Library Hours Post-New Year's Eve

Happy Nearly New Year to Everyone!

The Law Library will be open until 5pm on Wednesday, Dec. 31st and then closed from Thursday, Jan. 1 through Saturday, Jan. 3.

The Library will open from noon till 5pm on Sunday, Jan. 4.

Regular hours resume on Monday, Jan. 5, when School of Law classes begin again.

Doris Chase, Sculptor

Have you ever wondered about the sculpture in the NW entrance to Gates Hall? To learn more about the artist, see Regina Hackett, Doris Chase, 1923-2008: Artist's work part of Seattle landscape, Seattle P-I, Dec. 23, 2008.

ABA's Social Networking Site: Legally Minded

The American Bar Association has launched a new social networking site for the legal community. Legally Minded "is an online community serving the legal profession. Our goal is to create an unparalleled resource that gathers law school students, academics, firm administrators, legal support staff, judges, paralegals, attorneys, law librarians and other professionals to contribute, network, and collaborate online."

The site features a blog, community discussions, job-finding tools, and lots of content from the ABA's website.

Create your own account and the site finds other users who share your interests and career goals.

This new site already has 500 members and is growing daily.

ABA Reports on Human Trafficking

"An estimated 27 million people are victims of human trafficking in the world today, and between 14,500 and 17,000 are trafficked into the United States each year." The American Bar Association has recently released three reports focusing on the legal needs of of victims:

• Meeting the Legal Needs of Human Trafficking Victims: An Introduction for Domestic Violence Attorneys & Advocates, 39 pages. Covers identifying potential human trafficking cases, civil remedies, practice pointers for effective representation, and relevant organizations and print materials.
• Meeting the Legal Needs of Child Trafficking Victims: An Introduction for Children's Attorneys & Advocates, 35 pages. Covers descriptions of child trafficking, legal remedies, community-based responses, and relevant organizations and print materials.
• Human Trafficking Cases: How and Why to Use an Expert Witness, 2 pages. Covers ways in which an expert witness can help and tips for working with an expert.

Vested Interest: Excavating your closet

The aftermath of exam period is the perfect time to rest your eyes and instead turn to a different kind of "legal research"-rifling through the depths of your closet for a professional wardrobe. When deciding whether to keep those brown loafers or send them off to Goodwill, or whether to keep that designer peacock-print silk suit scavenged off the racks of Nordstrom Rack, the experts have a few pointers on appropriate attire at a law firm.

Because associate positions at law firms are highly competitive, the standards for professional attire have become stricter, as recruiters must narrow down larger pools of applicants. Here are five tips on dressing for that first interview, and after you get that dream-job:

1. Conform to the firm's dress standards.

Dress formally. This almost always means a suit and tie for men and a suit with pants or a skirt for women, in neutral colors. Even if your firm's dress is "business casual," make sure that the quality of your clothing is high and your clothes are well-tailored to fit your body.

2. Can't I express myself at all?

Yes, but keep it subtle! Color choice can have a subconscious influence on the perceptions of others. For example, black and red are strong colors often associated with power, while gray and navy are more approachable. Medium blue is a color that is often perceived as friendly and genuine. However, color associations can vary depending on the perceiver's age, gender, cultural background, and personal experiences.

Women can and should wear accessories that reflect their desired image. For example, pearls and simple gold necklaces convey a professional, conservative image, while chunky bead necklaces convey the image of a creative thinker. Don't forget to wear closed-toe shoes. With makeup, keep it natural.

Men can express themselves through their ties. You should still forgo the Jerry Garcia ties, but consider the meaning behind colors. If you want to appear approachable and friendly, consider ties in earth tones or soft greens, or a blue dress shirt. If you are relatively young and want to appear more serious, consider a tie in red with bold stripes paired with a dark suit.

3. Consistent impressions are important, but first-impressions never die.

A low-cut shirt or unkempt hair can leave a lasting impression, even if you do get the job.

4. Avoid image detractors.

Common image detractors for men are 5 o'clock shadow, displaying hairy ankles, and wearing ties of improper length. Ankles should be hidden by socks when sitting. Ties should end at the belt buckle.

The most common image detractor for women is perfume. Many people are allergic, or may not like it.

5. Stand up straight!

This one is very hard for most people; because of sedentary lifestyle, most people have weak backs. However, posture is extremely important for conveying confidence and capability.


For more information on how to dress in the legal field, the articles used in researching this blog post are available in full-text through LegalTrac:

• Dick Dahl, Wardrobe, grooming help make the attorney, S.C. Law. Weekly, July 23, 2007.

• Expert Opinion: Clothes that make the lawyer, Mass. Law. Weekly, Feb. 25, 2008.

In addition, this article referenced is available through Westlaw:

• Rodney Jew and Martin Q. Peterson, Envisioning persuasion: painting the picture for the jury, Trial, October 1995, at 76.

Now that you are "dressed for success," you can find valuable tips for running the interview gauntlet in Kimm Alayne Walton's book, Guerilla tactics for getting the legal job of your dreams. KF297 .W34 1999. Two copies of the most recent edition are available in the Gallagher Library reference area, and two additional copies are in the classified stacks.

-- Julia Vinson

Congressional Bailout Panel's First Report

The First Report of the Congressional Oversight Panel for Economic Stabilization was issued on Dec. 10th. Titled Questions about the $700 Billion Emergency Economic Stabilization Funds, the 38-page document poses and discusses 10 questions:

1. What is Treasury's strategy?
2. Is the strategy working to stabilize markets?
3. Is the strategy helping to reduce foreclosures?
4. What have financial institutions done with the taxpayers' money received so far?
5. Is the public receiving a fair deal?
6. What is Treasury doing to help the American family?
7. Is Treasury imposing reforms on financial institutions that are taking taxpayer money?
8. How is Treasury deciding which institutions receive the money?
9. What is the scope of Treasury's statutory authority?
10. Is Treasury looking ahead?

UW Law Faculty Publication: Kate O'Neill

Kate O'Neill, But Who Will Teach Legal Reasoning and Synthesis?, 4 J. Ass'n Legal Writing Directors 21 (2007).

In this essay, Professor Kate O’Neill, former Director of the UW Law's Basic Legal Skills program, analyzes the interesting question “would legal education be improved by integrating the first-year legal writing course with an upper-level clinical course?” She addresses the potential benefits for students and faculty as well as possible challenges of such an integration including the need for an increased focus on instruction in neoclassical legal reasoning instruction in doctrinal courses and “the possible decrease in the quality and time devoted to instruction and practice in legal reasoning that might be the unintended consequence of integrating.”

Exam prep

One way to prepare for exams is to look at old exams your professor has given (or maybe exams for the subject that other professors have given). To see the archive, just click on "Exams" in the navigation bar at the top of our homepage (or click here). The archive is restricted to UW users, so you'll need to enter your UW NetID.

Need a little review? Consider the computer-based lessons from CALI. There are hundreds of them, for dozens of law school classes. (If you haven't set up an account yet, you can contact the Reference Office for our school's access code.)

Want a good place to review with a couple of classmates? Remember the group study rooms on L2.

Community Supervision of Dangerous Mentally Ill Offenders

A task force convened by the King County Prosecuting Attorney and the Department of Corrections Secretary released a 160 page report on the mental health and criminal justice systems: Examining the Tools in the Toolbox A Review of Community Supervision of Dangerous Mentally Ill Offenders. A news story on the task force report and investigation, and the tragic circumstances that led to its formation, is in today's Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Cleaning Up Puget Sound

The Puget Sound Partnership released its Action Agenda to restore and protect Puget Sound. The Partnership was created in 2007 by the Washington State Legislature and tasked to coordinate and lead efforts among various governmental entities, such as federal and state agencies, tribes, cities, counties, and ports. The goal is to restore the health of Puget Sound by 2020.

Blawgs to Watch

The ABA Journal has come out with its second list of law-related blogs -- The Blawg 100. There's a wide range -- from the FBI's weekly podcast of cases it's closed (Gotcha) to legal theory. Students thinking about career options and job hunting might find some of the blogs listed under "Practice/Career Management" helpful.

Congratulations to Seattle bloggers who made the list: Dan Harris and Steve Dickinson (China Law Blog) and Kevin O'Keeffe (Real Lawyers Have Blogs).

Seattle Civil Rights & Labor History Project

The Seattle Civil Rights & Labor History Project is a terrific resource about our local history.

Seattle has a unique civil rights history that challenges the way we think about race, civil rights, and the Pacific Northwest. Civil rights movements in Seattle started well before the celebrated struggles in the South in the 1950s and 1960s, and they relied not just on African American activists but also on Filipino Americans, Japanese Americans, Chinese Americans, Jews, Latinos, and Native Americans. They also depended upon the support of some elements of the region's labor movement. From the 1910s through the 1970s, labor and civil rights were linked in complicated ways, with some unions and radical organizations providing critical support to struggles for racial justice, while others stood in the way.

This multi-media web site brings the vital history of Seattle's civil rights movements to life with dozens of video oral histories, hundreds of rare photographs, documents, movement histories, and personal biographies. Based at the University of Washington, the Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project is a collaboration between community groups and UW faculty and students.

The activist oral histories include Law School alumni Guadalupe Gamboa (UFW leader), Ricardo Martinez (federal district judge), Blair Paul (founding member of United Indians of All Tribes Foundation, now a real estate agent), and Charles Z. Smith (professor emeritus and former Justice of the Washington Supreme Court).

There are Films and Powerpoint slide shows include:

• "A Really Nice Place To Live" Film by Shaun Scott
• "The End of Old Days" Film by Shaun Scott
• "A Family Affair" Film by Shaun Scott
• "Seattle's Segregation Story" Powerpoint with video segments
• "Seattle’s Civil Rights History: Movements and Milestones" Powerpoint with video segments
• "Black Panthers Tell Their Stories" Powerpoint with video segments
• "Raza Si! Chicano Activism in Washington State 1965- present" Powerpoint with video segments
• "Youth in the Seattle Civil Rights Movements" Powerpoint with video segments
• "Women in Seattle's Civil Rights Movements" Powerpoint with video segments