Summer 2020 – Week 3

Community Reminders

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. 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.

Lockers

No need to clean out your lockers! All lockers will remain as is. Returning JD and LL.M students may keep the same locker for the upcoming academic year.

Access to Tech Post Graduation

Congratulations, Class of 2020! Please see here information on accessing Temple Tech resources after graduation (such as TUportal and OWLbox).

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.

Book Rentals & Returns

Book refunds are only done during the first week of classes. For book rental returns, students can log on to their account on the website or follow the link in their most recent email regarding rentals. When you log on, you can use your order number and print a UPS label.

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.

Virtual Events

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.

Bar Exam & MPRE Information

Bar Exam Tips 

You may stay up to date on the jurisdictional changes to the July 2020 bar exam here. You will see a map of each jurisdiction’s status as well as a helpful table.

Keep a look out for bar tips delivered to you each week this semester in the Post! 

New York Bar Exam

The New York Court of Appeals announced that the exam will be rescheduled to September 9-10. Due to limits expected on the number of large venues the Board typically uses to administer the exam, the Board will not be able to test all candidates typically applying to take a July exam; it will prioritize groups of candidates and expects to announce a staggered schedule for and necessary limits on applications. The Board additionally encourages candidates to consider sitting for the UBE at a later date or in other jurisdictions.

JD students should feel free to email Dean Bretschneider and Professor Shellenberger in a single email (jennifer.bretschneider@temple.edu and jshell@temple.edu) to set up a Zoom meeting to discuss potential alternative UBE states if interested. LL.M students should feel free to email Dean Smagula (john.smagula@temple.edu).

Important Changes to the 2020 MPRE 

There are some important changes to the 2020 MPRE that all students should know about.

  • August and October are the next available MPRE administrations. The MPRE is no longer administered during a single two-hour period on Saturday. Instead, students will select one of several two-hour appointment times on one of the two weekday test dates.
  • The test will be administered on a computer at a Pearson VUE testing center. This is a new location compared to past administrations. Students will select a testing center when they schedule their test appointment.
  • There is no late registration deadline. The earlier students register with NCBE and schedule their appointment with Pearson VUE, the more likely they will be to get an appointment with their desired location, date, and test time.
  • If students plan to seek accommodations under the ADA, they should apply for accommodations as soon as possible to allow NCBE time to review their application. Those applying for accommodations should check their NCBE File Cabinets frequently for updates on their accommodations applications.

Any questions should be directed to NCBE at 608.280.8550 or by email to mpreregistration@ncbex.org (for questions about registration) or mpre.ada@ncbex.org (for questions about accommodations). You may visit their website here.

Scholarships & Writing Competitions

ABA Real Property & Trust & Estate Law – Writing Contest

The goal of the Real Property and Trust and Estate Law Writing Contest is to encourage and reward law student writing on the subjects of real property or trust and estate law. Articles submitted for judging are encouraged to be of timely topics and have not been previously published. This contest is open to all law and LL.M students currently attending an ABA-accredited law school. The first-place winner will receive a number of awards including $2,500. A second and third place winner will also be selected. The contest deadline is May 31, 2020.

Alternative Dispute Resolution – Law Student Writing Competition 

$10,000 prize! The purpose of this competition is to heighten interest in, and competence related to, student writing on the subject of Alternate Dispute Resolution. Aside from the $10,000
cash grand prize, and $1,000 prize for best NY paper, winning entries may be published in NYSBA’s New York Dispute Resolution Lawyer publication and/or the American Journal of Mediation. Papers initially prepared for class, journals, etc. are eligible for submission. There aren’t strict page count guidelines, however 15-30 pages, double-spaced is recommended. Email papers to:
nysbaacctmjournalcontest@gmail.com (any questions and inquiries can be sent here as well.) Submission Deadline: June 1, 2020.

Philadelphia Bar Association – Diversity Scholarship

The Young Lawyers Division (YLD) of the Philadelphia Bar Association is looking forward to seeing your applications for the Diversity Scholarship! The application deadline is Wednesday, June 10, 2020 at 5:00 pm. Please see more details here. Questions? Please contact Mai Le at mai.le@temple.edu.