Indiana Law Annotated Vol. 15, No. 12 November 16, 1998

Indiana Law Annotated Vol. 15, No. 12 November 16, 1998

Table of Contents

• MESSAGE FROM ASSOCIATE DEAN LAUREN ROBEL
• EVENTS & LECTURES
• NEWS FROM CAREER SERVICES
• NEWS FROM STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
• AROUND INDY
• CALENDAR

MESSAGE FROM ASSOCIATE DEAN LAUREN ROBEL

PUBLIC INTEREST, THE PROFESSION, AND YOUR EDUCATION

One of the many benefits that come as part of becoming a member of the legal profession is the opportunity to use one's skills in the public interest. Indeed, as in other states, Indiana is explicit about what it expects of its lawyers. The Preamble to our Rules of Professional Responsibility states, "As a public citizen, a lawyer should seek improvement of the law, the administration of justice, and the quality of service rendered by the profession. A lawyer should be mindful of the deficiencies in the administration of justice and of the fact that the poor, and sometimes persons who are not poor, cannot afford adequate legal assistance, and should therefore devote professional time and civic influence in their behalf." And Rule 6.1 specifies that a "lawyer should render public interest legal service," and discusses what sorts of service are possible to discharge that obligation. Public service is more than an obligation, however. Many lawyers will tell you that their pro bono clients and cases provide some of the deepest professional satisfaction they receive.

Thus, a commitment to public interest and pro bono representation is an integral part of our profession, and it should be an integral part of your education. When last I counted, well over 200 students are actively involved in public service on a regular basis. Indeed, when I thought through the graduating class last year, there was almost no one who had not participated in significant public service activities while a student. The Law School offers many opportunities for you to participate in pro bono and service activities, and provides a number of additional services for students interested in pursuing public interest as a career option.

Opportunities at the Law School
While you are in school, there are both volunteer and for-credit opportunities to serve underrepresented groups, or provide other sorts of public service, and curricular offerings in public-interest areas. In the volunteer category, students give tremendous numbers of hours to Protective Order Project, the Inmate Legal Assistance Project, the Environmental Law Research Group, and the Legal Services Assistance Project, all of which provide direct services to clients. Outreach for Legal Literacy gives students the opportunity to work in local schools to further public education in law.

In the for-credit realm, the Child Advocacy Clinic provides students with significant opportunities in representing children, and the Community Legal Clinic provides low-income community members with legal services on a range of issues.

Dean Fromm and I recently spoke to the first-year class about the Public Interest Internship Program. With this program, students gain course credit and valuable experience by working for non-profit organizations, judges, and government agencies across the country. Any student who is interested in pursuing a public-interest internship should start by visiting my web site for more information (look under the Civil Procedure Class Homepage--and feel free to read a little about procedure while you are there).

I also should mention the expanded curriculum of public interest law courses and seminars, covering such topics as AIDS and the law, the death penalty, poverty law, and Native American law.

Career Opportunities in Public Interest
The Career Services Office has several public interest initiatives in place. In her role of public interest coordinator, Assistant Director Christine Rodden provides individual counseling, develops programming, and collects and distributes information on job fairs and fellowships. In addition, she attends national conferences to gather ideas and to meet with public interest employers. Overall, CSO allocates significant time and resources to developing, purchasing, and maintaining public interest materials and programs. The Pro Bono Students America computer database, which allows students to find funding and paid and non-paid positions in public interest law, is a tremendously helpful, but fairly costly, tool for the office to maintain. New public interest books, directories, and other resources are added every year. Timelines, guides, and employer files are available. In the last year, CSO has invited public interest students wishing to augment the CSO employer database to use the office's telephone lines for that purpose. CSO will work closely with students to develop individualized job search plans and to match students with alumni who do public interest work.

Of course, faculty members can be a tremendous source of information, and many give their time to advise and assist students in applying for positions and funding. In particular, members of the Career Services Committee are available to advise students about public-interest fellowships, and to help students assure that their public interest law fellowship applications are competitive. Please feel free to see Professors Sarah Hughes and Dawn Johnsen for this assistance. In the past two years, Professor Hughes, other Committee members, Dean Fromm, and the Career Services Office, have assisted three NAPIL semi-finalists (two of whom are now fellows) with their applications for NAPIL Fellowships for Equal Justice. Students needing additional assistance with any aspect of funding applications can consult with the GradGrants Center in the Research and University Graduate School.

Interested in Learning More? How About A Listserve?
One of the ideas that came out of a recent Public Interest Law Foundation (PILF)-sponsored discussion of public interest at the Law School was the suggestion that we set up a listserve for students interested in talking about and receiving direct information about public-interest opportunities. So, if you are interested in subscribing, send a message to majordomo@polecat.law.indiana.edu with the following text: subscribe pubint youremailaddress.

EVENTS & LECTURES

WALL OF HONOR

The Office of Development and Alumni Relations is pleased to announce that the Law School's new donor recognition wall is now in place in front of Room 200. The Donor Board is the Law School's opportunity to thank our donors who have made lifetime contributions to the Law School in excess of $50,000. Included in this group are the faculty, librarians, and administrators who collectively contributed to the capital campaign to establish the Law School Community Scholarship.

The official unveiling took place on Friday, November 13, in conjunction with the Board of Visitors meeting.We are very grateful to everyone who helped make this Donor Board possible.

ALL-SCHOOL DISCUSSION ON THE APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR OF STUDENTS AT LAW SCHOOL FUNCTIONS

All those concerned about what constitutes appropriate behavior at Law School functions, please attend. The discussion will take place on Wednesday, November 18, at noon, and will be sponsored by Women's Law Caucus. The room is to be announced. Please look for signs. All students, faculty, and staff who have concerns on this topic are urged to attend.

NEWS FROM CAREER SERVICES

RESUME CRITIQUE SESSIONS

Tuesday, November 17
Room 214 at noon
or
Thursday, November 19
Room 125 at 11:00a.m.

This interactive workshop demonstrates how resumes make or break your chances for getting in the employer's front door. During the session students will break into small groups and act as a "hiring committee." Each "committee" will be given a set of resumes and several positions to fill. A discussion will follow on how resume content and format affect hiring decisions. Great eye opener on how you can improve your resume's message, format, and content. Session size will be limited to allow for discussion. If you are interested in attending, please sign up outside the Career Services Office.

ISBA MINORITY CLERKSHIP PROGRAM

The Indiana State Bar Association's Opportunities for Minorities Committee will once again sponsor the Minority Clerkship Program for the summer of 1999. This program creates opportunities for first- and second-year law students to clerk with employers throughout the State of Indiana during the summer of 1999. Several employers have already registered to participate, and there are more to come. Student applications will be available in the CSO on November 16, 1998, and will be due back to the CSO by noon on December 7, 1998. The application will require multiple resumes and copies of a cover letter addressed to the Committee expressing interest in the program.

NEWS FROM STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY THANKSGIVING FOOD DRIVE

Christian Legal Society is sponsoring a Thanksgiving food drive for Community Kitchen. We will be collecting food from now through November 24. Please place food items in the marked containers on the ground floor of the Law School.

INTERNATIONAL LAW ASSOCIATION

On Tuesday, November 17, ILA will have our last event of the semester. We will be hearing from Steve Ferguson, Chief Operating Officer of Cook Industries, a medical device manufacturer and international corporation here in Bloomington. Mr. Ferguson will speak about his work as a lawyer and his "alternative" career as a COO. We also want to especially invite the international students and members of the Business & Law Society. We will meet in Room 216 at 6:00 p.m. Pizza, pop, and dessert will be served.

OUTREACH FOR LEGAL LITERACY TEACH BASIC LAW TO 5TH GRADERS

If anyone is interested in becoming involved with Outreach for Legal Literacy, it's not too late! There are still a few classrooms available for students interested in teaching basic law to fifth-graders in Bloomington. If you would like to sign up or need some more information, please contact Professor Orenstein or Tabitha Tyle (2L).

AROUND INDY

THE ARTS ON TRIAL

Federal Judge Sarah Evans Barker will preside at a mock trial based on the hypothetical premise of establishing an arts center to replace Market Square Arena. The mock trial is scheduled as part of the 1998 Spirit & Place Festival, which will occur November 13-16 at various locations throughout Indianapolis. The mock trial and all festival events will be free and open to the public.

The story line: With the coming of a new sports center, the City of Indianapolis decides to demolish Market Square Arena and announces that it has put together a package of public and private funds to build a contemporary arts center on the site. A group of citizens sue the City, claiming that use of public money for an arts facility is inappropriate, that the City's arts market is already saturated, and that the building would constitute a public nuisance. The City of Indianapolis argues for support based on its downtown redevelopment effort.

Several of Indy's leading trial lawyers will participate, including Ed DeLaney, Linda Pence, Sandra D. Leek, and Robert Wagner. The mock trial is scheduled for November 14 from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the Laikin Auditorium at the Arthur M. Glick Jewish Community Center, 6701 Hoover Road. For more information on Spirit & Place events, contact The Polis Center at 317-274-2455 or visit http://www.polis.iupui.edu.

CALENDAR

Tuesday, November 10, PILF Brown Bag, noon, Room 120

Tuesday, November 17, ILA speaker - Steve Ferguson, 6:00 p.m., Room 216

Wednesday, November 18, Discussion on the Appropriate Behavior of Students at Law School Functions, sponsored by WLC, noon, Room TBA

Updated: 14 November 1998