Northwestern 1L/2L/3L/Grads Taking Questions and Challenges Forum
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Re: Northwestern 1L/2L/3L/Grads Taking Questions and Challenges
For those of you who have done clinic before:
About how many hours a week? Is most of the work in person? Was it worth it?
About how many hours a week? Is most of the work in person? Was it worth it?
- rinkrat19
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Re: Northwestern 1L/2L/3L/Grads Taking Questions and Challenges
Clinic is pretty much everyone's favorite thing, or close to it.
I did the Criminal Defense clinic (non-death penalty). Probably 4-6 hours per week of research/writing/trial prep/doc review, 30 min of reading for class (except we did read two books which took a bit longer but were interesting reads). I did plenty of my work at home, researching whatever the prof had assigned me. Got to argue a motion in court once, and wrote a motion to resentence that is getting a dude out of federal prison 4 years early. I would have handled most of a 1-day trial had the accuser shown up to court, so I had to prep for that even though I didn't get to use any of it. Enjoyed my classmates (it's one of the smaller groups) and the prof (Urdangen) a lot.
The clinics vary a lot along the scale how much action you get. Crim Def is probably the most action, because it handles the smallest cases that move the most quickly, and everyone is working on multiple cases at a time. At the other end of the scale, I would guess, is the Supreme Court Clinic, where it's all research and writing on small pieces of a much larger case that you definitely won't be arguing yourself. Read the CTEs to get an idea of some of the work each clinic assigns. Also, there may be more in-person work if it's a clinic that has more client contact instead of just once in a while like my clinic.
It's almost worth doing clinic just to have access to the student work room. It's quiet, there's free coffee, best view of the lake, no neurotic 1Ls, and you can nearly always find a seat. All 3L year, if I was on campus and not in class, I was in the clinic work room.
I did the Criminal Defense clinic (non-death penalty). Probably 4-6 hours per week of research/writing/trial prep/doc review, 30 min of reading for class (except we did read two books which took a bit longer but were interesting reads). I did plenty of my work at home, researching whatever the prof had assigned me. Got to argue a motion in court once, and wrote a motion to resentence that is getting a dude out of federal prison 4 years early. I would have handled most of a 1-day trial had the accuser shown up to court, so I had to prep for that even though I didn't get to use any of it. Enjoyed my classmates (it's one of the smaller groups) and the prof (Urdangen) a lot.
The clinics vary a lot along the scale how much action you get. Crim Def is probably the most action, because it handles the smallest cases that move the most quickly, and everyone is working on multiple cases at a time. At the other end of the scale, I would guess, is the Supreme Court Clinic, where it's all research and writing on small pieces of a much larger case that you definitely won't be arguing yourself. Read the CTEs to get an idea of some of the work each clinic assigns. Also, there may be more in-person work if it's a clinic that has more client contact instead of just once in a while like my clinic.
It's almost worth doing clinic just to have access to the student work room. It's quiet, there's free coffee, best view of the lake, no neurotic 1Ls, and you can nearly always find a seat. All 3L year, if I was on campus and not in class, I was in the clinic work room.
- Holly Golightly
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Re: Northwestern 1L/2L/3L/Grads Taking Questions and Challenges
Time commitment depends a LOT on the clinic. I worked a ton in my clinics, but for one of them it was obvious going in that it would be very time-consuming, and for the other I did more work than I had to because I loved it and requested to be put on additional projects. So clearly for me it was more than worth it. Most of the work was not in person, but in-person work can add up if you are staffed on multiple cases/projects. I loved both of my clinics so much.starz wrote:For those of you who have done clinic before:
About how many hours a week? Is most of the work in person? Was it worth it?
- BaberhamLincoln
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Re: Northwestern 1L/2L/3L/Grads Taking Questions and Challenges
Checking in to say thanks for this. Transferring in and will have a ton of questions later after I've skimmed a lot of what's been asked already.
- star fox
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Re: Northwestern 1L/2L/3L/Grads Taking Questions and Challenges
Woo hoo! Welcome aboard!leigh912198972 wrote:Checking in to say thanks for this. Transferring in and will have a ton of questions later after I've skimmed a lot of what's been asked already.
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- wojo98
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Re: Northwestern 1L/2L/3L/Grads Taking Questions and Challenges
Pretty surprised Accounting won't be offered in either the fall or the spring. Leave it to Becky to look out for me though – glad she kept a full slate of foundational transactional classes like “Water Law,” “Food Law and Policy,” and “Reform of Criminal Procedure: Tanzania II” as alternatives.
/s
/s
- rinkrat19
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Re: Northwestern 1L/2L/3L/Grads Taking Questions and Challenges
I'd sure as fuck rather go to Tanzania and help them rewrite their legal system shit than try to get through accounting without stabbing myself in the ear with a pen.wojo98 wrote:Pretty surprised Accounting won't be offered in either the fall or the spring. Leave it to Becky to look out for me though – glad she kept a full slate of foundational transactional classes like “Water Law,” “Food Law and Policy,” and “Reform of Criminal Procedure: Tanzania II” as alternatives.
/s
- wojo98
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Re: Northwestern 1L/2L/3L/Grads Taking Questions and Challenges
Ehh quibble with the list of absurd electives all you want, but not offering Accounting seems akin to not offering Fed Tax or SecReg - boring, yes, but are practically transactional canon.rinkrat19 wrote:I'd sure as fuck rather go to Tanzania and help them rewrite their legal system shit than try to get through accounting without stabbing myself in the ear with a pen.wojo98 wrote:Pretty surprised Accounting won't be offered in either the fall or the spring. Leave it to Becky to look out for me though – glad she kept a full slate of foundational transactional classes like “Water Law,” “Food Law and Policy,” and “Reform of Criminal Procedure: Tanzania II” as alternatives.
/s
- lhanvt13
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Re: Northwestern 1L/2L/3L/Grads Taking Questions and Challenges
How do I request to take classes at other grad programs?
- cookiejar1
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Re: Northwestern 1L/2L/3L/Grads Taking Questions and Challenges
Just take corporate finance in the Springwojo98 wrote:Ehh quibble with the list of absurd electives all you want, but not offering Accounting seems akin to not offering Fed Tax or SecReg - boring, yes, but are practically transactional canon.rinkrat19 wrote:I'd sure as fuck rather go to Tanzania and help them rewrite their legal system shit than try to get through accounting without stabbing myself in the ear with a pen.wojo98 wrote:Pretty surprised Accounting won't be offered in either the fall or the spring. Leave it to Becky to look out for me though – glad she kept a full slate of foundational transactional classes like “Water Law,” “Food Law and Policy,” and “Reform of Criminal Procedure: Tanzania II” as alternatives.
/s
- feralinfant
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Re: Northwestern 1L/2L/3L/Grads Taking Questions and Challenges
Why does ITA Ethics meet at the same time as most of the clinics?
I basically have to choose between getting the extra ITA credit or doing my clinic. Seems kind stupid to schedule something "practical" like the trilogy during the time that your practicing clinics meet. :/
I basically have to choose between getting the extra ITA credit or doing my clinic. Seems kind stupid to schedule something "practical" like the trilogy during the time that your practicing clinics meet. :/
- MT Cicero
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Re: Northwestern 1L/2L/3L/Grads Taking Questions and Challenges
Quite annoyed by this as well, though there are a couple clinics that meet at times that would work. Still, ITA precluding a number of of clinics, including two of the main civil litigation clinics, seems poorly conceived.feralinfant wrote:Why does ITA Ethics meet at the same time as most of the clinics?
I basically have to choose between getting the extra ITA credit or doing my clinic. Seems kind stupid to schedule something "practical" like the trilogy during the time that your practicing clinics meet. :/
Bonus though...I should be able to keep my schedule M-W if things hold.
- Micdiddy
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Re: Northwestern 1L/2L/3L/Grads Taking Questions and Challenges
I'm pretty sure they either assumed no one would do the trilogy and a clinic, or are actively discouraging it.
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- rinkrat19
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Re: Northwestern 1L/2L/3L/Grads Taking Questions and Challenges
The clinics were scheduled at the same time as a bunch of stuff I wanted to take. (Not ITA, just other electives.)
Clinic is worth it, IMO, since nobody outside the school knows what ITA is (so completing it is fairly useless) and you'll still get the ITA classes that are actually useful on their own (i.e. the ones that aren't ethics).
If the one credit is what's driving you, take an interesting seminar as a 2/3-draft instead of a 1-draft.
Clinic is worth it, IMO, since nobody outside the school knows what ITA is (so completing it is fairly useless) and you'll still get the ITA classes that are actually useful on their own (i.e. the ones that aren't ethics).
If the one credit is what's driving you, take an interesting seminar as a 2/3-draft instead of a 1-draft.
- feralinfant
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Re: Northwestern 1L/2L/3L/Grads Taking Questions and Challenges
I'm going to do clinic without a question.rinkrat19 wrote:The clinics were scheduled at the same time as a bunch of stuff I wanted to take. (Not ITA, just other electives.)
Clinic is worth it, IMO, since nobody outside the school knows what ITA is (so completing it is fairly useless) and you'll still get the ITA classes that are actually useful on their own (i.e. the ones that aren't ethics).
If the one credit is what's driving you, take an interesting seminar as a 2/3-draft instead of a 1-draft.
I mean its more that im going to take ITA, I'm going to take evidence and I HAVE to take ethics. What sucks is that if I took a specific ethics offered at a specific time on monday that conflicts with clinic, I would get three credits. If i take a different one, I get two.
So it's not like I'm taking the trilogy for a bonus credit, it's that I want to take those classes and because of scheduling I will get one less credit than i might have otherwise which is stupid. Plus, won't get to take it with Burns which is also a bummer.
- Micdiddy
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Re: Northwestern 1L/2L/3L/Grads Taking Questions and Challenges
I'm taking The 2 credit ethics, join that one.feralinfant wrote:I'm going to do clinic without a question.rinkrat19 wrote:The clinics were scheduled at the same time as a bunch of stuff I wanted to take. (Not ITA, just other electives.)
Clinic is worth it, IMO, since nobody outside the school knows what ITA is (so completing it is fairly useless) and you'll still get the ITA classes that are actually useful on their own (i.e. the ones that aren't ethics).
If the one credit is what's driving you, take an interesting seminar as a 2/3-draft instead of a 1-draft.
I mean its more that im going to take ITA, I'm going to take evidence and I HAVE to take ethics. What sucks is that if I took a specific ethics offered at a specific time on monday that conflicts with clinic, I would get three credits. If i take a different one, I get two.
So it's not like I'm taking the trilogy for a bonus credit, it's that I want to take those classes and because of scheduling I will get one less credit than i might have otherwise which is stupid. Plus, won't get to take it with Burns which is also a bummer.
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Re: Northwestern 1L/2L/3L/Grads Taking Questions and Challenges
Water law is now exceedingly important given climatic changes, population growth, and depleted aquifers.wojo98 wrote:Ehh quibble with the list of absurd electives all you want, but not offering Accounting seems akin to not offering Fed Tax or SecReg - boring, yes, but are practically transactional canon.rinkrat19 wrote:I'd sure as fuck rather go to Tanzania and help them rewrite their legal system shit than try to get through accounting without stabbing myself in the ear with a pen.wojo98 wrote:Pretty surprised Accounting won't be offered in either the fall or the spring. Leave it to Becky to look out for me though – glad she kept a full slate of foundational transactional classes like “Water Law,” “Food Law and Policy,” and “Reform of Criminal Procedure: Tanzania II” as alternatives.
/s
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- dagny05
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Re: Northwestern 1L/2L/3L/Grads Taking Questions and Challenges
Are clinics graded?
And is taking the immigration clinic without any knowledge of immigration law a bad idea? It's something I want to learn more about, but there isn't a single immigration class being offered this spring or fall.
And is taking the immigration clinic without any knowledge of immigration law a bad idea? It's something I want to learn more about, but there isn't a single immigration class being offered this spring or fall.
- feralinfant
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Re: Northwestern 1L/2L/3L/Grads Taking Questions and Challenges
Clinics are graded.dagny05 wrote:Are clinics graded?
And is taking the immigration clinic without any knowledge of immigration law a bad idea? It's something I want to learn more about, but there isn't a single immigration class being offered this spring or fall.
Classes are a bad way to learn about things, so taking a clinic is a great idea if you want to learn about something
- dagny05
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Re: Northwestern 1L/2L/3L/Grads Taking Questions and Challenges
Admin Law with Burns or Fischman?
And I've heard that this class is considered quite hard -- bad idea to take it at the same time as ITA?
And I've heard that this class is considered quite hard -- bad idea to take it at the same time as ITA?
- feralinfant
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Re: Northwestern 1L/2L/3L/Grads Taking Questions and Challenges
just realized Lupo isnt teaching law and rhetoric.
Also how do I trick the registrar into letting me do multiple clinics?
Also how do I trick the registrar into letting me do multiple clinics?
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- Micdiddy
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Re: Northwestern 1L/2L/3L/Grads Taking Questions and Challenges
Get approval from the clinic professors first? It seems like something the registrar should be flexible on (though I have no proof or reason to believe this).feralinfant wrote:just realized Lupo isnt teaching law and rhetoric.
Also how do I trick the registrar into letting me do multiple clinics?
- Holly Golightly
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Re: Northwestern 1L/2L/3L/Grads Taking Questions and Challenges
DF and I recommend taking it with Burns and never going to class. Also, I can say definitively that it's not that hard and can be learned in 2-3 days.dagny05 wrote:Admin Law with Burns or Fischman?
And I've heard that this class is considered quite hard -- bad idea to take it at the same time as ITA?
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Re: Northwestern 1L/2L/3L/Grads Taking Questions and Challenges
I also planned on taking accounting and am annoyed about this. Agree it's boring but seems pretty fundamental. At least give a heads up if they're no longer gonna offer it every year.wojo98 wrote:Ehh quibble with the list of absurd electives all you want, but not offering Accounting seems akin to not offering Fed Tax or SecReg - boring, yes, but are practically transactional canon.rinkrat19 wrote:I'd sure as fuck rather go to Tanzania and help them rewrite their legal system shit than try to get through accounting without stabbing myself in the ear with a pen.wojo98 wrote:Pretty surprised Accounting won't be offered in either the fall or the spring. Leave it to Becky to look out for me though – glad she kept a full slate of foundational transactional classes like “Water Law,” “Food Law and Policy,” and “Reform of Criminal Procedure: Tanzania II” as alternatives.
/s
- crumb cake
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Re: Northwestern 1L/2L/3L/Grads Taking Questions and Challenges
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