Tour RWU Law We put together a quick tour of the law school for you to make sure you have the chance to meet some of the staff and administrators that you’re going to be interacting with once you join our community. {"preview_thumbnail":"/sites/law/files/styles/video_embed_wysiwyg_preview/public/video_thumbnails/yc_To7b-Pbc.jpg?itok=Je8JDagk","video_url":"https://youtu.be/yc_To7b-Pbc","settings…
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In a 1996 article , Dean Michael J. Yelnosky wrote, “because baseball is central to our culture, it is a presumptively appropriate source of metaphorical references.” One could imagine that he would agree that it is also an appropriate source for a law library blog post. Baseball and the law has many intersections. There are many court cases about baseball as seen on this podcast and this blog…, Green Bag’s, Supreme Court Sluggers . These baseball cards present “interesting information about the work of the Supreme Court of the United States” and are immensely “entertaining by providing small, amusing-but-respectful links between the world of law and the world of sport.” An interesting fact is that “many of the paintings by John Sargent and Alec Spangler that are featured on the front of every…
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Read FAQ #1, Read FAQ #2, INTRODUCTION: Dean Michael J. Yelnosky, Ordinarily, a meeting with graduating 3Ls in April would be cause for a tremendous celebration. Though circumstances are obviously going to change the tenor of this meeting, I do want to congratulate you on your upcoming graduation and encourage you to do the best that you can to hang in over these last several weeks of classes and exams. Because there is a diploma, and a career, on the other…, We’ve been receiving a lot of questions about issues specific to graduating students, and so, for this week’s Town Hall, we’ve assembled some people who can answer those questions and talk to you about some other things that you may or may not yet have considered., * * * * * * * * * *, How will final exams be administered?, You will be receiving exam information shortly for all of your classes. All exams will be take-home, open book exams that will be administered through the online ExamSoft platform. This online system does not lock your entire system as with in-class exams. We expect faculty to provide more time to complete each exam, with some flexibility as to when a student must begin the exam. These changes…, What are the GPA standards for graduation honors?, The GPA standards for graduation honors have been modified for the May 2020 graduating class, recognizing the fact that, on average, 3L grades go up over the final semester. If we kept the same standards we apply under normal circumstances, many fewer students would receive graduation honors than usually would. So we have changed the standards for, cum laude, to 3.15, for, magna cum laude, to 3.4, and for, summa cum laude, to 3.65 to congratulate and celebrate our students’ academic accomplishments., When will we celebrate Commencement?, UPDATE: Since the Town Hall Meeting of April 2, RWU Law has come to the difficult decision to postpone an in-person celebration. Instead, we will hold a virtual commencement celebration at 12:30 p.m. on May 15, 2020. We remain committed to an in-person celebration when it is safe to do so and will seek input on both the rescheduled date and format of the celebration. Please look for more…, Graduates:, I regret to inform you that because of the continued public health emergency we need to postpone the in-person commencement ceremonies that had been scheduled for May 15th at 12:30 on the Bristol campus. We will have an in-person commencement when it is safe to do so, and we will be sure to solicit your feedback on where and when that ceremony should take place., I know that this is a bitter pill to swallow. Your graduating class is joining those across the country in mourning the loss of a final semester of law school and gatherings with your classmates, friends, and family to celebrate your accomplishments. That day of in-person celebration with all those who mean the most to you is coming, but I am afraid it will not be on May 15, 2020., However, on May 15, 2020 at 12:30 we will host a virtual commencement ceremony. The details will be forthcoming but it will likely feature addresses from our commencement speaker, the class valedictorian, and the university president. The highlight, as always, will be a roll call of the graduates with content provided by each one of you, and there will be messages of congratulations from the…, I know it is not the real thing. We do not think of it as a substitute but as a supplement to the in-person commencement that is coming. We just all thought it was important to mark the day and the time of what would have been commencement here on campus. We want to set aside time to think about your time here and dream about your futures, and we want you to have the time to do the same. , Be and stay well., Best,, Michael, What is going to happen with the July 2020 bar exams?, Bar examiners around the country are evaluating whether they will administer a July bar exam. Already, several UBE jurisdictions including Massachusetts, New York and Connecticut have deferred their exams to the fall. As of today, Rhode Island has not made an announcement of their plans. Rhode Island and other jurisdictions will likely announce their plans in the next two weeks. Students should…, How has the current crisis impacted the job market?, The short answer is that, right now, we just don’t know. We have been in frequent contact with law schools and employers across the country, and employers are generally hoping that everything’s going to get back to some level of normalcy by the fall. For now, their more immediate concern is adapting to working remotely, getting their employees up to speed, and handling their client crises.…, Will the COVID-19 crisis impact the job market as disastrously as the Great Recession of 2008 did?, We don’t know for sure yet, yet but it probably will not. The 2008 crisis that so severely impacted the employment market was really a financial crisis. Right now, we’re in a health crisis. Yes, it’s a health crisis with financial and market implications, but the economy was strong going into this. As it stands now, attorneys are still working on behalf of their clients. There are still a lot of…, What can I do now to better position myself for job prospects?, Everything feels sort of out of our hands right now, but you have more control than you may think. One thing is for certain: this definitely isn’t the time to do nothing. It’s a time to be strategic and proactive, because people who are proactive in environments like this show the sort of persistence and resiliency that employers like to see. RWU Law’s Career Development Office recently sent…, Does the mandatory pass/fail policy apply to the one-credit, six-week courses that began in January and were scheduled to end prior to the health crisis?, We haven’t decided that question yet. It’s on the agenda for the next faculty meeting and an announcement will come soon., Will students still be able to get CALI awards?, We haven’t decided that question yet. It’s on the agenda for the next faculty meeting and an announcement will come soon., Does the grading policy apply to experiential classes, wherein much of what is being graded has already happened?, Yes, the pass/fail grading policy applies to all courses this semester, including experiential courses., Will grades from our joint degree programs count toward our School of Law GPAs, where those are still being graded?, Although credits from master’s level work appear on your JD transcript, those courses are not included in GPA calculations. Additionally, course work toward the Master of Studies in Law (MSL) at RWU is included in the pass/fail policy., When will we receive our refund for parking?, The University is working through room and board and parking refunds. They know that there are law students and others impacted, and they’re working through their refund policies, but they aren’t quite there yet., What is the timeline for refunds of money on student dining and printing cards?, Graduating students have received direct deposit refunds of all law school points on their ID cards over $5.00, which is the usual process after graduation. Returning students will have their dining dollars roll over to the following semester. Printing points carry over but are not refundable. For those students who have purchased a meal plan, we are still awaiting details from the University on…, Is there a plan for 3L students who need to clear out Law Review or Moot Court cubicles, SBA offices, etc.?, Not currently, but we will develop a plan for students to get books and other materials that are still in the law school building., Will RWU residence halls be available for students doing summer bar study?, At present, it seems unlikely that we’ll be offering housing for this summer. However, we will likely explore a summer sublet program. * * * * * * * * * *, CONCLUSION: Dean Michael J. Yelnosky, We understand that there are still a number of questions that are very important to you that remain unanswered. We are going to do our best to get answers to those questions as soon as possible. In the meantime, you should feel free to reach out to any members of RWU Law’s administration or faculty to the extent that you think they can be helpful. They are anxiously awaiting your call or email., We have also made plans to hold the Town Hall Meetings regularly, because we understand there are a lot of questions coming up. The next one will be held on 12:30 p.m., on Thursday, April 9.,
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National Jurist, writes : We've said it before and we'll say it again: There's no more difficult story to write then our annual Law School Student of the Year feature. Why? Because choosing the Law School Student of the Year, the runners-up and the finalists is almost an impossible task. So many are deserving. In the end, it comes down to splitting hairs, to be honest. So many of the nominees are such…, looks, like them, who can also, advocate, for them. That just makes a world of a difference.”
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Lucas Blackadar is the Director Legal Services for the Arts & Business Council of Greater Boston, where he manages the Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts of Massachusetts. Luke counsels artists and arts organizations of all disciplines on contracts, nonprofit law, copyright, and trademark. Prior to joining the Arts & Business Council, he maintained his own law practice representing startup…
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This week the Legal Beagle is back to hard-hitting journalism with an interview with Professor Thompson. Below is a transcript of our conversation: 1. What is the best piece of advice anyone ever gave you? My mom recently read me a note that my dad had left her a long time ago and in it he said, “It’s the little things.” And he went on to describe all the things that really mattered to him…
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BRISTOL, R.I., April 13, 2020, – The Roger Williams University School of Law Board of Directors on Monday announced that Gregory W. Bowman, a nationally recognized scholar who has been serving as dean of the highly regarded West Virginia University College of Law, will become RWU Law’s sixth dean, effective July 1, 2020. “On behalf of the Board of Directors, I am thrilled to have Dean Bowman joining the law school,” said the…, Toledo Law Review, , titled, “The Rise of the Creative Law School,” Bowman set out an ambitious vision to help ensure that legal education – and the legal profession – remains relevant and responsive in the 21st century. Bowman wrote: “If the practice of law is changing rapidly (it is), and the perspective of prospective students on the value of law school is changing (it is), and career prospects are no longer…, now, .” Bowman concluded: “Not adapting puts the entire enterprise of legal education at risk – and thus places our democratic society and ideals at risk. And so we must innovate in the face of uncertainty.” Yet, “if we can dare to be aspirational, even in an age of financial challenges – then the future of American legal education will be bright.” Bowman is a graduate of WVU, where he earned his B.A…, summa cum laude, and Phi Beta Kappa. He also studied in Denmark as a Rotary Exchange Student and received his master’s degree in Economics with distinction from the University of Exeter, England, before receiving his J.D., cum laude, from the Northwestern University School of Law. Bowman received the Award for Outstanding Teaching from the WVU Foundation in 2014, and he was named “Professor of the Year” in 2011 by WVU Law students. He is the founding director of the College of Law’s Geneva Study Abroad Program. Prior to his teaching career, Bowman practiced law in Chicago and Washington, D.C. with the international law firm…
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INTRODUCTION, Hi everyone, we hope you’re all doing well – or at least as well as can be expected under these circumstances. We’re all thinking about you. If you’re facing any special challenges or anything you think we could help you with, please get in touch with, Dean Goldstein, or, Dean Lalli, . We have a lot of resources that we can offer. There’s an emergency fund for students. We have mental health resources available. Even if you just want to talk, please get in touch with us. We’d love to hear from you and hear how things are going., Those of you who are 1Ls are now within two weeks of finishing your classes, and, once you get through exams, will in fact have completed your first year of law school – and it’s been a year like no other in the history of education, there’s no doubt about that. Today, we wanted to address some of the issues that are of unique concern to you., * * * * * * * * * *, What’s the latest on Commencement?, Although this doesn’t directly impact 1Ls, it does affect May: the in-person commencement on May 15 has been postponed. We’re going to reschedule it to a later date when it is safe for us and for you all to be together, and we will be together, and we look forward to that. In the interim, on the originally scheduled Commencement date of May 15 at 12:30 p.m., we are going to have a virtual…, What’s the latest on summer classes?, Summer and fall registration have both begun. Get in touch with Student Finance and Records if you need any help with registration. Normal grading policies will apply in the summer. We’ve also added some new courses to the summer schedule. As you know, we have made the decision to go exclusively online for our summer courses. We’ve also decided that, even if the campus were to be open during the…, Will tuition in the summer be reduced if the campus is closed?, There will be no change in the tuition rate for the summer., Will things be back to normal by this fall?, We have made no decisions about doing anything other than what we’d ordinarily do, which is to gather in August, here in Bristol and at One Empire in Providence, for the inaptly named Fall Semester. Hopefully that’s what we will do again this year, but we, are, doing contingency planning in case circumstances still don’t permit this to be done safely., When will you know for sure?, We have no target date for making that decision, but please be assured that it’s on our minds – and we know that it is on yours. In the meantime, we’re hoping and planning for a normal academic year ahead – which includes a terrific new Dean who will be joining the team effective July 1., Who should we speak with about academic planning?, There are many resources available online. You should also be in touch with your faculty advisor, who will be able to help you and talk to you individually about your plans. Dean Goldstein or Dean Lalli are also available. Students who are on academic probation should talk to Kathy Thompson or Brittany Raposa about their plans. And you should not feel limited to your faculty advisor or folks in…, How does the wait list work?, Students will automatically get put into a course they’re on the wait list for if a seat opens up, unless there’s a conflict with their schedule., When will we know the spring exam schedule?, That should be announced next week. All exams will be take-home and open book. If you need to reschedule any exams due conflicts with other exams or with other things happening in your life, such requests will be handled through the usual process for reschedules. Reschedule requests should be directed to Dean Goldstein . If you have a request for special exam accommodations, you should send them…, Every exam will be timed, but you’ll have at least a 24-hour window to take a timed exam. So, say it’s a five-hour exam: the window may start at 9:00 a.m. and go to the following 9:00 a.m. But you can find whatever five-hour period within that 24-hour period works best for you – and that’s the window in which you’ll download the questions and then upload the answers., How do we take the exams?, Technical explanations will be released with the exam schedule. And just a reminder of what you already know: all grades this semester are Pass/Fail. One positive way to view this is as a rare chance to find out how well you understand the course material without the stress and punishment of a graded exam. In addition, our faculty will all be available to answer any questions, go over your exams…, How will final exams work for accommodated students?, These students should get in touch with Dean Lalli about how exactly their individual accommodations are going to work., What do we need to know about academic standing?, Under our normal rules, students who end their first year with a cumulative GPA below 2.0 are academically dismissed – that’s automatic, as a matter of course. However, we have revised the rule for this semester. We are delaying any decisions about academic dismissal until after the fall semester. So, students will need to have a 2.0 GPA at the end of that semester. Current 1L students who do not…, all, courses completed up to that point, including summer and fall courses. Students who are on academic probation or supervision should soon be getting an email from Dean Goldstein and Dean Lalli about how this program will work and what requirements you’ll need to complete in your 2L year. The scholarship committee will be meeting soon to determine how to evaluate students for membership in the…, How will 1L class ranks be determined?, Class ranking will be based on the GPA that the student has at the end of the 1L year; in other words, just Fall 2019 grades. What that will mean in terms of scholarships is yet to be determined., When will 1Ls find out about ranks, ? Ranking is usually done early in the summer., Will 1Ls be eligible for acceptance into the Honors Program based on fall GPA alone?, We don’t know yet. The Scholarship Committee, along with the director of the Honors Program, is going to meet to work through that and other related questions., Will CALI Awards be issued for the semester for any class year?, No. After discussion among the faculty, we decided that it would be inconsistent with the Pass/Fail grading system that we adopted for this semester to award CALI Awards this semester. That will apply to all courses this semester, except for those that were completed before the crisis occurred; that is, in which the class was completed, or work done before we went online. By the way, we are…, What financial aid is available for this summer?, If you are registered for at least five credits, which is half-time for the summer, you’ll be eligible for federal loans that will cover the tuition and some living expenses. Basically, it’s living expenses for two months. The applications are available on the RWU Law website right now in Financing Your Legal Education under Forms and Resources . Submit your forms (and/or any questions you may…, Will academic scholarships extend through to the summer?, No. Our usual rule that academic scholarships don’t apply to summer semester continues this summer. The only exceptions would be for students who are part time and students in an approved accelerated program, where they’re graduating in December; that they can apply their scholarship to the second summer., How many credits does a student need to be considered for full-time in the summer?, The standard is five credits to get financial aid. Students can register for up to six credits without Dean Goldstein’s approval, but above six they need his approval. That said, he has generally been granting them up to a maximum of 10 credits., How do we get our books for summer courses for books if we can’t come on campus to pick them up the bookstore?, That’s a really good question. We’ll give that some thought., Can we pay for books for the summer classes via financial aid? , Yes, absolutely, as long as it’s going through the bookstore and you’ve done your summer application. That includes signing your award letter before we post your pending aid on your account. Once that’s done, you can use your pending aid or your living expenses to pay for those books., For students who have not yet explored summer internships, employment, etc., what do you recommend that we do?, Contact the Career Development Office and ask specifically about possibilities depending on where you are, what you’ve done in the past, how far away you are, and on so. That office is, while remote, fully staffed and ready to help with any questions you have about summer or fall employment. They are still posting job opportunities on Simplicity., What support resources are available to me right now?, The university as a whole has shared resources through the Counseling Center . They’re updating this website pretty regularly with different topics like humor and resiliency, switching to remote learning and a lot of other things. Make sure you check on it every now and then, especially in the moments where you’re feeling down or alone or isolated. RWU Law student groups are already planning fall…, Can you tell us about the emergency fund?, RWU Law has established the COVID-19 Emergency Fund to help students facing unexpected emergencies due to the pandemic. The law school is committed to helping students facing food Insecurity, loss of income due to the pandemic, emergency travel needs, and other challenges that could impact academic success. If you are facing financial difficulties due to the pandemic, please fill out the…, When will the emergency funds will be dispersed?, The emergency fund committee met for the first time on Wednesday, April 8, and we discussed quite a few applications. As of the morning of Thursday, April 9, the queue was already full again. Our goal is to meet weekly to make sure that we are evaluating each request, each student, each financial aid package, etc., to make sure that we are getting awards out as quickly as possible. Just so that…, Who do we contact about parking and print refunds?, They’re still being processed by the university. Their records are very good in terms of who, for example, was on a meal plan and how much money is left on their cards. But unfortunately – and we’re sorry about this; we’ve been saying this for a couple of weeks – the details just haven’t been worked out. But they’re working on it. * * * * * * * * * *, CONCLUSION: Dean Michael J. Yelnosky, Thank you for your questions. Thank you for your patience. Thank you for your hard work. And congratulations – you are getting really close. We will continue to communicate via Town Hall Meetings, FAQs, and email. Once again, we miss you, we want to hear from you, and we join you in really looking forward to being on the other side of this, which is a place where we will all definitely be at some…,
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Now that you have a few weeks of remote learning under your belt, you might be ready for a little bit of self-care or just sheer entertainment. However, having to stay inside and away from people can make that difficult. Given our current situation, how can you see movies with friends or take a favorite gym class? In an effort to help us adjust to social distancing (and perhaps some remaining…, Fitness and Exercise:, Good Housekeeping Magazine has compiled a list of over 25 gyms and studios offering free and extended-trial class programs and many have pledged to provide new content daily, including: Barry’s, Planet Fitness, OrangeTheory, the YMCA, and Peloton. These providers have content across platforms: the YMCA’s hour-long classes are offered on their website, YMCA360 , Barry’s Bootcamp’s 20-minute…, Nature: , Feel the need to get outdoors, or just want to watch some cute animals? Explore.org has nearly 100 live nature cameras across the world and a documentary library of over 250 films. Similarly, EarthCam provides links to live cams of natural wonders. Using these sites, you can watch an eagle in Iowa tend to its nest and eggs; chase some waterfalls in Yosemite , or even check in on some otter-ly…, Entertainment:, Are you missing movie night with friends? Or, need an inspiring walk through a museum? Thankfully, there are a wealth of streaming and virtual options to keep you and your family entertained; for example, Netflix has launched “ Netflix Party ” (available only on Chrome browsers) so you can create your own virtual viewing party. Do you love musicals, the opera, or theater? Hang on to your hats…
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