Dear Almost Graduates,

We are so incredibly proud of you. You have worked hard and learned a lot. We know you well and you have earned the admiration and respect of all of us at the Law School. We are confident that you will be successful and that you will serve your clients with the same energy, creativity, optimism, and professionalism that you brought to this school. The world needs your talents to tackle the pressing problems of our day, to advance justice, and to leave your mark, as we know you will. We wish you the very best.

This email addresses various means by which we hope to celebrate you right now. In addition, there is information about retrieving items from the Law School, and today's news from the Supreme Court about the bar exam (see below).  

CELEBRATING THE DAY THAT WASN’T

Your actual graduation date for formal records is May 8, 2020.  

We share your deep disappointment that we won’t be celebrating your graduation recognition ceremony this Saturday. We look forward to getting to watch you walk across the stage in full regalia to the uncontrolled cheering of family and friends. Until that time, however, we wanted to mark the occasion. We want to revel in your accomplishments and hard work and honor your camaraderie and your deep connections to the law school. Therefore, we have put together some videos and other items to help note the day and congratulate you on this important milestone. This is not a substitute for a later graduation, but a way for us to recognize you now.

A.    Raising a glass

Dean Parrish has invited the entire school to toast the end of a very rough semester and, in particular, the Class of 2020. Please attend the Zoom at 5:30 this Friday, May 8. We hope all students from all degree programs will be there. It will last just 15-20 minutes. Join from computer or mobile: https://iu.zoom.us/s/96702202249. One tap mobile: +16465588656,96702202249# or +13017158592,96702202249#

B.    Recognizing the day
  1. Class of 2020 graduation playlist: Please visit the Youtube playlist of videos greetings from the president of the ABA and from faculty and staff celebrating your graduation. These videos will go live at noon on Saturday, May 9.
  2. Commencement program: This is a .pdf of the commencement program that would have been distributed at the ceremony, including the names of all our graduates.
  3. Recognition booklet: This booklet lists awards for graduating students that would have been announced on Friday night.  Recipients of awards were not notified in advance. Both the commencement program and the recognition booklet can be viewed on the commencement page on the Law School's website. They can be downloaded easily in case you would like a printed copy.
  4. You can also view the online commencement site for all of Indiana University. Each graduate’s name is listed, and there are other ways to help you celebrate, including some great pictures and a rousing version of "Hail to Old IU."
C.    Class of 2020 graduation photo album

This is a growing, living album. You can add comments to photos, add your own photos, download and share with social media. Thanks to everyone who contributed.

D.    Certificates for JDs and international graduate students

Many of our graduates will receive certificates (for journal participation, pro bono achievements, best dissertation, etc.). You will receive an individual email with a link and an explanation of how to download the certificates. This email will also have instructions for requesting on-demand printing if you plan to be in Bloomington later this summer.

E.    Composite photos
  1. You can download the composite photo now via these links:
    1. JD composite
    2. Graduate legal studies composite
  2. We will have some printed mini-composites available to pick up later in the summer. Once they are available, feel free to make an appointment to pick them up anytime you’re back in Bloomington, provided the building is open.
F.    Photos in regalia

If you happen to be in Bloomington and have your regalia, Abbi Semnisky, a rising 2L, has generously offered to do a free photoshoot – observing recommended physical distance, of course. If you’re interested, contact Abbi at: asemnisk@iu.edu; Phone: 412-335-3237; Instagram: @abbisemniskyphotography

G.    Celebrating over the course of the month

Please follow these social media channels to see ongoing celebrations throughout month of May:
  1. https://www.facebook.com/IUMaurerSchoolofLaw
  2. https://twitter.com/IUMaurerLaw  
  3. https://twitter.com/AustenParrish
  4. Use hashtags #IUBClass2020 and #MaurerGrad2020 on your own social media posts
The Dean would be pleased to post profile photos and short bios for members of the graduating class on his social media feeds. If you’d like to be profiled—for friends and family to see—just send a photograph (perhaps in your graduation regalia) and a few notes highlighting achievements or your bio to Dean Parrish at austparr@indiana.edu

RETRIEVING AND DROPPING OFF BELONGINGS

Because of campus access restrictions, Baier Hall will likely not be accessible until June. Once building access resumes, you may use this signup sheet to arrange a time to pick up your belongings from the Law School and to drop off clickers, keys, and library books. If you are not in Bloomington and have no plans to return or require more immediate access to the building, please contact Director Beck (katbeck@indiana.edu) or Dean Davis (leedavis@indiana.edu) to make arrangements.

Students who need to return library books may drop them off at the Wells Library drop boxes while the Jerome Hall Law Library is closed. Personal books being returned to professors should be returned directly to the law school either tomorrow (using the signup sheet to schedule a time) or later in the summer. Please leave a note with the book that indicates your name and the professor to whom it should be returned.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE BAR EXAM
  1. The Indiana Supreme Court announced today that it will be administering an abbreviated, virtual Bar Exam on July 28.  It will include a half-day of essay questions on Indiana topics, as usual. The second half of the day will consist of short answer questions on the topics usually covered by the Multi-State Bar Exam. The Court issued an order to this effect today. Indiana’s Office of Admissions and Continuing Education will be in contact with the law schools, the bar applicants, and study programs with further information on the means by which the exam will be administered and proctored.
  2. On Tuesday, the National Conference of Board Examiners announced that they will be releasing an exam for July. Individual states will decide whether and how to test then or to postpone, and so far nineteen jurisdictions have announced that they intend to cancel or postpone the July bar exam. The most up-to-date information about different states can be found on the National Conference of Bar Examiners website.
  3. We don’t have additional news about the New York bar exam besides what was previously circulated. Students from law schools outside New York will be permitted to register only after students attending New York schools complete their registrations, and it is uncertain whether any spots will remain. We are working diligently to see if the New York Board of Law Examiners would consider administering the exam outside New York. Many students are considering taking the exam in other UBE jurisdictions.
  4. Because of restrictions on entering Baier Hall and the current inaccessibility of files, the Office of Student Affairs has not yet been able to complete character and fitness forms for 2020 bar exam takers. We will be able to do so in plenty of time, however, before the various deadlines.
STAYING IN TOUCH

As you begin your legal career, please stay in touch. Graduation doesn’t mark the end of your relationship with the law school, but we hope the beginning of a lifelong connection.

We have more than 11,000 alumni around the world, and you’re now part of that group. Each year we host alumni receptions all over the country and throughout the world, as well as alumni reunions in Bloomington. The Law School has a Young Alumni Steering Committee, an Alumni Board, a Global Dean’s Advisory Board, a Board of Visitors, and a wide range of other alumni groups. Alumni return to the school each year to judge moot court, mock trial, and other advocacy competitions, to serve as mentors and guest speakers, to help students network and in their job searches, and to support the next generation of graduates.  You can always reach the Alumni Relations Office at lawalum@indiana.edu (812-855-9700).

Please stay connected. The future of our great Law School depends on our alumni, and we hope you continue to wear cream and crimson with pride no matter where you go. We look forward to hearing about all your successes and all your future accomplishments.  

We would like to thank Director Katie Beck, Assistant Dean Ken Turchi, Fatjona Hasani, and Sarah Portwood for all their hard work in preparing the graduation video, programs, certificates, and other materials.

Dean Aviva Orenstein and Dean Lesley Davis