National Jurist - February 2009 - (Page 40)

because vacations will be few and far between once you become a practicing attorney. Summers also are a good time to find a clerkship or externship, exposing you to different areas of the law and an attorney’s working environment. “If you just go straight through law schools there is a serious chance of burning out,” said Prof. John Beckerman, an associate dean at the Rutgers School of Law-Camden. “There is value in stretching a legal education over three years.” However, jobs may be hard to find in today’s economy, so a summer semester may be an attractive alternative to moping about at home. “It would seem that if firms have less money to hire law clerks, more students will chose to knock out a few credit hours over the summer, or enroll in an externship with a public interest law office to earn credit while also gaining practice experience,” said Alicia Ruiz, director of communications and outreach for Southern Illinois University School of Law. Is a summer program for you? When considering summer programs, students should evaluate their long-term goals for law school, legal experts agree. Some may benefit more from the experience than others. For example, part-time and transfer students tend to benefit the most from summer classes, according to Lawrence M. Solan, the Don Forchelli professor of law and associate dean for academic affairs at Brooklyn Law School. A student who is a part-timer who wants to become a full-time student could take classes during the summer to catch up, Solan said. Plus, those summer credits will ensure their second year is less hectic and has a more reasonable course load, he noted. Solan also encourages students who know their end goal to consider summer semesters that specialize in a particular field of law. So a student who wants to Where to go, what to study The following chart lists summer classes and topics offered by law schools. This list is not exhaustive. Some schools had not ﬁnalized plans by press time, and additions are likely. This is just a sampling of what law schools are offering. Please check with the schools you are interested in visiting to see what other courses they might be offering this summer. 40 THE NATIONAL JURIST February 2009 http://www.brooklaw.edu http://www.brooklaw.edu

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of National Jurist - February 2009

National Jurist - February 2009 Contents Entertainment: Get Organized! The Firm Report: The Part-Time Lawyer News: Keeping Ethics Intact, New Law Deans, Latest Survey Findings Seattle Law Students Secure Asylum for East African Women Laptops in the Classroom Attorneys Dissect Health Law Law Students Contribute to 2008 Election Process Remembering Professors Obama and Biden Bar Exam Diaries How Well Balanced are Law Students? How to Choose a Summer Program Career Hotline Linguistic Gymnastics Disturbing the Peace

National Jurist - February 2009

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