The Legal Intern Certificate

After you have completed two thirds of your J. D. degree requirements you will be eligible to receive a legal intern certificate from the Supreme Court of Ohio. That certificate will allow you to represent clients in legal aid, public defender, prosecutor or legal clinic offices (such as our Legal Clinic). The certificate allows you to receive valuable training and experience as a “lawyer” representing  certain clients in court under the supervision of a licensed attorney.

If you are interested in obtaining this certificate please contact Professor Joann Sahl (jsahl1@uakron.edu) or Professor J. Dean Carro (carro1@uakron.edu) in the Legal Clinic when you become eligible. It is important to remember that generally this certificate can only be used in the above offices, with rare exceptions. Once you obtain your certificate you are responsible for insuring that you only use it in authorized settings, on limited cases and only for certain specified clients. This is not an open license to practice in just any setting.

J. Dean Carro
Director, Legal Clinic
The University of Akron School of Law
330-972-7751

US Patent and Trademark Office to hire 2,000 Patent Examiners

The CPPO has just learned that the United States Patent & Trademark Office will be posting a job announcement on www.USAJobs.gov in mid-October for patent examiner positions.  Their goal is to hire approximately 2,000 new patent examiners in the next year. This is an excellent opportunity for students with scientific and/or technical backgrounds to consider a career in intellectual property.

 Students can view www.USPTOcareers.gov to learn more about the positions and a career at the USPTO.  

How to Avoid Plagiarism

Plagiarism, as defined on the University of Akron Office of General Counsel web page, “is the intentional or unintentional use of the words or ideas of another without acknowledging their source.” Deliberate and accidental plagiarism are treated the same by the University and the School of Law.  The University places the responsibility on the students to know what plagiarism is and how to avoid it.

Law students caught plagiarizing will be violating the Law School’s Student Disciplinary Code and will be subject to proceedings under the Code.  Consequences can be severe and may include dismissal from the University.

More information about plagiarism can be found here- Law Library Plagiarism Guide.

CALI Lesson: Plagiarism – Keeping Out of Trouble.  This lesson will explain what constitutes plagiarism, how to avoid plagiarizing, and offers opportunities for students to test their understanding of plagiarism.