If you are planning to take the July 2010 Kentucky Bar Exam, be sure to stop by the Academic Success Office to pick up a handout explaining the application process.  Also, mark your calendars for a presentation on January 7, 2010, at 1:00 p.m. in Room 275, regarding the Bar application process.  If you have any questions, please contact Kimberly Ballard, Director of Academic Success (Room 212).

Business Organizations is not a prerequisite for the Drafting Seminar being taught by Professor Nicholson (986-08) in spring 2010, but an understanding of business organizations is preferable.

This week’s tips focus on how you can use your time efficiently and effectively for studying during the Thanksgiving holiday.

Once you decide your priorities, plot out on a calendar which tasks you will complete each day.  Be realistic.  Mark down the actual hours you will spend on each task.  Consider the following possibilities:

• Listen to CD’s in the airport, on the plane, or while driving.
• Review outlines while in the airport or on the plane.
• Photocopy the pages you need to read for classes rather than lugging all of your books with you.
• Ask a family member or friend to quiz you with flashcards while you are at home.
• Get up earlier or go to bed later than family so that you can carve out time to study.
• Negotiate time to study when family/friends are doing other activities that do not need to include you.
• Schedule time with family and friends so that you know when you can study and they know when they will see you.
• Consider whether you can study in a different location than home in order to get time, space, and quiet for studying.
• Plan to take Thanksgiving Day off if possible.  If you have too much to do, at least take a portion of the day off and have fun.
• Use the template calendar attached.
  

The SBA November Student of the Month is Barry Dunn. Barry is the President of the Moot Court Board where he helped raise thousands of dollars in donations on behalf of the school's preeminent Trial Advocacy Organization. He also co-founded the First-Year Oral Advocacy Competition. He leads a group of four exceptional students as the only returning member of the law school's National Moot Court Team. Moreover he is an active member of the University of Louisville Law Review, for which he serves as Notes Editor. Last year he was a Torts tutor for the first years, and he organized mock interviews for the first years. He was also a finalist in the Pirtle-Washer Argument Competition and is a research assistant for Professor Weaver. Thanks Barry! Your contributions do not go unnoticed.

If you were not able to register for any spring 2010 course because the course had reached maximum enrollment and was closed, then go to the TWEN site titled “2010 Spring - Class Schedule Discussion Forum” and download the Excel spreadsheet.  Follow the instructions you will find when you open the spreadsheet. Tom Blackburn, Associate Dean and Professor of Law,  tblackburn@louisville.edu

This week’s tips focus on how you can use your time efficiently and effectively for studying during the Thanksgiving holiday.

Create a task list for each exam course or paper/project.  Determine which tasks are your priorities to complete over your break period.  Weigh the following factors:

• Are there projects/papers/presentations that will be due before the end of the semester?
• Are your outlines up-to-date for all of your exam courses?
• Are certain courses extremely difficult for you and need additional review time?
• Are you aware that you are behind in certain courses or portions of courses?
• Do you need to make tables, flowcharts, or other graphics if you are a visual learner?
• Are there certain supplemental materials that you want to read and study to clarify certain topics?
• Have you had a chance to do practice questions for your exam courses?
• Do you need to spend more time on memorization of the law?
• Will you be meeting with a study group during the break period?
  

You should complete your registration by 4:00 pm this coming Friday 11/6/2009.  Early next week we will decide which, if any, courses must be cancelled for lack of the required five student enrollment.By postponing your registration beyond 4:00 pm this coming Friday, 11/6/2009, you run the risk that a class you want will have been cancelled.Tom BlackburnAssociate Dean and Professor of Lawtblackburn@louisville.eduMonday, 11/2/2009

Pursuant to notices previously posted in The Docket, I created two TWEN sites for communicating with students about schedule issues:  one site for 2010 spring and one for 2010 summer.  Through the 2010 summer TWEN site, I emailed a list of nine courses that could be offered in 2010 summer, and asked students to rank those courses from one to nine, with one being the most desirable course.  In the same notice, I said I would announce the results of the rankings on Sunday evening, 11/1/2009, which I did by direct email through the TWEN site. Based on your rankings, the four highest ranked courses and the four courses most likely to be offered in summer 2010 are: #1 Estate and Gift Tax (Tuesday and Thursday, 5:35 pm - 7:15 pm)#2  Basic Federal Income Tax (Monday, Tu., Wed, and Th., 7:25 pm - 9:05 pm)#3  Advanced Legal Research (Monday and Wednesday, 5:35 pm - 7:15 pm)#4  Transactional Drafting Online (no scheduled class meetings because this course is conducted online) The classes and class times listed above are TENTATIVE.  We expect to offer these four classes, but unexpected things happen.  I thank those students who took the time and showed the interest to rank the classes. Tom BlackburnAssociate Dean and Professor of Law

If you are planning to take the July 2010 Kentucky Bar Exam, be sure to stop by the Academic Success Office to pick up a handout explaining the application process.  Also, mark your calendars for a presentation on January 7, 2010, at 1:00 p.m. in Room 275, regarding the Bar application process.  If you have any questions, please contact Kimberly Ballard, Director of Academic Success (Room 212).

The Thanksgiving holiday is around the corner.  What does that break period mean for you?  This week’s tips will focus on how you can use your time efficiently and effectively for studying during the holiday. 

Be realistic about your holiday plans.  It is common to tell yourself that you will study at least ten times more than you actually can or will do.  Lay out a study plan that will be achievable rather than unrealistic.  Think about your travel mode, your travel time, your family expectations, your priorities for studying, and your need for balance.  Sit down with your calendar now and plan your study strategy for exams.