This just in from the Career Services office:

Join Special Agents Patrick Carnahan (UMass Alum), Adrian Softic, & Kevin
Hool on Wednesday, November 9th at 6:00pm in Herter 231 as they speak about
the Intelligence Analyst and Special Agent positions offered through the
Federal Bureau of Investigation.  They will discuss the basic qualifications
of these positions, how to best position yourself when applying for
positions at the FBI, the hiring process, and what to expect.  There will
also be plenty of time for Q&A, so bring any questions you might have as
well!

The first Monday in October marks the traditional start of the US Supreme Court term. Two great resources can help you follow and make sense of the cases before the Court.

The Legal Information Institute’s (LII) Supreme Court Bulletin is published by 2nd and 3rd year students at Cornell Law School.  LII has become a primary free repository for cases, statutes and regulations in the United States.

ScotusBlog (sponsored by the law firm of Goldstein & Russell, P.C., and hosted by Bloomberg Law) provides comprehensive reporting on all the activities at the Supreme Court. Articles are written by a number of different Supreme Court litigators and law professors, as well as longtime Supreme Court reporter Lyle Denniston.

Both of these great resources have free subscription options and updates via their Facebook pages.  It’s a great way to keep up to date on Supreme Court litigation and decisions.

From the Department of Sociology:

Interested in a Criminal Justice Internship for Spring 2012 or beyond?

Start planning NOW- Sheriff Garvey, director of CJ internships is meeting with interested students on Tuesdays from 3-5pm in Thompson Hall room 732.

Recent placements have been in:

- The Hampshire County Jail and House of Correction: security and treatment placements
- Probation: District, Superior, and Juvenile Courts
- Local District Attorney’s office
- Police Departments
- Department of Youth Services

And many more! Many internships are locally placed but Sheriff Garvey has also placed students around the country- especially in Boston and Washington D.C.

Don’t wait! See Sheriff Garvey on Tuesdays.

(if you can’t make a Tuesday meeting, send an e-mail to advising@soc.umass.edu and we will help you get in touch.)

So you just arrived on campus (welcome!) and you’re trying to figure out this pre-law thing. Law school seems like a distinct possibility for your future, or you’re kind of thinking about a legal career, or you just always thought you’d be a lawyer. What’s next? What should you be doing to get on, or keep on track? What is the track, anyway?

The answers all depend in large part on whether you just arrived as a freshman or as a transfer student. Let’s start with the first years.

Freshmen, the most important thing you should be doing right now to further your lawyering aspirations is . . . focus on college. This is a big transition you’re making, and too many students underestimate just how tough it can be. One of the most common conversations I have with law school applicants is the one that starts off with, “So, my GPA really suffered my first year of college….” I’d like to not have that conversation with any of you.  Remember: there is little you can do this first year of college to either help or hurt your law school admission chances. For a few more tips, review my Welcome Class of 2015 post from earlier this summer.

Transfers, your main order of business is to get to know your professors (and let them get to know you).  Participate in class.  Visit office hours and engage with your instructors about their topics.  In as little as a year from now, you may need letters of recommendation for law school, and those professors will be the ones to write them.  It doesn’t matter whether you’re in big classes or small ones — seek out your profs, especially those in your major(s).

For all of you new to campus, visit the pre-law website for answers to all of your questions. “Like” the Facebook page (that’s where you’ll find all the news about law school, law-related events on campus, the legal profession, etc.). Check out the regularly updated Events page of this blog. And stop by my office to introduce yourself.  During the fall semester, I prioritize appointments with current applicants, but I’m always happy to welcome new students.  And whenever you have a question, don’t hesitate to email me.

And keep your eyes open for completely revised and redesigned Pre-Law Advising website, coming in just a few weeks!

This November, the UMass Amherst Mock Trial team will host the Second Annual Thanksgiving Classic Invitational Tournament.  The team is currently looking for lawyers, law students (2d or 3d year preferred) and law profs to serve as judges for one or more trials.

Judges will assess the competitors’ overall performance — including argument skills, presentation, and articulation — and help to determine winners for each round.  Participants will be expected to serve as judges for a minimum of three hours (the equivalent of one round) and to attend a brief 30-minute judge orientation prior to their round. Judges do not need to have prior experience with mock trial cases or tournaments.

The competition takes place from Friday, November 18th through Sunday November 20th, 2011.  If you’re interested, please email team captain Adam Mailman at umassmock@gmail.com.

New Student Orientation for the class of 2015 begins today.  There will be pre-law info sessions every Monday and Thursday of orientation, at 10:15 and 11:00, in Machmer W21.  If you can’t make one of the sessions, here are a few basic tips and points of information for entering freshmen:

• Pre-Law is not a major! There are no magic classes to take or fields to major in to help you get into or succeed in law school.  Study what you love — you’ll get more out of it (and get better grades).
• Pre-Law is an advising office. Whenever you have questions about legal careers, law school or law-related activities, don’t hesitate to contact me. (And check out the website!)
• Don’t worry about law school, worry about college. This is a big transition you’re facing, and it deserves your full attention.  There is little you can do freshman year to either help or hinder your eventual law school admission chances.
• Explore law-related academics and activities. Not because they’ll help you get into law school (they won’t), but because you’re interested in law.  For a listing of some of the law-related opportunities available to you first year, click here (PDF).
• Get to know your professors. Don’t be intimidated by them — go to office hours, ask smart questions about their area(s) of expertise, let them get to know you.  It’s never too soon to start giving them something to write about in your eventual letters of recommendation.

Welcome to UMass Amherst!

The UMass Mock Trial Team’s First Annual Thanksgiving Classic is this weekend, and you don’t want to miss it!  Come watch our amazing team as they take on top teams from across the region.  Over 75 local judges, attorneys and law students will be on hand to judge the proceedings (and schmooze with aspiring law students).  You really don’t want to miss this! Opening ceremonies begin at 5:00 pm Friday in Mahar Auditorium.

This excellent article in the Daily Collegian has all the details.

It’s a hike to Boston, I know, but this conference on the future of immigration law and its impact on lawyers seems like a must-attend for those of you who are interested in not just immigration law, but international human rights law more generally.  Not only will it be informative, but it will be a great opportunity to speak with immigration law professors from around the country.  This Friday, November 12th, from 8:30 am to 1;30 pm.  I’d let you out of class for this, and I’m sure some of your other profs would as well.

15th Annual US Supreme Court Review
Saturday, October 16th, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Western New England College School of Law, Room A

A seminar addressing the Court’s recent decisions, including freedom of speech, campaign financing, criminal justice, and federalism, and the addition of Justice Kagan. Free and open to the public.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts is celebrating its 90th anniversary and invites the public to celebrate at the opening of an art exhibit depicting its history.  The opening takes place this coming Monday, October 4th, from 5:00 – 7:00 pm at the Northampton Center for the Arts.