February 2008 - Posts
This past weekend hundreds of law students, legal practitioners, and community activists from around the country descended on Yale Law School for the 14th Annual Rebellious Lawyering Conference. The entirely student-run conference, one of the largest of its kind, brings together individuals committed to serving the public interest to discuss innovative, progressive approaches to law and social change.
The Rebellious Lawyering Conference, better known at Yale as Reblaw, was started in 1994 by two then-current students who wanted to create a symposium for other students interested in pursuing public interest career paths. Not only does Reblaw serve as fertile ground for the exchange of ideas and information, it provides a sense of community for public interest-minded students who face the temptations of traditional big-law practice.
There is no particular theme for each year’s Reblaw: many different topics are discussed. To give you a sense of the diversity of Reblaw’s offerings, here are the titles of just a few of this year’s panels and workshops: Emerging Issues In Environmental Justice Advocacy, Human Rights and Corporate Accountability in the Global Economy, The Ongoing Struggle for Minority Ballot Access, and Reforming the Judicial Appointment Process. A complete list of the sessions offered at Reblaw 2008 and 2007 can be found here.
In addition to the numerous panels and workshops, Reblaw attendees have opportunities to network with their fellow students and colleagues and with the panelists, many of them leading practitioners at community organizations, public interest law firms, law schools, and in the government. Discussions at the sessions continue as casual conversation during the many breaks and meals, as well as at Friday’s happy hour and the parties held both nights of the conference. A list of panelists and a schedule of events can be found at the Reblaw website.
Reblaw is traditionally held the last weekend of February, so mark your calendar now and check out the Reblaw website in December for registration information.
… or anyone else who thinks that proximity to the beach is an important factor in deciding which law school to attend ...
Okay, so I know it’s not the same, and maybe not quite as
nice, but we do have beaches out here! New Haven is on the Connecticut
coast and the surrounding areas offer several venues for getting your feet
wet. The beaches in East Haven are
particularly close (about a ten minute drive from YLS)
though I am partial to Hammonasset
State Park about 20 minutes up I-95.
East Haven (on Cosey Beach Avenue)
has a little food shack and restaurant, The Sandpiper, where you can get
fish and chips and then just walk across the street to the beach. Not as populated as Hammonasset, this beach
is quite peaceful and is a calming place to reflect, take a study break, or
gather seashells. Whenever I have
visitors in town from landlocked states they insist on going to this beach, if
just to dip their feet in the water.
Hammonasset is a State Park, so it’s not free (about ten
bucks to park), but it is a bit nicer.
It is super picturesque and green and you can go running or on a nature
hike – you can even go camping! From the
shore you have a nice view of the Long Island Sound and can watch the sailboats
floating around. This is more of a lay-out-on-a-beach-towel-and-catch-some-rays
type of beach and, in the summer, they pull out the grill so that you can buy
drinks and hot dogs and make a day of it.
In addition to these beaches, Yale also has its own Yacht Club! Located in nearby Branford, it is home to the
Yale Sailing Team but also offers a summer program and sailing lessons for
those of us affiliated with Yale.
If these options still don’t appease you, you can always
just drive a couple hours to the Hamptons or to Cape Cod if you want a more posh weekend getaway.
Dear Asha,
Is it too late to apply to Yale Law School? Will I still have a chance to get in if I apply now?
C.J.
Dear C.J.,
No, it is not too late to apply, and yes, you still have a chance.
First, our application deadline isn't until February 15, so you still have plenty of time to put your application together.
Second, as I've mentioned in a previous post, we have a unique admissions review system in which students are admitted in roughly equal numbers throughout the admissions season. In other words, although our admissions process is "rolling" in the sense that we give offers on an ongoing basis, your chances of admission remain roughly the same regardless of when you apply in the season. We do not fill the class until we have read all of the applications in the pool, so there is no way you can apply "too late."
So get to work and submit your application if you are interested in YLS -- we promise to give your application a thorough review!
--Asha
Please submit questions to 203blog@yale.edu.