Looking for Witnesses

The Litigation class (LEGS 202) is in need of some volunteers who are willing to be witnesses at its upcoming mock trial. The case involves a high school student who sustained a head injury during a club soccer game and was then returned to the game quickly, where she then sustained a debilitating head injury. Was Coach Dempsey negligent in returning her to the field of play--at her insistence--so soon? Help us decide.

Witnesses must be available on either Tuesday, December 12, or Thursday, December 14, from 12:30 until 1:45. Ideally, you will also be available at some earlier time to meet with counsel so that they can prepare you for your testimony. Total time commitment: 2 hours.

If you are in one of my other classes, this is worth 20 engagement points. If you are not in one of my other classes, it's still a lot of fun and a great chance to see the Litigation students at their best.

Contact me if you're interested.

It's Practicum Time!

For those of you who don't check your email, the following announcement was just emailed out. If you're interested, check your inbox for the forms. 

The Ivy Tech Paralegal Practicum is our version of an internship. Students who have participated in the past have found it to be a valuable experience—and have contributed to our good reputation in the legal community.

The Practicum counts as a 3-credit class. It is only offered in the spring semesters. Unlike other classes,  the Practicum has a separate application process and deadlines to account for the fact that I must match you with a local law office and give you and your host site a chance to work out a schedule and expectations prior to the start of the semester. The application, as well as some general information, is attached. Please note that your completed application must be returned to me by November 10.

Who should take the practicum?

                I recommend that every student consider taking the practicum in his or her final spring semester. It is an excellent experience and a great stepping stone to a full-time job after graduation. Participation is limited, however, to those students who have at least a C average in PARA and LEGS classes. In addition, I cannot place a student whose attendance record, attitude, or behavior suggest that he or she may … not make a good impression on the hosting law office.

Where will I be placed?

                As part of the application process, you and I will sit down and discuss your interests, location, constraints, etc. We have worked with a number of law offices, government offices, courts, and corporations in the past, and I like to think there’s something for everyone. As much as possible, I try to match you with something that I think would be a good fit.

If I already have a job at a law office, can I use that for my practicum placement?

                If it’s paralegal-caliber work, yes! But we will need to work with your employer to come up with a new task, responsibility, or project that will stretch you a little more than what you’ve already been doing.

I see that there’s an application and a deadline. What if I’m really bad at filling out paperwork and meeting deadlines?

                Then the practicum is probably not for you.

What if I have more questions?

                Contact me. I’d be happy to talk to you.

Which Classes Should I Take in the Fall?

Of course, I would love to have you drop by to discuss which classes should be on your schedule this fall (and this summer!). But while you're thinking about it--

If you have not already done so, you should take PARA 204, Legal Writing I. This class is required for both PARA and LEGS majors, and is a prerequisite for PARA 224, Legal Writing II, which is required for PARA majors and--I believe--an elective (but a good one!) for LEGS majors. PARA 204 is not offered in the spring, so if you miss it in the fall, you can potentially either set yourself back an entire year, or leave yourself with no choice but to take it online.

If you have taken Civil Procedure, then you should take LEGS 200, Litigation. This class is also required for both PARA and LEGS majors, is only offered in the fall, and is just gosh-darned, old-fashioned fun. We work our way through a faux civil case, from meeting with the client to filing a notice of appeal. (Want to file the appellate brief, too? That comes in PARA 224: see above.) For our grand finale, we do a mock trial, which is an experience that simply cannot be duplicated online.

It was pointed out to me by an astute student that LEGS 102, Legal Research, was not on the fall schedule. It is now. LEGS 102 used to be PARA 102, and was still listed that way on the schedule mock-up that I'm required to submit. Since there was a code change (PARA => LEGS), the registrar decided that the class didn't exist and dropped it without giving me a heads up. But one of you did! So it's back on, but by the time this error was caught, all the computer labs were taken during the day. I had the option of making it a MWF class, but I know how much you all hate those, so I chose to put it on the schedule as a night class.

Still have questions? You can schedule an appointment with me by calling my assistant at 765-269-5730.

Spring Semester

If you haven't registered for spring semester yet, now is the time! I would be happy to meet with you and help you pick out your classes. Please call my assistant at (765) 269-5730 to schedule an appointment.

Make-ups (in Linda Kampe's classes ONLY)

With the apparent onset of cold, flu, and litigation season, it is time to remind those of you who have missed quizzes or tests in any of my classes to make arrangements to make those up. It is your responsibility to ensure that the makeup quiz takes place.

There will be some open time in Litigation on Dec. 1, Dec. 6, and Dec. 8 for anyone in any class who wishes to complete a makeup. Please send me an email ahead of time to let me know which date you will be attending, and which quiz(zes) you will be making up.

If none of those times will work for you, please send me an email informing me of that. Again, be sure to include a reference to the quiz(zes) you need to make up. I will place your quiz in the Assessment Center to be completed at your convenience. Any quizzes not completed by 9:00 on December 12, 2016, will be scored as zeroes.

Again, making arrangements to make up work is your responsibility.

PRACTICUM!!!!!

 

Yes, it's time to start thinking about the practicum. You should have received an email from me today with details, applications, etc. But for your reference, here are the details:

Every spring semester, the Paralegal Studies program offers a Practicum for its students. The practicum is a 3-credit-hour elective. A student in the practicum will spend an average of 10 hours per week working at a law office, government agency, court office, or private business. Some placements are paying (usually the ones the students arrange themselves); most are not. However, the experience and the opportunity to make contacts in the legal community are extremely valuable. Here at Ivy Tech, we’re very proud of our practicum program. I have heard many good things about our students from the employers who have participated, and I look forward to hearing many more.

Although the practicum counts as a class, there are some additional steps for registering for it because of the coordination needed between Ivy Tech, the student, and the employer. Therefore, students who wish to register for the practicum for spring semester 2017 are advised to observe the following deadlines, as they will be strictly enforced. 

·         NOVEMBER 4, 2016—The application for practicum is due back to me, either in paper form or via email.Your resume should be attached.

·         NOVEMBER 18, 2016—By this date, you must have met with me, in person, to discuss your practicum placement and register for the class. Do NOT call me on November 18 to ask when we can meet. Make the appointment NOW for sometime between now and November 18. Note that registration for the practicum is at the discretion of the program chair. You cannot register for the practicum online. (I checked.) You must meet with me in person to register. To make an appointment, please call my assistant at 765-269-5730.

·         Practicum assignments will be made in December 2016. You should meet with your practicum placement sometime in December, as the placement’s schedule allows.

 

Questions I already know you have:

Ø  Can I do my practicum at the office where I already am employed?

o   Yes, if your job entails law-related work, you are able to work there at least 10 hours per week, and your employer agrees to submit the practicum paperwork. You should note on your application that you already have a placement, and give me a name and contact number so that we can complete the paperwork. The same deadlines apply.

Ø  What if I don’t live in Lafayette?

o   Most of our placements are in Lafayette, but I am happy to try to locate a placement elsewhere. You might need to be flexible in terms of where you are willing to go.

Ø  What if I have no idea where I want to go and no contacts?

o   Not a problem. I have lots of ideas and lots of contacts.

Ø  What if I’m just really bad at following directions and meeting deadlines?

o   Then you’re probably not ready for a practicum just yet.

 

If you still have questions, don’t hesitate to ask. I look forward to working with many of you!

Summer Enrollment!!

This summer's Legal Ethics (PARA 170) and Business Associations (PARA 205) classes now have 6 students each enrolled. I know several of you have been beating the bushes for Business Associations. Your hard work paid off!

Register for Fall and Summer Classes Now! (Or, Only YOU Can Save Business Associations!)

Registration is open for summer and fall classes. The sooner you register, the sooner I can hire faculty, etc.!

Upcoming Events

• There will be a Paralegal Society meeting this Thursday, April 21, at 6:00 p.m. in the conference room in Ivy Hall. This will be our last meeting of the semester, and I assume we will be electing officers. 
• There will NOT be a trip to Chicago this semester. Planning and logistics turned out to be more complex than we had bargained for. However, now that we know what is involved, we'll be better positioned to plan a Chicago trip in the future.
• Also, there is nothing to stop people from just arranging to meet in Chicago one day without college-provided transportation. Just sayin'. 
• Remember that registration is now open for summer and fall. If you have not taken Legal Writing (PARA 204) or Litigation (LEGS 202), plan on taking them in the fall. We have day and evening sections of each.

Books, Fall Semester

I share your horror at textbook prices, and you'll just have to trust me that I do what I can to hold down your out-of-pocket costs. To that end, two of our classes, Litigation (LEGS 202) and Legal Writing 2 (PARA 224) will be textbook-less starting in the fall. Actually, this summer's Legal Writing class will also be textbook-free. (Hang on to the Bluebooks you buy for Legal Research, of course!)

However, I made the decision to go with 2 textbooks for Legal Writing 1 (PARA 204) starting in the fall. One is a basic grammar and style book; the other is a legal terminology text. Both subjects will be covered in Legal Writing 1. Both subjects will also be covered in the Capstone Class (PARA 279), and these books will be excellent references for that. If you're wondering why that matters, talk to someone who has taken the capstone class in the past couple of years. They will also be excellent references when you're in practice. Trust me--at some point you will want to look up a point of grammar or the definition and usage of some crazy legal term.

Because I see these books as more of an investment, I decided to require both, even though I know that will strain some budgets a little more than you would like.

But I also know that publishers often update textbooks more often than they need to. Neither English grammar nor legal terminology have changed appreciably in the past 5-10 years. The bookstore will be carrying the most recent version of both books, but those of you who shop online for used books should feel comfortable buying earlier editions for use in class.

Litigation Class (LEGS 202)

As I noted last week, several of you have had problems registering for Litigation (LEGS 202). There is a glitch behind that which should be corrected by the end of the week, I am told. Yes, I do have super powers that will allow me to override the computer and forcibly put you in the class, but I can only do that for one student at a time, and it takes a while (as well the cooperation of my computer). So let's see what next week brings.

Thanks for your patience!!!!

Registration Issues: Day 1

Sigh. It appears that for some reason, everyone is blocked from registering for Litigation (LEGS 202). I will look into the problem when we return from Spring Break. If I can't fix it from the outside, I can personally register you for it, one by one. Stay tuned. I hope to have a better answer next week.

Registering for fall ... and beyond!!!

Starting in Fall 2016, the Paralegal Studies program statewide will be offering an Associate of Science in Legal Studies (code name LEGS). This degree is intended as a transfer degree for people who have no desire to work as a paralegal (for shame!) and really just want to transfer to a 4-year college with a background in law. To make our new compatriots feel at home--and also because there is apparently a rule--some of our paralegal classes needed to be re-designated as LEGS classes.

Why am I telling you? Because when you go to register for your PARA classes this fall, you might not find them. There is apparently some confusion over which classes have been re-designated as LEGS classes, but this fall, Legal Ethics (LEGS 170) and Litigation (LEGS 202) are both LEGS classes. Notice that LEGS classes will have the same course numbers they had as PARA classes. Only the 4-letter prefix will change.

As always, if you're confused, please email, call, or drop by.

What Should I Take Next Fall?

I know it's early, but Ivy Tech is making me submit my proposed fall schedule today, so I wanted to let you all in on my recommendations.

1. If you have taken Civ Pro (PARA 103), then plan to take Litigation (PARA 202--now LEGS 202) in the fall. There will be a day section and (by popular demand) a night section. Litigation really is a fun class--regardless of what you may have heard from your predecessors. In Litigation, you spend the semester preparing for trial--you prepare the complaint, the answer, discovery, motions, letters to your client, etc. For the grand finale, we hold a mock trial. There is no book. There is no final.

2. If you have taken Intro (PARA 101), then plan to take the new Legal Writing I (PARA 204) in the fall (unless you and I agree that you should just take the new Legal Writing II (PARA 224)). Legal Writing I will cover the basics of writing--grammar, spelling, punctuation--with the degree of exactitude that I and your future employers will demand. The Paralegal Studies program chairs statewide unanimously agreed that the old Legal Writing class frustrated students and instructors alike. Many students were still struggling with the precision punctuation and grammar that lawyers demand, and classes were unable to move into the complex legal documents that we had originally envisioned. SO ... Legal Writing I: a good time to polish up all those dusty rules of grammar without having to worry so much about making complex arguments as well. We'll also spend some time on legal terminology. Not to worry. It'll be fun. I promise. And the extra time spent on grammar and legal terms should make the rest of your classes easier. I am absurdly excited about teaching this class. Two morning sections, one evening section. Take it this fall. No excuses.

(In case you're curious, Legal Writing II will be the same as the current Legal Writing class. The current Legal Writing class will be offered for the last time this summer. Legal Writing II will make its appearance next spring.)

This fall, you'll notice that some paralegal classes will have the new Legal Studies prefix (LEGS). LEGS is our new transfer degree program. LEGS and PARA students will be taking many of the same classes, so some have been designated as LEGS and some retain their PARA designation. If you have questions about any of your classes, please ask!