Topics from the Road
Topics from the Road
The Law School Fair and Forum season is over but I know most of you are still searching for the right school. While traveling the country over the last three months I had the pleasure of meeting many of you and finding out what was on your minds. Those of you I had the chance to speak with had interesting questions and impressive backgrounds. I feel that many of the questions and ideas could be beneficial to others, so I have decided to use this space to share key points discussed during some of those conversations.
Dennis Long, JD'98
Dean of Admissions
Clinics: Learning by Lawyering
February 9, 2007
A top area of applicant interest this year is clinical offerings. This interest reflects the growing perception that clinics build skills that directly contribute to success in practice. Clinics teach students the essential mechanics of the law—drafting, filing, serving notice, negotiating, arguing and enforcing judgments. However, the most important and enduring skill learned in clinics is the art of dealing with the client. Every representation begins with client communication—the art of determining what the client needs and wants—followed by the formulation of a legal solution. Good clinics provide plenty of practice in these critical skills.
At Indiana Law, we have long recognized the central importance of clinical experience in legal education. Every Indiana Law student must complete at least one semester of practical legal education to qualify for graduation. That practical experience can be gained in any one of the growing list of clinics in the School of Law and our partner schools and organizations. And that's another good reason why Indiana Law may be the very best law school for you.
Warm regards,
Dennis Long, JD '98
Living and Learning in Bloomington
December 15, 2006
Earlier this month I addressed the critical importance of "fit" in choosing a law school. A major ingredient in making any law school a good fit is the city or town in which the law school is located. Just as you need to be comfortable within the walls of the law school, you must also interact positively with the surrounding neighborhood. At Indiana Law, we are as proud of the Bloomington living and learning community as we are of the School of Law itself. Our students come from more than 40 different states, from large cities and and small colleges, yet they all seem to find Bloomington to their liking.
When you visit schools, you should take a first-hand look at the nearby areas dedicated to housing, shopping, sports and exercise, restaurants and entertainment. Time spent in these places will be as critical to your academic success as the law library. Determine if most law students live in close proximity to each other near the school or commute from varied destinations. If commuting is the norm, ask how much time is spent in commuting each day. Be sure you are cut out for the pattern of life in the community. September of your 1L year is a bad time to learn the fit is a bad one.
Our students get a lot of time to enjoy Bloomington because they spend almost no time commuting. The School of Law is tucked into the southwest corner of the Indiana University campus, well away from the busiest parts of the University. Our location allows most of our students to live in off-campus housing within ten blocks of school. Walking or biking to school is the norm. The School of Law is the center of daily life for law students and most of them spend most of the day there—studying, talking about the law, and interacting with faculty and other students. At Indiana Law you learn twice as much law from your classmates as from the faculty (and that is exactly how the faculty likes it).
Come see for yourself. The welcome mat is out. You have an open invitation to come visit us, go to class, spend time with students and find out whether Indiana Law is the law school for you. Just let us know when you can come. Call me (812-855-4765) or send an email (dhlong@indiana.edu anytime.
Warm regards,
Dennis Long, JD '98
Fit: The Critical Element of the Law School Choice
December 1, 2006
The most important quality of law school from your point of view is fit. Is the law school a good fit for you and are you a good fit for it? Fit is hard to define. It has a lot to do with the way students relate to each other, the way faculty and students interact, the size of the law school, the way students and faculty inhabit the law school building, the dominant atmosphere in the library, lobbies, classrooms and student lounge, as well as the classrooms. Law school should be a total learning experience. You should learn twice as much from your classmates as you do from the book or from the professors.
Most importantly, the law school you choose should be a place you like and a place that feels comfortable. When you find that place, you will wake up before the alarm every morning and be eager to get to school. In spite of the stress of law school, you will be having fun as you develop lawyerly skills. You will set a pattern of enjoying the law. That pattern will carry over into practice, making every day of your working life a pleasure. The converse is also true.
There is only one way to determine your fit with a law school with any certainty. You can't determine it from Web sites, viewbooks, law school guides or even correspondence with students, faculty or alumni. You have to visit the school when it is in session, go to class, sit in on study groups, and talk to as many current students as possible. You will know the law school for you if you follow this formula.
At Indiana Law, we are always happy to welcome visitors. We prefer an informal visit program. Just let us know when you are coming and we will hand you over to current students for a tour and a class or two. Ask them any questions you like. If Indiana Law is the school for you, great. If the fit is not right, that is great, too. Your search will continue until your law school turns up.
This is a great profession. I look forward to you joining it as an Indiana Law alumna or alumnus — if the fit is right.
Warm regards,
Dennis Long, JD '98