Since 1833
Orientation
Getting Started Fall Orientation at Cincinnati Law
m o r f e m Welco
er ck u R Dean
Congratulations on your decision to attend the University of Cincinnati College of Law! At Cincinnati Law, we believe your success is our success, and the entire Cincinnati Law community embraces its responsibility to educate and guide you in your development as a legal professional. This education and guidance will begin during LLM Orientation Week and continue during Week One. The purpose of Week One is to introduce you to the fundamental skills underpinning the study and practice of law, and to introduce to the high standards of professionalism we expect in the Cincinnati Law community. You will also meet and interact with colleagues who will accompany you on this professional journey, as well as the faculty and staff who will guide you. Week One will begin with “Day One: Taking Care of Business” on Monday, August 12, from 1:00 pm to 4:00 p.m. at the College of Law. During this time, you will have the opportunity to visit campus and take care of administrative tasks such as obtaining your UC identification card, online research passwords, and locker assignment. We will also offer law library and campus tours, including a tour of the Campus Recreation Center. Week One will continue on Tuesday morning and sessions will last each day from 8:30 am to 5:00 p.m., with professional networking events some evenings. You will also have assignments to complete each evening in preparation for the next day’s sessions, so please plan your schedules accordingly. I am delighted to welcome you to the Cincinnati Law community, and I look forward to meeting you in August. I am confident you will find Cincinnati Law a truly exciting place to study law and develop as a legal professional. Should you have any questions about Week One, please feel free to contact me directly. Warm regards,
Staci P. Rucker, J.D. she/her/hers Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs, Student Affairs & Diversity University of Cincinnati College of Law Tel: 513-556-0065 Email: staci.rucker@uc.edu
2 2 0 2 f o #Class 1
The Purpose
OF WEEK
• • • • •
ONE
To introduce and apply the fundamental skills underpinning the study and practice of law. To self-assess your level of competency in these fundamental skills and identify which academic success options are of value to you. To help you prepare for the intellectual and time demands of legal study. To make explicit the performance expectations of legal study, for which you will be held accountable. To introduce the values and professional norms of the Cincinnati Law community members and the legal profession.
Week One is not about mastery of the skills and knowledge required to study law, but rather building awareness of these expectations. In becoming aware of these fundamental skills, we hope you will make a commitment to ongoing self-assessment with the ultimate goal of mastery of each of these skills. Indeed, mastery and expert performance are a function of time and application over the course of a career. This is, in part, why we refer to it as legal practice.
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Findlay Market
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Schedule
“Day One: TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS MONDAY, AUGUST 12, 12:00-1:00 p.m. ― LLM Lunch with Dean Verna Williams MONDAY, AUGUST 12, 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Taking Care of Business is so named because this is the day we have designated for you to complete the administrative tasks needed to help you get acclimated to the College of Law. You may visit the College of Law anytime on Monday from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. and complete administrative tasks such as obtaining your UC identification card and locker assignment. You will also have the opportunity to sign up for tours of the law school library, the law school and the entire campus. If you have family and friends who also want to see where you will begin your legal career, please feel free to bring them with you on Monday.
Administrative Checklist: By the end of “Taking Care of Business” be sure to: Obtain your UC photo ID. Purchase books. Get your locker assignment. Sign up for law library and campus tours. Obtain passwords for online legal research.
Check TWEN webpage for first-day reading assignments. Get IT assistance for wireless and computer set-up. Attend a free yoga class at the Campus Recreation Center. Take a break – explore some of the nearby coffee shops and take a breather. This week is packed with activities so be sure to give yourself time to decompress.
PROFESSIONALISM DAY – FRIDAY, AUGUST 16
Friday, August 16 is Professionalism Day. As such, the day will focus on the ethics, dedication, and competence required of those choosing to enter the profession. You will have professional headshots and your class photograph taken on Friday morning. The day will culminate with a Call to the Profession Ceremony, marking your entry into the profession with a pledge and Cincinnati Law pin. Following the ceremony, we will host a welcome reception in your honor with College of Law students, faculty, alumni, and staff.
ATTIRE FOR WEEK ONE We request that you dress in professional courtroom attire for Professionalism Day on Friday. Professional courtroom attire typically includes a business suit, business separates with a jacket, or a dress. Bare shoulders are not appropriate. For all other orientation events, the recommended dress is business casual. Appropriate business casual attire typically includes slacks or khakis, dress shirt or blouse, open-collar or polo shirt, a dress or skirt of an appropriate length, a tailored blazer, knit shirt, or sweater. Inappropriate clothing includes shorts, jeans, t-shirts, sneakers, flip-flops, and gym clothes.
A full orientation schedule will be provided to you in the coming weeks. 3
DAYS 2-4 Days 2 through 4 will be spent introducing the foundation of our system of law and the fundamental skills of legal study and practice. Foundations of Law
These plenary lectures are delivered by College of Law faculty and are designed to introduce you to: The Structure and Purpose of the American Legal System; The Origins of Common Law and Other Sources of Law; and The Trial and Appellate Process. For Foundations of Law we have chosen the text Whose Monet? An Introduction to the American Legal System.
Fundamentals and Application of Legal Study
The study and practice of law presumes a command of advanced concepts and skills of rhetoric, logic, and composition. An absence or deficiency in these skills will limit your immediate success in the study of law. For this reason we squarely address these skills, in the context of law, in the offering Fundamentals and Application of Legal Study. Depending on your prior educational and career endeavors you may find yourself unpracticed in one or more of these skills. Truly, no law student arrives fully prepared for the demands of law school. Fundamentals and Application of Legal Study allows you to review and practice these skills in the legal study context. Equipped with your self-assessment and feedback from this program, you may determine which Academic Success Programs are best tailored to your success in law school. At the core of these fundamental skills is the ability to think, reason, and write as a lawyer. For this reason, we have chosen the text: Expert Learning for Law Students.
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Nippert Stadium
for Week One Week One is for all First-Year students and follows LLM Orientation Week. StrengthsFinders
You will need to acquire a new copy of the StrengthsFinder book and complete the on-line assessment prior to orientation. Please read Parts I and II as well as the corresponding strengths from your assessment outcomes.
Whose Monet?
Before Tuesday August 13th, the first meeting of Foundations of Law, please read Chapters 1–6.
Expert Learning for Law Students
Before Tuesday August 13th, the first meeting of Fundamentals of Legal Study, please read Chapters 4 and 5. Chapters 1-3 are highly recommended reading.
Cincinnati Highlight
William Howard Taft Statue
The College’s most famous alumnus, William Howard Taft, is the only person in history to be both President and Chief Justice of the United States.
Outcomes of Week One By the end of Week One you will be able to articulate: • The skills that are fundamental to legal study, • The skills and processes utilized in legal study and practice, • The structure of the American Legal System, and the role of the attorney, client, and court in this system. Also, by the end of Week One you will have your own self- assessment and the feedback of your Fundamentals of Law Professor to gauge whether you wish to participate in the optional co-curricular Structured Study Group Program. *All LLM students will participate in the same Structured Study Group.
A note on reading in law school
In law school, reading is assigned as your professor deems necessary for your coverage of the law. You are expected to complete reading in advance of class. As is the case in all forms of graduate study, particularly in the professions, the expectation is that you have gone beyond mere reading of the text having committed time and energy to understanding, questioning and engaging the text. Class meetings are spent analyzing and applying course material. This in-class analysis (demonstrated by the Socratic Method) can be intense and fact–specific. Given the depth of in-class analysis it is common that some assigned reading will not be actively discussed in class. This is not meant to suggest that this reading is extraneous. Indeed, content from assigned reading will rightfully appear on law school exams, and the bar exam, and for this reason should not be dismissed. As the semester progresses, if you find that you are having difficulty understanding certain legal concepts and would appreciate some greater review of those concepts, please know that your Structured Study Group Leaders, Professors, and the Library Faculty will provide you with information on how to access legal study guides and other materials that may assist you in your class preparation and exam review. These additional materials are not a substitute for the assigned class readings but may help further your understanding of the law. 5
Getting
STARTED
ORIENTATION READING LIST » Whose Monet? An Introduction to the American Legal System (Second Edition)
ISBN-13: 978-1454873150 ISBN-10: 1454873159 Author: John Humbach Publisher: Aspen Publishers Amazon: Paperback - $28.89 (New)
» Expert Learning for Law Students (third edition) ISBN-13: 978-1611639650 ISBN-10: 1611639654 Author: Michael Hunter Schwartz, Paula J. Manning Publisher: Carolina Academic Press Amazon: Paperback - $49.00 (New), eTextbook/Kindle $39.20
» StrengthsFinder - Top 5 CliftonStrengths Access is available for digital purchase at: https://bit.ly/2J0e3E8. The cost is $19.99. You can also purchase a hard copy of the book if that is your preference. You will need to complete the online assessment prior to orientation and review the report generated. E-versions for all books noted above may be used. Listed prices as of 6-10 and may change.
NOTICE Effective August 1, 2019, all communications will be sent to your UC student email account. If you are not able to access your student account at this time, please contact the Office of Admissions at admissions@law.uc.edu.
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A message from your
STUDENT BAR ASSOCIATION Dear Incoming Students, Congratulations on your admission into law school! My name is Emily Hughes, and I am your Student Bar Association (SBA) President for the 2019-2020 academic year. We are all very excited for your arrival to UC Law and we are working hard to make sure your transition into law school is smooth and enjoyable. SBA serves as the governing legislative branch at UC Law, and acts as a liaison between the student body and the administration. SBA’s primary focus is to advocate for student interests and promote a sense of community among the members of UC Law. SBA seeks to enrich students’ law school experiences by promoting relationships with area attorneys, UC Law students, and alumnae through volunteer and networking opportunities in the Cincinnati community, and a number of social events throughout the year. These social gatherings include cookouts, sporting events, movie nights, family fun activities, cocktail parties, our annual Barristers’ Ball, and more. Enclosed with this letter, you will find a calendar of SBA events for the upcoming year. Additionally, SBA funds the activities of numerous student interest organizations. These groups host various events, ranging from educational discussions to professional development trainings. SBA promotes an inclusive environment committed to providing a supportive space for students of all walks of life. For information on our active student organizations, please visit the College website at www.law.uc.edu/student-orgs or join us for the organization fair on August 23rd! Whether you need to decompress after a tough week of reading or seek to experience all that Cincinnati has to offer, SBA is here to help you enjoy your time at UC Law. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about SBA, UC Law, or Cincinnati, please reach out to me via email, phone, or Facebook. SBA is here to make your law school experience rewarding and worthwhile. I look forward to meeting you in August, and cannot wait to welcome you to UC Law in person. Enjoy the rest of your summer, and we will see you at orientation! Sincerely, Emily C. Hughes President, Student Bar Association hughesey@mail.uc.edu | (419) 233-0257 University of Cincinnati College of Law | Class of 2020
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YOUR FIRST-YEAR SBA
*
Calendar
of events.
Fall Semester August Back to School Party, Friday, August 16 Organizational Fair, Friday, August 23 Day of Service, Saturday, August 24 September No SBA Events October UC Homecoming, Saturday, November 8 Halloween Party, Friday, October 25 November No SBA Events December End of Semester Party, Friday, December 20
Spring Semester January Welcome Back Party, Friday, January 24 February No SBA Events March Barristers’ Ball, Saturday, March 7 Enjoy Spring Break! April Hooding Auction, Friday, April 3 May End of Year Party, Friday, May 15
*Calendar subject to change
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Day of Service
SATURDAY, AUG. 24, 2019 CHECK-IN @ LAW SCHOOL: 8:00 AM SERVICE: 9:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M.
WHAT: The purpose of this event is to have law students and local attorneys work together in providing service to the Cincinnati Community. Please join us and take advantage of this great opportunity to network and give back! Breakfast, Lunch, and T-shirts will be provided. REGISTRATION: Register at the following link by the registration deadline of August 1st: https://forms.gle/gz2MG8mrYKRKjbpHA SELECTED LOCATIONS: Lighthouse Youth & Family Services, Crayons to Computers, Joe Nuxhall Miracle League, Sweet Cheeks, and St. Vincent Food Pantry. Please do not wear nice clothing because you will be doing various forms of physical activities For more information contact: Monick Chia (chiaaa@mail.uc.edu) or Ariel Shuster (shusteal@mail.uc.edu)
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Cincinnati Music Hall
SERVICE
LAW Your bridge to anywhere.
law.uc.edu/admissions-aid/admitted-students
LLM Class of 2020
See you in August! Cincinnati Highlight John A. Roebling
The designer of Cincinnati’s Roebling Suspension Bridge, and later, its sister — the Brooklyn Bridge