Law School > Our Community
I am pleased to welcome you to the Indiana University School of Law—Bloomington. I invite you to discover all that we offer as one of the nation's leading public law schools. In particular, learn about our distinguished faculty members, whose research helps to define major legal issues of our time in fields as diverse as human rights, information technology, the environment, and international business transactions.
Bring your cash and checks to the annual Singing for Summer Salaries fundraiser Feb. 19 at noon in the Moot Court Room.
Professor Cynthia Reichard's cheeks flushed cherry red as she approached center stage of the Law School's Moot Court Room. Then the former rocker turned Legal Research and Writing professor propped her guitar on her knee and thrilled the crowd with a soulful rendition of "I Think I'm Gonna Die and I Know I'm Gonna Flunk," a song she wrote during her years at Indiana Law.
Read more about the Public Interest Law Foundation's annual "Singing for Summer Salaries" fundraising event.
Students, friends, faculty, and alumni mingled at this annual event, hosted by the Black Law Student's Association. The 20th annual Barrister's Ball is Feb. 23 at the Alumni Hall of the Indiana Memorial Union. A formal dinner and dance, the event celebrates Indiana Law's excellence.
Read the invitation.
This new year's not the one on Jan. 1. To celebrate the diversity of our students, many of whom pursure graduate degrees and hail from China, Korea, Thailand and Taiwan, we celebrate the Lunar New Year each February. The mid-day banquet includes many Asian foods—some catered, some homemade, and party favors for the enjoyment of our students, staff and faculty.
The Women's Law Caucus hosted its Annual Auction Feb. 9 at local hotspot Jake's. The crowd bid on fun, fabulous packages provided by the Indiana Law community and Bloomington donors. Proceeds support the local Middle Way House shelter and Indiana Law's own Protective Order Project.
Examine the goodies on the Auction's block.
Advocacy is an important skill for lawyers, so we provide many opportunities to prepare for appellate work, including brief-writing and the staccato question-and-response characteristic of oral arguments.
Read more about professional skills development.
The Black Law Student Association (BLSA) hosted its annual Gong Show Nov. 17, 2006, at Uncle Fester's, 430 E. Kirkwood Ave. Students showcased their talents from belly dancing to guitar strumming for professors who judge the event. Winners earn cash prizes, and the losers get gonged!
Indiana Law recently held the first annual student Pro Bono Awards, sponsored by Baker & Daniels LLP. The recognition honors students who reported more than 200 hours of pro bono service.
Read the complete story.
"This event ties in with our goals of promoting cultural awareness and awareness of legal issues that currently affect the Latino community," student Moses Vejil said the Latino Law Student Association Food for Thought series.
Read the complete story.
The Older and Wiser Law Students and the Graduate and Professional Student Organization sponsor an annual Halloween Trick-or-treat for children. Children gather with their "evidence bags," and volunteers on each floor help direct costumed kids from door to office door as they collect candy "evidence." And after the tricks and treats, we host a costume competition in the student lounge, complete with prizes and holiday fare.
Read the complete story.
Georgetown University law professor David Cole's research focuses on a big question: why is America "losing" the war on terror? His visits kicked off the 2007-08 American Constitution Society for Law and Policy speaker series.Indiana Law's ACS chapter is award-winning and one of the nation's largest.
Read the story.
Students, faculty and staff gather periodically for Town Hall meetings with Dean Lauren Robel. A recent meeting addressed the Dean's goals for 2007-08 and included a question-and-answer session for students and community members.
The Law School hosts its fifth annual Socctoberfest—the only annual event that brings together JD students and international graduate students in a sporting atmosphere. A cookout for players, families, and law school community members follows the match.
Read the complete story.
"Oye Oye, all rise," recites a minature baliff in a green suit coat. She is one of about 30 fifth-graders who recently visited Indiana Law to take part in the make-believe trial of Calvin the Supergenius v. Susie. Aided by the Law School's Outreach for Legal Literacy volunteers, pint-size "law students" argue this case in the Trial Court Room each year.
Read the complete story.
Crisp Bloomington skies and home-run hits ushered in the Public Interest Law Foundation's sixth annual softball tournament in September, marking the organization's sixth year sending students and faculty scrambling for fly balls at Bryan Park. What began as an undertaking by former PILF vice president Tim Bartow, JD '04, to raise funds for student summer scholarships has since grown into one of the School's most beloved—and well-attended—student events.
For one night each fall, professors, staff, and third-year students don black and white as waiters and waitresses. The Women's Law Caucus and the Career Services Office hosted Indiana Law's annual Etiquette Dinner and reception. More than 40 turned out to soak in tips from etiquette expert Audrey Beckley on how to sip soup and break bread properly.
Read the complete story.
A crowd of law students, alumni supporters, and faculty members gathered for private wine tasting, a silent auction, and tours of the local winery during the annual Evening at Oliver Winery, hosted by the School's Environmental Law Society.
Read the complete story.
Public service cultivates our students' desire to be leaders in service to society. Five clinics in disability, elder, and family law and 10 additional public interest offerings promote engaged learning. Each year, our Public Interest Internship Program sends more than 120 students to an average of 100 placements.
Hear from current interns.
More than 100 Upward Bound students observed or participated in an annual mock criminal trial held in the Law School's Moot Court Room before Judge Viola Taliaferro, JD'77. In addition to the student attorneys, seven high school students served as parties, witnesses, or court staff in the case, and 10 students served as jurors.
Read about the event.
"It is so important for law students and lawyers to get involved in the community on issues they are passionate about. In many ways, lawyers are expected to take the lead on public issues," said Jay Heeter, second-year student and national co-chair of the National Association of Environmental Law Societies. Find out how Heeter is helping Indiana Law's ELS chapter become a national force.
Read the story.
"You can't go to a meeting of lawyers or judges today and swing a tuna without hitting on the concerns about judicial independence and confidence in the courts," said Charles Geyh, John F. Kimberling Professor of Law, during the chair's inaugural lecture.
Read the story.
Faculty members, outfitted with protective eye wear and taped up with knee braces and arm bands, again ambled bravely onto the Assembly Hall court this year.This annual rivalry benefits the WLC charity Middle Way House, a local domestic violence shelter, and the Indiana Law Protective Order Project.
Read the 2006 account.
About 50 community members gather each year for a vibrant celebration of the Thai New Year. Guests of the Songkran Festival were treated to a traditional kickboxing demonstration, authentic Thai music, and even pulled onto the dance floor to learn a traditional Thai dance.
Read the story.
The Feminist Law Forum and Indiana Law host 15 young women from Bloomington South High School to experience a full day exploring what it's like to be a woman in the law. After an introduction by Dean Lauren Robel, the students will tour the law library, participate in a mock class, learn about professional attire, and, finally, hear from a panel of experienced alumnae and women lawyers with diverse legal careers.
The Student Bar Association's fourth annual Casino Night, held in conjunction with Spring Law Day, features a no-limit Texas Hold 'Em poker tournament, team euchre, blackjack tables, and—for all who attend—food and beer.
"We arrived at night. The casinos were all lit up, and everyone was commenting that the area looked pretty good," third-year Indiana Law student Katie McCauley Molter said. Those first impressions of Biloxi, Miss., faded in the morning light.
Bob Barr, former U.S. Congressman and well-known conservative pundit, presented "Are Privacy and Limited Government Casualties of the Global War on Terror?" during a lecture hosted by Indiana Law's Federalist Society for Law and Public Studies.
Read the complete story.
