The

Undeniable

Ruth

®

…and the Ruth shall set you free!

  • Recommended Classes for ASU 2Ls

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    Ruth Carter

    When I was a 1L, we had an Assistant Dean of Student Life named Michael Bossone whose whole job was to be there to give guidance regarding academics, career decisions, and life in general.  When I was picking out my classes for 2L year, he was there to help me compare my legal interests to the course offerings.  He was an awesome resource.  ASU College of Law school eliminated his position after he left at the end of my 1L year.  I’ve heard that this year’s 1Ls are looking for some advice on what they should take next semester so I thought I’d offer my two cents.  This is a compilation of my opinions and those of some of my fellow students on what’s being offered next semester.

    2L year is generally the year that they work you to death.  It’s a good time to take care of bar courses since most of the slots in the small seminar courses will be taken by the 3Ls.  These classes come highly recommended:

    Reviewing
    Image by mason13a via FlickrCriminal Procedure – C. Hessick
    • Criminal Procedure – C. Hessick
    • Evidence – A. Hessick (This class is a pre-req for a lot of other classes & clinics)
    • Estate & Gift Tax – Becker
    • Constitutional Law II – Matheson
    • Professional Responsibility – Cohen or Winer
    • Trademark – Halaby
    • Sports Law

    If you’re interested in taking Karjala’s Copyright or Patent class, it’s better to take Sylvester’s Intellectual Property class first to get a solid foundation for the material.  Karjala doesn’t spend much time on these basics but jumps right in to challenging the judges’ logic in the cases.

    2L year is also a great time to do an externship.  If you want to be judicial clerk after graduation, it’s imperative that you do a judicial clerkship during your 2L year.  Be aware of which judges like to hire their former externs as clerks and which ones have a policy against hiring their former externs as clerks.

    Always consider which professor is teaching the each class, and try to select the professors with which you will mesh the best.  For classes that are offered every semester, there may be a different professors assigned to teach in the fall and the spring.

    Some classes are better left for 3L year, because that’s when senioritis has set in, and it’s better to take the classes that don’t have written finals and/or the professor doesn’t assign an atrocious amount of reading.  Here are some of them:

    • Advanced Legal Writing
    • Decedent’s Estates
    • Lawyering Theory & Practice – one the easier skills classes to take
    • Advanced Legal Research
    • Trial Advocacy
    • Applied Evidence and Trial Advocacy
    • Creative Writing for Lawyers

    3L year is also the best time to participate in a clinic.

    As you’re selecting classes, be mindful that some seminar classes are only offered once every other year.  That means you’ll only have one chance during your law school career to take those classes, so it might be worth it to arrange your schedule around those classes.

    Remember, if the school doesn’t offer a class in a subject you are interested in, you can always do an Independent Study.  It’s also an easy way to add 1 or 2 credits to your course load.

    Good luck registering for classes.  If you have any questions regarding class selection or if any 2Ls, 3Ls, and graduates want to leave feedback on any class they’ve taken, please leave them as comments.

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  • Sponsor A Law Kid Update – March 22, 2011

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    Ruth Carter

    I’m 81 days into my Sponsor A Law Kid (SALK) campaign and have 127 days to go.  So far, I’ve sold 46 days to 33 people and businesses, and it’s paid for about 1/3 of this semester’s tuition.  It’s been quite a journey and I’m grateful to have been part of these people’s lives.

    When I embarked on this campaign in November, my friend basically said to put up a blog post and a Facebook page and see what happens.  I sold quite a few days right off the bat, but then things fizzled out a bit.  Over winter break, I decided to send some emails to people who might be interested in sponsoring a day.  I made a list of every product I use or businesses I patronize on a regular basis.  Unfortunately, I use mostly national brands that don’t sponsor individuals.  Then I started flipping through local publications that I read when I have the time, and I sent emails to everyone who had an ad that included an email address or website.  I would easily spend 8 hours sending emails to get 1 or 2 responses that would say “Yes.”

    One day over break I was lounging around my parents’ house when my phone rang.  It was a representative for Bashas’, a family-owned grocery store chain in the Phoenix area where I regularly shop.  They received my message about SALK and she was calling to offer me a $1,000 scholarship in lieu of sponsoring a day.  I was speechless and so touched by their generosity.

    When I returned to Phoenix, I decided to see if any of the local news stations would be interested in using SALK as news story since school would be back in session soon.  I sent an email to every news station and pitched SALK as a potential story.  I was shocked when I got a call 20 minutes later from Channel 15 asking if they could come over to do an interview to air that night.  One of the viewers that night was a woman who used to be a receptionist at the agency where I worked before law school.  I hadn’t seen her in years.  She loved the idea of SALK so much that she sponsored a day to raise awareness for soldiers with PTSD.  Somehow the Phoenix New Times heard about my campaign and featured SALK on their 365 Ideas blog.

    I had sponsorship for most of the days in January.  On the first day that didn’t have a sponsor, one of my classmates offered to sponsor it at a much reduced rate to promote a cause for him.  I admired his gumption, so I accepted the deal.

    One thing I’ve learned from SALK is that it takes more time and energy than you’d expect to write on someone’s behalf.   My sponsors trust me to write about causes that are close to their hearts, and I take these obligations seriously.  It takes considerable thought to determine the best way to accurately express their sentiments.  I am honored by the opportunity to share their stories, whether I’m writing about a rare illness, paying tribute to a loved one, or promoting someone’s passion.

    Nowadays I’m too busy to solicit sponsorship, but I’m glad when the emails pop into my inbox from people asking to sponsor a day.  Moreover, I’m always happy when I see that others are finding my sponsors because of my blog.  My only regret related to SALK is that I didn’t think of it sooner and have more time to invite people to be part of the SALK family.

  • SALK Day 74: Pursuing Passions

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    Ruth Carter

    Let’s talk about passion.  It’s a powerful feeling.  It drives you to stay up until 3am, working on a project for fun.  It’s that gut feeling that you’re doing something that you were meant to do, and it’s so powerful that you can’t explain why you feel this way.  It just is.

    Ignite the moment...
    Image by ViaMoi via Flickr

    It can take time to figure out what you’re passionate about.  You have to try different things, encounter different people and situations.  I never know when I’ll find something that ignites my passion, but when it happens, I get a burst energy that can overcome the power of sleep deprivation or a bad day.

    This past year I’ve had to ask myself what ignites my professional passion.  I love it when I’m working on a legal project, determining a viable answer, and being frustrated that I can’t give legal advice yet.  That’s usually followed by the blaring thought, “Why aren’t I a lawyer yet?!”  When I feel that burst of passionate energy, I’ve tried to slow my brain down enough to identify what was driving that feeling.  It led me to learn that two things make me exceptionally happy – being a helpful reassuring source of knowledge and being a performer.   I am grateful that I have opportunities to be both of these things.

    I’m graduating in 60 days, and I don’t have a job lined up yet.  One of my reasons for going to law school was the fact that I didn’t like my job anymore.  I’m being somewhat selective about where I’m applying for jobs because I decided I’m going to pay over $60,000 for a career change that’s going make me miserable.

    It’s a joy to watch other people sharing or engaging in their passions.  Today’s sponsor and my friend, Stefi, is such a person who embraces her passions.  It’s not something she consciously thinks about; it’s just what she does.  Sometimes she gets so excited that she literally bounces up and down when she talks.  If you say something that she really likes, she might express her happiness by proposing marriage.  It’s very cute to turn around and see that she’s holding a ring out to me because of something I’ve said.  I love that she risks being seen as weird.  I’m so pleased to see that I’m not the only one who came to law school to find and follow a passion.

    Happy Birthday Stefi!

    Sponsor A Law Kid is my endeavor to pay for my last semester of law school. Today’s sponsor is Stephanie Green.  For more information about Sponsor A Law Kid or to see what days are still available for sponsorship, visit my Sponsor A Law Kid page.

     

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