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Professor Jules Epstein on the Amtrak Derailment and Private Criminal Complaints

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Director of Advocacy Programs Jules Epstein, a national authority on Criminal Procedure and the Law of Evidence, has been an influential voice in the unfolding story of whether charges will be brought against Amtrak engineer Brandon Bostian in the 2015 derailment that killed eight and injured hundreds. Prosecutors reverse course and file charges against engineer in 2015 Amtrak crash Washington Post, May 15, 2017 “Relatives of a victim of the deadly 2015 Amtrak crash have used a little-known provision of Pennsylvania law to push state prosecutors to file charges against the engineer–an abrupt turn of events in the high-profile case that last week had appeared to reach its end…Jules Epstein, director of advocacy programs at the Temple University Beasley School of Law, said the law allowing privately initiated complaints has been around for years, but is generally used in small disputes between individuals. He said, however, that even though the engineer now faces charges, there is no guarantee he will face trial. ‘There was nothing in the judge’s order that preordains the outcome,’ Epstein said. …

What Joining the Expungement Project Did for Me

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Among other things, my first semester in law school was immediately overwhelmed by emails. Coming into Temple Law as an overly eager, wide-eyed 1L, I struggled with wanting to join every student organization I read about. Knowing that’s not possible, I shamelessly let the provided lunches dictate which meeting to attend each day. By this method, I fell into the Expungement Project by accident. During the general body meeting for the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) committee chairs spoke about their subcommittees and projects. Expungement Project instantly stood out to me. Having worked in several clinics and volunteered at a maximum-security facility prior to coming to law school, Expungement Project sounded like an activity that would keep me grounded and sane throughout my first semester. My first expungement clinic took place in North Philly at the Village of Arts and Humanities. The colorful buildings were unlike those on Temple’s campus—so vibrant and quirky—but before I had time to take it all in, Community Legal Services quickly put each of us to work. The prerequisite training taught …

Sometimes Normal is the Best Medicine

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This is a personal story about how Temple Law has been a community for me. In February of 2016 I was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of breast cancer.  For a variety of medical reasons, I needed to start chemotherapy immediately.  The drugs in question have almost all the horrendous side effects of which you’ve probably heard—hair loss, nausea, problems eating, low energy. For about a month before I received the diagnosis, I had been teaching Property to a first year section, as I have done here at Temple for many, many years.  The class seemed to me to be going well, and—though several of my colleagues offered to take over teaching it—I did not want to give it up and become a full-time patient.  On the other hand, there was no way the students would, over time, fail to notice that something was going on with me.  The drugs were going to have a visible effect. “Everyone I’ve told so far has asked if there is something they can do.  And my …

Celebrating Pro Bono Week: Sign Up for Election Protection

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National Pro Bono Week (October 23-29, 2016) is an initiative of the ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service that recognizes the importance of meeting the need for pro bono services from the legal profession, and celebrates those in the legal community who rise to meet the demand. Lawyers, firms, bar associations, law schools and other legal entities around the country participate in activities to celebrate pro bono this week each year. Participating students will fulfill not just the one of the great civic callings of our profession, that of pro bono service, but of our entire constitutional system, that of defending the right to vote. At Temple, we view participation in pro bono legal service as a core aspect of professional responsibility, and we encourage our students to devote time to pro bono service from the very beginning of their law school careers. The Office of Public Interest Programs and student organizations provide opportunities to serve, with several projects and trainings offered each semester. The projects already underway this semester involve dozens …

Clarence Gideon

Gideon’s Heritage Comes to Pennsylvania: Toward A Metric For The Right To Counsel

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Everyone should know the story of Clarence Gideon.  Charged with Burglary, he asked for but was denied a lawyer: The Defendant: Your Honor, I said: I request this court to appoint Counsel to represent me in this trial. The Court: Mr. Gideon, I am sorry, but I cannot appoint Counsel to represent you in this case. Under the laws of the state of Florida, the only time the Court can appoint Counsel to represent a Defendant is when that person is charged with a capital offense. I am sorry, but I will have to deny your request to appoint Counsel to represent you in this case. The rest, as they say, is history.  With a self-prepared petition on Florida’s prison paperwork, Gideon brought the Supreme Court to rule that “in our adversary system of criminal justice, any person haled into court, who is too poor to hire a lawyer, cannot be assured a fair trial unless counsel is provided for him.” That was 1963.  This year, for the first time, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court had …

Thank you note

The Art of the Thank-You Note

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The thank-you note you send after every interview joins your resume and cover letter to become the foundation for your file with every potential employer. Sending it is not optional; that said, you should choose strategically among the options you do have. Here’s a primer on the art of the thank-you note: who gets one, how they get it, and what it contains. But first, some basic information that applies to every thank-you note, every time. Every note must be unique. You can’t send the same thank-you note to more than one person – if there are multiple identical (or nearly identical) notes in your file, it will reflect poorly on you. Absolutely no typos of any kind. It’s unfortunate that we need to say that, but every month, an employer calls us and says, “You know, I really liked this student, but I have to tell you there was a huge typo in their resume, their cover letter, their thank-you note.” In a competitive world, that’s enough to undo you, even if you have a …

Exit SIgn

Finish Strong: How to Wrap up an Interview

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What does it mean to finish strong? Think about what you’ve learned about primacy and recency – that after an encounter, we usually remember something that happened at the beginning and something that happened at the end. We’ve covered how to rock the beginning elsewhere. Finishing strong is about rocking the end, and it involves three things: recognizing that the interview is ending, communicating your interest in a way that’s sincere and specific, and following up. How to Know the End is Near Sometimes it’s clear that the conversation has come to an end. In that case, stand up, offer a firm handshake to each interviewer while looking them in the eye, and express your continued interest as described below. But sometimes, interviewers will test your ability to read social cues by communicating that the interview is over without actually saying so. How? The most common method is by asking whether you have any more questions for them. Now, because you have prepared well for this interview, you have plenty of questions, which you have …

DNC Experience

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I love to travel, but there is something special about the great city of Philadelphia. It is a place so rich with history, culture and amazing food that there was no doubt in my mind Philly was a perfect choice for the Democratic National Convention. The whole city came together for this once in a lifetime event, and I loved seeing all the decorations and support Philly showed for the Convention. I never thought I would get to attend the DNC when it hit our town last week. But, on July 26, I was there. I got to be part of history and I am so happy I had this opportunity. I went to Philly that day after being in court in New Jersey for my summer internship with the State of New Jersey Division of Law and Public Safety. I was meeting my mom at Independence Hall to continue participating in the Donkeys Around Town Challenge and was also hoping to score some DNC merchandise. We watched as Hillary Clinton became the first woman …