Northwestern 1L/2L/3L/Grads Taking Questions and Challenges Forum

[Charger]

Estates and Trusts with Schanzanbach
Pros: Doesn't cold call, participation and attendance don't matter, material is not that hard
Cons: Likely curved, his lectures are a bit unstructured and he bounces around quite a bit

Family Law with Yuracko
Pros: no cold calls (she does a panel system), excellent lectures that are incredibly structured and easy to follow
Cons: none, except maybe that it might be curved

[rinkrat19]

Thoughts on taking:

First Amendment (DeSanto)
Criminal Defense Clinic (Urdangen, continuing from this term)
Environmental Appellate Advocacy Workshop (Barsa & Dana)

The workshop sounds basically like another clinic (requiring "participation in class, weekly meetings with the instructors, and meetings with clients and the final brief. The briefs will be complex, and students will be expected to spend 12-15 hours per week, outside of class, working on them.")

I'm wondering if two clinic-like classes is too much for 3LOL spring.

Bump for anyone's thoughts?

[captainplanet]

Thoughts on taking:

First Amendment (DeSanto)
Criminal Defense Clinic (Urdangen, continuing from this term)
Environmental Appellate Advocacy Workshop (Barsa & Dana)

The workshop sounds basically like another clinic (requiring "participation in class, weekly meetings with the instructors, and meetings with clients and the final brief. The briefs will be complex, and students will be expected to spend 12-15 hours per week, outside of class, working on them.")

I'm wondering if two clinic-like classes is too much for 3LOL spring.

Bump for anyone's thoughts?

DeSanto is amazing! One of the best professors at NU. The only downside is that it's going to be a curved class because he's so popular, and because his teaching style is so clear that everyone actually learns First Amendment Law, it's going to be the tightest curve eeeevvvveeer.

[captainplanet]

Estates and Trusts with Schanzanbach
Pros: Doesn't cold call, participation and attendance don't matter, material is not that hard
Cons: Likely curved, his lectures are a bit unstructured and he bounces around quite a bit

Family Law with Yuracko
Pros: no cold calls (she does a panel system), excellent lectures that are incredibly structured and easy to follow
Cons: none, except maybe that it might be curved

Schanzanbach is pretty boring and jumps around too much without explaining the basics, but he's not bad. The book was pretty helpful though.

[captainplanet]

Any thoughts on which of these 1L classes are most likely to be easy/uncurved. Specifically, is Economic Analysis of the Law too difficult/stacked with old econ majors?

American Legal History (3 credits) (Presser)
Business Associations (Litvak)
Business Associations (Lutz)
Corporations (O’Hara)
Economic Analysis of the Law (Friedman)
Environmental Law (Barsa)
Estates and Trusts (Schanzenbach)
Family Law (Yuracko)
First Amendment (DeSanto)
Intellectual Property (Pike)
International Law (D’Amato)
Jurisprudence (Kleinfeld)
Labor Law (Crystal)
Law and Social Change (Rubinowitz)
Legislation (Jacobi)

DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT take anything with D'Amato. His reputation was that he gave A+s to everyone, which was the only reason to take any of his classes to begin with, since he doesn't actually teach you anything (at least he didn't in Jurisprudence). But then last spring he gave a bunch of people B's in an uncurved class. OCI killer.

[PBateman1]

Anyone with a good Litvak BA outline?

[franklyscarlet]

Thoughts on taking:

First Amendment (DeSanto)
Criminal Defense Clinic (Urdangen, continuing from this term)
Environmental Appellate Advocacy Workshop (Barsa & Dana)

The workshop sounds basically like another clinic (requiring "participation in class, weekly meetings with the instructors, and meetings with clients and the final brief. The briefs will be complex, and students will be expected to spend 12-15 hours per week, outside of class, working on them.")

I'm wondering if two clinic-like classes is too much for 3LOL spring.

Bump for anyone's thoughts?

DeSanto is amazing! One of the best professors at NU. The only downside is that it's going to be a curved class because he's so popular, and because his teaching style is so clear that everyone actually learns First Amendment Law, it's going to be the tightest curve eeeevvvveeer.

I can chat barsa's workshop with you. Best class I ever took, but it is a fair amount of work.

[d cooper]

Does anyone have a solid Shapo outline they care to share?

[Flips88]

Does anyone have a solid Shapo outline they care to share?

Just get his hornbook.

[babblefish]

Any thoughts on which of these 1L classes are most likely to be easy/uncurved. Specifically, is Economic Analysis of the Law too difficult/stacked with old econ majors?

American Legal History (3 credits) (Presser)
Business Associations (Litvak)
Business Associations (Lutz)
Corporations (O’Hara)
Economic Analysis of the Law (Friedman)
Environmental Law (Barsa)
Estates and Trusts (Schanzenbach)
Family Law (Yuracko)
First Amendment (DeSanto)
Intellectual Property (Pike)
International Law (D’Amato)
Jurisprudence (Kleinfeld)
Labor Law (Crystal)
Law and Social Change (Rubinowitz)
Legislation (Jacobi)

DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT take anything with D'Amato. His reputation was that he gave A+s to everyone, which was the only reason to take any of his classes to begin with, since he doesn't actually teach you anything (at least he didn't in Jurisprudence). But then last spring he gave a bunch of people B's in an uncurved class. OCI killer.

Environmental with Barsa is a fantastic course, but I know a few very smart people who wound up with a B+ even though it was uncurved.
Had a friend who took Legislation with Jacobi and highly recommended it.
Law & Social change is great if you are more exam adverse and would rather write a paper.
Know Corporations' exams will happen around the same time your CLR memo is due, so your life will suck for a bit but will be better around finals time.

[Cobretti]

Does anyone have a solid Shapo outline they care to share?

Just get his hornbook.

+1

You literally don't even have to go to his class if you've read his hornbook. He practically just reads out of it for his lectures.

[fruitoftheloom]

Jacobi is amazing. Haven't taken Legislation, but if it's uncurved she has a reputation as a pretty easy grader.

BA with Lutz will be curved, but it's more than half LLMs and he strongly prefers native English speakers, so it's not hard to get into the top half of the curve. (Seriously I think he writes his exam with the goal to fuck over LLMs).

[splitsplat]

DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT take anything with D'Amato. His reputation was that he gave A+s to everyone, which was the only reason to take any of his classes to begin with, since he doesn't actually teach you anything (at least he didn't in Jurisprudence). But then last spring he gave a bunch of people B's in an uncurved class. OCI killer.

just to defend the old man, he actually tried giving everyone As but the administration delayed his grades and forced him to redistribute them on a curve. although the original advice is definitely sound (don't expect free As from him).

[rinkrat19]

Has anyone heard anything about the High Tech Trial Techniques class taught over at Bartlit Beck? It appears to never fill up, but the CTEs sound ok. Is it a bad idea if you haven't taken Trial Ad or done any moot court (my only oral argument to date was in 1L CLR, although I may be appearing in criminal court for clinic coming up in Dec/future dates).

[brezz]

Anyone know anything about Sawyer for IHR: Differing Perspectives?

[Dr. Filth]

how many hours do we have to take per semester to get loans?

[babblefish]

how many hours do we have to take per semester to get loans?

From: Financial Chicago <financial-aid-chicago@northwestern.edu>
Date: Mon, Oct 27, 2014 at 1:36 PM
Subject: RE: Financial Aid Question and Credit hours

Hi XXX,

For JD students, full-time enrollment is 9 credits per term.
Please let us know if you have any additional questions and have a wonderful week!

[rinkrat19]

how many hours do we have to take per semester to get loans?

Are you planning on taking a huge load during some other term or something?

[crumpetsandtea]

how many hours do we have to take per semester to get loans?

From: Financial Chicago <financial-aid-chicago@northwestern.edu>
Date: Mon, Oct 27, 2014 at 1:36 PM
Subject: RE: Financial Aid Question and Credit hours

Hi XXX,

For JD students, full-time enrollment is 9 credits per term.
Please let us know if you have any additional questions and have a wonderful week!

I've also received this email:

Hi XXXXX,

Students must be enrolled in at least 4 credits per term to be eligible for federal financial aid.

Thanks,
Zach

Zach Weber
Assistant Director of Financial Aid
Northwestern University
Chicago Office of Financial Aid
710 N. Lake Shore Drive, Suite 629
P: 312-503-8722 | F: 312-503-8700
zachary.weber@northwestern.edu

[Dr. Filth]

how many hours do we have to take per semester to get loans?

Are you planning on taking a huge load during some other term or something?

nah, i took a summer class, so i just want to make sure everything is good with me taking 9 hours last semester 3L year.

ty, everyone.

[rinkrat19]

how many hours do we have to take per semester to get loans?

Are you planning on taking a huge load during some other term or something?

nah, i took a summer class, so i just want to make sure everything is good with me taking 9 hours last semester 3L year.

ty, everyone.

Oh, yeah, I'm sure that's fine. I bet they'd even let it go below 9 for a final semester.

I only need 10, but I think I may end up taking 11 because there's nothing worth 1 credit. (God forbid we get credit for journal participation.)

[Calvin Murphy]

I'm sure I can find multiple things that are good enough, since the class is basically just looking at the rules and considering policy...but does anyone have an Allen Evidence outline they'd be willing to share?

[bjsesq]

how many hours do we have to take per semester to get loans?

Are you planning on taking a huge load during some other term or something?

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand PAUSE

[zozin]

What happens if a 3L gets outbid in Legal Ethics?

[Charger]

how many hours do we have to take per semester to get loans?

From: Financial Chicago <financial-aid-chicago@northwestern.edu>
Date: Mon, Oct 27, 2014 at 1:36 PM
Subject: RE: Financial Aid Question and Credit hours

Hi XXX,

For JD students, full-time enrollment is 9 credits per term.
Please let us know if you have any additional questions and have a wonderful week!

I've also received this email:

Hi XXXXX,

Students must be enrolled in at least 4 credits per term to be eligible for federal financial aid.

Thanks,
Zach

Zach Weber
Assistant Director of Financial Aid
Northwestern University
Chicago Office of Financial Aid
710 N. Lake Shore Drive, Suite 629
P: 312-503-8722 | F: 312-503-8700
zachary.weber@northwestern.edu

Shit. Which one is it? I was also told the latter and was only planning on taking 8 credits. Goddamn it.