And a Word about Word Usage!

Let's give a shout out to Nick Vester for passing along this article about correct word choice! This article is written by someone even more persnickety than myself, if such a thing is possible. (Okay, a little more persnickety than myself.) Or maybe I have just never really grasped the whole nauseous/nauseated thing.

But the point is that using words correctly makes you look smart; using them incorrectly makes you look, well, you know. And who can argue with that?

20 Commonly Misused Words

Greater Lafayette Rally in Support of Syrian Refugees

A rally in support of Syrian refugees will be held on Friday, Dec. 4, at 3:00. The rally will begin at the Purdue Memorial Mall and march to the Tippecanoe County Courthouse is Lafayette. If you support resettling Syrian refugees in Indiana, you are certainly invited to participate. If you are not, or are unsure, you are invited to observe. Democracy works best when we listen to one another. Whether you are a participant or an observer, if you are one of my students, you are eligible for off-campus engagement points (10-20).

The Legal Video Film Festival

My Intro classes are having a legal video film festival for the next 2 weeks. I tried to publish the videos on Blackboard, but Blackboard is not user-friendly, and this is. Also, by publishing them here, everyone can enjoy our legal videos, and I am reasonably certain I am not violating any copyright laws. So for the next couple of weeks, you'll see legal videos popping up here. Enjoy!

Supreme Court Stories: Marbury v. Madison

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Supreme Court (HBO)

A Day in the Life of a Paralegal

Course Announcements

1. I believe that I am (finally!) caught up on recording your engagement points. If your score still doesn't look right to you, send me an email and I'll let you know what I have in my records. If I'm missing something, let's correct it!
2. Student evaluations will take place on December 1, 2015 (our first Tuesday back) at the start of class for Contracts and Bankruptcy. Evaluations take place at the beginning of class. If you're in one of those classes, be sure to be on time on December 1 to let your voice be heard. 
3. Just a reminder that there are no classes Tuesday - Friday of this week. Enjoy your holiday!!!!

On Campus Today (and Coming Soon)

Today at 3:00 (yes, both events take place at 3:00, so you would need to choose):

1. The Lafayette Police K-9 demo in the Ivy Hall auditorium.
or
2. A writing workshop for Ivy Tech's literary magazine, Leaves of Ivy, somewhere in Ivy Hall.

On Thursday, December 3 (that's the Thursday after we get back from break), the Student Life Office is sponsoring Coffee and Canvas. It's a free landscape painting lesson, and it's a lot of fun. The lesson starts at 5:00 and, as the name suggests, coffee (and soft drinks and cookies) will be served. The only catch is that you must reserve your spot in the Student Life Office in Ivy Hall. They are taking reservations now, and places are limited.

Continuing Ed for Paralegals

A growing number of organizations that offer continuing legal education (CLE) for attorneys are also offering CLE specifically geared toward paralegals. The Indiana Trial Lawyers Association is one such organization. They will be offering "Personal Injury for Paralegals" on December 4, 2015. If you are interested, the link for the seminar is here.

Writing Advice from a Lawyer (Who Isn't Me!)

I normally post articles about legal writing on Blackboard for my Legal Writing class, and I know they love me for it. :-) But frankly, good writing is a skill that everyone needs--certainly everyone who plans to work in a law office--and so today I'm posting a link to a nice, general article about writing legal memos for everyone to enjoy.

How to Write a Good Legal Memo

Upcoming Events

1. The play "Doubt: A Parable" is playing at the Lafayette Civic Theatre this weekend and next. Tickets are $19 for adults BUT students (with student IDs) who are at the box office 20 minutes before showtime can claim any unsold seats for $8. The play deals with a priest accused of molesting children. Because child abuse and molestation and their effect on the Catholic church (as well as other institutions) is a prevalent topic in the law, this show is eligible for off-campus engagement points. You can find a link to Lafayette Civic Theatre here. 
2. The Lafayette PD K-9 demonstration will take place on Thursday, November 19, at 3:00 p.m. in the Ivy Hall Auditorium.
3. On Tuesday, November 17, the Student Life Office is sponsoring Salsa dancing lessons at 6:00 p.m. Let's see some happy feet!
4. The student uprisings at Missou (primarily) and Yale (to a far lesser extent) have led to demonstrations at Purdue and will probably lead to more dialogue on the topic. If you become aware of any meetings, presentations, teach-ins, and the like at Purdue, please let me know so that I can post it here. Also, if you attend any of these events, you are eligible for off-campus points.  

Note to my classes: I am aware that I am behind in updating your points in my gradebook. Getting caught up is among my many goals for this weekend.

Note #2: This post was edited on 11/16 to correct the date for salsa dancing. Salsa dancing will be offered on Tuesday, not on Thursday as originally reported. 

Just When You Thought You Knew the Rules of Civil Procedure

One of my favorite things about law is that it is in a constant state of flux. We alter our laws, and our understanding of them, in an attempt to address new problems or find new ways to address old problems.

And so, in an effort to address discovery abuse (harassing the other side via discovery), the federal judicial conference has approved some fairly sweeping changes to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. These new rules go into effect on December 1. Indiana's rules have traditionally been based on the federal rules. I do not know whether there is a movement afoot to amend the state rules. However, it would not surprise me.

You can read an article about the changes, complete with a link to the updated federal rules, here.

Is This a Joke?

I generally advise against using humor in anything filed in court, and for paralegals, who do drafts of documents that may or may not get close scrutiny by their supervising attorneys before something gets signed and filed, it is still fine advice. But some cases, and some attorneys, cry out for the occasional burst of humor in court. A big thanks to Above the Law for tipping us off to the following introductory statement in a Motion to Dismiss:

A monkey, an animal-rights organization and a primatologist walk into federal court to sue for infringement of the monkey’s claimed copyright. What seems like the setup for a punchline is really happening. It should not be happening…. [D]ismissal of this action is required for lack of standing and failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. Monkey see, monkey sue is not good law – at least not in the Ninth Circuit.

If your curiosity is piqued, you can read the full motion here.

Desperately Seeking Practicum Students

As of today, we need 2 more students to sign up for next semester's practicum before I can guarantee that it will go forward. I have extended the deadline until this Friday, but I really can't extend it beyond that if I'm going to have time to get the supervising lawyers and paralegals on board. Please contact me if you're interested in doing the practicum this coming spring!

Work with the State Attorney General

The Indiana Attorney General has several current job postings that are perfect for paralegals. These jobs are listed only on the Attorney General's web page, and not on the state job listings. Don't ask me why. Anyway, if you're interested in working in Indianapolis, or just want to see what sort of job opportunities are out there, it's worth a look. As always, don't limit yourself to the jobs that say "Paralegal." The Case Analyst position, for example, also recommends a paralegal degree, and sounds plenty interesting.

Attorney General Jobs

Cultural Competency Workshop

The West Lafayette Human Relations Commission is presenting a workshop on Cultural Competency in Today's Legal System at the Tippecanoe County Building. The workshop is free, but you should RSVP on the website listed at the bottom.

Friday, November 6 is "International Love Your Lawyer Day"

I can't make this stuff up, and why should I have to? Tomorrow is Love Your Lawyer Day. Enjoy!

International Love Your Lawyer Day Announcement

And While We're on the Subject of Election Day ...

10 points for those of you who voted. I didn't announce it ahead of time because I have ethical qualms about people voting just for extraneous reasons, like to get points in class. I hope you voted because as a student of the law, you are keenly interested in who makes and administers our laws.

Also, I want to find out who reads the blog, so I won't be announcing this in class. If you are reading this and you voted yesterday, email me to find out how to get your points.

Congratulations, Norris Wang!

A hearty congratulations to West Lafayette's newest city council member (and renowned Legal Ethics instructor) Norris Wang!

Employer Panel Wednesday