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Student News
EXCLUSIVE: Incoming Student Tenzin Pelkyi Receives Sullivan Ballou Award
This past spring, Tenzin Pelkyi (’15) became her family's first college graduate when she completed her undergraduate degree in political science and global studies at the University. Soon she'll be on her way to being the family's first lawyer as well, as she enters the Law School this fall.
Changes in Laptop Program for Incoming Students
After careful consideration and feedback from students, faculty, and staff, the Law School is discontinuing its mandatory laptop-purchase program for first-year J.D. and LL.M. students. Beginning fall of 2012, incoming students will be required to provide their own laptops for taking exams.
The Law School's Technology Support office will not repair personally provided student computers. However, for students who are still part of the laptop program (i.e., Classes of 2013 and 2014), the Technology Support office will continue to offer laptop warranty repair and software support for the Law School–provided Lenovo laptops as in the past.
Incoming students should visit the following link for additional information on technology purchases for Law School coursework and exams: http://www.law.umn.edu/prospective/student-laptop-program.html.
Phillip Walters (’12) Wins Burton Award for Legal Writing
Phillip Walters (’12) is the winner of a 2012 Burton Award for Legal Achievement in the law school legal writing category for his article, "'Would a Cop Do This?': Ending the Practice of Sexual Sampling in Prostitution Stings." The article was published in Vol. 29, No. 2, Summer 2011, of Law and Inequality: A Journal of Theory and Practice.
American Constitution Society Named Student Chapter of the Week
The Law School's American Constitution Society was named Student Chapter of the Week by the national organization on April 9, 2012. Throughout the year, the student organization held discussions, training sessions, lectures and debates, which featured distinguished judges and professors, such as Justice Goodwin Liu, Judge John R. Tunheim (’80), and Professor Dale Carpenter.
Human Rights Clinic Reports Reflected in U.N. Human Rights Committee Recommendations
University of Minnesota human rights advocates traveled to U.N. headquarters in New York in March 2012 to attend and testify at the 104th session of the U.N. Human Rights Committee.
IP Moot Court 3Ls Robert Pittelkow, Wesley Schwie Advance to National Finals
Robert Pittelkow (’12) and Wesley Schwie (’12) represented the Law School's Intellectual Property Moot Court at the national finals of the annual Giles Sutherland Rich Moot Court Competition on April 18-20, 2012, in Washington, D.C.
Law School 2Ls Shine in New Moot Court Event
Law School teams made an excellent showing at the inaugural Minnesota Moot Court Competition, held March 30-31, 2012, at the University of St. Thomas Law School. The team of Annie Balghiti (’13) and Michael Kruckow (’13), coached by Shaun Redford (’09), won the competition. The team of Aalok Sharma (’13) and Ashley Schmit (’13), coached by Jessica Nowlin (’10) and Jack Sullivan (’10), captured Top Brief honors. Kruckow also took the Best Oralist award.
Prof. Thomas Takes Civil Practice Clinic Appeal to Minn. Supreme Court
On April 2, 2012, Clinical Professor Laura Thomas and co-counsel David Wilson and Michael Gavigan (’11), both of Wilson Law Group, appeared before the Minnesota Supreme Court on a direct appeal of the property tax assessment lawsuit Odunlade et al. v. City of Minneapolis (Supreme Court File No. A111832). The core of the lawsuit alleges violations of federal and state equal protection rights and rights to uniform taxation under Article X, Section 1, of the Minnesota Constitution, and seeks declaratory judgment and mandamus relief.
Jonathan Reiner (’13) Awarded Peggy Browning Fellowship
This summer, Jonathan Reiner (’13) will begin a ten-week Peggy Browning Fellowship in Washington, D.C. He is one of nearly 70, from more than 500 law student applicants nationwide, to be awarded the prestigious public interest labor law fellowship.
Student Events
LL.M. and J.D. Student Orientations
On Thursday, August 9, the Law School will begin the LL.M. Program for Foreign Lawyers Class of 2013 with a three-week orientation and introductory course. Orientation for the Class of 2015 J.D. students will run August 28-31.