The Red Velvet Lawyer

A Touch of New Orleans  and  the Kentucky Derby Melded for a Charitable Cause Several years ago, our Dean, Lucy McGough, joined us after having lived in Baton Rouge, Louisiana most of her academic career.  Soon, events linked to that history came to campus. First, came the sale of home-made gumbo to raise funds for a local charity.  Then, ASL had its first shrimp boil.   Last month, the local chapter of the Lion's Club sponsored  the second shrimp boil on campus along with a corn hole tournament designed to raise money for its many worthwhile projects.  The local organization especially focuses on the needs of the low-income residents of Buchanan County who need eye exams and eyeglasses.   I profiled the Lion's Club as a student organization here . Students and faculty at ASL enjoyed a meal of spicy shrimp, sausages, corn, and potatoes. Many of the students participated in the corn hole tournament.  Josh Kinzer , the President of the Grundy Chapter

Opportunities to Serve the School, the Community, and the Profession This week, we held a bar-b-que that gave student organizations an opportunity to recruit members.   I profiled all, or nearly all, of ASL's student organizations in a series of posts beginning in August 31, 2013 that continued through October 2013. They are: Pro Bono Legal Service Providers: Court Appointed Special Advocates ( CASA )  VITA Tax Services ( VITA )  Great Eastern Trail Project ( GET )  Law Journals: Appalachian Journal of Law ( AJoL ) Appalachian Natural Resources Law Journal ( ANRLJ ) Student Government: Student Bar Association (SBA) Legislative Branch Executive Branch Standing Committees Honor Court Legal Fraternities: Blackwell Inn Phi Delta Phi ( PDP )  Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, International ( PAD )  Focus on Substantive Law: ADR Society   Criminal Law Society ( CLS )  Education Law Society ( ELS )  Energy and Mineral Law Society ( EMLS )  Env

Student Organizations at the  Appalachian School of Law So here it is -- after more than a month of research -- the list of student organizations operating at the Appalachian School of Law.  I am proud of the programming and service our students provide our law school and the regional community.  These organizations enhance our well-being in so many ways.   Pro Bono Legal Service Providers: Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)  VITA Tax Services (VITA)  Great Eastern Trail Project (GET)  Law Journals: Appalachian Journal of Law (AJoL) Appalachian Natural Resources Law Journal (ANRLJ) Student Government: Student Bar Association (SBA) Honor Court Legal Fraternities: Blackwell Inn Phi Delta Phi (PDP)  Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, International (PAD)  Focus on Substantive Law: ADR Society  Criminal Law Society (CLS)  Education Law Society (ELS)  Energy and Mineral Law Society (EMLS)  Environmental Law Society (ELS)  Innocence Project  Inter

Funding Student Organization Activities   at the Appalachian School of Law   Rather than paraphrase the rules governing SBA appropriations for student organizations, I am simply reproducing the relevant provisions of the Bylaws of the ASL SBA. § 3. Allocation of Student Activity Fees  I. Preliminary Organization Budget A. Any student organization or student group seeking funding from the Senate shall submit a proposed itemized budget to the SBA Fiscal Policy Committee (Committee). The proposed budget request shall be submitted to the Committee no later than April 1st of the academic year preceding the academic year in which the funds are to be requested. Full funding is not guaranteed nor should be expected. These proposals do not bind the SBA, nor the organization.  1. The Committee shall only accept proposals signed by the Organization President, Treasurer, and Advisor, or their equivalents.  2. All budgets shall remain proposals until the SBA Budget is appro

Standing Committees of the Student Bar Association (SBA) of the Appalachian School of Law  The Student Bar Association -- which I have described in a series of postings here ,  here ,  here , and  here  -- has established a number of standing committees.  They are: American Bar Association Representative Student Activity Council New Organization Review Committee Fiscal Policy Committee Charitable Endeavors Committee President's Council Career Services Advisory Committee Legacy Committee Mental Health Committee, and Property Management Committee Section 5 of the Bylaws of the Appalachian School of Law Student Bar Association describes each of these committees: American Bar Association Representative In the Spring semester, the newly elected SBA President shall appoint an American Bar Association (ABA) Representative. The ABA Representative shall be a rising 3L whose primary responsibility will be to represent the school in all activitie

The Legislative Branch (Senate) of the Student Bar Association of the Appalachian School of Law The Student Bar Council (SBC) of the Student Bar Association (SBA) consists of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches. I discussed the Honor Court - the Judicial branch --  here .  I discussed the Executive branch here . Representatives of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches must be in good standing as defined by the law school, including the ASL Academic Standards and the Honor Code. Failure to meet this standard results in immediate removal from office and replacement according to the SBA Constitution. Voting and non-voting members of the SBC must attend all meetings, except for good cause. Absences in excess of four meetings per semester or two consecutive regularly scheduled meetings, without good cause, allows a majority vote of the Senate to remove the member. The Senate The Legislative branch of the SBC is known as the “Senate.”  The

The Executive Branch of the  Student Bar Association  of the  Appalachian School of Law The Student Bar Council (SBC) of the Student Bar Association (SBA) consists of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches. I discuss the Honor Court - the Judicial branch --  here .  I discuss the Legislative branch here . Representatives of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches must be in good standing as defined by the law school, including the ASL Academic Standards and the Honor Code. Failure to meet this standard results in immediate removal from office and replacement according to the SBA Constitution. Voting and non-voting members of the SBC must attend all meetings, except for good cause. Absences in excess of four meetings per semester or two consecutive regularly scheduled meetings, without good cause, allows a majority vote of the Senate to remove the member. Executive Branch of the SBA The Executive branch of the SBA consists of the President, V

Creating a New Student Organization at the Appalachian School of Law Section 4.I. of the Bylaws of the Appalachian School of Law nicely state the reason to create and support student organizations. The Appalachian School of Law encourages and supports the creation of student organizations. Student organizations contribute to the educational experience at the Law School by providing social and professional interaction outside the classroom. The SBA Senate will recognize qualifying groups as official organizations. Official recognition allows the SBA to assist the organization in such ways as funding activities through student activity fees and locating office or meeting space on the law school campus.  A student organization may establish criteria for membership provided that the organization’s policies are consistent with the anti-discrimination policy of the Appalachian School of Law. Specifically, no officially recognized student organization may establish membership po

The Appalachian School of Law Running Club In 2013, students and faculty members created an ad hoc running club that meets on Thursday evenings to run or walk.  The group encourages better health, stress management through exercise, and social interaction.   For more information, contact Assistant Professor Maryann Herman.  For more information about ASL student well-being, see my posting about the ASL Happiness Project  here .

"The Rhetoricals" Toastmasters Club of the Appalachian School of Law In 2012, ASL students created a local chapter of Toastmasters International, a public speaking and leadership educational group.  The club -- The Rhetoricals -- meets monthly and posts meeting dates and its program on TWEN. The International Organization The website  for Toastmasters International explains that it is a non-profit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of meeting locations.  It has more than 292,000 memberships in more than 14,350 clubs in 122 countries. Since 1924, Toastmasters International has helped people of all backgrounds become more confident in front of an audience. It also publishes a monthly magazine supporting the professional growth of members.  The national organization explains: The educational program is the heart of every Toastmasters club. It provides members with a proven c

The Appalachian School of Law's Innocence Project The Appalachian School of Law established a local chapter of the Innocence Project in 2012.   Mission Statement The website of the national organization explains its mission: The Innocence Project was founded in 1992 by Barry C. Scheck and Peter J. Neufeld at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University to assist prisoners who could be proven innocent through DNA testing. To date, more than 300 people in the United States have been exonerated by DNA testing, including 18 who served time on death row. These people served an average of 13 years in prison before exoneration and release.  The Innocence Project’s full-time staff attorneys and Cardozo clinic students provide direct representation or critical assistance in most of these cases. The Innocence Project’s groundbreaking use of DNA technology to free innocent people has provided irrefutable proof that wrongful convictions are not isolated or

Appalachian School of Law Students  Help Build the Great Eastern Trail Students at the Appalachian School of Law organized to help with the title work associated with building the Great Eastern Trail Project . In August of 2007, the trail groups involved in the effort incorporated as the Great Eastern Trail Association and held an organizational meeting in Virginia in November of 2007. Project organizers intend to establish an organizational structure that will encompass the entire length of the trail and to begin filling in the gaps in the trail. About the GET Project The Great Eastern Trail (GET) Association, working with American Hiking Society and local trail partners, is creating America's newest long-distance hiking trail.  This path runs for 1800 miles across nine states.  It runs roughly parallel to the Appalachian Trail, but follows the ridges on the Western side of the Appalachian Mountains.  Its path takes it close to Buchanan County and the la

The ADR Society of the  Appalachian School of Law The Appalachian School of Law is the only law school in the U.S. founded with a focus on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).  Beginning in 2006, the school placed increasing emphasis on its ADR curriculum, as I described here .   The ADR Society is a student organization dedicated to the advancement and awareness of ADR practices, to the exploration of career opportunities in ADR, and to equipping students with the knowledge and skills necessary to represent their future clients effectively in negotiation, mediation, and arbitration forums.   Students created this organization in 2012. Thus, it joins the other offerings falling generally under our Lawyer as Problem certificate program. Its Constitutional Preamble provides: The ADR Society exists to provide Appalachian School of Law students with opportunities to learn about Alternative Dispute Resolution practice, utility, and technique. It does th