First of all, I can’t believe that my last post was November 11th. So many things have happened since then that I haven’t filled you in on, yet it seems like it was just yesterday. Time is really flying by! While I would love to give you a play-by-play of the last month or so, that would be pretty boring for you. So, here are some of the highlights of what I’ve been up to and what’s coming up soon.
Law School
I’m still going strong in law school. I’m halfway done! Last semester ended and the grades have all finally come in. I’m pretty happy with where I currently stand, so no complaints there. I literally went into hiding during exams last semester, I think it was my hardest set of exams yet. I’ve decided that, despite popular opinion, your second year doesn’t get easier. Believe it or not, you are supposed to remember and apply the basic concepts you learned in your first year classes, like the elements of negligence, interpretations of the Constitution, and how to form a contract. There is a reason they make you take these classes in the beginning; everything uses them in some way or another! It was nice to take classes that I was specifically interested in. I had Evidence, Professional Responsibility, Immigration, Education Law and Mock Trial.
Mock trial was awesome. My partner and I made it to the Final round and lost by just a few points. Mock trial (called Student Trial Advocacy Program at Wayne) is a program where students compete against each other in “real” trials. We get a problem and have to argue the case for a given side in one trial, then switch to argue the other side in the next trial. We use the Federal Rules of Evidence to argue for whether we should be able to admit or not admit certain testimony or exhibits. We have volunteer witnesses that play the characters in the problem, who we prep as best we can so they can support our case. I thought the Wayne team did a great job of making it as realistic as possible. During the “in-house” competition, where Wayne students in the program compete against each other, we even had a few of our trials in actual courtrooms. We have witnesses and judges volunteer to preside as a judge over each case. They rule on any legal decisions and also score us as we go. It is a lot of fun. I took evidence at the same time I was in Mock Trial, so I was learning new rules and applying them to the problem at the same time. I thought this was extremely beneficial for me, not only in my Mock Trial case but in my evidence class, the rules seemed more real to me because I had a way to use them. Of course, it’s ideal if you have already taken evidence before Mock Trial.
After the in-house competition ended, I tried out for and made one of the national competition teams. We send teams to two national competitions, AAJ and TYLA. I won’t say which one I got onto, since the teams are highly competitive and we are in the middle of preparing for competition. However, it was very exciting to be invited to join one of these prestigious teams. We will have the chance to compete against teams from other schools in a regional competition, with the winners going on to compete at a National competition. My team has put in a ton of time already, practicing two to three times a week.
Immigration Law Clinic
I was also accepted into the Immigration Law Clinic at Wayne State. This is taken for credit but is usually difficult for 2L’s to get into because preference is given to graduating students. Luckily, I got into the clinic and we hit the ground running in early January. We were officially sworn in to practice last night by MI Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Young. At the clinic, we work with a partner and are assigned cases to handle for the semester. The cases can range from asylum to family visas, departure, etc. My partner and I have just one case, but it’s a big one. Our client is going to have a full merits hearing on her asylum case during this semester. This is essentially a full trial in court and at the end, the judge will decide if she will be granted asylum or not. Obviously, I can’t get into the details of the case but it is a lot of work, not only preparing for the hearing, but managing all of the different facets that go into a case like this. Many people don’t really know what asylum is, so maybe I will make a post about that on another day. This clinic offers incredible experience opportunities. Since I am interested in practicing Immigration Law, I am glad to have the chance to get some insight into what it’s like now.
Dearborn Pools
While it has been very cold the past couple of days and no one is really thinking about swimming outside, there have been a group of us working hard to figure out how to save the pools in Dearborn. A sub-committee was formed over the summer made of people from the Recreation Department, different areas of the city, and some Save Our Pools members to find a solution. I was asked to fill in at a meeting in early December, and they haven’t been able to get rid of me since. lol. I have been very pleased with the efforts and progress of this committee. You may have read about our presentation to the City Council about one of the solutions we discovered and agree will be a positive and possible way to keep the small pools. At that meeting, we also got the good news that no new pools will be closing this year and that the Mayor has recommended already to open all of the pools for this summer that were open last summer. This was good news, but my excitement was tempered by the knowledge that if we can’t come to some solution for the pools, there will be pools closing next summer (2013). The Mayor essentially said (not a direct quote here) that if it is left to the city to have to fund the pools, then they will close all of the small pools over time and eventually they will support only Dunworth and Ford Woods. This is not ideal and so we are working very hard to make the SAD’s not only a viable option but one that people can understand and support. Much more information to come later!
American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
I began working with the ADC in October. I have loved my time with this organization since. I work on our cases, so when anyone has experienced discrimination, they come into the office and file a complaint. I meet with them and help to identify ways to resolve or address the situation. In addition to that, the ADC has a ton of events that we put on each year, so I have been helping to make these events a success as well. I am always amazed and humbled by the strength of voice and impact that ADC can make in a given situation. I am proud to be a part of this organization. Like all the rest, I promise to write more on what types of things the ADC does and ways you can get involved. One easy way you can help is to donate to the cause. ADC is a non-profit and we provide free services to those who need it. Your help can assure that ADC is able to continue its work toward securing civil rights and liberties for all of us in America. If you are interested in donating, click here.
That’s a quick summary of what’s been happening. Thanks for sticking with me through the past month or so of silence. I hope you respond and let me know what you have been up to, or things you hope to see happen this year!
