clinicians with not enough to do

Exam Stress Makes University of Maryland Law Students Catty

In the midst of law school finals, stress is manifesting itself in a variety of ways at campuses across the land. Northwestern students are debating politically correct language and staging coups. NYU law students are staging silent — and awkward — 11 p.m. dance parties at their library. At Vanderbilt, students are trying to land study (and f***) buddies via Craigslist ads.

At the University of Maryland School of Law, students are getting pissy over pussies on the list-serv. From a tipster:

The University of Maryland Law School’s law-all listserv (that mails to every student, professor, dean and employee of the law school) has been recently inundated with emails for cat-sitting over winter break — sent from professors and students. After the third email, the entire listserv erupted. One student, clearly short on patience during exams, replied that the listserv was not meant for personal ads. Following that email was an onslaught of fake pet sitting ads… The entire school is literally buzzing about the cat emails. Clearly finals delirium has set in.

We’ll not waste space by reprinting the initial list-serv requests for cat-sitters. They were innocuous enough, beyond a professor calling his feline friends “pussycats” and signing his e-mail “Peace.”

We’ll summarize: On Nov. 20, a visiting professor sent an email to the list-serv with the subject line, “Pussycat and Apartment Sitting,” seeking a law student in need of some extra cash over the holidays. The next day, a female law school student sent out a request for a sitter for her “momma cat and her little kitten” during her month-long study abroad. A third person emailing the list for a nanny for his cat, “Rocky or Rockstar,” over winter break was the straw that broke the terrapin’s back. Says our tipster:

At this point, the entire law school lost it. Several Gchat statuses reflected the absurdity of this mass email, including: “Is anyone at this law school capable of taking care of their pussy over winter break?”, “Look! Rocky’s a Star! (with a link to a public Facebook album of the cat).”

For the string of emails, click here:  http://abovethelaw.com/2009/12/catty_list_serv_at_university_of_maryland.php

What’s Marriage Worth To You? Heterosexual Woman Puts Her Right To Marry Up For Auction On E-Bay

From our friends at the Gender and Sexuality Law Blog (http://blogs.law.columbia.edu/genderandsexualitylawblog/)

 

by KATHERINE FRANKE

 

In my last post I urged heterosexual people to do more than express their condolences to the gay community for the defeat of the marriage equality bill in the New York State Senate last week.  Well, Jamie Frevele, an avowed heterosexual woman, has gone even farther than I had imagined.  She has put her right to marry up for auction on E-bay.  As of now, she has received 20 bids and the current bid is $138.00 – but the auction will run until December 12th – so you have plenty of time to bid:

Frevele explains the auctioning of her right to marry thus:

I’m an unmarried heterosexual woman, and since I probably won’t be using my right to get married, I would like to give it away. I would like to sell it to the highest bidder and donate the proceeds to an organization that supports LGBT rights since the government designed to protect all of us is picking and choosing based on what they think is icky, weird, orunkown to them.

Bid now, and you can have my super wonderful privilege and legal ability to get married as many times as you want in a classy place like the one pictured. You don’t have to know the person, you don’t have to like them, you don’t have to think through your decision to get married or anything – you can just do it! Because you can! Come on, it’s cool to get married, and think of the pictures you’ll have to show people of this person that they will definitely think is so wrong for you and probably is! But heavens to BETSY, do NOT marry someone of the same gender because that would be a mockery of the institution of marriage.

And if it doesn’t work out, just get divorced. Half the cool people who get married do that anyway.

For the rest of the post, click here:  http://blogs.law.columbia.edu/genderandsexualitylawblog/2009/12/08/whats-marriage-worth-to-you-heterosexual-woman-has-put-her-right-to-marry-up-for-auction-on-e-bay/

50 Years After the Sit-ins - Protests, Social Movements, Law Reform - Charlottesville, VA

Virginia Law hosts 50 Years After the Sit-ins: Reflecting on the Role of Protests in Social Movements and Law Reform Jan. 28-30, 2010 (reception Thursday evening, Jan. 28, presentations all day Friday and Saturday, Jan. 29-30). The conference is sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic People of Color Legal Scholarship Conference (MAPOC), the Center for the Study of Race and Law, and the Virginia Journal of Social Policy & the Law.

http://www.law.virginia.edu/html/academics/race/conference2010.html

DOING GOOD AND NETWORKING FOR JUSTICE IN NEW ORLEANS

LAST CHANCE TO GET ON BOARD!

   DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATION IS MONDAY, DECEMBER 21

Make a Difference in The Mississippi Gulf Coast Region… Join SALT and the Poverty          Law Teachers for a half day of sharing in the Lower 9th Ward…. On Thursday, January 7, 2010,     we are joining with activists and service providers in the area to engage in a few hours of gentle     labor, communal eating, and some lively discussion about how law schools can help meet the     continuing needs for assistance in the Gulf Coast region.       The day begins at 8:45 A.M. when a bus will pick up participants outside the Annual Meeting Hotel     site, the New Orleans Hilton.  The bus will take us to the Lower Ninth Ward Center for Sustainable     Engagement and Development, where our volunteer service will take place.  Although the exact     work to be performed can’t be pinpointed yet, our hosts are likely to seek our assistance with light          labor such as painting, weeding, cleaning, or light carpentry.  (All ability levels are welcome and can     be accommodated.)   At 11:30, we will convene for lunch, to be supplied by our hosts, and to hear     a panel presentation about disaster-related legal services being provided in the Greater New Orleans     area.  The lunchtime session will include a brainstorming session focusing on how law schools outside     of New Orleans can be part of these efforts.  Participants will be returned by bus to the Hilton at     1:00.       Space is limited, and advance registration is required. DEADLINE FOR  REGISTRATION  IS     9:00 PM Eastern Time on MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2009.  To register, go to the SALT     website at saltlaw.org; click on the Event Calendar (left hand column).  There you will see     an announcement of the event.  At the bottom of the description, you will see a notation: “read     more.”   If you click on that, you will find in the body of the text a link to the registration.  The cost     for the event is $60.00, which covers bus transportation to and from the hotel, lunch, and     a   tax deductable contribution to the host service providers.  For more information, contact          Nancy Cook at [email protected].

SSRN: Martha Fineman on Images of Gender & Equality

Martha Albertson Fineman (Emory University - School of Law) has posted Evolving Images of Gender and Equality: A Feminist Journey (New England Law Review, Vol. 43, Emory Public Law Research) on SSRN. Here is the abstract:

This chapter, which will be included in Transcending the Boundaries of Law, M.A. Fineman, Ed (Routledge 2010) brings a historical and analytic gaze on the concept of equality in the US legal system. Beginning with the establishment of Portia Law School for women and court decisions like Muller v. Oregon, I discuss the tension between seeking equality as sameness of treatment and seeking positive improvements in the lives of women. While women have officially attained legal equality with men, in terms of being able to vote, practice a profession, and own property among other things, the benefits of citizenship are still distributed in highly unequal ways. In part this is because as a nation Americans value autonomy over equality and thus sacrifice substantive equality in the name of greater independence, ignoring the realities of our shared states of episodic dependency and constant vulnerability.

Martha Albertson Fineman (Emory University - School of Law) has posted Evolving Images of Gender and Equality: A Feminist Journey (New England Law Review, Vol. 43, Emory Public Law Research) on SSRN. Here is the abstract:

This chapter, which will be included in Transcending the Boundaries of Law, M.A. Fineman, Ed (Routledge 2010) brings a historical and analytic gaze on the concept of equality in the US legal system. Beginning with the establishment of Portia Law School for women and court decisions like Muller v. Oregon, I discuss the tension between seeking equality as sameness of treatment and seeking positive improvements in the lives of women. While women have officially attained legal equality with men, in terms of being able to vote, practice a profession, and own property among other things, the benefits of citizenship are still distributed in highly unequal ways. In part this is because as a nation Americans value autonomy over equality and thus sacrifice substantive equality in the name of greater independence, ignoring the realities of our shared states of episodic dependency and constant vulnerability.

NJ ACLU Job Announcement

American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey

Job Announcement

Racial Justice Policy & Litigation Strategist

The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey seeks applicants for a full-time position of Racial Justice Policy & Litigation Strategist. The Racial Justice Policy & Litigation Strategist leads the ACLU-NJ advocacy work on civil liberties and rights problems that disproportionately affect people of color.

The Racial Justice Program covers the areas of police practices, criminal justice policy, prison and jail conditions, voting rights, education, and immigration. This newly created position offers a tremendous opportunity for an individual with strong initiative and drive to help shape the ACLU-NJ’s advocacy and eliminate discriminatory policies and practices.

The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey is a nonprofit membership organization devoted to defending and promoting civil rights and liberties. The ACLU-NJ has a staff of 14 who are assisted by numerous volunteers in our fast-paced and friendly downtown Newark office.

The duties of the Racial Justice Policy & Litigation Strategist include:

1.      Develop and implement proactive strategies for the ACLU-NJ’s Racial Justice Program to advance civil liberties and rights in areas in which people of color are disproportionately affected including the criminal justice system, police practices, prison and jail conditions, immigration, voting rights and education.

2.      Serve as lead attorney on Racial Justice advocacy and litigation. Plan and implement a proactive litigation strategy for Racial Justice.  

3.      Provide in-depth legislative and policy analysis on racial justice issues in New Jersey.  Draft legislation and policy papers to improve New Jersey law in the Racial Justice arena. Monitor national trends in racial justice advocacy and assess potential for implementation in New Jersey. 

4.      Research data, conduct fact-finding and prepare reports regarding how certain policies disproportionately affect people of color.

5.      Write and edit Racial Justice Program public education communications including press releases, web content, pamphlets, correspondence and any other written materials. Keep Racial Justice publications are accurate and up-to-date. 

6.      Supervise other Racial Justice program staff and interns and work collaboratively with all ACLU-NJ staff to optimize the impact of our work.

Desired Qualifications:

*       Minimum 5 years combined litigation and policy experience, including at least one year supervisory experience

*       Familiarity with New Jersey courts, state agencies, governmental structure

*       Strong understanding of and commitment to civil liberties and racial justice

*       Excellent organizational skills

*       Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including ability to motivate and interact effectively with people from different racial, social and economic backgrounds

*       Experience with volunteer-based programs and managing volunteers

*       Self-motivated, reliable, and skilled at working as part of a team

*       Public speaking skills and experience

Compensation and Terms

The ACLU-NJ offers a generous and comprehensive compensation and benefits package, commensurate with experience and within parameters of the ACLU-NJ compensation scale.

To Apply

E-mail a letter of interest and resume to [email protected] with a subject line of "Job ID 9731M." Application materials sent via postal mail or fax will not be accepted. Resumes reviewed upon receipt. Position will remain open until the right person is found.

The ACLU-NJ is an equal opportunity employer, and is committed to a policy of equal treatment and opportunity without regard to age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, marital or parental status, national origin, race, religion, or sexual orientation.

American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, P.O. Box 32159, Newark, NJ 07102

[email protected] - www.aclu-nj.org

Natural Resources Defense Council Job Announcement

EPA Climate Attorney, Washington DC Office

 

        The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is a non-profit national environmental advocacy organization with more than 1.2 million members and online activists. We have offices in New York, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and Beijing. Our staff of nearly 300 includes attorneys, scientists, policy analysts and educators working to protect the environment and public health through advocacy and education.

        NRDC is hiring an attorney to advocate for effective control of global warming pollution under the Clean Air Act.  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed a number of regulatory actions under the Clean Air Act, pursuant to the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark 2007 ruling in Massachusetts v. EPA.  Other regulations are under development.  We further anticipate that EPA will have numerous regulatory responsibilities under new climate and energy legislation now under consideration in Congress.  Working under the direction of senior staff from NRDC’s Climate Center and Clean Air Program, the new hire will:

·         Review and prepare public hearing statements and written comments on new federal carbon pollution regulations;

·         Maintain and strengthen relationships with EPA legal and technical staff;

·         Coordinate relevant technical analysis by NRDC staff experts and consultants;

·         Represent NRDC in litigation brought by industry to help EPA defend its regulations;

·         Represent NRDC in our own litigation as needed to challenge regulatory delays or action that does not comply with law; and

·         Maintain and strengthen relationships with Congressional oversight staff.

Candidates should have 3-5 years of relevant experience in Clean Air Act regulatory implementation, advocacy, or litigation, or equivalent experience. Specific knowledge and experience related to climate change science and policy will be an advantage.

We offer competitive salaries, excellent benefits, and a pleasant working environment and are committed to workplace diversity.  Salary is based on a nonprofit scale and commensurate with experience. Applicants should submit a cover letter and resume to www.nrdc.org/jobs. Please do not contact us about this position by phone. Please reference where you saw this posting. NRDC is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  For further information about NRDC, please visit nrdc.org.

David D. Doniger

Policy Director, Climate Center

Natural Resources Defense Council

1200 New York Ave., NW

Washington, DC  20005

Phone:  (202) 289-2403

NRDC Cell:  (202) 321-3435

Personal Cell:  (202) 445-9023

Fax:  (202) 789-0859

[email protected]

on the web at www.nrdc.org  

read my blog: http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/ddoniger/

Join, Renew and Get Involved in SALT

We are recruiting SALT members to get involved in the work of the organization. SALT’s vitality requires your talent, expertise, and geography. When you read about the work of the Equal Opportunity, Issues in Legal Education, Human Rights, Academic Freedom, or LBGT committees, have you got some ideas that you would like to share? Is your law school doing something particularly effective that begs to be broadcasted and replicated? Are you ready to engage in work that will further social justice, equity and equality, and academic excellence on a national scale?

Take a moment to browse the saltlaw.org website to learn more about SALT at Work. First, review “SALT at Work” on the left-hand menu to see what SALT committees have been up to this year.  Then by clicking on “About Us,” you’ll find the composition of the current SALT committees.  Of course, in January 2010, when Raquel Aldana and Steve Bender take the reins as co-presidents, and new board members join while others retire, these committees will change. 

That’s why it’s a perfect time to consider where you want to commit your efforts. 

And by the way, have you renewed your membership?  Renew on line.  

Institute for Law Teaching Info

Colleagues,

 

We are writing to send you a link--http://lawteaching.org/lawteacher/2009fall/lawteacher2009fall.pdf -- to The Law Teacher, a publication of the Institute for Law Teaching and Learning. The Law Teacher publishes short articles and other materials focusing on law school teaching, learning, and curriculum.

 

In particular, we call your attention to two upcoming teaching conferences.  On page 14, we describe the April “Teaching for Engaged Learning” conference, co-sponsored by the Institute and the Center for Engaged Learning in the Law.  The conference will be held at Elon University School of Law.  On page 20, we present a Call for Proposals for the Annual Summer Conference of the Institute.  The theme of this year’s conference is “Teaching Law Practice Across the Curriculum.”  The conference will be held June 16-18, 2010 at Washburn University School of Law. 

 

We’d appreciate your help in distributing The Law Teacher.  Please send this link to full-time and adjunct faculty members at your schools. If you already have received The Law Teacher from a colleague, please accept our apologies.

 

We welcome your feedback and hope you find this issue useful and interesting.

 

~Gerry and Mike                                                                                                                                

Professors Gerald Hess and Michael Hunter Schwartz                                                                                 

Co-Directors, Institute for Law Teaching and Learning                                                        

Washburn University School of Law

Gonzaga University School of Law

JOBS: Stanford Criminal Defense

Stanford Law School’s Mills Legal Clinic

Director of Criminal Defense Clinic

 

Stanford Law School’s Mills Legal Clinic invites applications for the position of Director of the Criminal Defense Clinic (CDC).  The appointment will begin for the 2009-2010 academic year.

 

The CDC is one of ten clinical programs making up the Mills Legal Clinic.  The CDC provides students opportunities to work as lawyers on behalf of criminal defendants under the close supervision of the CDC director and an additional supervising attorney.

 

At this time the CDC focuses on representing inmates serving life sentences for minor third offenses under California’s “Three Strikes” sentencing regime.  This work includes direct appeals in state courts, state habeas corpus proceedings, and federal habeas litigation.  The CDC also represents some clients during the sentencing proceedings themselves, usually when the CDC has previously succeeded in securing a new sentencing hearing for the client.

 

As we approach hiring a new director we are committed to maintaining this Three Strikes project, but we are also open to considering new additional directions for the CDC’s work.

 

Duties of the CDC Director include: direct supervision of Stanford law students, management of projects and clients; supervision and collaboration with the clinical fellow (or attorney-supervisor) and staff; teaching the clinical seminar; collaborating with clinical and other faculty at the Law School; assisting in the development of additional resources; participating in faculty governance at the Law School; and acting as liaison with the public and the Law School community.  The CDC Director will also be expected to produce published work in a relevant subject area or areas.

 

We expect that the appointment as Director of the CDC will be accompanied, depending on experience, by either an appointment as a Professor of Law within the Law School’s clinical-tenure structure or by an appointment as an Associate Professor of Law on track to clinical tenure. 

 

We seek candidates with distinguished practice experience and strong commitment to clinical education. Applicants must have at least five years experience in criminal-defense work and should have an academic record that demonstrates the capacity to be an active participant in the Law School’s academic community and the national criminal-defense and clinical-education communities.  Applicants must also have either demonstrated excellence in clinical teaching  (or the supervision of law students) or must demonstrate the potential for such excellence in teaching or supervision.

 

The applicant must either be a member of the California State Bar, or be willing to take the examination necessary for admission within one year of the commencement of employment.  Stanford University is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to diversity.

 

Interested applicants should send a cover letter and resume (with at least three references) by mail or e-mail to: Professor Lawrence Marshall, Associate Dean for Clinical Education, Stanford Law School, 559 Nathan Abbott Way, Stanford, CA 94305.  Email: [email protected]

 

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled but applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their materials by December 31, 2009.

Externship Website

If you are new to externships or returning to them after being away, I would like to invite you to check out the website created for faculty and administrators of externship programs, LexternWeb.  Visit http://www.law.cua.edu/lexternWeb/index.htm for links to all law school externship webpages, materials, and more.  Also, you can subscribe to the Lextern listserv from the site and join 282 other teachers and administrators of legal externship programs in sustained dialogue about externships.  For more information, please contact me:

J.P. "Sandy" Ogilvy,

Director, CUA Innocence Project Clinic

Director, Law & Social Justice Initiatives ,

Director, National Archive of Clinical Legal Education, and

Ordinary Professor of Law

Columbus School of Law

The Catholic University of America

Cardinal Station

Washington, DC  20064

tel: 202.319.6195

fax: 202.319.4459

email: [email protected]

Poverty Law Newsletter

For the law professor audience: 2009 Poverty Law Prof Newsletter

from Poverty Law by Ezra Rosser

It’s time for the 2009 edition of the Poverty Law Newsletter.  Please let me have your news items by Friday, December 11.  If you would like to be included, tell me which category(ies), listed below, the entries go in.  Format your entries by starting with your name in bold and your school in parentheses.  If you refer to someone else (eg, a co-author), please do the same for their names.

Categories:

• Upcoming Conferences
• Books and Book Updates
• Articles and Other Publications
• Speeches and Presentations
• Legislative and Regulatory Activities
• Personal Notes

For inclusion in the newsletter, please email me directly at [email protected].

It’s time for the 2009 edition of the Poverty Law Newsletter.  Please let me have your news items by Friday, December 11.  If you would like to be included, tell me which category(ies), listed below, the entries go in.  Format your entries by starting with your name in bold and your school in parentheses.  If you refer to someone else (eg, a co-author), please do the same for their names.

Categories:

• Upcoming Conferences
• Books and Book Updates
• Articles and Other Publications
• Speeches and Presentations
• Legislative and Regulatory Activities
• Personal Notes

For inclusion in the newsletter, please email me directly at [email protected].

The Bluebook publishes online "cheat-sheet"

Legal Writing Prof Blog

The consortium of law reviews that publish the Bluebook has just launched a website called "Blue Tips" that serves as a "cheat-sheet," or FAQ if you prefer, for many commonly asked Bluebook questions.  The following topics are covered:

Cases

Citation Structure

Cross-References

Miscellany

Periodicals

Punctuation

Quotations

Signals

Statutes

Subdivisions

Further, the Bluebook editors invite questions from readers that may become additional tips if the answers are of general interest: 

The editors provide authoritative guidance to reasonable questions on subjects covered by The Bluebook. The most useful answers are gathered here as Blue Tips, classified by subject. These tips are searchable and linked to the Bluebook content they address. Send your questions to [email protected]. If our answer is useful to Bluebookers generally, it may be formulated into a new tip, below.

A big hat tip to our good buddies at the Law Librarian Blog.  If you're not already subscribing to this one, you need to as it provides the best coverage on issues related to legal research, information management and social media in law school.

New Study Examines How Law Schools "Adapt" to U.S News Rankings

Law Librarian Blog

The Law School Admissions Council sent out its most recent monthly LSAC report series to the Libraries of LSAC member schools.  The most interesting one of the bunch is Fear of Failing:  the Effects of U.S. News & World Report Rankings on U.S. Law Schools, by Michael Sauder, and Wendy Espeland.  Love 'em or hate 'em, the rankings are a fact of life for law schools.  This report looks at the effect of the USN rankings on legal education, and it's not peripheral.

From the Executive Summary:

One general effect of the USN rankings on law schools is that it has created pressure on law school administrators to redistribute resources in ways that maximize their scores on the criteria used by USN to create the rankings, even if they are skeptical that this is a productive use of these resources. This redistribution is illustrated by two examples mentioned consistently by the administrators interviewed: (a) increases in marketing expenditures aimed toward raising reputation scores in the USN survey and (b) increases in merit scholarships intended to improve the statistical profile of incoming classes. A more subtle form of resource redistribution is also described in this section: the adoption of strategies by some schools to “game” the rankings.

Some forms of this redistribution comes in the forms of brochures and other publications designed to enhance a school's reputation, which is a full 40% of the ranking.  Many administrators acknowledge that many these enhancing publications are probably not read before being recycled (go green!), but peer pressure makes them spend upwards of $100,000 to produce and distribute these publications anyway.  Library volume count, by the way, represents 0.75% of the weight of an over all score.  That explains much more as to why academic law libraries are hardly ever enhanced with an eye to the rankings.

Schools game the system by giving out financial aid to students with high LSAT scores as a way of bringing in a higher quality metric to the entering class and student body as a whole.  Some schools create part-time or probationary programs to keep the academically weaker students off the books.  Student quality (LSAT, GPA) is 12.5% of the full ranking.  Things such as need-based scholarships, enhancements to programs, improved quality to areas of the school not affecting the rankings all tend to take a back seat at the most rankings-obsessed schools.  The pressure on admissions and career services offices is tremendous.  Schools put up with it because potential students do take rankings seriously.  Rankings even affects faculty recruitment and the ability of faculty to publish in quality journals.  While none of this is a surprise, the report is a nice compilation of how schools have adapted their budgets and practices to account for their survey information.  There is also a nice table that breaks down the ranking standards and weights.

The report is available on the LSAC site.  Because of the way the site is constructed, there is no direct URL.  However, anyone interested in finding it should start at the main LSAC page, click on Research Data from the menu bar running across the top of the screen, roll over the graphic for Research and select Grant Reports.  The report should be available from the page that comes up.  It's numbered GR-07-02.  [MG]

Vote for CWNETD!

Dear Blawgger,

As proprietor of one of the more than 2,500 blawgs in the ABA Journal's online directory, we thought you'd want to know that our annual Blawg 100 list was published today.

Now the real fun begins. We've invited our readers to vote for their favorite blogs from among the top 100 in each of 10 categories. Voting ends December 31. Winners will be featured in the February issue of the Journal.

Every year, the list has occasioned great debate about the state of the blawgosphere, terrific legal blogs that didn't make the list, and how lawyers can benefit from the news and analysis being produced online every day by their colleagues nationwide. Indeed, the debate that occurs on blawgs like yours has done as much to promote the legal profession's engagement with new media as the Blawg 100 list itself.

So we invite you to point your readers to the Blawg 100 and continue contributing to that conversation.

Thank you for the news and analysis you provide the legal community on your blog.