August 2012

August 29, 2012 - Spotlight on "Back to School!"

5 Quick Tips for a Productive Semester

As it is likely the first (or almost first) week of classes for student P.A.D. members, we would like to share an article on the “5 First-Week-of-School Tips for Law Students” (This applies to Pre-Law too!). Participating in your fraternity is important and your brotherhood should be a foundation to support your studies during each semester.

The following are a few simple tips for all P.A.D. members to help get the semester off to a successful start. Best of luck and be sure to stay focused! We are eager to see the accomplishments of all P.A.D. Chapters over the course of the semester.

“So, you're in law school. Congratulations! Now what? A few weeks back in my blog www.lawschoolmama.blogspot.com I provided some tips that are especially useful for students with jobs and/or families. They included things like making time for your partner, realizing that no one else "gets it" either so don't beat yourself up, and seeking balance. These are still good tips, but now that I, a 3L, have started back, I have some "in the midst of week one" tips for those seeking even more guidance in this adventure known as law school.

  1. You are not crazy, or at least, no more so than the rest of us. It may feel like it, now that you have seen your class syllabus, met your professors and have a small clue of the workload, but chances are, you are simply a law student. Here's a secret: we are all a little insane.
  1. Keep up on your reading. This is way too early in the semester to fall behind and think you will have lots of time to catch up later. "Lots of time" never happens in law school - not when it comes to reading, or writing papers or doing presentations. Along that same line of thinking is another important fact about time: Everything takes longer than you think it will.
  1. Make at least one friend who you can rely on to take notes for you if you miss a class, and be sure to do the same for that person. The material covered in class is generally much more important than the reading, so don't assume that if you did the reading you are fine with not knowing what was discussed in class. I find that the best notes I take are ones that I know I will be sharing with a friend.
  1. When your career services group starts talking about first year student receptions at law firms, listen. Sign up to go on as many of these as are realistic for you. At my school, first year is the only time such a wonderful opportunity is provided. This is a great chance to get a feel for different firms, to speak with practicing attorneys about what they like and don't like about their field of law, and to make contacts that could be valuable later in your law school career or beyond.
  1. If you are nervous about getting called on, volunteer to answer a question or talk about a case with which you are comfortable before it happens. You still may get called on later, particularly if your professor works her way up or down an alphabetical list, but getting your first time speaking in front of your class out of the way will be a relief. Keep in mind that sometimes your answers will be what the professor was looking for, and sometimes not, and everyone will have both experiences.

If you are a first year law student, this will be a challenging, but exciting year. It will go by more quickly than you think - enjoy it!”

Dakota, D. (2007, September 6). 5 first-week-of-school tips for law students. Retrieved from http://voices.yahoo.com/5-first-week-school-tips-law-students-521461.html?cat=17

 
August 21, 2012 - Spotlight on Verlaine Walker

PAD’sters, Don’t Expect to be Babysat

Pre-law students’ first line of defense is their Faculty Advisor, who is appointed by the Director of Pre-Law Operations.  Faculty Advisors are the liaisons between the Chapter and the school administration. 

Verlaine Walker, who refers to her P.A.D. pre-law advisees as “PAD’sters,” has been advising students for 19 years.  Prior to her position as pre-law advisor at the University of Arizona (UA)-Tucson, Verlaine worked with disqualified probationary students and administered the transfer program between UA and Tucson Community College campuses.

Despite being warned by her predecessor that students “needed to be prodded along to get things done,” Verlaine believes her position has allowed her to “work with a group of students who [are], for the most part, focused and motivated.”  After working 16 years with pre-law students, Verlaine has most enjoyed seeing her students achieve their professional goals.

Verlaine views her role as pre-law advisor to be only a “small part” of her students’ “journey” and is “one of support and guidance when needed.”  She tries to “attend as many meetings as possible” and “keep an open door policy [so her] PADsters know they can come in to discuss their concerns relative to [the] Chapter.”

Her involvement on the UA-Tucson campus has included co-chair of the University Professional Advising Counsel; membership of the National Academic Advising Council (NACADA); chair of the Pre-Law Advising Council (PLAC) at UA; advisor of the MOCK Trial Club at UA-Tucson; membership of the UA Ombuds Committee for nine years; and much more.  She has also been involved with Pre-Law Advisors’ National Council (PLANC) as a representative from the Western Association of Pre-Law Advisors (WAPLA).  Involvement with both PLANC and PLAC has allowed Verlaine to work “with some of the best and brightest in the law profession.”

Advice Verlaine gives any pre-lawyer is to “get as much information as possible about law school and the profession before they make the commitment…by gathering as much as they can from various resources, they can make the most informed decision possible.  The professional focus of P.A.D. pre-law is instrumental in assisting them in doing this.”

As a pre-law advisor, Verlaine considers “it an honor and privilege to work with these students who have enriched [her] life beyond anything [she] could have imagined”. 

She adds, “‘gotta love ‘em!”