What Is the Indiana State Legislature Considering Doing to Our Environment?

Next week Wednesday, an excellent opportunity to hear about pending environmental legislation (and grab some engagement points, if that's what it takes to motivate you).

Kim Ferraro, Senior Staff Attorney and Director of Agricultural Policy with the Hoosier Environmental Council (HEC), will share the latest information and answer your questions about proposed environmental bills and priorities in this important budget-making session of the Indiana General Assembly and how you can get involved. 

 

Wed., Feb. 8th

5:15 pm - Informal hello's and appetizers

5:30-6:30 - Update & Your Questions 

West Lafayette Public Library

208 West Columbia St., West Lafayette, IN

The League of Women Voters of Greater Lafayette has coordinated with HEC to host this opportunity in our community.  HEC is a leading environmental education and advocacy organization.  HEC and the League of Women Voters of Indiana are two of the more than 25 organizations that make up the Indiana Conservation Alliance, which share a strong commitment to protecting and improving the state's natural resources. 

About Kim Ferraro: 

Kim is HEC’s Agriculture Policy Director and Senior Staff Attorney.  Kim comes to HEC from the Legal Environmental Aid Foundation (LEAF), the state’s only not-for-profit legal aid services organization focused on the environment.   Kim served as the Executive Director of LEAF from its founding until its merger with HEC in Dec. 2011.   As LEAF’s ED and continuing with HEC, Kim has achieved several legal victories that have helped communities impacted by industrial pollution, factory farm waste, reckless residential development, and coal ash contamination.  Kim’s honors include “Up and Coming Lawyer” by Indiana Lawyer, “Legal Advocate of the Year” by HEC, and Dean W. Kohlhoff Memorial Award for Excellence in Environmental Law.  Kim has a law degree from Valparaiso University School of Law, and a bachelor’s degree from DePaul University.

Free Program at the Federal Court in Indianapolis

The federal court in Indianapolis will be offering a free CLE (continuing legal education) program in February in honor of Black History Month. CLE is required for attorneys, suggested for paralegals and--in this case, at least--open to anyone. Plus (again, in this case) it sounds really interesting! (Also, it's a great excuse to drop in at the federal courthouse.)

Here are the specifics:

Ind. Courts - "Free CLE- Annual Black History Month Event at the U.S. District Court"

From the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana:

The United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, along with the Bankruptcy Court, U.S. Attorney's Office, Probation Office, Marshals Service, and Indiana Federal Community Defenders, Inc., has announced that its annual Black History Month event is set for Friday, February 24, 2017. This year's speaker is Ms. A'Lelia Bundles, Madam C.J. Walker's great-great granddaughter and biographer. Madam Walker, born 150 years ago this December, is an Indianapolis legend, renowned for her entrepreneurial skills (she was one of the first female self-made millionaires) and philanthropy. Ms. Bundles will discuss Madam Walker and her attorney, Freeman B. Ransom, in a presentation titled, "An Amazing Partnership of Business and Law: Madam C. J. Walker and Attorney F. B. Ransom." The event will take place at the Birch Bayh Federal Building and United States Courthouse (46 East Ohio Street, Indianapolis) on February 24 from 2:00 - 3:00 pm, in the William E. Steckler Ceremonial Courtroom (courtroom 202). One hour of CLE credit is pending approval. Musical entertainment will be provided by the North Central High School Northernaires gospel choir, and refreshments will be provided following the program. Registration is not required.

Law School Panel at Purdue

Thinking about law school? If so, it's never too early to find out what law schools are looking for and to get some good advice for how to prepare. The Purdue Pre-Law Society is sponsoring a Law School Panel, featuring admissions representatives from IU Maurer, IU McKinney, Notre Dame, and Valparaiso law schools. The panel will take place on Wednesday, February 1 (1 week from today), at 6:00 p.m. in Rawls Hall, room 1057.

A Word from the Career Development Office

Those of you who have taken my classes know how proud I am of our program's placement rate. But I also know that there's always that little bit of panic--What if I'm the one student who can't get a job? Also, there are many of you who have not taken my classes (which means you are taking online classes, as I am difficult to avoid in person), and you may want a little more guidance as to career options. Hire Ivy Days are for you. Yes, it does mean you need to drop by campus in the flesh. But there is popcorn....

FREE POPCORN DURING HIRE IVY DAYS!

Hire Ivy Days will take place on January 24 & 25 in the Grand Hall 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Stop by the table in the Grand Hall for some freshly popped popcorn and information about what Career Development can do for you!

A Shameless Plug

This is not related to classes, and it is not valid for engagement points, but I will be in a show at the Civic Theatre of Lafayette on Tuesday, January 24, at 7:30. The show is W;t, and it is excellent (if I do say so myself).

Here's the info from the Civic Theatre website:

W;t

by Margaret Edson

Tickets

All ages pay what you can.

All seats for this production are general admission.

January 24, 2017

A Civic

• Staged Readings

Production

at Monon Depot Theatre

Directed by Mona Bapat

During the course of her illness – and her stint as a prize patient in an experimental chemotherapy program at a major teaching hospital – a renowned professor of English comes to reassess her life and her work with profundity and humor.

Performance Dates and Times

Tuesday	January 24, 2017	7:30 pm

MLK Day Opportunities

What's better than starting a new semester? Starting a new semester with 10 points already in the bag.

That's right--for those of you in one of my classes, you can earn engagement points on MLK Day (January 16) even though the semester doesn't start until January 17. Volunteer for a minimum of one hour someplace in honor of MLK Day, or attend a speaker slated in honor of MLK Day anywhere, and walk in January 17 with 10 engagement points ready to go. Bring a photo of yourself at the event for 10 points (or you and one or more of your colleagues for 15) to class and claim your points.

How do you know if you're in one of my classes? This semester, I'll be teaching Legal Writing 2 (PARA 224), Property Law (PARA 108), and the Capstone class (PARA 279).

If you've never had one of my classes before, trust me--you'll appreciate this opportunity.

See you on the 17th! (Or the 23, if you're in Capstone.)

Happy Holidays to Our International Visitors

Here are the stats from the past week. It's been quiet, which was to be expected. France is still hanging in there, but no one has contacted my son (still in Blois!) yet.

Entry	Pageviews
United States	9
France	4
Ukraine	1

Happy Holidays!

I hope that you are all enjoying your time off. I know I am. Remember, classes start January 17, 2017!

In the meantime, I received this announcement about an upcoming YWCA lunch that I thought I'd pass along. Seems like a worthwhile way to spend a little of that free time you have so much of right now ....  😊

 "Mental Health First Aid: Stress, Depression, and Substance Abuse" 

Join us for the January Network Lunch on Wednesday, January 11, 2017. This event will feature a presentation by Buck Black, LCSW. Buck will help us learn how we can help others who are struggling with mental health and/or substance abuse.

Lunch served at 11:30 am, Presentation is from noon - 1 pm. Please call the YWCA at 765-742-0075 to register by January 6. The cost of this event is $15. 

Harvard Law => Law Professor => US Representative

No, not me. (Or, as my Legal Writing class knows, not I.)

But this is an interesting article about a classmate of mine who will be joining Congress with the start of the next session. Also, I think we may have been on the same intramural volleyball team at one point, but maybe not. (In any event, intramural teams were sort of fluid.)

J. Raskin

A little inspiration for your finals week

Alumni Corner

Time for a new feature here on the Paralegal Underground. Who better to give you an idea of what being a new paralegal is like--and what you are truly capable of--than our alumni? Annette Wiegand, class of 2016, is working at a law firm in Danville, Illinois, which specializes in personal injury and medical malpractice. She wrote me this week to let me know how her job is going, and I just had to share (with her permission, of course!).

I'll turn it over to Annette:

We are going to trial next Monday - Thursday and this will be my first actual jury trial - ever.

I will be in charge of all the technology in the courtroom, and have developed all of our exhibits. I have been asked by the lead attorney to sit at counsel table (big smile on my face after THAT!)

 (I recently found a defendant in South Africa and arranged for him to be deposed from a law firm there, we did it over a Skype link - very cool - different case but very cool)

I have had to track down medical experts who are the top in their field for very obscure things. You have to know how to use technology to your advantage. 

Never underestimate what people will post on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/Snap Chat - it's incredible.

I have also been placed in charge of rolling the firm's entire caseload over into a program called Trial Works. I am working with the programmers and IT folks to get that done as seamlessly as possible before we go live.

I am LOVING THIS.

Things to tell current students:

That Law Office Technology course you have to take? Yeah - pay attention because it will be YOU the attorneys will fully expect to be able to take off and run with this kind of thing. I've edited the website and all kinds of unusual technology-based things since I've been here. So pay attention!!!

Get involved with local paralegal organizations and STAY involved. These people know the ropes and the local system. The Vermilion County Legal Assistants group has given me contacts ranging from the Sheriff's Department, other law offices and the courthouse. Never forget it is ALL about networking and word of your capability and temperament spreads like wildfire, good or bad!

And please pay attention in Legal Writing!!! I have the dubious honor of proofreading EVERYTHING. It's SCARY sometimes. Legal Writing in Plain English sits on the bookshelf in my office and I refer to it often.

And pay attention to the details in everything you do; the attorneys notice, and truly appreciate it.

Unique, 1-Day Bartending/Networking Opportunity

A local law office is looking for someone to tend bar at its Christmas party on December 16. You would need to be 21 or older and capable of pouring soda, wine and beer into glasses with some degree of accuracy. (No mixed drinks.) You do not need a liquor license, because the drinks are not for sale. The firm is paying $10/hour for approximately 4 hours of work.

This is a great time to meet lawyers informally. (Trust me: this law office Christmas party is the event of the season.) Also a great opportunity to make a little holiday cash. Send me an email ASAP if you're interested.

Seriously, Russia Is Beating Us HERE?

Last week's international stats show that Russia's citizens are oddly more interested in this blog than the US's. Hmmm....

Russia	42
United States	26
France	2
Netherlands	1
Ukraine	1