Virtual Events
Supplemental Bar Support – Session on Criminal Law & Criminal Procedure
Each week (Thursdays from 5:30 to 6:30 pm) for ten weeks, faculty experts will present and answer questions on an often tested topic covered in your bar course. We look forward to seeing you over Zoom on August 6th at 5:30 pm to discuss Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure with Professors Ouziel and Shellenberger: https://temple.zoom.us/j/99528522587. General questions or questions you would like answered on Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure? Contact Mai Le at mai.le@temple.edu.
Philadelphia Bar Association Weekly Series
Registration is required for the final Philadelphia Bar Association’s Law School Outreach Committee Brown Bag: 8/6 from 12 to 1:00 pm – Case Study in Advocacy
Law Student Support Group with Tuttleman
Tuttleman Counseling Services counselors are here to support you as we navigate the pandemic and the inevitable changes to our daily lives. This is an open group for Temple Law students to come together and discuss current thoughts, feelings, and struggles related to the coronavirus and to your personal and academic lives. While this is not a therapy group, TCS counselors hope this can be a supportive and therapeutic space and we look forward to hearing how you as students have been coping while also sharing any skills or coping strategies we believe may be beneficial. Additionally, while confidentiality is not guaranteed, we ask all members joining the conversation to be in a private setting and to be respectful of those in group. Join weekly on Wednesdays at 3:00 pm via Zoom with password: 507348
Virtual Office Hours with Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers
LCL continues to remain available for virtual student hours via Zoom or FaceTime. You are welcome to contact Ms. Laurie Besden directly at laurie@lclpa.org. Please also refer to LCL’s law student brochure, which outlines LCL’s safe, free, confidential, and supportive services.
Employment Opportunities
The Pennsylvania Bar Association Project Board
The Pennsylvania Bar Association Project Board has been developed to help match recent law school graduates with members who are in need of limited-time legal support while the bar exam has been moved. Members can post assignments/projects and new graduates can apply for them within this platform; posting and applying is free. You may see the Project Board here.
Community Reminders
Ordering Course Materials Ahead of Time
The Barnes and Noble Bookstore strongly encourages students to order their materials ahead of time on the web for either in store pick up or shipping to their homes. They will have all course materials available in store, but will be having textbook counter service rather than having anyone shopping the shelves to keep traffic low in the area to just store employees.
Free E-Book: Successful Lessons from Successful African American Lawyers
For a limited time, Successful Black Lawyers is providing free full-color pdf versions of the book, “Successful Lessons from Successful African American Lawyers: Practical Wisdom for Those on the Path to Lawyerhood” edited by Evangeline M. Mitchell, Esq., particularly for those unable to purchase the book. Their goal is to give away the full-color e-book for free to at least 10,000 aspiring Black lawyers. Here’s a link to an article about the book: www.digitaljournal.com/pr/4747547 and here’s the link to the website to download the free e-book: www.successfulblacklawyers.com/#get
Black Lawyers in America: Video
Recording of Session One: The Foundation.
Systemic Racism in US Law & Politics: Video
If you missed CSRR’s Teach-In Series on Systemic Racism in US Law and Politics, they are available for viewing here. Thank you to Professors Vernellia Randall, Benjamin Davis, Jeena Shah, and Anthony Farley for sharing their expertise at this monumental political moment.
Wellness Resource Center: Video
Check out this video from the Wellness Resource Center on Self-Care and New Routines. This program is designed to explore tips and strategies to take care of your mental well-being.
Stipends for Summer & Fall – Meltzer Social Justice Projects
The Sheller Center has received a generous contribution to support stipends for students interested in engaging in social justice projects this summer and/or fall. All students at the Law School (not just those connected to the Sheller Center) are eligible to apply to this fund, in accordance with these guidelines. As you’ll see, the focus is on student-led projects aimed at benefiting disadvantaged communities in Pennsylvania, conducted in partnership with a community, policy, or advocacy organization and under the guidance of any faculty member. We are looking forward to seeing your applications!
Fall 2020 School Designed Practicum Courses
A Practicum combines an experiential learning project with supervision and evaluation by a member of the full time faculty. Please review the Fall 2020 School Designed Practicum Courses to see individual descriptions, what material to submit, to whom you should submit the material, and the respective deadline. Some deadlines have been extended and there are a few new opportunities. Questions? Contact Mai Le at mai.le@temple.edu. We look forward to seeing your applications!
ABA Virtual Resources for Graduating Students
The ABA published a guide to virtual resources for graduating students, which may be found here.
Summer & Post Graduation Library Resources
The Law Library has put together library guides detailing access to Lexis, Westlaw, and other resources over the summer and after graduation. The alumni access guide is at https://guides.temple.edu/c.php?g=1037448&p=7521899. The summer access guide is at https://guides.temple.edu/c.php?g=1037041&p=7518512. If you have any questions, please send them to tulawlib@temple.edu.
JD Spring Semester Abroad Program in Japan
For over 26 years, Temple University’s international law program in Japan has offered law students a unique opportunity to study in Tokyo for an entire spring semester. The law program in Japan is designed to educate the next generation of lawyers to practice in the global marketplace and to provide aspiring lawyers with the opportunity to become intimately familiar with the international practice of law and legal community. The program also provides participants with an invaluable chance to experience Asia and an opportunity to become distinguished in a competitive legal market. The Spring 2021 application is due October 15, 2020. You may find details here.
Scholarships
Law Student Diversity Scholarship Competition
DRI announces its 15th annual Law Student Diversity Scholarship Competition in which two $10,000 scholarships will be awarded. The program is open to students who will be in their second or third year of law school in the 2020-21 academic year. Eligible are African American, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, LGBT and multi-racial students. Also eligible are female law students, regardless of race or ethnicity and law students who come from backgrounds that would add to the cause of diversity, regardless of race or gender.
The goal of these scholarships is to provide financial assistance to two worthy law students from ABA-accredited law schools to promote, in a tangible way, the DRI Diversity Statement of Principle. To qualify for this scholarship, a candidate must be a full-time student. Evening students also qualify for consideration if they have completed one-third or more of the total credit hours required for a degree by the applicant’s law school.
Click here to access the scholarship application and information. Applications must be received by DRI no later than August 31, 2020.
Hispanic Bar Association of Pennsylvania Legal Education Fund Scholarship
The 2020 Scholarship of the Hispanic Bar Association of Pennsylvania Legal Education Fund is now open! All applications must be received on or before 11:59 pm on September 13, 2020. Application information may be found here.
Bar Exam & MPRE Information
Bar Exam Tips
An excellent tip from Kaplan on improving your performance on the MBE section of the bar exam:
A great way to improve your score on the MBE section is to practice with a small number of multiple-choice practice questions at a time (sets of 5 to 10) and evaluate your thinking by reviewing your performance to determine why you got them right or why you got them wrong. For the questions you answered incorrectly, start collecting those questions so that you can be reminded of those questions when you do your substantive review and avoid repeating your mistakes later on. You cannot just merely check which answers you got correct and which ones you didn’t and then move on without any kind of adjustment. Instead, with the questions you answered incorrectly, you want to ask yourself why you answered them incorrectly. For instance, on a question that you answered incorrectly you might assess your performance by asking yourself:
• Was it a reading comprehension issue?
• Was it because I did not know the law (knowledge gap)?
• Did I talk myself out of the correct answer choice?
• Was I overwhelmed?
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.