Pitt Law eDocket

Pitt Law eDocket: Volume 4 Issue 15 - December 1, 2008

mfrey — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 09:30:22 -0500

CAREER SERVICES

Pamela Day, Assistant Dean for Career Services

ACBA 1L Summer Diversity Clerkship Program-Information Session

The Allegheny County Bar Association (ACBA) is again sponsoring a 1L Summer Diversity Clerkship program in 2009 as one of its strategies for achieving greater diversity in the Pittsburgh legal community. The purpose of the ACBA's Summer Clerkship Program is to provide an enriching employment experience during the summer of 2009 for first-year minority law students from Pitt Law, Duquesne University School of Law and West Virginia Law School, at participating law firms, corporate law departments, or government agencies. Mr. Eugene Harris, Diversity Coordinator of the ACBA will be presenting an information session for students interested in applying to this program. The deadline to apply to the ACBA is January 1.

"The Career Counselor Is In" the Student Lounge

Q & A Pressing Job Search Questions, Wednesday, December 3, 12:30-1:30 p.m., Student Lounge
Pam, Jen and Mary will be in the Student Lounge to answer your "quick" questions (for more involved questions we will schedule an appointment with you for a later date). So, bring your pressing questions, a hard copy of your resume and your laptop and we'll provide some support and direction in your job search efforts. (And snacks-we'll provide the snacks.)

REGISTRAR'S OFFICE

Beth Liberatore, Registrar

Exam Period

The exam period for the Fall Term is December 9-December 22. Exam information can be found on the Registrar's Page at the following link: http://www.law.pitt.edu/registrar/exams. All students are responsible for downloading the Exam Rules & Procedures. The in-class exam schedule and the take-home exam schedules will be posted on the page by the beginning of December. Students who will be using a laptop to take their exams must follow the procedures outlined in the "Exam Laptop Information" found on the same page. You must meet all requirements listed in order to take your exams on a laptop, including attending the mandatory training session, for those students who have never taken a Law School exam on a laptop. Students who have a direct exam conflict as indicated in the Exam Rules & Procedures that allows them to reschedule an exam can do so from November 20-December 5 at the Registrars' window.

May 2009 Graduation

Students who are scheduled to graduate in May 2009 should submit graduation applications to the Law School Registrar's Office. The deadline for submitting applications without penalty is Wednesday, December 10.

All May graduates (JD, LLM, and MSL) must complete an Application for Graduation. This form is required by the University for any student to graduate. If you are a certificate student, you must write which Certificate Program you are in at the top of the first page of the Application for Graduation Form in order to graduate with the certificate. Joint degree students must indicate their joint degree at the top of the form. Joint Degree students must also apply for graduation at the other school where they are pursing their joint degree in order to be awarded the degree from that school in addition to the JD degree. If you do not apply at both schools, you will not graduate.

All JD students are also required to download the Graduation Requirements Checklist form from the Registrar's web page, complete it and submit it with your Application for Graduation. Graduation Requirements and the Graduation Requirements Checklist are on the Registrar's web page. When completing the form you should include classes you are registered for in the current term as well as your courses for the spring term. There is also a link to the University's website there that contains the Graduation Application which you will also need to download, complete and submit to the Registrar's Office: http://www.law.pitt.edu/registrar/graduation.

If you will be using PeopleSoft to help you complete the graduation requirements checklist you will notice that a lot of the detail is already on the system. That is because we are in the process of developing and testing Graduate Advisement in PeopleSoft. Please note however, that this is not yet completed and you may find things that you have questions about that may appear to be a discrepancy. In order to develop and test this functionality, we had to do it in the PeopleSoft production environment. The information on the Law School website for graduation is what you should use to determine that you have met the requirements and if you have any questions, please contact the Law School Registrar's Office.

There is no charge to apply for graduation. However, if you do not submit the necessary paperwork by the deadline, the University will assess escalating fees to apply for graduation after the deadline has passed.

Pitt Law eDocket: Volume 4 Issue 14 - November 24, 2008

mfrey — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:04:08 -0500

BARCO LAW LIBRARY

CALI Lessons Can Help You Study

Susanna Leers, E-Research & Technology Services

As you begin to prepare for exams, remember that the library subscribes to online CALI lessons that can help you review. CALI (The Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction) provides interactive tutorials in a wide variety of legal subject areas, and you can find lessons by subject, by casebook or by course outline. Each interactive tutorial walks you through a series of questions and tells you why the answers you choose are right or wrong. For 1L's, for example, there are over 30 lessons on Torts (topics such as Negligence, Assault, Res Ipsa Loquitur, etc.), Contracts (Mailbox Rule, Consideration, Battle of the Forms, UCC Remedies etc.) and the other standard 1L courses. To use the lessons, go to the CALI website http://www.cali.org and click on Lessons at the top of the page. You have to sign in to use the lessons-and if you haven't registered for CALI yet, you will be required to register. Our registration code is PITBRGstu167 (case-sensitive). I recommend using the Flash version of the lessons when available. If you have questions about CALI, please contact Electronic Research & Technology Services Librarian Susanna Leers at leers@pitt.edu or phone 412 648-1329.

CAREER SERVICES

ACBA 1L Summer Diversity Clerkship Program-Information Session

Pamela Day, Assistant Dean for Career Services

Monday, December 1, 3:30-4:30 p.m., Room 109

REGISTRAR'S OFFICE

Beth Liberatore, Registrar

May 2009 Graduation

All May graduates (JD, LLM, and MSL) must complete an Application for Graduation. This form is required by the University for any student to graduate. If you are a certificate student, you must write which Certificate Program you are in at the top of the first page of the Application for Graduation Form in order to graduate with the certificate. Joint degree students must indicate their joint degree at the top of the form. Joint Degree students must also apply for graduation at the other school where they are pursuing their joint degree in order to be awarded the degree from that school in addition to the JD degree. If you do not apply at both schools, you will not graduate.

All JD students are also required to download the Graduation Requirements Checklist form from the Registrar's web page, complete it and submit it with your Application for Graduation.

Graduation Requirements and the Graduation Requirements Checklist are on the Registrar's web page. When completing the form you should include classes you are registered for in the current term as well as your courses for the spring term. There is also a link to the University's website there that contains the Graduation Application which you will also need to download, complete and submit to the Registrar's Office: http://www.law.pitt.edu/registrar/graduation.

Exam Period

The exam period for the Fall Term is December 9-22. Exam information can be found on the Registrar's page at the following link: http://www.law.pitt.edu/registrar/exams. All students are responsible for downloading the Exam Rules & Procedures. The in-class exam schedule and the take-home exam schedules will be posted on the page by the beginning of December. Students who will be using a laptop to take their exams must follow the procedures outlined in the "Exam Laptop Information" found on the same page. You must meet all requirements listed in order to take your exams on a laptop, including attending the mandatory training session, for those students who have never taken a Law School exam on a laptop. Students who have a direct exam conflict as indicated in the Exam Rules & Procedures that allows them to reschedule an exam can do so from November 20-December 5 at the Registrars' window.

STUDENT NOTICES

Ray Krone Presentation

Professor Anderson

Ray Krone, a Pennsylvania man who was wrongly sentenced to death before being exonerated by DNA evidence, will be speaking about his experiences at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 25 in the Courtroom. All are welcome to attend.

Time Sheets for December

Kimberly A. Carson, Operations Administrator

Due to the December holiday break, the time sheet deadline for the month of December is no later than 12:00 p.m. on Monday, November 24. Include any hours worked after the November 10 deadline up to and including November 24. You may turn in your time sheets to the front desk receptionist in Room 202. Paychecks will be ready for pick up after 12:00 p.m. on Friday, December 12 in Room 202. Paychecks will be dated for December 16.

As a reminder, time sheets must have your supervisor's signature and be turned in by the designated due date. Hours turned in after the designated due date will be paid the following month.

CONTESTS, COMPETITIONS & SPECIAL PROGRAMS

See Angela Scolieri in Room 202 for more detailed information:

The ABA Section of Business Law is sponsoring its 23rd Annual Mendes Hershman Student Writing Contest to encourage and reward law student writings on a business law subject of general and current interest. Awards: First prize-$2500; Second prize-$1000; Third prize-$500. Deadline for submissions: submit electronically before January 9.
The Federal Bar Association Section of Taxation hosts an annual writing competition and invites law school students to participate. Students may submit any original, unpublished paper concerning federal income taxation. Deadline for submissions: January 15.
Hofstra Law School presents the Energy and the Environment Student Writing Competition. Entries will be accepted on all topics addressing the intersection between energy and environmental policy, although topics which focus on the power of consumers to influence the energy/environment equation are especially encouraged. First prize: $500. Deadline for submissions: January 16.
The National Association of Chapter 13 Trustees (NACTT) is promoting a writing contest in the area of consumer bankruptcy law on the topic of Chapter 13 of the Bankruptcy Code. Deadline for submissions: April 30.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Pitt Law eDocket: Volume 4 Issue 13 - November 17, 2008

mfrey — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 12:16:09 -0500

MARK A. NORDENBERG LECTURE IN LAW, MEDICINE AND PSYCHIATRY

"The Social Consequences in Neuroscience: Legal Problems, Legal Perspectives"

Thursday, November 20, 12:00-1:00 p.m., Courtroom

Henry T. "Hank" Greely, the Deane F. and Kate Edelman Johnson Professor of Law, Stanford University Law School will present the annual Mark A. Nordenberg Lecture in Law, Medicine and Psychiatry. This lecture has been approved by the Pennsylvania Legal Education Board for 1.0 hour of substantive CLE credit. All are welcome to attend.

Professor Greely will describe the ongoing revolution in neuroscience and then discuss how this revolution is likely to change the legal system. It will describe likely changes in five areas: prediction, mind-reading, responsibility, treatment, and enhancement. In each of those areas, our increasing knowledge of how the human brain works is likely to affect our societies, and hence, indirectly, our legal system, as well as to have direct consequences for litigation.

CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL LEGAL EDUCATION

Gina Clark, Program Administrator

CILE Alumni Lecture Series-James Stockstill (J.D. '05)

On Monday, November 17, at 12:00-1:00 p.m. in Room 111, Pitt Law alumnus James Stockstill will speak about his path to an international career, including the activities he participated in as a J.D. student and the career options that led him to his current position. Mr. Stockstill currently works as a Project Coordinator for MSF (Doctors without Borders) and has served in Ethiopia, Sudan, Nigeria, and Nepal. There will be a question and answer period following Mr. Stockstill's presentation.

Funding Opportunities: Foreign Language Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships & Overseas Funding Options

On Tuesday, November 18, at 1:00-2:00 p.m. in Room G12 CILE will be holding an information session on the FLAS Fellowships where representatives from the University Center for International Studies (UCIS) centers will be there to answer your questions. Also CILE Assistant Director Wes Rist will be discussing sources and methods for finding funding for overseas activities like study abroad and foreign internships.

Global Studies Colloquium: "What Will it Really Take to Realize the Universal Declaration of Human Rights? Human Rights Work on the Ground"

On Tuesday, November 18, at 12:00 p.m. in Posvar Hall Room 3610, Legal and Gender Specialist Lyn Beth Neylon (J.D., LL.M.) will talk about the everyday, on-the-ground work of implementing human rights, and examples of what works and what does not. She will describe how working in almost any field can be turned into human rights work, based on her personal experience and people she has known, both in and outside the United States. Ms. Neylon oversaw women's legal rights protection projects in Benin and Rwanda from 2004 until January 2007. She was the Associate Director of the Washington Kurdish Institute, and previously directed a human rights consulting business in Washington, DC, working with NGOs and government agencies on a variety of human rights issues.

CAREER SERVICES

Allegheny County Bar Association Brown Bag Lunch 'n Learn Program

Jennifer L. Poller, Director, Environmental Law, Science and Policy Certificate Program

The Allegheny County Bar Association Environmental Law Section will sponsor a Brown Bag Lunch 'n Learn program on Thursday, November 20, at 12:00 p.m. at the PBI Professional Development Center on Sixth Avenue in downtown Pittsburgh.

The program is entitled "The Great Allegheny Passage: Closing the Gaps in the Gaps" and will feature Hannah Hardy, Vice President of the Allegheny Trail Alliance, President of the Regional Trail Corporation, and Program Manager of the PA Environmental Council, and Jack Paulik, Trail Manager of the Regional Trail Corporation.

Ms. Hardy and Mr. Paulik will discuss the current state of the Great Allegheny, the process of the acquisition of property and easements from landowners to develop trails, and the use of the Pennsylvania's Recreational Use Act in acquiring those easements and potential liability issues associated with the use of the trails by the public.

Students can attend for FREE! Please RSVP to Joanna Taylor by Monday, November 17, by calling 412-402-6604 or e-mailing jtaylor@acba.org.

REGISTRAR'S OFFICE

Beth Liberatore, Registrar

May 2009 Graduation

All May graduates (JD, LLM, and MSL) must complete an Application for Graduation. This form is required by the University for any student to graduate. If you are a certificate student, you must write which Certificate Program you are in at the top of the first page of the Application for Graduation Form in order to graduate with the certificate. Joint degree students must indicate their joint degree at the top of the form. Joint Degree students must also apply for graduation at the other school where they are pursuing their joint degree in order to be awarded the degree from that school in addition to the JD degree. If you do not apply at both schools, you will not graduate.

http://www.law.pitt.edu/registrar/graduation.

Exam Period

The exam period for the Fall Term is December 9-22. Exam information can be found on the Registrar's Page at the following link: http://www.law.pitt.edu/registrar/exams. All students are responsible for downloading the Exam Rules & Procedures. The in-class exam schedule and the take-home exam schedules will be posted on the page by the beginning of December. Students who will be using a laptop to take their exams must follow the procedures outlined in the "Exam Laptop Information" found on the same page. You must meet all requirements listed in order to take your exams on a laptop, including attending the mandatory training session, for those students who have never taken a Law School exam on a laptop. Students who have a direct exam conflict as indicated in the Exam Rules & Procedures that allows them to reschedule an exam can do so from November 20-December 5 at the Registrars' window.

MOOT COURT INFORMATION

Matthew Wendler, Chairperson

Murray Love Trial Moot Court Final

The championship round of the Murray Love competition, our intramural mock trial competition, will be held Monday, November 17, at 5:30 p.m. in the Teplitz Courtroom. The round should last roughly two hours.

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Max Baer will play the role of trial judge. The four students participating are Patrick Emery, Brandon Rothey, Mary Akhimien, and Josh Camson. The two highest-scoring students qualify to represent Pitt Law in the Gourley Mock Trial Tournament in the spring. All are invited to attend.

Appellate Moot Court Competition Best Briefs

Congratulations to Anthony Urti, Mark Hamilton and Nicole Tracy who, respectively, had the first, second and third "Best Briefs" of the 2008-2009 University of Pittsburgh Appellate Court Competition.

STUDENT NOTICES

Time Sheets for December

Kimberly A. Carson, Operations Administrator

Due to the December holiday break, the time sheet deadline for the month of December is no later than noon on Monday, November 24. Include any hours worked after the November 10 deadline up to and including November 24. You may turn in your time sheets to the front desk receptionist in Room 202. Paychecks will be ready for pick up after 12:00 p.m. on Friday, December 12 in Room 202. Paychecks will be dated for December 16.

As a reminder, time sheets must have supervisor's signature and be turned in by the designated due date. Hours turned in after the designated due date will be paid the following month.

CONTESTS, COMPETITIONS & SPECIAL PROGRAMS

See Angela Scolieri in Room 202 for more detailed information:

The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel proudly announces its 2009 law student writing competition, on a topic that addresses one or more legal issues in the area of trusts and estates and related taxation. Prizes include $5,000 for first place, $3,000 for second place, and $1,000 for third place. Deadline for submissions: June 1, 2009.
The Jackson Lewis law firm and Chicago-Kent College of Law's Institute for Law and the Workplace is co-sponsoring the Louis Jackson National Student Writing Competition in Employment and Labor Law. The competition is open to all students who have completed or are currently enrolled in employment or labor law. Papers should discuss topics relating to the law governing the workplace. One award of $3,000 and two awards of $1,000 will be presented to the three top entries. Deadline for submissions: January 20, 2009.
The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers is pleased to announce the Second Annual Writing Competition for law students on the topic of any aspect of public or private labor or employment law. Students are encouraged to present a: a) public policy issue, b) critique of a leading case or doctrine, c) comment on a statute or the need for a statutory modification, d) comment on a common law doctrine. The prizes are: $1,500 for first prize, $1,000 for second prize, and $500 for third prize. Deadline for submissions: May 15, 2009.
The Intellectual Property Section of the PA Bar Association is once again sponsoring its annual writing competition for students enrolled in law schools located in Pennsylvania. The submission should be related to an Intellectual Property topic in one of the following areas: Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights, Trade Secrets or Trade Dress. Cash prizes of $1,500 for first place and $1,000 for second place will be awarded. Deadline for submissions: April 17, 2009.

Pitt Law eDocket: Volume 4 Issue 12 - November 10, 2008

administrator — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:00:44 -0500

CLASS CHANGES, CANCELLATIONS & ASSIGNMENTS

Administrative Law, Professor Luneburg: There will be a make-up class on Friday, November 14 from 10:00-11:00 a.m. in Room 109.

Environmental Law, Professor Luneburg: There will be a make-up class on Friday, November 14 from 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. in Room 109.

Federal Income Tax, Professor Infanti: Class will not meet on Monday, November 24 or Tuesday, November 25. Make-up classes will be held on Thursday, November 13 from 9:00-10:15 a.m. and on Monday, November 17 from 4:30-5:45 p.m. Both make-ups will be held in Room 109.

CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL LEGAL EDUCATION

Opportunities for JD Students With the United States Peace Corps

Wes Rist, Assistant Director

On Wednesday, November 12 from 12:00-1:00 p.m. in Room G13, the Center for International Legal Education will be hosting an informational meeting for JD students interested in opportunities with the United States Peace Corps. University of Pittsburgh Peace Corps Recruiter Annie Nagy will be present to speak with students about the programs that exist for JD students in the Peace Corps following graduation from law school. Second- and third-year students are especially encouraged to attend.

BARCO LAW LIBRARY

1L’s Please Note: Mandatory Training in Career Resources on Lexis and Westlaw

Susanna M. Leers, E-Research & Technology Services Librarian
On Monday, November 10 our LexisNexis and Westlaw representatives will train all 1L’s in the many useful career resources available on their websites. This is a required training for the Career Services office. The schedule is:

12:00 - 12:50 p.m.   Section A in Room 113
2:30 - 3:20 p.m.   Section C in Room 111
3:30 - 4:20 p.m.   Section B in Room 111

CAREER SERVICES

Pamela Day, Assistant Dean for Career Services

First-Year Students—Pitt Law Symplicity Job Postings Site

This past week you should have received a Welcome message from Symplicity setting forth your username (Pitt e-mail) and system-generated password. Please note that the CSO cannot retrieve your password for you. In the event that you misplace the Welcome e-mail or forget your password, at the log-in page (https://law-pitt-csm.symplicity.com/students/), you will have the option to click “Forgot Password” and Symplicity will e-mail you a new password. We encourage you to change your initial password to one that you will more easily remember (you can do this on the site in the profile section). Additionally, you MUST use your official Pitt e-mail at all times on Symplicity. All messages and announcements will be sent to this e-mail address. If you have forwarded your Pitt e-mails to another account and this system is not working, please check with our IT staff and/or stop the forwarding process. Symplicity is the CSO’s comprehensive online job posting and web-based recruiting system. If you have not received the Welcome e-mail and/or cannot login with your Pitt e-mail, please contact the CSO by e-mailing Danielle Schoch dschoch@pitt.edu with your full name, class year and Pitt e-mail address.

International Careers Panel Discussion

Wednesday, November 12, 3:00-4:30 p.m., William Pitt Union, Lower Lounge

What jobs are available for globally-minded students? How can you best prepare and compete for an international career?

Join the Study Abroad Office in welcoming the following panelists for a discussion about the pursuit of international careers:

Angela Garcia—Global Links, Deputy Director
Schuyler Foerster—World Affairs Council, President
Alexandra Hendrickson—DHR International, Executive Vice President
Taylor Seybolt—US Institute of Peace, Former Senior Program Officer

There will be time for audience questions. Don’t miss this unique event!

REGISTRAR’S OFFICE

May 2009 Graduation

Beth Liberatore, Registrar

GRADUATION DATE: FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2009, 3:00 P.M.

Students who are scheduled to graduate in May 2009 should submit graduation applications to the Law School Registrar’s Office. The deadline for submitting applications without penalty is Wednesday, December 10.

All May graduates (JD, LLM, and MSL) must complete an Application for Graduation. This form is required by the University for any student to graduate. If you are a certificate student, you must write which Certificate Program you are in at the top of the Application for Graduation Form in order to graduate with the certificate. Joint degree students must indicate their joint degree at the top of the form. Joint Degree students must also apply for graduation at the other school where they are pursing their joint degree in order to be awarded the degree from that school in addition to the JD degree. If you do not apply at both schools, you will not graduate.

All JD students are also required to download the Graduation Requirements Checklist form from the Registrar’s web page, complete it and submit it with your Application for Graduation. Graduation Requirements and the Graduation Requirements Checklist are on the Registrar’s web page. There is also a link to the University’s website there that contains the Graduation Application which you will also need to download, complete and submit to the Registrar’s Office: http://www.law.pitt.edu/registrar/graduation.

STUDENT NOTICES

Time Sheets for November

Kimberly A. Carson, Operations Administrator

The time sheet deadline for the month of November is no later than 12:00 p.m. on Monday, November 10. You may turn in your time sheets to the front desk receptionist in Room 202. Paychecks will be ready for pick up after 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 26 in Room 202.

As a reminder, time sheets must have your supervisor’s signature and be turned in by the designated due date. Hours turned in after the designated due date will be paid the following month.

STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

PLISF—Career Panel

Lynne Pistritto, PLISF Board

Interested in a career in public interest law? If so, please join PLISF for our annual public interest career panel. A wide range of public interest fields will be represented. There will be attorneys from the ACLU, District Attorney’s Office, Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP), Neighborhood Legal Services (NLSA), Women’s Law Project, Reed Smith, and Judge Fisher from the Third Circuit. The career panel will be held from 12:00-1:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 13, in Room 109. Join us for a great discussion, pizza, and soda!

CONTESTS, COMPETITIONS & SPECIAL PROGRAMS

See Angela Scolieri in Room 202 for more detailed information:

The 2009 NYU Environmental Law Essay Contest is held annually and is open to all current law students, as well as those who have graduated in the past year (Class of 2008). Essays must address an environmental law issue of current national or international significance. Entries are due December 19. The winner will receive a prize of $1,000, courtesy of the NYU Center on Environmental and Land Use Law, and have his or her essay published in the Environmental Law Journal. Full details are available at: http://www1.law.nyu.edu/journals/envtllaw/contest/EssayContest09.pdf
2009 Roscoe Hogan Environmental Law Essay Contest. Deadlines: 1) ”Intent to enter” form by January 30 and 2) Essay Submission by March 31. Sponsored by: Public Justice Foundation, America’s Public Interest Law Firm.

Contest Rules and Criteria: Pollution Preemption: Federal Preemption of State Tort Law and Environmental Protection. Possible avenues to explore: What policy considerations underlie federal environmental laws and regulations, why are those policy considerations different than the policy considerations that underlie state tort law environmental causes of action like nuisance and trespass and, thus, why should state tort-law causes of action not be preempted by federal environmental laws and regulations?; When is express or implied federal preemption of state tort law causes of action unconstitutional?; What provisions of federal environmental law can be used to avoid preemption and how can those provisions be strengthened in future federal environmental laws?

Prizes: $5,000 Cash Prize. All-expense-paid trip to 2009 Public Justice Annual Meeting in San Diego to receive award; Paper published in the Vermont Law School on-line Journal of Environmental Law; Free 2009 Public Justice Foundation membership.

Enrollment Information: Any student currently enrolled in an accredited American law school may enroll in the contest. Each entry must be submitted through a faculty adviser. All entrants must fill out and submit the “intent-to-enter” form by January 30. To download the intent-to-enter form, visit http://publicjustice.net.

The intent-to-enter form must have the entrant’s current contact information, in particular phone and e-mail address, as the communications between the Public Justice Foundation and the applicant will be conducted primarily by phone and e-mail. Intent-to-enter forms can be submitted via mail, fax, or e-mail to:

Roscoe Hogan Environmental Law Essay Contest
Public Justice Foundation
Attention: Cassandra Goings
1825 K Street, NW, Suite 200
Washington, D.C. 20006
Fax: 202-232-7203
E-mail: cgoings@publicjustice.net

Pitt Law eDocket: Volume 4 Issue 11 - November 3, 2008

mfrey — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 13:55:08 -0400

CENTER FOR BIOETHICS AND HEALTH LAW

Bioethics and Health Law Grand Rounds

Beth Ann Pischke, Administrative Coordinator

International Human Rights Narratives and Women's Health
Thursday, November 6, 12:00-1:00 p.m., Room 113
Dr. David Barnard, Professor of Medicine and Director, Institute to Enhance Palliative Care and Adjunct Professor of Law, will present Bioethics and Health Law Grand Rounds. This lecture has been approved by the Pennsylvania Legal Education Board for 1.0 hour of substantive CLE credit. All are welcome to attend.

CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL LEGAL EDUCATION

Pathways to Employment in International Law

Gina Clark, Program Administrator

On Thursday, November 6 at 4:30-5:30 p.m. in the Alcoa Room, the ABA Section of International Law and the Center for International Legal Education are hosting a distinguished panel of speakers to share their insight into pursuing an International career. Speakers include Robert W. Brown-Corporate Counsel for PPG Industries Inc.; Richard Fruehauf-Senior Counsel for Westinghouse Electric Company; and Frank Kerber-Retired Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State who currently teaches in GSPIA as an Adjunct Professor. Pizza and drinks will be served.

CAREER SERVICES

Pamela Day, Assistant Dean for Career Services

Career Services 1L Group Orientations

Monday, November 3
The Career Services Office will be holding mandatory Career Services Group Orientation Sessions on Monday, November 3 for all first-year students to introduce you to the services and resources offered by our office. Before you can take advantage of career counseling sessions, mock interviews, and resume preparation, you must attend a group orientation session and schedule an initial individual consultation.
If you have not done so already, you may come to the Career Services Office (Room 235) and schedule your initial consultation. These will be scheduled to begin after your group orientation session. Students who have a primary interest in public interest work or government employment may request (on a space available basis) to have their initial consultation with Mary Thinium, our Director of Career Services and Public Interest Initiatives. Once having participated in the group orientation session and having completed your initial consultation, you are welcome to use all of our services and resources.
The Mandatory Career Services Orientation Sessions are as follows:
Section A-Monday, November 3        12:00 p.m.-12:50 p.m.    Room 113
Section B-Monday, November 3        3:30 p.m.-4:20 p.m.    Room 111
Section C-Monday, November 3     2:30 p.m.-3:20 p.m.    Room 111
In conjunction with our office, the library will be holding Westlaw and Lexis Career training sessions (job searching) in early November. These sessions are required, and attendance will be taken. Additional information on the times and dates will be announced.

"The Career Counselor Is in" the Student Lounge-Q&A Pressing Job Search Questions

First Wednesday of the Month (November 5)
12:30-1:30 p.m., Student Lounge
Pam, Jen and Mary will be in the Student Lounge to answer your "quick" questions (for more involved questions we will schedule an appointment with you for a later date). So, bring your pressing questions, a hard copy of your resume and your laptop and we'll provide some support and direction in your job search efforts. (And snacks-we'll provide the snacks.)

Philadelphia Diversity Law Group (PDLG) 1L Summer Law Clerk Program-Information Session

Thursday, November 6, 1:00-2:00 p.m., Room G20
Members of the Philadelphia Diversity Law Group (PDLG) will be presenting a video-conference information session for 1L students on the Summer 2009 law clerk program (http://www.philadiversitylaw.org/). The PDLG First-Year Summer Program (the "PDLG Program") offers first-year students from participating area law schools an additional route to summer employment in outstanding law firms and corporate law departments. The goal of the PDLG Program is to increase the number of lawyers of diverse backgrounds working at Philadelphia area law firms and corporate law departments. Thus, the PDLG Program is designed to identify first-year law students who have overcome obstacles in pursuing a legal career or come from disadvantaged backgrounds or from backgrounds that are underrepresented in the Philadelphia legal community and who have demonstrated the ability-based on academic achievement, writing ability and other accomplishments-to succeed in the summer programs run by our member organizations. Details about the application process for the Summer 2009 program will be given at this session. For the summer of 2008 we had two first-year students selected to participate in this program.
If you plan to attend this session, please e-mail pday@pitt.edu so we can determine space and set-up needs for the video-conference.

Young Lawyers Division (YLD) to Host Lunch with Chief Judge Donetta W. Ambrose

Monday, November 10 12:00 p.m. (RSVP required)
Academy Room, 9th Floor, City-County Building
The YLD is thrilled to announce that the Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, the Honorable Donetta W. Ambrose, will be speaking at a YLD Lunch with the Judges event on Monday, November 10. Don't miss this chance to hear Judge Ambrose explain what she and the other District Court judges expect from young lawyers in their courtrooms. There will also be a question and answer session.
The event will begin promptly at 12:00 p.m. on November 10 in the Academy Room on the 9th floor of the City-County Building. To RSVP to this FREE EVENT, please contact Pam Dececco at pdececco@acba.org by Thursday, November 6. Of course lunch will be provided. Questions about the event should be directed to YLD Education Committee Chair Melissa Ruefle at mlr@cbmclaw.com.

ACBA Diversity Collaborative Committee to Hold Program on the Journey to the Bench from the Minority Prospective

Wednesday, November 12, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. (RSVP Required)
ACBA Auditorium, 9th Floor, City-County Building
The ACBA Diversity Collaborative, which is comprised of the Young Lawyers Division, Women in the Law Division, the Homer S. Brown Law Association, the Hispanic Attorneys Committee and the Asian Attorneys Committee, is pleased to announce that it will be holding a timely and informative panel discussion on Wednesday, November 12. The panel of minority judges will discuss their former legal careers, journey to the bench and give insight to others who may be interested in pursuing a judicial career. The program will be held from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in the ACBA Auditorium on the 9th floor of the City-County Building. Opening remarks will start promptly at noon and lunch will be provided. Panelists include the Honorable Kimberly Clark, Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas; the Honorable Cathy Bissoon, U.S. Magistrate Judge; and the Honorable Judge Justin M. Johnson (Retired), Superior Court of Pennsylvania. The program will be moderated by Tracey McCants Lewis, Esquire, Assistant Director of Clinical Legal Education Duquesne University School of Law. Please RSVP to diversitycollaborative@yahoo.com by Wednesday, November 5.

REGISTRAR'S OFFICE

May 2009 Graduation

Beth Liberatore, Registrar

Students who are scheduled to graduate in May 2009 can begin to submit graduation applications to the Registrar's Office on Monday, November 3. The deadline for submitting applications without penalty is Wednesday, December 10.

All May graduates (JD, LLM, and MSL) must complete an Application for Graduation. This form is required by the University for any student to graduate. If you are a certificate student, you must write which Certificate Program you are in at the top of the Application for Graduation Form in order to graduate with the certificate. Joint degree students must indicate their joint degree at the top of the form. Joint degree students must also apply for graduation at the other school where they are pursuing their joint degree in order to be awarded the degree from that school in addition to the JD degree. If you do not apply at both schools, you will not graduate.

All JD students are also required to download the Graduation Requirements Checklist form from the Registrar's web page, complete it and submit it with your Application for Graduation. Graduation Requirements and the Graduation Requirements Checklist are on the Registrar's web page. There is also a link to the University's website there that contains the Graduation Application which you will also need to download, complete and submit to the Registrar's Office: http://www.law.pitt.edu/registrar/graduation.

If you will be using PeopleSoft to help you complete the graduation requirements checklist, you will notice that a lot of the detail is already on the system. That is because we are in the process of developing and testing Graduate Advisement in PeopleSoft. Please note, however, that this is not yet completed and you may find things that you have questions about that may appear to be a discrepancy. In order to develop and test this functionality, we had to do it in the PeopleSoft production environment. The information on the Law School website for graduation is what you should use to determine that you have met the requirements and if you have any questions, please contact the Law School Registrar's Office.

There is no charge to apply for graduation. However, if you do not submit the necessary paperwork by the deadline, the University will assess escalating fees to apply for graduation after the deadline has passed.

STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

Christian Legal Society

Megan McGovern, President

There are about 2,000 homeless people and many others on the verge of becoming homeless throughout Pittsburgh. Light of Life is a homeless shelter/food mission in Pittsburgh that feeds over 1,200 people on Thanksgiving-600 at their site and 600 meals are delivered to the many low-income/elderly high-rises in the city. The cost of a Thanksgiving meal provided by Light of Life is $2.00.

The Christian Legal Society is asking that each student and faculty member give up just one cup of coffee, tea, soda or the like for one day and donate $2.00 to Light of Life in order to ensure that those less fortunate than us have a Thanksgiving meal this year. Our goal is to feed 200 people.

We will be collecting money in the Student Lounge from 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, November 7. For each $2.00 donated, your name will be entered into a raffle for a gift card.

Please give up your coffee for just one day for a chance to provide a meal for someone less fortunate. We thank you for your support.

Law and Social Policy

Megan McGovern, CLS and Farah Desvarieux, BLSA

The Christian Legal Society (CLS) and Black Law Student Association (BLSA) will be co-sponsoring a movie night with a viewing of Amazing Grace on Thursday, November 6, in Room 109 at 5:30 p.m. Join us and see how something as minor as a change in maritime law helped change social policy and aided in ending slavery. Wes Rist, Assistant Director, CILE, will provide a brief introduction. Pizza and soda will be provided.