Moving to Lawrence? 3L offers 5 secrets to success

“Where should I live?” is one of the most common questions prospective students ask me. I’m settled in my sunny, happy, 105-year-old Victorian house now, but before I started classes at KU Law, I was at the helm of a 26-foot moving truck for 1,704 miles. I’m familiar with the nervous-anxious-panicky feeling of moving to an unknown city in an unfamiliar state surrounded by other unknown cities and other unfamiliar states. Moving is always stressful, but if you follow these few tips, you’ll be in good shape before the first-day jitters set in:

Plan early

I started classes at KU Law in late August of 2010, but began looking for housing on Memorial Day weekend. The long weekend made it easier for me to travel to Kansas and dedicate time to the search. My moving truck pulled up to my home in mid-June, and I was unpacked and settled by early July. Not everyone has to follow that model, but being comfortable in my space made it so much less stressful when orientation began. This tip will be more difficult for students with families, but by looking for housing in late May, you’ll know you and your family have a place to go when the big move begins.

Ask questions

KU Law does not have a particular area or apartment complex we recommend, but a good way to gauge the area is by asking the rental officer if there are a lot of families or graduate students living the complex. If the answer is “no,” then it’s likely to be inhabited with undergraduate students that can tend to get a little noisy.

Explore the area

Drive around the area at all times of day to get an idea of what the neighborhood is truly like. Lawrence is pretty small and easy to get around in, so even living a few miles farther from campus will not add much to the commute, but make sure the area is both daytime and nighttime friendly. Also, do a test drive from the complex to the law building to see if it’s a tolerable drive; Lawrence is infamous for potholes!

Don’t panic

This seems obvious, but it really is the most important tip. It’s natural to feel anxious about an upcoming move and new adventure, but getting your blood pressure up is not productive. Try channeling that panic feeling into something relaxing. (Might I suggest picture-taking?)

Unpack immediately

I know, I know. You’re tired from the drive here and just want to take a nap, but trust me on this one. Starting law school is stressful enough without the added stress of coming home to a house full of boxes, and you’ll feel much more settled and comfortable once those boxes are emptied and recycled.

— Laura Hill is a 3L and a KU Law Student Ambassador.

Student uses spring break to conquer Mount Kilimanjaro

Like a lot of students, Sarah Schmidt, 3L, went south for spring break, but she skipped lounging on the beach and climbed one of the world’s tallest mountains instead.

“One of my best friends, a fourth-year med student at KU, was doing an international rotation in South Africa,” she said. “I had decided to fly down and join her after her rotation ended, right around spring break time. We had thrown around ideas such as going to the beach, but then decided on climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, because why not?”

Although the decision was a bit spontaneous, Schmidt realized some heavy-duty training was in order. Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain in the world, looming at 19,341 feet above sea level. The trek doesn’t require any technical climbing, but it’s a strenuous endeavor nonetheless, and many hikers are forced to turn back from altitude sickness or exhaustion. Schmidt spent several months weight lifting, walking, and stair climbing – with added weight from her law school textbooks – to prepare.

“Closer to my trip, I was using the stair climber for two hours at a time with my backpack on and loaded down with about 15 pounds,” she said. “I really think the best preparation was walking and the stair climber.”

Coupling intensive training with extensive research, Schmidt was ready to take on the mountain by the time she arrived in Africa. The park requires all climbers to be accompanied by a Tanzanian guide, and she and her friend also climbed with an assistant guide, a cook, waiter, and porters. They decided to take the Lemosho route, a more remote, very scenic trail that is better for acclimatization and offers a higher success rate. The group spent eight days and seven nights completing the entire climb, and varied the number of hours hiking each day.

“I felt very prepared physically and enjoyed the hikes every day,” Schmidt said. “The landscape is breathtaking and changes significantly as you reach higher altitudes. I did experience some altitude sickness on the fourth day of our climb, however, after that I felt great.”

The most spectacular views came from the summit, which required a long, arduous night of climbing. At midnight, the group started their push for the top, and seven hours later, they reached Uhuru Peak. Schmidt said she pushed herself to the edge mentally and physically to reach the summit, but her efforts were well-rewarded.

“You are walking so slowly, it is freezing cold, and it is difficult to breathe, but once I saw the sign welcoming climbers to the top, I immediately forgot how hard the past seven hours had been, or how cold it was, and I was beyond excited,” she said. “It was also really fun having my best friend with me and accomplishing the climb together.”

Now that she has returned to Kansas, Schmidt’s back to focusing on the normal preoccupations of a third-year law student, but she’s also considering hiking more high-profile mountains in the future. Like law school, mountain climbing requires serious preparation, but both can be tackled with the right mindset.

“Do your research thoroughly, and if you can, talk to as many people as you know who have done the climb,” Schmidt said. “And training is a must. Being in good physical shape made the trip much more enjoyable.”

Rural & Solo Program takes students on Salina road trip

A new program designed to ensure that KU Law graduates help fulfill the legal needs of the entire state of Kansas hit the road this month with a visit to Salina.

The Rural & Solo Program conducted its first student visit on April 13. Steven Brown, L’79, of Brown & Vogel Chartered, generously hosted a group of KU Law students interested in practicing in central and western Kansas. Students met with Steven in his Salina office to discuss his career and the professional and personal advantages of practicing in a place like Salina. Students toured the neighborhoods, colleges, and commercial and industrial developments that make Salina a vibrant place to live and work.

Students also attended a cocktail reception and dinner at the Salina Art Center, where they had the opportunity to view the current exhibit and to meet highly respected alumna Connie Achterberg, L’53.

I want to personally thank Steve Brown for hosting and underwriting this visit, a vital part of our effort to make sure we service the needs of the entire state.

Students in attendance were Rachel Lamm, Samantha Small, Nick Puckett, Chaz Rumage, Kenneth Titus, Nathan Eilert and Ross Stewart. Also making the trip were Arturo Thompson, L'06, assistant dean for career services; Quinton Lucas, associate professor of law; and Robert Flynn, L'06, an attorney and student mentor.

The Rural & Solo Program has also hosted a career fair and speakers panels this year at Green Hall.

— Arturo Thompson, L'06, is assistant dean for career services at KU Law.

Law students give back to community through KU's Big Event

Bright and early on April 13, a group of 15 KU Law students took time out of their busy study schedules to give back to the Lawrence Community with KU’s 3rd Annual Big Event.

The Big Event brings together students, faculty and staff volunteers to work at hundreds of local job sites throughout the community for a day of service. This year, the law students were assigned to three different houses to assist elderly homeowners.

As a law student, I believe it's easy to become bogged down by upcoming finals, finding summer jobs, etc. It's important to stay grounded and remember there are other things in life, outside of law school. KU gives students so many opportunities to de-stress from their schoolwork. Not only did the Big Event give us a perfect study break, but we were also able to give our time to help others.

My group was fortunate enough to help a retired Korean War veteran and his wife clean out their garage. They've lived in their house for more than eight years, and the garage desperately needed some TLC. For hours, we loaded up boxes and trashcans while talking with the homeowners. We learned about their marriage (married over 60 years!), their family, and their two cats.

At the end of a long day, covered in dust, the couple gave each of us a hug and told us if we ever needed anything, even a home cooked meal, they were only a few minutes away. We knew they truly appreciated our help. Not only did the couple have a clean garage, but everyone also had a great time getting to know each other. This couple and volunteering for the 3rd Annual Big Event will definitely be a memory I hold close to my heart.

Jackie Ratkey is a first-year KU Law student and secretary of the KU Public Interest Law Society.

Student organization spotlight: American Constitution Society

The American Constitution Society at KU Law brings together students, lawyers, and judges who favor a progressive, rather than regressive, reading of the U.S. Constitution. We view other people as fellow citizens of a larger national community and believe they are entitled to the same rights and responsibilities regardless of race, sex, religion, national origin, or sexual orientation.

We believe the Constitution, and by extension many other areas of American law, can be understood only by reference to principles of decency, reason, humanity, and compassion. We see these principles as a starting point for enactment, as well as interpretation, of the law.

ACS’s mission is to harness these values of compassion and respect for each individual, and to integrate them into American law and public life, in order to build a stronger and more decent national community.

With this goal in mind, ACS at KU Law is honored to embark on efforts, sometimes with other student groups, to bring speakers to campus for presentations on imminent legal and political issues. We encourage lively and respectful discussion about these issues.

A few weeks ago, we were honored to host Professor Steven Ramirez of Loyola University Chicago School of Law, who has written extensively on business and corporate governance. He also just published “Lawless Capitalism: The Subprime Crisis and the Case for an Economic Rule of Law,” a book dealing with many issues involved in the financial crisis of 2008.

“I love capitalism,” Ramirez said during his presentation. “When it functions like it’s supposed to, it’s the best indicator of what works well – and that’s what we want in a meritocracy.”

He went on to discuss how the Obama administration’s failure to prosecute any of the CEOs who ran their banks over a cliff or participated in money laundering subverted capitalism by incentivizing getting too big to fail. Too big to fail, or jail, destroys the accountability that should be inherent in capitalism as a system. It encourages reckless lending practices on which the banks will still profit because they bought credit-default swaps – effectively betting against their own borrowers. According to Ramirez, banks “had an interest in these mortgages failing, and failing fast.”

ACS at KU Law had officer elections on April 9. If you would like to learn more about ACS at KU Law you can join our Facebook group, email ACSKULaw@gmail.com, or talk with me or one of the other officers in the hall at school.

– Tim Bogner is secretary of the American Constitution Society at KU Law.

KU Law Prom: night of 'stress-free abandonment' and reminder of amazing law school friendships

In high school, prom was an event that many thought would define their teenage existence. People planned for months, making seemingly life-or-death decisions like: What dress do I wear? Who should I ask? Where will we eat dinner? How big of a limo can we afford? And when can we leave? With so much build-up and apprehension, the actual events of prom—for most of those I know—never lived up to the hype.

Fast forward about half a decade, and there’s Law Prom. More formally known as the Barrister’s Ball, Law Prom is an event put on by KU Law’s Student Bar Association every year. Pretty much every law school across the country has a similar event at which law students from all classes dress up and get together for a night of formal(ish) entertainment. I prefer calling it “Law Prom” rather than “Barrister’s Ball” for two reasons: 1) the word “barrister” rings of powdered wigs and pretention, two things that are thankfully absent at the event; and, 2) because calling it a “prom” actually highlights how ironically dissimilar the event is to the one way back in high school. While high school prom was about everything but the event itself, Law Prom is all about a night of stress-free abandonment with your friends in the midst of what can be an otherwise stressful semester.

(Footnote: I should mention that perhaps the one constant from high school to Law Prom was the music. With the exception of Macklemore’s “Thrift Shop” and a few other relatively recent hits, the Law Prom’s DJ strayed little from the music that served as the soundtrack to the mixers and dances of my formative years. I distinctly remember self-consciously swaying back and forth at arms' length with a girl—whose name I will pretend escapes me—to the very same *NSYNC song that played at Law Prom.)

Not only is Law Prom a welcome break from schoolwork and other mid-semester business, but it also serves as a reminder of all the amazing friends I’ve made in a relatively short time at KU Law. Plus, at Law Prom, there’s no Vitamin C song that has to play at the end. Maybe I should explain that: While I came to law school afraid that I’d be greeted by über-competitive, highlighter-wielding classmates, what I actually encountered was a small class of peers who want nothing more than to see everyone else succeed. We went from a group of strangers to a very close-knit community in an astonishingly short amount of time. Without a doubt, the folks I’ve meet at KU Law will be my friends and colleagues for a very long time, and Law Prom is a great reminder of that. I already can't wait for next year. Who knows, maybe I’ll finally win the best hair award.

— Paul Cassat is a 2L and KU Law Student Ambassador.

Three clinics later, 3L flush with practical experience and more focused in job search

The University of Kansas School of Law provides students with 13 clinical opportunities. As a nontraditional law student, I find that the clinical opportunities are my favorite experiences at the law school. Over the past three years, I have participated in the Public Policy Clinic, the Externship Clinic, and the Legislative Clinic. Each of these clinical opportunities provided me with a practical and useful experience.

In the Public Policy Clinic, students select a legislative topic requested by a Kansas legislator. These topics are issues that will be relevant in the approaching legislative session. The student does extensive research, typically providing a legislative report on what other states are doing on similar issues. My topic was school bus advertising. I compiled a list of the statutory language from all the states that have started allowing school districts to sell advertising space on the interior and exterior of school buses. It was an interesting issue and proved very useful knowledge the following summer.

The summer of my 2L year, I took advantage of KU Law’s Externship Clinic opportunity. I accepted a legislative internship at the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) for the summer, but because it was a nonprofit entity, I needed to do the internship for credit. That’s where the Externship Clinic is useful. I was able to obtain six credit hours for my time interning over the summer in Denver. At NCSL, the issues I worked on included transportation, and environmental and veterans affairs. State legislators from across the country would contact NCSL with information requests on what other state legislatures were considering on particular issue areas. I was able to use the research skills I learned in the Public Policy Clinic to provide informative answers. Also, as I mentioned, my clinic paper was useful because NCSL asked me to write a transportation review on school bus safety. I had submitted my paper on school bus advertising as my writing sample, and they wanted me to expand the paper into all legislative happenings dealing with school bus safety. I was able to build upon the research I had already done, and NCSL published my article. The Externship Clinic provided me the opportunity to work at a place that was not able to pay me, but provided me with the exact experience I sought. I would highly encourage all law students to take advantage of the clinic and spend their summer doing something they love!

This spring I am participating in the Legislative Clinic. Again, I love the experience. I really want a career in the policy and legislative field, and this clinic provides an opportunity to delve into the middle of the process. I am interning for the Senate Judiciary Committee at the Statehouse in Topeka. I spend at least two days a week there, and every day is full of new and exciting legislation and hearings. It has been a wonderful experience to see firsthand the process of proposed bills becoming law. This particular experience has helped me narrow my job search as a 3L: It confirmed for me that I want a career working with policy on an everyday basis, and I have focused my search.

With so many clinical opportunities at KU Law, every student has a chance to participate in at least one clinic. Some students are intimidated or nervous about leaving the structured classroom setting, but I would highly encourage everyone to take advantage of these amazing opportunities. Nothing you learn in a classroom will make you quite as marketable as the experiences you gain from working in a clinic. Success in a clinic provides students with confidence and assures future employers that the graduate they hire has the practical skills they want in a candidate.

— Crystal Cook is a third-year law student and a KU Law Student Ambassador.