Special Programs - Student Affairs
The Office of Student Affairs at Vanderbilt Law School provides programming to supplement our students' legal education. Complete lawyering techniques, mindfulness, ethics and academic skills are among the variety of topics. If you are a current student, you can find more information about these programs on our VULS Intranet site.
Bar Exam Workshop
During the fall semester, Julie Sandine, Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, leads an informative meeting for 3L and LL.M. students about the Bar Exam and MPRE requirements, deadlines, and procedures. She also provides an idea of what to expect with regard to these exams in particular and licensure requirements in general.
Christine Rickard, (J.D. '04) has designed programs specifically to help students excel on the essay portion of the bar exam, which are offered during the spring semester and summer following graduation. These programs supplement the substantive information students receive in their bar review courses, providing information about bar exam essay grading, how to write an effective essay answer, study tips, and time management. Common flaws and "what to do if..." scenarios are also discussed. All graduating students are encouraged to attend the general essay workshop offered in the spring semester, and specialized seminars for the New York and Tennessee bar exams are also offered during the summer. 3L and LL.M. students may participate in these free workshops sponsored by the Office of Student Affairs.
Non-Credit Offerings for 1L Students
First-Year Vanderbilt Law School students are able to take advantage of two groundbreaking offerings that can help to make the unique first year experience more understandable and enjoyable. These are purely optional non-credit offerings and are not graded. Each group will meet for one hour per week for the first ten (10) weeks of the fall semester. Professionalism in Practice is designed to enable students to explore their role in our noble profession and ethical issues that are frequently encountered, while Supportive Practices will teach students techniques and strategies beneficial in offsetting some of the stresses and uncertainties frequently experienced during the first year of law school. Here are more detailed descriptions of each of these innovative offerings:
Professionalism in Practice
The Professionalism in Practice group provides participants with an opportunity to learn about and discuss their role and identity as professionals, leadership skills, and various ethical issues encountered by lawyers in practice in a more relaxed, small group setting.
Supportive Practices
Supportive Practices is a group in which participants are taught techniques previously demonstrated to reduce the stress experienced by graduate students in other professional schools, such as medical school. These techniques also serve to enhance one’s concentration, composure and overall sense of well-being.
Briefing Cases Workshop
A case brief is an important tool in law school, especially since law school texts and the case method for learning differ so dramatically from those used in other disciplines. Properly briefing a case helps one more effectively analyze a case and record one's understanding of its key components, in addition to reciting the relevant facts and law during class discussion. A workshop on pre-reading and briefing cases is presented by Dean Sandine to 1L students, which provides insights and tips to enhance comprehension in reading and preparing for class.
How to Outline: A Workshop for New Law Students
Creating an outline can be time-consuming and difficult, but outlines are crucial to organizing the massive amounts of information covered throughout the semester, as well as studying for your law school exams. This workshop expands your skills by providing strategies for outlining cases faster and more easily.