Legal Education – Marquette University Law School Faculty Blog

The Purpose of Law School

By: Karen HeinemanMay 30, 2019Legal Education, Public1 Comment

Group study session Now that the academic year has ended, it’s time to catch up on what is happening in the world. Of particular interest is the news that Kim Kardashian plans on becoming a lawyer without attending law school. Or college. Bar exams are likely easier to pass with the help of a law school education, but is that the purpose of law school? Not all states allow law school to be optional, but does law school serve purposes other than just checking off a requirement?

Is the purpose of law school to educate us regarding the law? To teach us to “think like lawyers”? Or is law school a socialization process, as a lawyer explained to Ms. Kardashian/West on an episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians? This attorney explained that law school doesn’t teach you the actual “stuff” and that Kardashian’s qualities put her way ahead of contemporaries in law school. I wonder if law school is meant instead to be a selection process. Continue reading “The Purpose of Law School”

Team Based Learning in ADR

By: Andrea K. SchneiderApril 30, 2019April 30, 2019Arbitration, Legal Education, Mediation, Negotiation, Public, UncategorizedLeave a comment»

Hi all–I talked about this at the ABA meeting resource share but also wanted to blog about this in a little more detail. Apologies for the length–do reach out if you are interested in learning more and I’d be happy to walk you through what I did. In short, this was totally worth it and I felt like the class organization and teamwork reflected exactly what we are trying to achieve. Let me explain:

Team-Based Learning, or TBL, is a concept that I first learned that about in an article by Melissa Weresh applying TBL in the legal writing classroom. After reading Weresh’s article, I thought it would be an interesting concept to incorporate in my Alternative Dispute Resolution course. The ability for students to work together in groups is something that I have done for years, but this added a different flavor to it as the groups were for the entire semester—allowing for developing chemistry and comfort with working with the same group members for an extended period of time (much like they will once they graduate.)

Up to this last year, I would teach the ADR course in three sections (1) negotiation, (2) mediation, and (3) arbitration. Three quizzes for each section acted as “mini-capstones” to end a section. This both allowed for a more focused assessment on the content area and a clear division between the material for the students. But, I felt like students crammed for the one-time quiz as opposed to reading throughout the semester. Additionally, taking a whole class period to quiz the students and then time to review the quiz in the next class felt like too much time devoted to assessment versus learning.

So, I decided to try the TBL ideology. Continue reading “Team Based Learning in ADR”

Congratulations to the 2019 Jenkins Honors Moot Court Finalists

By: Lisa A. MazzieApril 12, 2019Legal Education, Legal Practice, Lubar Center, Marquette Law School, Public1 Comment

Picture of courtroom with judges on the bench and student advocates seated at tables Congratulations to the winners of the 2019 Jenkins Honors Moot Court Competition, Brooke Erickson and Micaela Haggenjos. Congratulations also go to finalists Luis Gutierrez and Nicholas Wanic. Erickson and Haggenjos additionally won the Franz C. Eschweiler Prize for Best Brief, and Erickson won the Ramon A. Klitzke Prize for Best Oralist.

The competitors argued before a packed house in the Lubar Center. Presiding over the final round were Hon. Charles R. Wilson (11th Circuit Court of Appeals), Hon. Daniel Kelly (Wisconsin Supreme Court), and Hon. Lisa K. Stark (Wisconsin Court of Appeals).

Many thanks to the judges and competitors for their hard work, enthusiasm, and sportsmanship in all the rounds of competition. Thank you, too, to the Law School administration and staff for their work in putting on the event. Special thanks to Dean Kearney for his support of the competition.

Thank you as well to the Moot Court Association for its work in putting this event together, and especially to 3L Sadie Olson, who so adeptly handled the details of the competition.

Students are selected to participate in the competition based on their success in the fall Appellate Writing and Advocacy class at the Law School.

Here is a link to the video of the final round.

Jenkins Honors Moot Court Competitors Advance to Finals

By: Lisa A. MazzieApril 7, 2019Legal Education, Marquette Law School, Public1 Comment

Congratulations to the students in the Jenkins Honors Moot Court Competition who have moved on to the final round of the competition, to be held Thursday, April 11, at 5:15 p.m.

The following teams will be competing in the semifinals:

Nicholas Wanic and Luis Gutierrez

Brooke Erickson and Micaela Haggenjos

The final round will be judged by The Honorable Charles Wilson (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit), The Honorable Daniel Kelly (Wisconsin Supreme Court), and The Honorable Lisa Stark (Wisconsin Court of Appeals).

The Jenkins Completion is named in honor of the late James G. Jenkins, the first Wisconsin judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (1893-1905) and the first dean of Marquette Law School (1908-1915).

The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. You can register with this on-line registration link.

Jenkins Honors Moot Court Competitors Advance to Semifinals

By: Lisa A. MazzieApril 6, 2019Legal Education, Legal Writing, Marquette Law School, Public1 Comment

Congratulations to the students in the Jenkins Honors Moot Court Competition who have moved on to the semifinal round of the competition. The students will be competing tomorrow, Sunday, April 7 at 10 a.m. to determine which two teams will be advancing to the final round on Thursday, April 11, at 5:15 p.m.

The following teams will be competing in the semifinals:

Nicholas Wanic and Luis Gutierrez

Julie Leary and Elizabeth Elving

Brooke Erickson and Micaela Haggenjos

Cole Dunn and Peter Klepacz

The final round of the Jenkins competition will take place on Thursday, April 11, at 5:15 p.m. in the Lubar Center. The final round will be judged by The Honorable Charles Wilson (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit), The Honorable Daniel Kelly (Wisconsin Supreme Court), and The Honorable Lisa Stark (Wisconsin Court of Appeals).

The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. You can register with this on-line registration link.

Congratulations to all the participants in the competition. Thank you also to all the alumni and other attorneys and judges who volunteered to grade briefs and serve as judges in the four preliminary rounds and in the quarterfinal rounds. We appreciate their time and assistance every year.

Israel Reflections 2019–Holy Sites in the Old City

By: Andrea K. SchneiderApril 4, 2019International Law & Diplomacy, Legal Education, Marquette Law School, Public, Religion & LawLeave a comment»

On our second full day in Israel, we visited the Old City to gain perspective at how the crossroads of religion all seem to meet here. And, for the first time, we could actually ascend to the top of the Temple Mount to see the Dome of the Rock up close. (I had not been able to do this since 1992!)

Haley Stepanek was in awe of how “Billions of people revere this site as one of the holiest on earth: for Muslims, Temple Mount contains the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque; for Jews, it is the site where Abraham sacrificed his son Isaac to God,” and the site of the first and second Temples. In fact, our visit to the Temple Mount happened just days before it was again temporarily closed when news broke that a Molotov cocktail was thrown on the grounds of Temple Mount. This event, and many events that happened around us while we were on this trip, gave everyone a sense of how present the conflict is. Continue reading “Israel Reflections 2019–Holy Sites in the Old City”

Giessen is a Go!

By: Edward A. FalloneApril 3, 2019International Law & Diplomacy, Legal Education, Marquette Law School, Public, UncategorizedLeave a comment»

About 30 law students in semi-formal attire pose in a group photo in front of an administration building at Justus Liebig University. — Group Photo of the 2014 Participants in the Giessen Program

The 2019 Summer Session in International and Comparative Law, commonly know at the Marquette University Law School as “the Giessen Program,” has been approved and will take place July 20 through August 15 on the campus of Justus Liebig University in Giessen, Germany.

There are still a small number of spots available for additional Marquette law students, students at the University of Wisconsin Law School, and students from other U.S. law schools. Information on the program is available at the Marquette University Law School website or by emailing Professor Ed Fallone at edward.fallone@marquette.edu.

If you are interested in applying for the 2019 program, do not delay.

Jenkins Honors Moot Court Competitors Advance to Quarterfinals

By: Lisa A. MazzieMarch 31, 2019Legal Education, Legal Writing, Marquette Law School, PublicLeave a comment»

Congratulations to the students in the Jenkins Honors Moot Court Competition who have moved on to the quarterfinal round of the competition. The students will be competing on Saturday, April 6 at 2:30 p.m. to determine which teams will be advancing to the semifinal round on Sunday, April 7 at 10:00 a.m.

The following teams will be competing in the quarterfinals:

Nicholas Wanic and Luis Gutierrez

Julie Leary and Elizabeth Elving

Allison Mignon and Mikal Roberson

Emily Turzinski and Brighton Troha

Brooke Erickson and Micaela Haggenjos

Adam Vanderheyden and Jason Findling

Cole Dunn and Peter Klepacz

Marnae Mawdsley and Mitchell Kiffmeyer

Congratulations to all the participants in the competition. We also very much appreciate the alumni and other attorneys who volunteered to grade briefs and who served as judges in the four preliminary rounds. We appreciate their time and assistance every year.

The final round of the Jenkins competition will take place on Thursday, April 11, at 5:15 p.m. in the Lubar Center.

NAAC Teams Win Third and Fourth Best Briefs, Advance to Regional Semifinal Rounds at Boston Regional

By: Lisa A. MazzieMarch 3, 2019Legal Education, Legal Practice, Legal Profession, Legal Writing, Marquette Law School, Public1 Comment

one woman and two men, all law students, stand before a courtroom door — Lizzy King, Jad Itani, and Travis Yang

three women, all law students, stand in front of a courtroom door — Anna Meulbroek, Zeinat Hindi, and Libby Grabow

Thirty teams from across the country arrived in Boston at the Boston Municipal Court Department on February 28, all prepared to present oral arguments in the National Appellate Advocacy Competition (NAAC) regional. Two Marquette Law teams were among those and both made an impact.

Jad Itani, Elizabeth (Lizzy) King, and Travis Yang were seeded 13th after three rounds of argument. They advanced to the fourth (regional semifinal) round but faced a tough bench while arguing respondent’s side, a tough argument in the context of the Eighth Amendment issues presented. They lost that fourth round. King had a strong performance at oral argument in the second round, despite battling some unfortunate shellfish poisoning; Itani had to sub in for her in the third and fourth rounds, despite not having argued that side at all. Their team’s brief was named third best in the region.

Elizabeth (Libby) Grabow, Zeinat Hindi, and Anna Meulbroek were seeded 3rd after three rounds, but they, too, faced a tough bench in the fourth round. Unfortunately, they lost that round, but delivered consistently high-quality oral arguments in every round. After the third round, the judges commended them for their winning performance and encouraged each of them to continue with litigation work. Their team’s brief was named fourth best in the region.

This year was the first in memory where both teams advanced to the regional semifinal round and both teams received brief awards. Marquette has much to be proud of.

Both teams were assisted by practitioner coaches Elleny Christopolous, Kate Maternowski, and Zachary Willenbrink (L’11). Thank you, too, to practice judges Professors Ed Fallone and Elana Olson; Judge J.P. Stadtmueller (L’67), law clerk Nathan Bader and law clerk Joan Harms; City of Milwaukee attorneys James Carroll (L’08), Bill Davidson (L’17), Patricia Fricker, Katryna Rhodes; Meredith Donaldson (L’18); and former NAAC competitors Lucas Bennewitz (L’15), Ali Klimko (L’17), Andrew Lawton (L’18), and Adam Woodside (L’18).

Congratulations to team members for their outstanding representation of Marquette Law.

Advice from Justice Clarence Thomas

By: Scott LyonMarch 1, 2019March 2, 2019Legal Education, Public, Student Contributor, U.S. Supreme CourtLeave a comment»

Last spring in Washington, D.C. at the Federalist Society’s National Student Symposium, Justice Thomas told a room full of law students to “get rid of [their] pessimism.” Justice Thomas, your words have been ringing in my ears. Admittedly, many aspects of America’s contemporary legal and political landscape engender a lingering pessimism in me. I’d like to step back a moment from this divisive arena we encounter every day and briefly discuss a few points of optimism. Continue reading “Advice from Justice Clarence Thomas”

Gratitude for Intellectual Diversity

By: Scott LyonFebruary 28, 2019March 2, 2019Legal Education, Political Processes & Rhetoric, Public, Student Contributor, Wisconsin Supreme CourtLeave a comment»

I believe intellectual diversity is vital to the development of the legal community—in law school and in practice. I also believe our individual mindsets—as lawyers, professors, or law students—aggregate and have an outsized effect on the direction of Wisconsin’s and America’s laws. Finally, in the vein of free-market competition, I believe we should each endeavor to challenge our mindsets and step out of any conscious or unconscious echo chambers of legal thought. With these ideas in mind, let’s spice things up with a rather normative post.

Let’s start with a somewhat lighthearted contention. Math is not evil, mysterious, or to be avoided at all costs. On the contrary, we should challenge ourselves to use it appropriately and effectively when an opportunity arises to do so. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good “lawyers are bad at math” joke, but maybe we shouldn’t perpetuate that mindset. If you can use a standard normal distribution or some Bureau of Labor Statistics data to make a point, go for it. Words may be our specialty, but numbers should be in the tool bag as well.

That was a good warm up, so let’s try something a little more controversial. Continue reading “Gratitude for Intellectual Diversity”

It’s a Marathon, Not a Sprint

By: Jamie YuFebruary 11, 2019Alumni Contributor, Legal Education, Legal Practice, Marquette Law School, PublicLeave a comment»

Jamie Yu after finishing first marathon — Jamie Yu, after finishing her first marathon.

It’s February, which means that for many long distance runners, it is time to emerge from winter hibernation, sign up for the next race, and begin the long and thankless training process. While some would not agree, I, as a lawyer and a long distance runner, have found that the training process for a marathon eerily mirrors the path to becoming a lawyer.

I signed up for my first marathon, somewhat foolishly, during my second year of law school, the race coinciding the first semester of my third year. As I embarked on the first long run of my training schedule, I was filled with excitement and anticipation. Like a 1L, I felt invincible and ready to take on the challenge.

However, as the weeks passed and my mileage, and long run distances increased, so did my frustrations and anxiety. What seemed like a fun adventure was turning in to a daily chore, and my love for running was quickly being replaced with dread.

But when I stopped in at the running shoe store for yet another pair of running shoes, I saw a shirt with the phrase, “It’s a Marathon, Not a Sprint…Trust the Process.” Continue reading “It’s a Marathon, Not a Sprint”