CHANGE IT UP! 2022 – Reception
Change It Up! 2022 will conclude with a reception that includes tabling based on a “speed-dating” model, which will give students the chance to meet faculty, staff and students involved with social justice activities at the law school and beyond. During the 30 minutes, there will be three 10-minute “date” periods, during which students will choose a table to visit. Please see below for the a list of who will be at each table and ideas of topics for discussion at each table. Student organizers will announce the end of each 10-minute period and ask students to move to a new table. We hope the conversations at the tables will be very unstructured. The “date” periods are simply a way to ensure that students move around.
The reception will continue on after the “date” periods and we hope students will stay and mingle more informally. Students also have the option to opt out of the tabling and start informal mingling from the start!
Here are the ideas for discussion at each table and a list of who will be there:
CAREERS
Abbey Fowler and Mary Murphy are happy to discuss the career resources that are available at Texas Law and how 1Ls might utilize them during their first year of law school. Hugh Brady is an expert on the Texas Legislature and has worked in the state and federal government. Cooper Christiancy’s expertise includes international human rights law.
- Hugh Brady (Legislative Lawyering)
- Cooper Christiancy (Fellow, Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice)
- Abby Fowler (Government Counselor, CSO)
- Mary Murphy (Public Interest/PD Counselor, CSO)
CLASSES I and II
Faculty members at these tables teach social justice-focused classes that will be available to you in your 2L and 3L years. They are happy to talk to you about the classes they teach specifically, as well as how their classes and others like them help prepare students to work for social justice.
CLASSES I
- Karen Engle (Int’l Human Rights Law, Spring 2023)
- Lee Kovarsky (Capital Punishment, Fall 2022)
- Jennifer Laurin (Issues in Indigent Defense, Spring 2023)
CLASSES II
- Michele Deitch (Criminal Justice Policy: Corrections and Sentencing, Spring 2023)
- Denise Gilman (Refugee Law & Policy, Spring 2023)
- Shavonne Henderson (Race & The Law, Fall 2022)
CLINICS – CRIM LAW, CIV LAW I and II
Faculty members at these tables teach clinics involving either criminal or civil law. They are happy to answer questions about their specific clinics and also more generally about the process of applying to clinics and the work/workload associated with them. This an opportunity for you to explore why you might want to take a clinic, what you might get out of a clinic, and what clinics might be of interest to you.
CLINICS – CRIM LAW
- Katy Dyer (Criminal Defense Clinic)
- Thea Posel (Capital Punishment Clinic)
- Charlie Press (Actual Innocence Clinic)
- Pamela Sigman (Juvenile Justice Clinic)
CLINICS – CIV LAW I
- Lia Sifuentes Davis (Civil Rights Clinic)
- Elissa Steglich (Immigration Clinic)
- Lucy Wood (Disability Rights Clinic)
CLINICS – CIV LAW II
- Bill Beardall (Transnational Worker Rights Clinic)
- Lori Duke, Leslie Strauch (Children’s Rights Clinic)
- Jeana Lungwitz (Domestic Violence Clinic)
- Nelson Mock (Housing Clinic)
COMMUNITIES
These tables spotlight social justice oriented student groups that help build community among students. Students from a wide array of student organizations are available to talk about the mission of their own organizations and opportunities for other students to get involved during the academic year.
COMMUNITIES I
- Megan Day 2L (American Constitution Society)
- Ritika Kumar 2L (Texas Law Fellowships)
- Lauren Schoen 2L (If/When/How)
COMMUNITIES II
FAQ
Don’t know where to start? Have a question? Mary Crouter, Assistant Director of the Justice Center and Director of the Judicial Internship Program, is happy to help.
JOURNALS
2Ls and 3Ls who work on student journals will be at this table to answer questions about their experience. The table will include students from the Texas Law Review, the Texas Journal on Civil Liberties and Civil Rights, and the American Journal of Criminal Law. They can answer questions about the write-on process and responsibilities associated with journal work, as well as the ways that journal articles can highlight social justice issues.
- Zach Kump 3L (Texas Law Review)
- Jamie McClintock 3L (Texas Law Review)
- Rob Castaneda 3L (Texas Journal on Civil Liberties & Civil Rights)
PRO BONO
Members of the Mithoff Program staff are available to discuss pro bono projects, how one gets involved in pro bono, and why participating in pro bono clinics is a good opportunity for social justice-oriented students.
- Helen Gaebler (Parole Project, Mithoff Pro Bono Program)
- Cassie Geiken (Fellow, Mithoff Pro Bono Program)
- Abby Hermes (Pro Bono Scholar, Mithoff Pro Bono Program)
- Andrea Marsh (Director, Mithoff Pro Bono Program)