You are in your seventh week of classes now.  This week's tips are based on student questions that have been asked recently.

What is the best way to catch up if I am behind in my reading for one or more courses?

• Make your priority staying on top of the current readings for class.  You will then be able to follow the class discussions.
• Fit in back reading as you can in small chunks (1 case or 5 pages at a time). 
• On the weekend, read first for your Monday and Tuesday classes for the upcoming week.  Then use extra time for catch-up reading.

The Student Animal Legal Defense Fund will be selling coffee, fruit and baked goods in the law school lobby on Monday, Sept. 28 and Wednesday, Sept. 30 from 8:30am to 12:30pm (or while supplies last). The coffee was generously provided by Heine Brothers. Come by and get your coffee fix!

As of 3:24 PM EDT, Saturday, September 26, 2009, the following 56 first-year students have submitted an Exam4 practice test, all of which but one (noted) were done correctly:

1594601 (Wrong. Try again.)
acbrah01
acdavi07
alfrit02
alkupe01
alwarf02
bmabel01
brmcco02
c0hage01
cdturn03
crduck01
eafitz03
eiluff01
erberg01
erbind01
ercole03
gcmurr01
gmaxon01
harals01
hmrich01
jasimo01
jdthei02
jkspal01
jlsiew02
jlstew08
jwcros02
l0qian03
lefels01
lnroeh01
ltsmit05
m0bren03
mafar01 (On second inspection, this is wrong, too.  Incomplete user name; unidentifiable.  Try again.)
mehelt01
mfburt01
mjpick03
mkahn01 (Actually, mlkahn01)
mlcant02
mmclev01
mmlewi04
naleep01
nphump01
nsfort01
r0may004
refree01
riwill03
rmromi01
saburn03
secoom02
sepott02
snhupm01
t0stev03
tasull02
tbchon01
tmflec01
tpchum01
vtklin01 

Transnational Law & Contemporary Problems, a journal of the University of Iowa College of Law, is pleased to announce the 2009-10 Trandafir International Business Writing Competition. The competition is open to all graduate and law students. The winning student will receive a cash prize of $2,000, and the journal will publish the winning submission in an upcoming edition. Submissions should address a contemporary international business or economic issue with a legal nexus.

Submissions must arrive at our office, via e-mail or U.S. mail only, no later than 5:00 PM CST on February 1, 2010.  A panel of journal editors and university professors will select the winning submission by early April 2010.  

Please address all inquiries to: law-trandafir@iowa.uiowa.edu. Submissions can be mailed to Trandafir International Business Writing Competition, University of Iowa College of Law, Boyd Law Building, Room 185, Iowa City, IA 52242.

A version of Exam4 for the Legal Research final and Torts I mid-term is available now.  For more information, including how to download, install and use Exam4 to take and submit practice tests and live exams, click here.

The Exam4 practice test deadline for 1Ls planning to use their computer to take either or both the Legal Research final exam and Professor Leibson's Torts I mid-term exam is 6:00 PM EDT, Saturday, October 3, 2009.  A propertly submitted practice test is a requirement before you may use your computer on either of these exams.  Students who fail to properly take and submit a practice test by the deadline will be refused technical assistance of any kind should they experience any technical difficulty using Exam4 on the Legal Research final and/or the Torts I mid-term.

Another version of Exam4 for all other exams will be forthcoming, and more information about that will be posted later.

National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition Sign Ups

Any interested 2L, 3L, or 4L may sign up now for the National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition, held February 18-20, 2010 in White Plains, New York.  The team's coach is Carey Peter.

To sign up, send an e-mail to Carey Peter, acpete@gmail.com and Cameron Griffith, ccgrif01@gmail.com containing your resume and a writing sample in Microsoft Word format:

The deadline for submission of these items is Wednesday September 30, 2009 at noon.

Information regarding the competition can be found online at: http://www.pace.edu/page.cfm?doc_id=23579

The maximum number of participants is three.  Any questions regarding the competition or requirements listed above may be directed to Cameron Griffith (ccgrif01@gmail.com).

University of Louisville officials unveiled the renovated Belknap Campus oval at a press conference September 22, 2009.

The oval has been under reconstruction since 2007. The project includes a cascading fountain, lighting, landscaping and safety features, such as sidewalks, curbs and brickpavers. It was paid for by Transportation Enhancements Program funding through the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and a grant from the University of Louisville Foundation.

• Oval renovations complete with turning on of fountain (UofL, 9/22/09)
• Dedication video on YouTube

Trademark Moot Court Competition Tryouts

Interested in Trademark Law? The Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition is the only competition in the United States with a focus on trademark and unfair competition law. Two teams of 2 students each will be selected to represent our law school in this competition. The regional tournament will be held in Chicago on Saturday, February 6, 2010. The National Finals will be held on Saturday, March 20, 2010, at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Washington, D.C. During National Finals, cash prizes totaling up to $8,500 are awarded.

Tryouts consist of two parts. First, submit a short written memo: Assignments will be available beginning Monday, September 28th at the Moot Court Board Office. Submissions are due back at the Moot Court Board Office by Monday, October 5th at 9:00AM. Second, complete a 15-minute oral argument: Arguments will be heard the week of October 5th-October 9th. Sign up times will be posted on the Moot Court Board Office door. Participation is open to 2Ls, 3Ls, and 4Ls.

For additional information, you are encouraged to visit http://www.inta.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1753&Itemid=264&getcontent=4. Please contact Jennifer Monarch with any questions at Jennifer.Monarch@gmail.com.

On September 22, the United States Postal Service released a series of four new postage stamps commemmorating great United States Supreme Court Justices, including one featuring the law school's namesake Louis D. Brandeis.  The other honorees are William Brennan,  Felix Frankfurter, and Joseph Story.  A story in Legal Times discusses the offering and notes that Thurgood Marshall's son will be at the dedication, along with Chief Justice John Roberts. 

The USPS site provides this mini-biography of Brandeis: “Louis D. Brandeis was the associate justice most responsible for helping the Supreme Court shape the tools it needed to interpret the Constitution in light of the sociological and economic conditions of the 20th century. “If we would guide by the light of reason,” he once exhorted his colleagues, “we must let our minds be bold.” A progressive and champion of reform, Brandeis devoted his life to social justice. He defended the right of every citizen to speak freely, and his groundbreaking conception of the right to privacy continues to impact legal thought today.”

Both Professor Kurt X. Metzmeier and Professor Scott Campbell contributed to this story. More photos and commentary are available at each of their blogs.

Photo Credit: Scott Hite, LexisNexis

Dateline—September 18th, 2009 UK Intramural Fields—Lexington, Kentucky

Led by the passing combination of UofL School of Law Quarterback Blake Bowling to receiver Jared Key, the law school football team defeated their arch rival UK College of Law last Friday evening 13-6 in Lexington.    

The Bowling to Key passing combination resulted in an 18 yard reception in the first half followed by a 22 yard second half touchdown that turned out to be the difference in a heavily, defensive struggle by both teams.

The Cardinal Law defense was spectacular limiting the Cats to over 4, separate  4-and-outs while intercepting them twice, once by Josh Speirs and another by Jerred Kelly.  Kelly’s interception late in the game turned out to be the game winning stop by the visiting Cards.  

The Cardinal victory was the third in a row over their arch rivals in this annual competition held on the same weekend as the UofL vs. UofL football game.