin -
Voices for America's Children - (www.voicesforamericaschildren.org)

Jen, Sarah, Kevin -
Our Bodies Ourselves (www.ourbodiesourselves.org)

Dave, Brandon, Rachel, Sam -
The National Council for Adoption (www.ncfa-usa.org)

Audrey, Tenzin, Kryssie -
The Adoption Network, Inc (www.adoptionnetwork.com)

Extensive instructions are on pp. 208-212 of the green coursepack. Your 1-2 page typed summary of the major points you will address at the hearing needs to be posted to Blackboard by Monday, October 1, 8:00p. Please post them on our LO 11 Blackboard, under "Discussion Board," "Adoption Legislative Hearing Posts." Thanks!!

Examples of testimony: http://ctnonprofits.org/pages/legislature/testimony.asp

Additional Adoption Links

Here are some links to sample adoption forms found on the web. It is pretty amazing the choices that are given to adoptive parents. Definitely worth the few minutes to check them out.

Alberta Children's Services
Adoptive Home
Foster/Adoption Application

Baby Pool!!

I finally have Vanessa's baby pool up and running. Place your bets as soon as you can...her due date is right around the corner. The information that we know as of now -- Due Date: Oct. 8, Gender: Female, Name: Kayla Michele.

It is $5 per person, per entry and we'll collect the money in class next week and the week after. (No pressure Vanessa, but my bet is that you'll have Kayla on the 7th, so think early! :) )

Online baby pool: http://bebepool.com/emilyrenshaw

Third Reflection

Hope you all had a great weekend! I know you're all swamped with work, so I wanted to post a reminder that your third reflection assignment is due this Tuesday, by 8:00p. There is a thread to reply to on our LO11 Blackboard discussion board. See you on Thursday!

Bar Review this Thursday!

This week's bar review is going to be at Pour House, on Boylston St. http://www.pourhouseboston.com/. Bar review officially starts at 5:30p. There will be $2 NUSL shots (not sure what they will be), free wings, free chips and salsa, and 1/2 off Mexican food all night. Pour House is easily walkable from school -- located right across from Hynes Convention Center. I'll be heading there after class, so feel free to walk with me if you're not sure where it is (or if you just want to spend more quality time with me :) ).

Role Assignments for Thurs. Class

In addition to the email I sent out this afternoon, I thought I'd post the role assignments for tomorrow's class here, in case you check this first. Please see the email for more detail. See you tomorrow and WHO'S BRINGING TREATS??

The Organ Trade – Role Playing Exercise

* Alberty/Alberta Jose da Silva (primary organ seller) – played by the Tenzin & Kryssie

* “Middle man/Middle woman” (facilitating sale) – played by Dave & Audrey

* Brooklyn woman (kidney purchaser) – played by Jennifer & Vanessa

* Alexander M. Capron (Director of Ethics, WHO) – played by Michael

* Health Ministry Representatives from Israel – played by Sarah

* S. African physician performing procedure– played by Erin

* Mr. Peri (ringleader of organ trade) – played by Brandon & Sam

* Orley de Santana (26-year-old laborer, organ seller) – played by Charlie

* Jose Carlos da Conceicao da Silva (other organ seller) – played by Kevin

* Rogerio Bezerra da Silva (other organ seller) – played by Rachel

Free Hornbooks and Study Guides!

Just found out that the ASP office (located right outside of the locker room) has horn books and other commercial outlines that you can sign out for ten days at a time. These are old, torn up copies either - they have some of the newest materials. Wish I would have known about this last year!

Class FRIDAY!

Just a reminder that our makeup LSSC class will be held on Friday, September 14th from 12:30-2:30p in ROOM 86. Be there or be square. Actually, just be there - if for nothing else, it's Vanessa's b'day! :)

Field Day Postponed!

Due to probable rain and thunderstorms, the SBA decided to move Field Day to NEXT Saturday, September 22nd at 1pm.

It would be great to see LO 11 there in full force (as we are a force to be reckoned with!), so I hope many (if not all) of you can make it. Should be a great time!

Location: Cleveland Circle - take the green line (B to Chestnut Hill, C to Cleveland Circle, or D to Resevoir). The park is located where all three lines basically converge.

Bar Review - WED. 9/12

This week's bar review has been moved to Wednesday because of the holiday on Thursday. Details: 6 PM at Clery’s (corner of Dartmouth and Columbus in the South End). It si a short walk from the Orange Line Back Bay stop or the Green Line Copley stop. http://www.irishconnection.com/clerys.html

Great site - PDF conversion

Just a quick post -- if you ever need to convert a Word doc, or any other word processing document into a PDF, this site is free and fast. https://www.pdfonline.com/convert_pdf.asp If ever you are emailing something to a prof/co-0p employer, etc, always convert it to PDF first so that the formatting stays the same and the spell check marks don't show. Ok, that's all. :) Hope you all had a great weekend!

SBA!

I would love it if you all ran for SBA. It's a great resume booster. Oh, and we'd get to spend more time together. :) Let me know if you have any questions!

NUSL Field Day!!

(Msg from Nick Horan, 2L - SBA vice-chair of recreational activities). The SBA is sponsoring a NU Law field day next Saturday (Sept. 15th) and we would love to get the 1Ls to attend, ideally as law offices. Although the exact details are still in the planning stages, I would like to give advance notice of the date. If the LFs could all inform their respective LO of this event and also tell them to be on the lookout for more information and sign up sheets next week it would be much appreciated. Just to give you a preview, some of the activities at the field day will include softball, kickball, bacce, tug of war, capture the flag, and ultimate Frisbee. Although, there is a potential issue with the Park permit, it will most likely be located at a baseball field near Cleveland Circle. I am reticent to promise anything more definite at this point, but everything should be finalized by next Wednesday. If you have any questions at all please don’t hesitate to contact me. horan.n@neu.edu

Advocacy Exercise Preparation!!

As you prepare for your first advocacy exercise, please bear in mind the following points:

Please be conversant with the goal of the exercise in the grey box on page 103. To effectuate this goal, you will have to step into your role the minute the exercise begins. The consultations between "lawyers" and "clients" at the beginning of the exercise are crucial. Thus, you should come prepared to exploit your creative interpretations of your roles when you enter those discussions.

When preparing for your roles in the advocacy exercise, please first read the instructions that appear right beneath the grey boxed goals on page 103. Also, go to the LSSC general Blackboard, where you will find:

* A "video clips" folder that now contains three video clips (two with sound, one without) ;
* An article on migrant worker health care access issues; and
* As this meeting may result in litigious or non litigious negotiation opportunities between the parties, you will also find a document on negotiation strategies and styles.

These supplementary materials will give you a sense of lawyering methods and the factual context of your role. Next, as regards your lawyering choices and strategies, bear in mind that last week's readings discussed the real and perceived impacts of culture on individuals and communities. Furthermore, be aware that this week's readings deal with the representational decisions lawyers make with regard to their clients' goals. Both weeks of readings deal with the power dynamics between lawyers and clients, and with the pressures applied to both the lawyers and the clients by their respective cultures.

Observers: be sure to read and understand your instructions in the assignment description. Your role is essential to this exercise, because your observations will lead and inform our debriefing discussion.

Good luck!

THE VOICE IN THE BACK OF YOUR HEAD...

Is telling you to make it a habit to check your email, Blackboard, and the LO 11 blog frequently. Religiously, if you will.

This week...

Just to recap, the following "to-do's" are coming up in LSSC this week:

1) Tuesday 9/4 by noon - Second reflection assignment (p. 61 of green coursepack) due to me (via email or in my mailbox outside of Rm. 65).

2) Wednesday 9/5 - Lunch with our LO at Pho & I (unless anyone has other suggestions) . We'll meet by the front door of the law school at 12 noon.

3) Thursday 9/6 - Class from 3:30-5:30p in Rm. 54. Assignments due: read pp. 97-138 in the green coursepack. We will discuss these readings and do the advocacy exercise (detailed on pp. 102-104). Additional materials to help you prepare for the exercise should be reviewed before class and can be found on the LSSC General Blackboard site.

Next week (looking ahead) Thursday 9/13 - 8:30a, WEstlaw training

As always, let me know if you need anything and congrats on making it through the first week!

Blackboard Info

Just a few things...

There are two new announcements on the "General LSSC Blackboard" site (https://blackboard.neu.edu/, then "LSSC General 2007/2008"). Two important things are addressed and you should check them out. The first is a link to the videos and article you need to review to prepare for next week's Shack advocacy exercise. The other deals with the Vista compatibility issues and offers solutions. Have a great holiday weekend and let me know if you need anything!!

Blackboard

Can you all login to our group blackboard site and post a reply to my discussion thread? The site is http://www.blackboard.neu.edu/, click on "LSSC Law Office 11 2007/2008" and visit the discussion board. I want to make sure we'll all able to access our page for future assignments. Thanks!! (PS: Congrats on completing your first full week as a 1L! You all have been wonderful!)

Lunch Wednesday 9/5

I was thinking of somewhere close and fun where we could have lunch on Wednesday. One of my friends suggested Pho & I on Huntington. I've never been but he said it is delicious and they have great lunch specials. Here is a link to the site for you to check out the menu. http://phoandi.com/. Please either post a reply comment to this entry or email me if you'd rather find somewhere else to eat. I am open to all suggestions.

This Saturday -- Bell in Hand

Hi Team! As I mentioned to some of you last night, my friend and fellow 2L Valarie is celebrating her birthday this Saturday at the Bell in Hand tavern (45-55 Union St, near Faneuil Hall). You are all more than welcome to join in the festivities. It should be a great time and is a good opportunity to meet fellow NUSL'ers. Let me know if you need any more info (248.931.7888). http://www.bellinhand.com/ I will probably be getting there around 9:30-10.

First Bar Review this Thursday!

This Thursday, SBA is sponsoring the first Bar Review of the semester. It will be at the one and only Punter's Pub (450 Huntington Avenue). If you head out the front door of the law school and go left, Punter's is on the same side of the street as the law school. I'll be going there after our class at 5:30p and would love to see you all there. Yea Team 11!!! (P.S. Thanks for a great couple of first days!! You guys are amazing!)

Important Law School Links/Tips/Tricks

MYNEU (http://www.myneu.neu.edu/) This is the site that contains all things administrative -- email, tuition bills, husky card balances, health insurance, etc. Definitely one to put in your "favorites."

WEBOARD (https://weboard.slaw.neu.edu/) This is the main communication board for all things law school. I recommend getting in the habit of checking it frequently. Most questions can be answered somewhere on WEBoard. Take 15-20 minutes to browse around, check out the links, and read the posts. It can be a pain at times, as it isn't the best format, but that aside, you should learn to love it. You can find meeting times, class announcements, event information, and most importantly, BAR REVIEW location and time! (SBA sponsors a "bar review" every other Thursday at a local bar. These events are quite popular and are a great way to forget about law school for a few hours and meet new people.)

BLACKBOARD (http://blackboard.neu.edu/) This is another online tool used by many law school professors. LSSC is depending on Blackboard heavily this year and our law office will have its own homepage. Use your NEU login to access the main page, which will list all of the classes you are enrolled in that are utilizing Blackboard. (Just FYI - my first semester, LSSC was the only class to use this, so don't worry if that is all you see.) There should be a link for the General LSSC page and Law Office 11 page. Let me know if you are having any trouble.

LAW LIBRARY (http://www.slaw.neu.edu/library/) Access the library's homepage here to find hours, numerous research tools, and old exams. You will have a library orientation so don't worry if most of the links don't mean anything to you now.

MASTER CALENDAR (https://jefferson.slaw.neu.edu/cgi-bin/view/webevent.cgi) This is the link to the law school's master calendar. The format has changed this year, and apparently you can look up events/speakers/exams as well, but for the most important dates (days off!!) select "Academic Calendar" and scroll through the months.

If you're not from Boston, you have to learn a new vocabulary (http://www.boston-online.com/glossary.html)

Lastly, for now, if you're hungry and on a student budget, 100+ Great Cheap Eats in Boston (http://www.boston.com/ae/food/restaurants/gallery/cheap_eats/)

Getting Started

First I would like to thank Adrienne, LF for LO8, for this great idea to have a team blog. Next, I want to summarize what this week will bring for our law office. I know how confusing the schedule can be with everyone reporting to different rooms and classes.

Monday 8/27

I will meet you all outside of the Curry Center Ballroom and then we'll be in room 322. We'll be meeting our faculty mentor (Prof. Karl Klare) and getting to know each other a bit.

Tuesday 8/28

1-2:30 - I will be in and out of your LSSC orientation in room 97 Cargill. My classes start today, so I will be checking in and out throughout the day.

2:40-3:40p - After your LSSC overview, there will be a ten minute break (2:30-2:40) and then our Law Office (LO) will be meeting in 92 Cargill (which is right outside of 97). We will be together for about an hour and will be doing another introduction exercise and working on our office working agreements (I'll explain in class).

3:40-4:00p - Completely optional but for those of you who are interested, I am going to give a quick campus tour. It won't take more than 20 mins and please don't feel like you have to be there but no one really "shows you around" so I thought I would.

5:00-7:00p - Student Activities Fair (Curry Ctr Ballroom). Also optional, but as I mentioned, a great way to check out student groups and mingle with classmates. Did I mention the free food, beer, and wine? :)

Wednesday 8/29

12:30-1:30p - Law Library Tour. Although I won't be there with you, I just wanted to confirm the time/date of your tour.

4:30-5:30p - We will have another hour long meeting in room 205 Knowles. "Knowles" is just the second floor of the law school. To get to this room, take the stairs either by the front door or near the locker room to the second floor. There are only a few classrooms on this floor, so just look for 205. You can also take the main elevator up to 2. Today, we'll be going over a cultural exercise and talking about the upcoming semester.

Thursday 8/30

You meet with your adjunct professor (Phil Catanzano) today for the first time. Phil will be teaching your research and writing section this year. You will need the Kunz and Shapo texts for this class and there will be another coursepack as well. (I know...too many books!) Your reading from the Kunz and Shapo books, listed in the summer reading packet, should be done at this time.

12:00-1:30 - Lunch together (free pizza!!!). We will meet today in the Moot Court Room (Room 10). This room is immediately on your right when you walk in the front door of the law school. This afternoon, we'll be discussing the summer reading. The summer reading should have been sent to you after your acceptance and is 29 pages long and includes the Law, Bryant, and Guinier articles.

3:30-4:15 - Professor Hall's lecture in 97 Cargill

4:30-5:30p - We will meet again in the Moot Court Room to discuss the coursepack reading. You are responsible for reading through p. 97 of the coursepack (available at Gnomon Copy on Huntington). Your first reflection assignment is due at this time too (see p. 5 of the summer reading packet). After this meeting is over, you will be done with me for the week! :)