Akron Law Summer Experience
The Akron Law Summer Experience is 5 weeks of hands-on, practical legal training offered to rising 2Ls and 3Ls to provide students with a meaningful summer experience, despite COVID-19 disrupting many internships and clerkships. The flexible and remote nature of the program allows for all students to participate.
Beginning June 1st, students may participate in any or all of the planned programs, and those students who participate in all 5 programs will receive a Certificate of Completion. The Akron Law Summer Experience will allow students to continue to develop substantive legal skills, to add meaningful experience to their resumes, to produce a writing sample for future job applications, and to further develop as a professional. The program would make an excellent complement to your summer internship, externship, clinics, or coursework, or may be a stand-alone summer experience.
The Akron Law Summer Experience will be facilitated by Career Services and delivered on Symplicity’s Pathways portal. All programming and work will be done virtually. Career Services has partnered with Lexis Nexis, the Akron Bar Association, the Legal Writing Program, and the Legal Clinics. Together, we hope to deliver a successful and meaningful summer experience!
Schedule of Programs and Events
Week 1: Law Firm Legal Research Training: Jennifer Durkin of Lexis will offer a customized training for Akron Law students, including a simulated summer associate research assignment, and training covering researching cases, statutes, regulations, and secondary sources. Any students wishing to pursue Lexis Certification will have the opportunity to schedule additional trainings.
Week 2: Legal Writing Exercise: Students will design a 1000-word electronic “client alert” about a current legal issue. A client alert is a short news bulletin that informs clients of a significant legal development that will affect their business — typically a new law, regulation, policy or major case. The purpose of a client alert is to explain how a legal development will affect clients and what steps they should take as a result of that development. The alert should provide practical information, not a legal analysis. Each student will receive feedback and learn best practices for preparing client alerts from volunteer attorneys from the Akron Bar Association.
Week 3 (Friday, June 19th at 12:15PM): Understanding the Business of Law: A panel of attorneys will discuss billable hours, client confidentiality, engagement letters, client development, building a book of business, and use of technology by attorneys, and answer questions about the business operations of law firms.
Week 4: Client Intake Exercise: Under the supervision of Professor Joann Sahl, each student will conduct a client interview through a virtual Re-entry clinic or a housing case referred by Community Legal Aid. Students will spend time interviewing the assigned client, gathering facts of the case, and drafting a brief memorandum summarizing the client matter.
Week 5 (Thursday, July 2nd at 5:30PM): Virtual Networking Event: Co-hosted by the Akron Bar Association, students will be invited to a virtual networking event. Participants will be introduced to local practicing attorneys and have the opportunity to explore various practice areas and legal careers paths in a fun and social way.
Registration
To sign up for the Akron Law Summer Experience, please visit: https://akron.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_e2jcUEz24moaxkp.
Once you have registered, we will reach out with further details and next steps.
If you have any questions, please contact Assistant Dean Benedict O’Brien: ab139@uakron.edu.