Tag Archives: summer

09.13.23
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I know what (legal research) you did last summer: researching innocence

In this blog series, real GSU law students tell you about their legal research experiences over the summer.

by Carlos Becerra-Gomez , 2L

During my junior year of undergrad, I took a course called, “Eyewitness Testimony” taught by the famous psychologist, Dr. Elizabeth Loftus.  Throughout the course, we learned about how unreliable eyewitness testimonies can be, but how the general public, including juries, put a lot of weight on eyewitnesses during a criminal trial.  Dr. Loftus introduced us to the Innocence Project, a non-profit organization whose sole mission is to liberate those who have been innocently incarcerated.  After such introduction, I was intrigued by the project, and I decided to attend law school to be somehow a part of this organization.  As soon as my first semester of law school ended, I started to send out my resume and a cover letter to multiple Innocence Projects around the country.  Fortunately, the project from my hometown emailed me back and offered me an internship position.  It was impossible to say no, so I gladly took the position. 

“I decided to attend law school to be somehow a part of this organization.  As soon as my first semester of law school ended, I started to send out my resume and a cover letter to multiple Innocence Projects around the country. “

On my first day, I hit the ground running and I was immediately assigned to a case: a 1980’s homicide.  This particular case was deemed a cold case for almost twenty years until our client was tried and convicted in the early 2000s.  Sadly, our client has been imprisoned for almost twenty years for a crime that he consistently claims he did not commit.  The managing attorney provided me with at least 1,000 pages worth of records for me to thoroughly review.  The attorney asked me to read each record to find anything that could be valuable to our client and his innocence.  At first, I felt absolutely overwhelmed; a human being’s life was placed in my hands.  Each day I was reading these records was one more day he was spending in prison.  That overwhelming feeling turned into motivation to give my best effort to help our client prove his innocence.

“Each day I was reading these records was one more day he was spending in prison.“

My primary duties were to investigate and read all police reports, identify witnesses and potential suspects, analyze the murder scene photographs and videos, analyze the incriminating DNA data, locate and interview these witnesses and suspects.  Each day consisted of something different, we even spent hours driving throughout the state just to locate witnesses and suspects.  I quickly realized that this type of research was completely different to the traditional research work a legal intern does, but I absolutely loved it.  Every day I came into the office was a new day to challenge myself to find something helpful for our client.  There were some days that were harder than others, such as watching the brutal crime scene video that showed the lifeless body in a pool of blood.  Days like those made me truly realize that this was not just another day in law school, but this was real life.

One of my proudest moments during the summer was when I found a huge piece of evidence that had not been previously discovered that affected the state’s argument.  In fact, the managing attorney admitted that she never had seen that piece of evidence before.  I was happy to be able to contribute to the case in such a drastic way, but I was also motivated to continue to find other useful evidence.  At the end of the summer, the managing attorney asked me to write an investigative legal memorandum that included my own theory of who committed the murder and why.  In conclusion, I absolutely loved this experience and it only reassured my desire to work for the project or indigent defense to help those in need of justice and representation.

09.06.23
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How I Prepared for My Summer Firm Job

by Ralaya Evans, 3L

As I started my 1L year, I remember the one aspect of law school that caused me the most anxiety was obtaining and working a summer job with a firm. I was unsure of myself and if I would be prepared to do the work. I thought that I had to be perfect. However, this ended up being one of my favorite parts of law school. It reinforced my desire to be an attorney and I learned so much each summer.

Obtaining a summer job is a process within itself. However, once you lock in a job, the preparation to be an asset starts. In preparation for the summer jobs, I found it important to research the firm and the type of work they do. The majority of firms have a website that details the type of law practiced there, the attorneys, and more. This was always my starting point.

Next, after researching, I would look at courses that align with their work. For example, if you are working at a Corporate firm, or planning to work at a Corporate firm, it would be a good idea to take Corporations. This way you are aware of the language, you have a foundation for the work, and everything you see and work on that summer is not completely new/foreign to you. Choosing to take courses that coincide with your chosen summer job is much more advice for 2Ls, as law students get to start choosing electives in the second year of law school.

Further, externships helped me prepare for my summer jobs. This is so helpful to those who are not sure what they want to practice yet. If you are stuck between a couple of practices, choose one and focus your externship on that. This will help you get some real practice in, work in the field and give you a better idea of what works for you and what does not work for you. In all honesty, this is also helpful to those who are certain about what they want to practice. Choosing an externship that aligns with your desired practice will either reinforce your choice of practice or let you know that you are open to other practices.

One of the biggest aspects of my preparation process that helped me get over the anxiety of summering was talking to professors and my mentor. Professors/Mentors have already gone through this process before and know what to expect. They also offer wise words and advice. In the end, you learn that summering is not something to be too anxious about. The firms know that you are still learning, and they are guiding and helping you learn while you work for them. Mistakes are expected and there will always be a learning curve. This is a mutually beneficial relationship and both the firm and you are important pieces to the puzzle.

Lastly, to prepare for a summer job, it is important to take a break. Some summer jobs start the very next week after finals and some give you a couple weeks off. No matter the length of time between the end of finals and the first day of your summer job, take a mental break after finals and let yourself breathe for as long as possible.

Summering is such a surreal experience. It provides irreplaceable practice and builds your confidence. It is not the end all be all, and it is not required to be successful as an attorney. However, if you are interested in doing it, I would say go for it!

08.22.23
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I know what (legal research) you did last summer: researching conspiracies

by AJ Murray, 2L

In this new blog series, real GSU law students tell you about their legal research experiences over the summer.

This past summer, I worked at a local firm. We dealt primarily in white collar criminal law, as well as trademark infringement. The first task I was assigned to was to work on developing a memo for multiple conspiracies. Conspiracies often come in two flavors: multiple conspiracies and multiple-object conspiracies. Multiple-object conspiracies are defined by an interest in multiple objectives that may or may not support each other, but support an overall plan of action whilst multiple conspiracies are not well-related save for a figurehead or ringleader who most of the individual conspiracies are tied to.

Our objective was to illustrate how a potential defendant might be innocent of a conspiracy to commit fraud. We wanted to argue that there were multiple separate conspiracies rather than one. We also wanted to argue that the indictment was duplicitous. As pulled from Wikipedia, “duplicity is the error committed when the charge on an indictment describes two different offenses. An indictment may contain more than one count, but each count must allege only one offense, so that the defendant can know precisely what offenses he or she is accused of.” Because there are multiple conspiracies, it is possible that one of the conspiracies could be duplicitous because it did not account for the difference between the conspiracies.

My first objective was to better understand what conspiracies were. Criminal Law classes can only cover so much! Using cases provided to me by a coworker, I used the cases’ notes of decisions, headnotes, and keycites to further develop my understanding. In addition to that, I also looked at the court websites for all eleven circuits to find their jury instructions to see how they help the jury understand multiple conspiracies. They include helpful cases in their explanation and I used those as well. Unfortunately, the memo was challenging to write because conspiracies commonly exist for drug-related purposes, not for financial abuse. You don’t necessarily want to compare fraud with the distribution and manufacturing of drugs when using cases. Plus, the more similar the case, the better its utility for offensive and defensive purposes. When all was said and done, I had provided some important nuggets of wisdom, but was unable to find exactly what my attorney needed. I read hundreds of cases in pursuit of that illustrative and similar case, but, as far as I could see, it did not exist.

I learned this summer that, while there are MANY cases, sometimes the one you’re looking for just doesn’t exist. It’s totally ok that I wasn’t able to find it. Not only did I find very useful quotes and caselaw, but because I was a first-year intern, a client could have potentially paid less for my services for researching than for that of one of our attorneys. Since I could do the grunt work of sorting, analyzing, and synthesizing cases, I provided a unique benefit that no one else at the firm could, considering no one had a paralegal or another intern. It was a wonderful and insightful summer!

08.03.23
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Summer in the Law Library

As always, everyone at the law library is excited to welcome students for a new semester. At the same time, the end of the summer does have a certain bittersweet quality to it.

We always seek to create a calm and comfortable environment, but during summer, the library is often very quiet.[1] At the beginning of the summer, with the busy exam season in the rearview, I can definitely appreciate the chance to take a deep breath and relax in a peaceful environment. Of course, a few weeks in, I really start to miss the hustle and bustle of school year, but the stillness of the summer library is nonetheless worth commemorating.

 As you might imagine, fewer students means fewer patrons at our reference and circulation desks. This gives the reference librarians and our hardworking circulation staff time to work on projects that might otherwise reside on the backburner. It also gives us a nice opportunity to get to know our summer “regulars,” whether they are taking courses, studying for the bar, or researching an important project for their summer job.  This can make summer feel like a productive and fulfilling time, while also making me eager to meet a whole new class of amazing 1Ls, transfers, and LLMs.

Working in the law library, you get accustomed to these seasonal rhythms. The variety keeps things interesting! The quiet times also lead to more overall productivity, with better library services as a result. However, it’s worth remembering that everyone needs downtime, even attorneys and law students.

Here’s to the end of summer and the start of a new year.

[1] Do keep in mind that the 6th floor is always quiet!

07.15.21
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Law Library Summer Updates

Summer seems to be flying by. The law library has been busy this summer, and we’ve had some exciting updates.

The study rooms are open!

Law Library study rooms are available for reservation by law students. The study rooms vary in size and location and can accommodate groups as large as 10. On the fifth floor, there are rooms with monitors that you can use for group work. Some rooms have dry erase boards. To learn how to reserve a room, check out this blog post or the First Year Guide.

Circulation and Remote Reference remain available, with live reference resuming on July 29th.

The library building is open now through Wednesday, July 28th, during the following hours:

  • Monday – Thursday, 8:30 am – 10 pm
  • Friday, 8:30 am – 6 pm
  • Saturday & Sunday, 10 am – 6 pm

Reference remains available by chat (by using the red Chat Reference button in the upper left corner of the Law Library’s home page), by email, and by leaving a phone message at 404-413-9102. For current reference hours, please check out our homepage. Starting July 29th, live reference will resume, and the Reference Desk will be staffed to assist you during reference hours.

We moved the database list.

On Wednesday, May 26th, the Law Library launched a new database list tool titled “Law Library Databases A-Z.” It was initially housed on the main library page and has moved to our research guide platform. This new database list allows you to filter by subject, access platform, and vendor/publisher. It also provides featured popular law student databases. Learn more about this tool in this blog post.

03.27.18
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Summer Lexis Access for Graduates and Continuing Students

Summer Lexis Access for Continuing Students

Students will automatically have unlimited access to Lexis Advance for the Summer. Lexis IDs may be used for any research purpose over the summer, for paid or unpaid positions as well as academic research.

Paddling

Lexis Access for Students Graduating May 2018

May 2018 graduates will automatically have access to Lexis as you study for the bar and for six months after graduation. The Lexis Graduate homepage will include learning resources and employment tools for graduates.

03.23.18
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Summer Westlaw Access for Graduates and Continuing Students

BeachSummer Westlaw Access for Continuing Students

Continuing students can use Westlaw over the summer for non-commercial research. Students can turn to these resources to gain understanding and build confidence in their research skills, but they cannot use them in situations where they are billing a client. Examples of permissible uses for your academic password include the following:

  • Summer coursework
  • Research assistant assignments
  • Law Review or Journal research
  • Moot Court research
  • Non-Profit work
  • Clinical work
  • Externship sponsored by the school

Westlaw Access for Students Graduating May 2018 

May 2018 graduates have access to Westlaw for 6 months after graduation (June 1-November 30, 2018) through a program called Grad Elite. This program gives graduates 60 hours of usage per month “to gain understanding and build confidence in their research skills.” Grad Elite access cannot be used in situations when a client is being billed. Sign up for Grad Elite by logging into https://lawschool.westlaw.com/authentication/gradelite.

Please contact Sue Moore at sue.moore@tr.com for questions about access.

04.17.17
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Summer and post-graduation password use

As exams draw closer, so does summer work and graduation. Curious about what you can do with your Bloomberg Law, Lexis, or Westlaw passwords? Read on…

Summer use for returning students:Beach view
Bloomberg Law and Lexis passwords can be used for any purpose, without restrictions, over the summer. Westlaw can be used for non-commercial research such as coursework; GRA work; Law Review, Moot Court, or STLA research; non-profit work; clinical work; or work for an official College of Law externship. Westlaw, through your academic account, cannot be used when a client will be billed.

Post-graduation use:
Bloomberg Law and Lexis are available for 6 months after graduation. Westlaw provides a 6 month extension after graduation for usage up to 60 hours per month. You will see a pop up when you log on to Westlaw beginning a couple of months before you graduate.

Lexis is also providing a graduation gift of a free subscription to one of three services. You will be able to select a free subscription to Law360, Lexis Practice Advisor, or Lexis for Microsoft Office. If you are doing public interest work for a 501(c)(3), excluding government work or law firm work representing a non-profit, you may qualify for a Lexis ASPIRE ID. For more information on Lexis graduate programs, go to lexisnexis.com/grad-access.

If you have questions, please contact the appropriate College of Law representative.
Bloomberg Law: Terry Stedman
Lexis: Tracy Templeton
Westlaw: Sue Moore

05.29.14
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Just Go.

Image by flickr user Sandcastlematt

Image by flickr user Sandcastlematt

It’s summer. The days are long, and the nights are cool(er).

Take some time to enjoy yourself. Do something out of the ordinary. Try new food. Explore a new part of town. Drive all night and see the sun rise on the beach.

Again, it’s summer. It doesn’t have to be all about Con Law, externships, and bar prep.

Have Fun.

Need suggestions?

 

08.06.13
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Noodles Needed, but not Necessary

The dog days of summer are best spent at the pool.

Well, of course, only if it’s not raining.

Interested in one of the best pools around that is open and free to all GSU Law Students?

The GSU Indian Creek Recreation Area has a luxurious, outdoor pool surrounded by trees and a fantastic picnic area. It’s a peaceful oasis waiting for you.

There’s a kiddy pool, lane pool, lifeguards, beach lounge chairs, tables, and a bathroom/shower/changing building.

You can bring your family or non-GSU friends at only $3/person. It’s most relaxing. So take an afternoon or the whole day and get out of the city, without really leaving town. Just don’t forget your snacks and a noodle!

Who?

Currently enrolled students and current recreation members may use the facility for FREE!

$3.00 per visit: Non Recreation member GSU Faculty/Staff
$3.00 per visit: Non Recreation member GSU degree holding graduates

Guests of current student, member or GSU faculty/staff: $3.00 per person. There is a limit of 4 guests.

When?

May 27 – August 25
Monday – Sunday: 11:30 a.m. – 8 p.m.

August 25 – September 2
Saturday & Sunday only: 11:30 a. m – 8 p.m.

Where?

Indian Creek Recreation Area
900 South Indian Creek Drive
Stone Mountain, GA 30083

View Google Map

Take I-285 to Memorial Drive exit. Turn east on Memorial Drive and proceed about eight tenths of a mile. Turn right on Rockbridge Road. Turn right at the first traffic light on South Indian Creek Drive. The Indian Creek Lodge and Recreation Area is approximately one mile on the left, on property hidden by trees and marked by a GSU sign. The Indian Creek MARTA Station is one third of a mile west of the lodge. Parking is limited to paved areas.

More information?

Contact Adam Penn: apenn6@gsu.edu / 404-413-1775

Some GSU links:

http://recreation.gsu.edu/about-us/facilities/indian-creek-recreation-area/

http://recreation.gsu.edu/about-us/maps-directions/