SAVE THE DATE! Judge Beistline, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Alaska to Visit the Law School

The Honorable Ralph R. Beistline, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Alaska, will visit the law school on Wednesday, February 8 and will host a Q & A session for students.

The session will be in the courtroom from noon to 1:00 p.m., though Judge Beistline will be available to speak with students until 2:00. Lunch will be provided.

Judge Beistline was born and raised in Alaska and has served as a US District Court Judge since May of 2002. He previously served nine and a half years as a superior court judge in Fairbanks, Alaska, serving as Presiding Judge from 1997 to 2001. Prior to becoming a judge, Judge Beistline practiced law in Fairbanks, engaged primarily in civil litigation. He served on the Board of Governors of the Alaska Bar Association from 1985 to 1988, as President of the Alaska Bar Association from 1986 to 1987, and was Editor of the Alaska Bar Association Newspaper for five years.

And, a fact near and dear to us here at SU, Judge Beistline was the very first graduate of the University of Puget Sound School of Law (now SU), earning his JD in 1974.

To take advantage of this opportunity to meet with a notable alumnus and renowned member of the federal bench, RSVP to Erin Fullner.

Washington First Responder Will Clinic

The next WA First Responder Will Clinic will be held Saturday, February 25th, 2012 at the Shoreline Fire Department Headquarters (17525 Aurora Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98133).

The WA First Responder Will Clinic is a program where volunteer attorneys who are in estate planning/probate practice prepare estate planning documents at no charge for fire fighters, police officers and first responders.

This clinic will be from 9am to 4pm . Please feel free to volunteer for either a morning shift (8:15am to 12:30pm) or an afternoon shift (12:15pm to 4:30pm) in the capacity of discussion leader, document drafter, intake personnel, witness or notary. Kindly note that this year we are using an online sign up forum, so to volunteer please follow the link below:

WA Will Clinic Volunteer Sign Up Link

Discussion Leaders: You must have your own professional liability insurance to participate in the clinic.

Document Drafters: We will be having a training session in mid-February to review the documents and to answer any of your questions. Also, please note that you must provide your own laptop.

REMEMBER, we need witnesses and notaries too!

Also, please invite any friends that you think would be interested in volunteering, the more the merrier!

Please contact Sarah Ondrak with any questions.

Professional Development Networking Series for 2L’s

What is networking? Why is it important to your professional development? How can it help you as you start your legal career? If you want answers to these questions and more, you will not want to miss out on the Spring Professional Development Networking Series. Over the course of three months this semester, you’ll meet monthly in a small interactive group setting with an assigned mentor. Come listen to the invaluable experiences of these mentors as they share with you ways to be proactive to advance your legal career. You’ll hear personal stories about their legal journey as they draw from a variety of practice areas – criminal, the judiciary, ADR, and private to non-profit and the government sector. The series will also include a few interim meetings with Bahareh Samanian, CPD Associate Director for Employer Relations, to fine tune your elevator pitch and networking strategy. The relationships you will build through this series will inspire you to be proactive!

The mentors for this exciting new series are:
• Distinguished Jurist in Residence and Retired Washington State Superior Court Judge Robert Alsdorf
• Distinguished Jurist in Residence and Retired Washington State Superior Court Judge Terrence Carroll
• Founder of the Donald and Lynda Horowitz Chair for the Pursuit of Justice and Retired Washington State Superior Court Judge Donald Horowitz
• Distinguished Professor from Practice John McKay
• Distinguished Professor from Practice Ada Shen-Jaffe

If interested, please send your resume and a short statement of interest (no more than one page double-spaced) describing why you want to practice law, why you want to be involved in this series and how you hope it will benefit you. The application deadline is February 3, 2012. Space is limited to 2L’s and students will be assigned a mentor by mid-February. Please send your application and direct any questions to Bahareh Samanian in CPD at samaniab@seattleu.edu.

Bremer Whyte Brown & O'Meara Hiring

AV-rated law firm Bremer Whyte Brown & O'Meara seeks an attorney (ideally with 3-5 years experience) to handle general liability and construction defects cases. Apply through LinkedIn.

BWBO has offices in Orange County, San Diego, Phoenix, Northern California, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Riverside, and Denver.

Air Force JAG Corps Summer Internship

The Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps Summer Internship application for 2Ls and 1Ls is now available on www.usajobs.gov. The 2L internship is paid at a GS-09 and the 1L internship is paid at a GS-07. The announcement will be open until Friday, February 10.

Students will need to submit the following:
1. Resume
2. Online occupational questionnaire
3. One-page personal statement introducing the applicant and explaining his/her motivation and objectives in applying for a summer internship with the Air Force JAG Corps
4. List of applicant’s top five geographic preferences by base or state (listing of bases;1-800-JAG-USAF) and when the applicant would prefer to begin the internship (Monday, May 21, 2012 or Monday, June 4, 2012)
5. Sheet or sheets of paper addressing the KSAs (knowledge, skill, and ability) and how they relate to the applicant’s work experience, education and training
6. Undergraduate and law school transcripts (readable copies are acceptable)

Contact Capt. Laura DeSio (240-612-5095) or Mr. Mike Cloud (240-612-5096) with questions.

JAG Corps Mission: To deliver professional, candid, independent counsel and full-spectrum legal capabilities to command and the warfighter.

Network with Federal Attorneys!

On Thursday, January 26th, FANGS – the Federal Attorney Networking Group - will be having their quarterly Happy Hour Meeting from 5-7pm.

The group consists of JDs working for the federal government as attorneys and in nontraditional legal careers. We have room for 7 students to attend this fun networking event.

Please contact Anna Ross at rossan@seattleu.edu if you are interested in attending. The first 7 students who respond get the spots!

PSAMCP UPDATE

THE DEADLINE FOR THE PUGET SOUND AREA MINORITY CLERKSHIP PROGRAM HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO 5:00 TODAY. ALL APPLICATIONS MUST BE UPLOADED TO SYMPLICITY BY THEN!

1L Mock Interview Program

The key to getting any job is establishing a rapport and intelligently explaining your credentials in an interview. Fortunately, this is a learned skill. Take advantage of this opportunity to interview with local attorneys. This event will be held on January 31st and February 1st. Please see details below:

January 31st: 1L Mock Interview Program – Attorneys from the corporate world, private firms, and government will participate. Interview times are available at 5:30, 6:15, and 7:00. Please email Emily von Seele to sign up for your preferred time. We will make every effort to accommodate schedules, but can make no guarantees that you will get your first choice. The event is limited to 30 students, so sign up quickly!

February 1st: 1L Diversity Program Info and Mock Interview Session - This event is being sponsored by the WSBA Committee for Diversity and will focus on students applying to the minority clerkship programs. Interview times are available at 5:30, 6:15, and 7:00. Please email Emily von Seele to sign up for your preferred time. We will make every effort to accommodate schedules, but can make no guarantees that you will get your first choice. The event is limited to 30 students, so sign up quickly!

Study Law In Alaska Info Session

Do you want to get one step closer to landing a job? Have you ever wanted to spend the summer in Alaska? Check out our Study Law in Alaska Program!!

We will have an information session on Wednesday, January 18 at NOON in room 309.

Please contact Stephanie Nichols at nicholss@seattleu.edu if you have any questions.

Great Opportunity in Alaska!

The Municipality of Anchorage will be at the law school on Wednesday, February 1st to interview ONLY Seattle University students for summer internships through our Study Law in Alaska Program. This is an incredible opportunity that could lead to a job.

Please submit your resume, cover letter and an unofficial transcript to Symplicity by NOON on January 25th.

If you have any questions, please contact Stephanie Nichols at nicholss@seattleu.edu.

Alena Suazo Memorial Scholarship

Scholarship Criteria & Instructions:
This scholarship is awarded to a law student committed to social justice work. Please provide a personal statement, no longer than 3 double-spaced pages, describing your reasons for attending law school and experiences working with marginalized communities and/or fighting injustice and oppression.

Scholarship Description:
Alena Suazo fought for the voiceless, the oppressed, and the disenfranchised, and she did it with grace, humor, determination, and an unrelenting spirit. She lived each day to the fullest, and gave her entire self to the causes and people she cared about.

Alena graduated from University of Washington School of Law (UWLS) in June 2010. In addition to the amazing things Alena accomplished at UWLS on a daily basis, while there she was the Co-President of the Latina/o Law Student Association, Vice President of the Minority Law Student Association, and served in the Tribal Defense Clinic for two years. Following graduation, Alena received the Bonderman Fellowship, an award given to graduates of UW to undertake new experiences through travel. Just a few months into her world tour, she passed away in Guatemala. Alena hoped to become a public defender in Southern California and to fight against the racial and economic disparities in the criminal justice system and throughout American society.

The Alena Suazo Memorial Scholarship has been created in her name to go towards the hidden costs of law school. Alena felt that direct and collateral costs associated with attending law school impeded Latinas/os from entering into the legal profession.

The Application can be found on Symplicity. The deadline is January 13, 2012.