First CJS Meeting of the Year
Today is the first CJS meeting of the year. Space is tight this year and we have not been able to get a room until now. I hope a lot of you will come and see what we are about. We will do officer reports and introduce our new Murder 101 Project. Kaylynn has designed a killer logo (pun intended) that we are using on upcoming posters, et al.
On September 15th Kevin Coe (also known as the South Hill rapist) will have his civil commitment hearing. Coe was convicted of 4 counts of rape in 1980 and released a few years laters after the Washington Supreme Court ruled against the use of testimony taken by hypnotized witnesses. He was tried again and was convicted of 3 counts of rape. Somehow the use of testimony by witnesses came up again and the court overturned two of the counts and upheld one count. Coe was sentenced to 25 years in prison, which he completed in December of 2006. The prosecution moved to hold Coe in custody until a civil committment hearing could be scheduled. On September 15th the State of Washington will argue that he should be declared a sexually violent predator and confined indefinitely. To read more about this topic try this article, in which former SU law professor John Lafond is interviewed: Sex predator law stirs debate
On September 22nd the CJS is holding a debate on the Judge Nault issue. Check back next week for more details.
Here’s my funny video of the week . . .
Murder 101
Murder 101 is a new project developed by the Criminal Justice Society. This is an opportunity for law students to graduate with real world experience. Working on a murder case gives students an opportunity to work one-on-one with a Seattle-area criminal defense lawyer, experience court appearances, understand investigative processes, and write about legal issues that matter.
Murder 101 will participate in four murder cases at a time. Each case will have a student who will be the lead (a 2L or 3L) in the case; that person will pick a second student as backup on the case. Then several other students will get the opportunity to work on the case doing various projects. All students will have the opportunity to go to omnibus hearings, read the discovery, attend depositions, investigate the case, and write memos to the rest of the team. Each member of the team will have a faculty advisor, ethics advisor, research advisor, moral support guide, and case work back-up partner in order to assure an environment of quality, competency, and to reduce the stress associated with working a murder case. Check back for more information on this project or email me if you are interested in participating.
I am currently working as a legal intern on a murder case that is coming up for trial in a few weeks. In June of this year I emailed a criminal defense attorney who lives about a mile from my house. I told him I was pretty sure I was worthless to him as someone who just finished their first year of law school, but that I’d make copies, type memos, or sweep the floor if I could hang out at his office this summer and observe his defense style. He called me back within five minutes of my email and told me he had taken a second-degree murder case pro-bono. The case is about a 17-year-old who killed a man who had been molesting and stalking him since he was 13-years-old. To read more about the case, click here. If you are interested in watching the case at the courthouse, check back here, and I will post when the trial starts.
Other opportunities that are cropping up are a training to be held at SU School of Law to train law students to help adults seal their juvenile records. If you are interested in attending the training join the CJS TWEN page, click on forums and add your name by replying to my post on the topic.
Hands up, who misses James Dold? James abandoned us to attend the University of Maryland Law School. It was one of his dreams to attend UM, and I’m happy he gets to fulfill that dream, but I still miss the guy. Speaking of other schools, check out the two videos below. While 1L’s might not ‘get’ many of the jokes yet, check back at year’s end and rewatch them. For the rest of you, yes, they are long, but worth every minute, I swear.
I’m not saying our school is boring, unimaginative, or stuffy, but how awesome is this performance by faculty and students at the Virginia School of Law? I looked them up on Wikipedia and found they have putting this show on since 1904.
Wikipedia says: Each spring over a hundred students write, direct and perform in The Libel Show, a comedy and musical theatre production that was first organized in 1904. Its performers roast Law School professors, student stereotypes and life in Charlottesville throughout each of its three nightly showings. Professors write and sing their response to the students’ jokes at the penultimate performance.
Message from the president…
Welcome 1Ls—the Class of 2011. I hope the CJS will be able to help you on your journey to becoming a successful lawyer. We have a lot planned for the 2008-09 school year, so join our TWEN site to be kept up to date on the latest happenings and opportunities. Check out our TAD program if you are interested in attending a dinner with an attorney currently practicing in the criminal justice field. Click on Events to find out about upcoming speakers and our Noontime Discussions.
We are implementing a mentoring program. This would pair a law student with a practicing criminal law professional. If you are interested in beta testing that program as we design it, drop me an email or respond to this blog post, and I’ll get back to you with information. We are always open to starting new programs that satisfy the needs and desires of students who are interested in criminal law, so please don’t hesitate to come forward and speak your mind. The goal of the Criminal Justice Society is to create camaraderie, education, and opportunity to every SU law student interested in joining the criminal justice field. It will be fantastic if we can do that.
Here’s a little video that has become one of my favorites, even though it has nothing to do with criminal law:
Here’s one that answers the question “What kind of law professor would Jerry Seinfeld make?” George and Jerry contemplate murder