The most recent edition of OCU LAW’s Professional and Career Development Center’s e-newsletter is now online. PCDC eNews is published twice a month during the spring and fall semesters, with special editions during the summer.

In This Issue:

We visit with lots of students who play the "woulda, coulda, shoulda" game as they reflect upon choices they have made during the course of law school and the consequences they experience as it relates to their career goals. We routinely hear students and graduates saying they wished they had known about or taken advantage of certain opportunities.

This issue of the PCDC eNews will shed light on some of the more frequently cited areas where several students and graduates have wished they would have paid more attention and would have spent their discretionary time. As the long winter break approaches, we encourage students to be proactive in accessing and responding to information and opportunities.

This edition also contains information about the law school’s new grading scale and Spring 2009 recruiting and programming opportunities.

The Professional and Career Development Center is open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday; 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday; and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays, as well as by appointment to accommodate evening students. The PCDC provides resources to students and alumni in helping them to develop professional skills and to connect with career opportunities and potential employers. To find more information or to schedule an appointment call (405) 208-5332 or visit PCDC’s website.

 OCU LAW alumna Laurel "Lolly" Anderson ‘76 has published her second book, a children’s story titled Aussie at the Skirvin Hilton During The Ice Storm of 2007. The story, inspired by Anderson’s experiences during last winter’s ice storm, is illustrated by her sister Carm, a.k.a. Paloma, edited by Genie Hambrick and graphic designed by Matt Goad. 

An excerpt from the book:

Aussie’s boy-human, Honey-No, went outside to get the paper like he always does. Honey-No is not his real name. It’s just what Aussie’s girl-human says to him all the time. ("Honey, no! Don’t use that silver spoon to eat ice cream out of the carton!" ….

Aussie’s girl-human, Darling-Why, flipped open her small silver talking toy and put it against the side of her head, like she always does. Darling-Why isn’t her real name. It’s just what Aussie’s boy-human says to her all the time. ("Darling, why do we need to buy more dishes?" ……

Anderson will host a book release event at the Skirvin Hilton Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City on Saturday, Dec. 6. The "Yappy Hour Book Signing Event" will begin at 2 p.m. and is a dog-friendly event. Copies of the book will be available, and will soon be available for order at Anderson’s website, The Spiritual Times. Anderson’s first book was titled How My Magic Refrigerator Sent Me To Paris Free: 7 Rules To Make Dreams Come True.

In this episode of the OCU LAW News Podcast, we talk with OCU LAW Professor Christina Misner-Pollard, Clinical Instructor of Law, who teaches and runs OCU LAW’s Immigration Law Clinic, which puts students "in the trenches of immigration law" at Catholic Charities in Oklahoma City, assisting clients with immigration law matters, while simultaneously providing a classroom component that steeps students in Immigration Law and prepares them to enter the field. The Immigration Law Clinic is funded by the Inasmuch Foundation. 

"Not only is the student in the real world representing real clients, but there’s also a classroom component where the students learn everything they need to know to assist the real client in the real world," says Misner of the Clinic.

Click below or in the player at left to listen to this episode of the OCU LAW News Podcast. The podcast also is available through iTunes, Podcast Alley, and Odeo. 

 

 Episode 10 - November 2008: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In this month’s OCU LAW News Faculty Spotlight, we talk to Professor Laurie Jones about the Dean’s Public Interest and Pro Bono Fellowship Program. Prof. Jones discusses the activities that Fellowship recipients participate in, including helping homeless veterans research social services and benefits, and assisting pre-release inmates clear their records in order to help them re-integrate into society. Professor Jones serves as the OCU LAW Pro Bono and Public Interest Law Coordinator.

"Lawyers have an ethical obligation to provide pro bono service," Jones says. "It’s important to us that law students develop that professional habit of pro bono service, and if they start doing it in law school it becomes second nature, and it becomes something they will carve out time for."

You may listen to the podcast below, or in the player at left; the podcast also is available through iTunes, Podcast Alley and Odeo. 

 

 Episode 9 - October 2008: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

With the holiday season rapidly approaching, OCU LAW is once again making available its unique Christmas Tree ornament to members of the OCU community. The ornament is made from glass that was hand-blown in Europe, and each is part of a limited set of only 200. Each piece is hand-painted and numbered, a 4.5" x 4" replica of OCU LAW’s most recognizable landmark, the Gold Star building. 

Each ornament is $75 plus $10 shipping, and all proceeds go directly to the OCU LAW Alumni Association endowed scholarship fund. To order your Gold Star Christmas Ornament, contact Laurel Redding at (405) 208-5806 or e-mail lredding@okcu.edu. 

Last week’s election gave the Republican Party its first-ever majority in the Oklahoma State Senate in the body’s 101-year history. The election gave the Republicans a 26-22 majority in the Senate. During a meeting last Thursday to select party leaders, 2005 OCU LAW Alumnus Todd Lamb, R-Edmond, was chosen to serve as Senate majority floor leader. Lamb’s father, Norman Lamb, served as minority floor leader during his time in the state senate from 1971-1989.

Republicans will elect other caucus leaders at a Nov. 18 meeting, and the newly-selected president pro tempore, Glenn Coffee, will be officially elected by the full Senate on Jan. 6.

 OCU LAW Professor Emeritus Richard E. Coulson will deliver the address at the annual OCU LAW Alumni Luncheon during the Oklahoma Bar Association’s Annual Meeting on Nov. 19. The title of his remarks will be "Reflections on the Legal Profession and Legal Education." 

Coulson, an OCU LAW alumnus who graduated in 1968, began his teaching career at OCU LAW in 1969. Coulson’s wife and son are OCU alumni, and his daughter, Mary, graduated from OCU LAW in 1991.

Professor Coulson clerked for Chief Judge A. P. Murrah of the United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit. He has served on the Judicial Nominating Commission for the United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, by appointment of President James E. Carter; he chaired the Oklahoma Governor’s Commission on Criminal Justice Standards and Goals, by appointment of then-Governor David L. Boren; was special master for Oklahoma’s federal courts in the remedies portion of a large employment discrimination pattern and practice action; and was a judge for the Temporary Division of the Oklahoma Court of Appeals. He is active as a commercial arbitrator. He was in private practice in commercial law and bankruptcy reorganization. He is a member of the American Society of Legal History, the Selden Society, a director of the American Society of Comparative Law, and an editor of The American Journal of Comparative Law.

Tickets to the OCU LAW Alumni Luncheon are $30 and are available when registering for the OBA Annual Meeting, or by calling Jackie Weekley at (405) 208-5197.

The FBI, InfraGard and the OCU Department of Sociology and Justice Studies are sponsoring a conference Wednesday, Nov. 12 at OCU’s Meinders School of Business titled "Violent Crimes and Terrorist Threats." OCU LAW faculty and students interested in careers with the FBI or who have an interest in criminal or national security law are welcome and encouraged to attend. The conference, which features speakers from the FBI, also will be attended by criminal justice professionals. Information about joining InfraGard also will be available. There is no cost to attend the program, but lunch will be provided at a cost of $5. 

Scheduled events include discussions of Oklahoma City Gang Activity, Weapons of Mass Destruction, Apprehending Violent Offenders, Terrorism Threats Facing Oklahoma, Evidence Collection, and Profiling School Shooters. Registration begins at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 12 in the Kerr McGee Auditorium in the Meinders School of Business. To RSVP for the lunch portion of the event please contact Shannon Foster at sfoster.stu1@okcu.edu.

For more information contact Assistant Dean for Professional and Career Development Gina Rowsam at (405) 208-5332 or e-mail growsam@okcu.edu.

The most recent edition of OCU LAW’s Professional and Career Development Center’s e-Newsletter is now online. PCDC eNews is published twice a month during the spring and fall semesters, with special editions during the summer.

In This Issue:

First impressions can make or break an opportunity. For many students, the first contact they have with a prospective employer is through their career documents, i.e. resume, cover letter, or writing sample. This session will offer tips and examples to develop top-notch documents that will compel employers to give your application serious consideration. Debbie Boles, Law Career Counselor, will provide a lively and energetic program that will motivate you to maximize your potential as it relates to developing these documents.

The Professional and Career Development Center is open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday; 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday; and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays, as well as by appointment to accommodate evening students. The PCDC provides resources to students and alumni in helping them to develop professional skills and to connect with career opportunities and potential employers. To find more information or to schedule an appointment call (405) 208-5332 or visit PCDC’s website.

Third-year OCU LAW student Carolann Gamino has published an issue brief for Work of Women, a member organization of World Neighbors. Gamino serves as an intern for Work of Women. The brief, which tackles the issue of human trafficking, is available at the Work of Women and World Neighbors website. Below is an excerpt:

Although most people around the world believe that slavery ended centuries ago, the reality is that millions of people are forced into and exploited in a modern day slave trade every day. Human trafficking is the world’s second largest criminal enterprise, tying with the arms trade and falling closely behind the illegal drug industry, yet it goes strikingly unnoticed by much of the population. Unlike drugs or arms, however, humans can be used, sold, and exploited over and over again for years until the victims finally die of disease, malnutrition, abuse, or murder, or, more rarely, are rescued or escape. The trafficking in persons industry has been estimated to generate $5 to $9 billion per year worldwide.

In addition to her work with Work of Women, Gamino also serves as Executive Editor of the Oklahoma City University Law Review, an Editor for the Jessup International Moot Court Team, and Public Interest Liaison for the Public Interest Law Group.