Virtual Events
Temple International Law Society – Event with Prof deGuzman
Suing Trump – A discussion with plaintiffs Betsy Apple (Open Society), Margaret deGuzman (Temple), Gabor Rona (Cardozo), and Milena Sterio (Cleveland-Marshall) about their decision to challenge the administration’s executive order attacking proponents of global justice.
Monday, October 26 | Noon
https://temple.zoom.us/s/94994579113
PASSCODE: ICC
Tijuana Border Work Discussion
Come learn about last semester’s trip and how to get involved this year!
Wednesday, October 28 at 12 pm https://temple.zoom.us/j/93516026830
Fall Into Fitness with Ballard Spahr
In recognition of World Mental Health Day, Ballard Spahr is excited to sponsor a private virtual workout class hosted by local Philadelphia fitness studio EverybodyFights on October 29th from 12 to 1 pm. There’s nothing like a fitness boot camp to scare your midterm stress away, so register below and get ready to sweat!
This is a private Zoom event open to Temple Law students only. The Zoom link will be provided via e-mail on the day of the event. In order to participate, you must register through this Google form and read and acknowledge the waiver on the form.
The Legacy of Nuremberg: 75 Years Later
Working with the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Villanova Law is sponsoring a very special event entitled The Legacy of Nuremberg: 75 Years Later. It will be held virtually on Thursday, October 29, 2020, at 5 pm ET. Part of what makes this program so unusual is that it is scheduled to feature Benjamin B. Ferencz, the last living Nuremberg prosecutor, and Barry Avrich, the Director and Producer of a documentary about Mr. Ferencz, Prosecuting Evil (available to stream on Netflix). The program is also approved for 1 PA Ethics CLE credit at no cost. More information, including a registration link, is available here: https://www1.villanova.edu/villanova/law/newsroom/webstories/2020/1001.html.
Temple Law Institute for International Law & Public Policy – Guest Speaker
Thursday October 29, 12 noon
https://temple.zoom.us/j/91913466552
The Temple Law Institute for International Law and Public Policy welcomes guest speaker Natasha Lycia Ora Bannan, Senior Counsel at LatinoJustice PRLDEF, to present “The Making of a Crisis: Disaster Capitalism, Climate Change and Colonialism in Puerto Rico.”
Natasha’s work focuses on the economic exploitation and discrimination against low-wage Latina/o immigrant workers, as well as legal support in the face of the economic and humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico. She works on both domestic litigation and international advocacy before human rights mechanisms concerning issues including: state-sanctioned violence and failure to protect; self-determination and decolonization processes; gender justice; and immigrants’ rights. Natasha is the past president of the National Lawyers Guild, the nation’s largest and oldest progressive bar association, and co-chairs its subcommittee on Puerto Rico. She is a board member of the Center for Constitutional Rights and MADRE, an international women’s human rights organization. She is a member of the New York City Bar Association’s Task Force on Puerto Rico and Inter-American Affairs Committee. Natasha is an adjunct faculty member at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
National Law Student Mindfulness Webinar
NALSAP and the American University Washington College of Law is sponsoring a free webinar for law students around the country, featuring Jon Krop, who will be sharing techniques to relax and practice mindfulness.
October 29 from 1:00-1:45pm Eastern
https://auwcl.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_KbilcVKdQhO8PdVUckesWw
Fall Link & Learn with the Law Library
Join the Law Librarians for our Link and Learn series of workshops to improve your legal research skills.
- Thursday October 29th at Noon – Study Aids: Where to Find Them and How to Use Them https://temple.zoom.us/j/98244160734
- Thursday November 12th at Noon – Researching Judicial Clerkships (a joint session with Career Services) The Zoom link can be found on the Events page in the CPM. 1Ls can email Molly.Driscoll@temple.edu for the Zoom link.
ABA Forum on Franchising
The ABA Forum on Franchising is the premier legal forum dedicated to franchise law. The upcoming 43rd Annual Forum meeting is going virtual for the first time ever, but still features the best that the Forum has to offer. This year, since the meeting is virtual, the ABA Forum is offering to waive the $100 registration for a limited number of law students that wish to attend the virtual program on Thursday October 29th and/or Friday October 30th, which includes registration to attend the ABA Forum’s Diversity Caucus Presentation in which Former Detroit Police Chief Dr. McKinnon will present “George Floyd could have been me”. The Diversity Caucus Presentation will take place on Friday, October 30, 8:45 a.m.-10:00 a.m. Pacific/11:45 a.m.- 1:00 p.m. Eastern.
Students interested in attending should contact the Forum Event Coordinator Cheryl Whelan at cwhelan@dci-kansascity.com and/or the ABA registration direct line: 913-387-5627.
Office of Career Services Office Hours & Help Desk
This Fall, OCS will have Virtual Office Hours on Monday and Friday from 12:00 to 2:00 pm by Zoom: https://temple.zoom.us/j/96119963927 and group drop-in sessions at the Virtual Help Desk on Tuesdays from 12:30 to 1:00 pm and 5:00 to 5:30 pm: https://temple.zoom.us/j/97836663955. You can also make an appointment with a counselor in the CPM.
Law Librarian Legal Research Help
Law librarians are available weekdays from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm and 4:00 to 6:00 pm on Zoom for drop-in research help. The Zoom link is here and also is available on the Temple Law Library homepage (click on “Research Help (Via Zoom)”).
On Tuesdays drop into the Law Library’s Zoom reference meeting at 12:15 pm and 5:15 pm when the Law Librarians will demonstrate a legal research skill. Check back for new topics each week. https://temple.zoom.us/j/921213209
You can also reach us by using the email address tulawlib@temple.edu and stop by the Law Library on the Third Floor of Klein and say hello.
Finally, you can schedule an appointment with a Law Librarian using the “Schedule a Meeting with a Librarian” button on the Law Library’s homepage.
Financial Aid Zoom Office Hours
For the Fall 2020 semester, the Financial Aid Office will have Virtual Drop-In Office Hours Mondays – Thursdays. The schedule and Zoom links for the Drop-In Office Hours are available here. We can also be reached by email at lwfinaid@temple.edu.
Mindful Mondays
Everyone is invited to participate in a 20-minute guided mindfulness meditation practice. Mindfulness meditation involves paying attention on purpose to the present moment without judgment. No experience is necessary. Watch this great video from Professor Meg deGuzman as she gives a brief presentation about mindfulness and engages in a short meditation practice. This is a great primer for Mindful Mondays. Join us on Zoom, every Monday at noon.
Student Services & Academic Records Zoom Office Hours
Kathy Wilson’s virtual office hours are Monday, Wednesday and Fridays from 8:00 to 9:00 am. Please use this link: https://temple.zoom.us/j/99337697656. You may also contact her at kilson@temple.edu
Laura Frisby-Selby’s virtual office hours are Monday, Wednesday and Fridays from 12:00 to 1:00 pm. Please use this link: https://temple.zoom.us/j/99337697656. You may also contact her at lfrisby@temple.edu
PA Bar Association Intellectual Property Law Section Monthly Meetings
Every third Tuesday each month at noon! An industry guest speaker will open the meeting and a council business meeting will follow. Law students are encouraged to attend.
Meeting ID: 995 3767 0321
Password: 917912
Mock Trial Judges
On November 14-15, Carnegie Mellon University will be holding the “Swear Me in, Scotty!” mock trial invitational. The CMU Mock Trial program is currently looking for volunteer judges, and since the tournament is virtual this year, you can judge rounds without having to leave your house!
Mock Trial is a competitive speech and debate activity where two teams each represent one side of a mock court case. Schools prepare witnesses and attorneys for direct and cross examinations. Volunteer judges preside over the round to rule on objections and score competitors based on their public speaking skills. Volunteer judges are critical for competitors to improve their case before the American Mock Trial Association’s official tournaments in the spring. At “Swear Me in, Scotty!”, there will be two rounds each day–one in the morning and one in the afternoon–and training will be given to each judge before the invitational. No prior mock trial experience is necessary in order to judge.
If you are interested in judging for CMU’s invitational tournament, register to judge at this Google form. If you have any questions, please contact the Tournament Director, Cayden Codel, at cmumocktrial@gmail.com.
Judicial Independence Benefit
Pennsylvanians for Moderns Court’s fifth annual Judicial Independence Benefit which will be held virtually on Thursday, November 19th. In the past all attendees were required to pay $150 for tickets, but this year we have created a variety of different ticket levels, including a $25 level for students.
Mara Liasson will be the event’s keynote speaker. Mara is a national political correspondent for NPR. Her reports can be heard regularly on NPR’s award-winning news magazine programs Morning Edition and All Things Considered. She provides extensive coverage of policy and political trends, and will provide her insight into the influence of politics in our judiciary. PMC will also present the Judge Edmund B. Spaeth, Jr. Award to Jeffrey Rosen. Jeffrey is President & CEO of the National Constitution Center. He is also a Professor of Law at The George Washington University School of Law and a Contributing Editor of The Atlantic. We invite you to register using this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/judicial-independence-benefit-2020-tickets-121272381959
Community Reminders
Mandatory Graduation Checks for All January, May, & July 2021 Graduates
Mandatory graduation check ups began the week of October 19th. If you have not already, please email Mai Le at mai.le@temple.edu to schedule a time to Zoom to confirm you have completed all the graduation requirements. Before your meeting, please complete this form and email it to Ms. Kathy Wilson at kilson@temple.edu and this form and email it to Molly Driscoll at molly.driscoll@temple.edu. Contact Mai Le with any questions. We look forward to seeing you!
Graduation Application
The graduation application process for January 2021 graduates is now open and will be available to our students until November 30th. Please log on to TUportal at http://tuportal.temple.edu, and follow these steps: Select the “Student Tools” tab, then “Records”, then “Apply to Graduate”. The system will then ask you to pick your curriculum and term to finalize your graduation application. After you complete the online graduation application form, you will receive a message in your Temple email within 24 hours, confirming receipt of your graduation application. The email notice will also display how your full name will be printed on your diploma. If you need to update how your name is printed on your diploma, please follow the email instructions to submit a name update and supporting name change documentation.
Meltzer Fellowship with the Sheller Center
The deadline for proposals for the spring semester is December 1, 2020. Please see details here.
Temple Black Graduate & Professional Student Association
A group of energized and conscious Black students are seeking to form an official campus group dedicated to creating a better, more inclusive Temple University. We will build community and relationships through advocacy and activism. If you are interested in joining, please contact Cecil Barnes at tug46137@temple.edu.
Chester County Bar Association 2021 1L/2L Diverse Law Student Summer Program
The Chester County Bar Association’s 2021 1L / 2L Diverse Law Student (DLS) Summer Program offers first and second-year students a unique opportunity for summer employment in outstanding law firms and/or corporate law departments following their first year of law school. This program is designed to afford first-year law students who self-identify with those groups historically discriminated against on the basis of disability, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or gender expression or who otherwise come from a disadvantaged background the opportunity for summer employment. The goal of the 1L/2L DLS Summer Program is to achieve greater diversity in the Chester County legal community. Application and details can be found here: https://www.chescobar.org/index.cfm?pg=1LDiversity
Be a Poll Worker
The American Bar Association’s Poll Worker, Esq., initiative is sponsored with the National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors. Poll workers help ensure free and fair elections, and law students as well as lawyers are especially suited to serve. With the added obstacle of a pandemic this year, finding people who are at lower risk to assist as poll workers is even more important. This is an opportunity for young lawyers and soon-to-be lawyers to step up and serve their communities.
Law students, lawyers, and others can visit www.canivote.org and click on the “Become a Poll Worker” tab to find out how to serve in their jurisdictions. Depending on the state, tasks may range from staffing polling places to processing returned ballot envelopes and more. More information is available at ambar.org/vote, a website of the ABA Standing Committee on Election Law.
Qwickly Reminder
All students need to use the attendance tracker Qwickly. This is a very easy process and can be done on Canvas. The primary reason for documentation of attendance through Qwickly is to facilitate contact tracing by the University if a student or instructor tests positive for COVID-19. Either your faculty member (or TA) will take attendance manually and enter your presence in class *OR* the faculty member will initiate a check-in session on Qwickly and you will need to mark your attendance using Canvas on your computer or the Canvas app by clicking “Check In“.
Wipe Stations
There will be wipes available at the security desk and library circulation desk.
WordRake
WordRake is an add-in that can help you edit documents for brevity and clarity in Microsoft Word by suggesting edits and revisions to your work. Just like using track changes, you go through each suggested edit and accept or reject it. If you would like to download a copy of this tool, please email tulawlib@temple.edu to request a license key.
Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
Please see here for the opportunity to serve pro bono answering voting questions on phone hotlines: https://lawyerscommittee.org/project/election-protection/
Zoom Zones
Zoom Rooms or Zoom Zones are designated spaces for students to use when they need to log on to an online class between in-person classes or when they need an on-campus place to study. These rooms can be found across campus and no reservations are needed to use a seat/desk. Each Zoom Room/Zone has a designated occupancy and fixed seating. Please do not add or remove seats and do not exceed the capacity of the room.
Main Campus Zoom Rooms (this list may be updated so please check back!)
- 1810 Liacouras Walk 110, 310
- Alter Hall 232, 746
- Anderson Hall 21,212
- Gladfelter Hall 107
- Mitten Hall 250
- Pearson 10-B
- Ritter Hall 108, 111, 200
- Ritter Annex 309, 320
- Speakman 26, 115,212
- Wachman Hall 11, 109, 206, 207
- TUCC 413
Zoom Room Guidelines:
1. Please observe the four pillars of public health. Wear a face covering and maintain physical distancing. Wash or sanitize your hands before entering and please do not come to campus if you are not feeling well.
2. Wear headphones so that your Zoom session does not disturb others using the space.
3. Use CHAT or other features to participate in your online class while in a Zoom Room. If other students are in the Zoom Room, consider telling your professor that you are in a Zoom Room and that speaking may not be possible if other students are in the Zoom Room.
4. Power outlets are limited. Please respect others’ needs to charge devices and physical distancing when charging electronics.
Students can also find open seating and study spaces in other campus buildings including the Howard Gittis Student Center and Charles Library.
Reservation Only Law Library Seating
You must reserve your seat in the Temple Law Library! The link to the seat reservation system will be available through the Temple Law Library website (https://www.law.temple.edu/library/find-a-resource/) and you can reserve your seat up to a day in advance. You have a choice of carrel, table, or soft seating, and all library levels are available. Find more details on the law library’s Online Learning Guide (https://guides.temple.edu/lawlibraryonline/welcomeback).
Voting & Voter Protection Efforts
Get registered, get informed, got mobilized with Temple Votes!
Here are the relevant official dates and USPS recommended dates for PA:
- Ballot-by-mail request: Students can submit their mail-in ballot request now. USPS recommends ballots be requested no later than Oct. 19; PA requires ballots be requested no later than Oct. 27.
- Return ballot-by-mail: USPS recommends ballots be mailed in no later than Oct. 27 in order to be received by Nov. 3, the required deadline currently under PA law. Ballots can also be dropped off at the voter’s county board of elections through November 3. Addresses for each county can be found here: https://www.votespa.com/Resources/Pages/Contact-Your-Election-Officials.aspx.
- Election day: Nov. 3, polls open from 7am to 8pm (voters voting for the first time at a given polling location will need an approved form of identification.)
The NAACP is seeking Legal Volunteers to support its Voter Protection efforts.
The PA Democratic Party is looking for law students to help with voter protection! The right to vote is currently under attack, and they are working to make sure that every eligible Pennsylvania voter can vote and have their vote counted. Please see here for information regarding Election Day opportunities, and then go to www.padems.com/voterpro to sign up! Students with additional questions, or who may be interested in a student leadership role with the Pennsylvania Democratic Party’s Voter Protection Division should contact Brian Maguire at 570-274-5260 or by email at tuf59909@temple.edu.
Scholarships & Writing Competitions
The Albert S. Pergam International Law Writing Competition
The International Section of the New York State Bar Association is pleased to announce the annual Albert S. Pergam International Law Writing Competition! The deadline for submission is 4:00 p.m. EST on Friday, November 6, 2020. Law Students (including J.D., LL.M., Ph.D. and S.J.D. candidates) are cordially invited to submit to the International Section an article concerning any area of public or private international law or practice. The winner will receive: (1) $2,000 USD; and (2) Publication of the article (subject to editorial approval) in the New York International Law Review. The rules are set forth in our website: https://nysba.org/awards-competitions/international-section-albert-s-pergam-international-law-writing-competition-award/
Companion Animal Law Writing Contest
The American Kennel Club launched their ‘Companion Animal Law Writing Contest’ (www. akcgr.org/writeaboutanimallaw) for law students. This year’s contest focuses on two topics, forfeiture of an animal and the legal treatment of animals as property. You may enter now through March 31, 2021.
Bar Exam & MPRE Information
Bar Exam Tips
For the Pennsylvania and New Jersey bars, there are separate applications to request testing accommodations. For the PA bar, the filing deadlines are the same as the application to sit for the exam. For the NJ bar, the completed application and documentation is due by April 30, 2021 for the July exam. Please keep a lookout on each bar examiner’s website for any relevant updates to the deadline or procedure.
Keep a look out for bar tips delivered to you each week this semester in the Post!
The 2020 MPRE
Please visit the National Conference of Bar Examiners website for the most current information concerning the MPRE.