Administrative MattersOrientation

Fall 2011

MyBama:mybama.ua.eduMyBama is an interactive website, providing access to email, personal calendars, course and registration information, campus news, and more.

MyBama•Account information•Possible problems with your

tuition or schedule•Class schedule•Grades

MyBama•Email: It is important to confirm that your

UA email is reaching you. You should elect to have all your university emails forwarded to your law school account unless you intend to check your MyBama account regularly.•Create a BamaCash account

What does the Records Office Do?

•Schedules days and times for classes and exams•Monitors the registration process each semester•Posts class cancellations and assignments on the Law School website•Supervises examinations

What does the Records Office Do?

•Enters your grades into MyBama each term•Ranks students at the end of each semester (excluding summer)•Updates your permanent law school transcript each semester•Provides official certification to all state bars prior

to students taking bar examinations

Services Offered by Other Campus Departments

•Tuition information - Student Receivables, 105 Student Services Center•Financial aid (including loan deferments) -106 Student Services Center; chrishan.emonina@ua.edu, 348-2973•Official transcripts - Order on line at registrar.ua.edu/transcripts.html•Diploma ordering and mailing - Academic Records, 206 Student Services Center

Services Offered by Other Campus Departments

•ADA accommodations - Office of Disability Services, 133-B Martha Parham Hall East•ACT card purchase or replacement and Bama Cash - Auxiliary Services, 104 Student Services Center, http://actcard.ua.edu•Transportation services (pay parking tickets, purchase a hang tag or a replacement hang tag) - 103 Student Services Center

Parking•A hang tag for your vehicle must be purchased and clearly displayed. •Students registered for fall classes may pre-register for their parking permits by logging on to mybama.ua.edu and selecting the “Student” tab. •In the Student Services section, select “Register HERE for a parking permit” and complete the information requested.

Parking•The assigned parking permit will be mailed to the student’s home address two weeks prior to the beginning of classes.

•Permits may also be purchased at the Transportation Services office located in the Student Services Center.

Parking•Parking services aggressively tickets student vehicles parked in the front lot of the Law School. Students are not allowed to park in that area.•You should park only in the lot on the Coliseum side of the Law School – the SE Commuter Lot.

Parking•Zone enforcement in the SE commuter lot is from 7:00 am to 4:30 pm.

•Students must be parked in the “Law Only” parking by 4:00 pm on the Fridays before home football games.

Parking•In addition to the regular parking decal, law school students should display an additional hang tag that has a big “L” on it. The Law School Records Office distributes these hang tags.

Parking•The “L” hangtag allows students access into the Coliseum lot during athletic events – home football games, basketball games, gymnastics meets. Pick up your “L” hangtag at the Records Window (second floor).

Security Guards205-310-5950

Lehman Jaggers Frank Blazer

Not allowed OK

Alcohol on the Law School Campus•Participating in drinking games in class puts a student at risk of disciplinary measures•If a law school group wants to have a function on campus where alcohol is present, the group must submit a request to Associate Dean Noah Funderburg.

Smoking Area• The Smoking Area is at the northwest entrance of the building, near room 187. However, even there, there is no smoking within 25 feet of the building.

•Please note that cigarette butts do not disappear when you drop them on the ground.

Class Attendance•Class attendance is required. •You may miss class only for a VERY GOOD CAUSE. See the Student Handbook for examples.

Class Attendance• Generally, you are allowed absences for the

equivalent of 3 weeks of classes each semester. For instance, if you are registered for a class that meets on Mondays and Wednesdays, you are within the policy until you miss the 7th class. On the 7th absence you will be withdrawn.

• HOWEVER, professors may adopt a more strict attendance rule.

Class Attendance•YOU MUST personally accept responsibility for class attendance. You may not get advance notification if a professor asks me to drop you from a class based on your exceeding his or her attendance requirements.

ExamsEvery aspect of the examination is subject to the provisions of the Honor Code: http://www.law.ua.edu/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/honorcode.pdf

Students are graded on a +/- 4 point scale.

4.3=A+, 4.0=A , 3.67=A-, 3.33=B+, 3.0=B, 2.67=B-, 2.33=C+, 2.0=C, 1.67=C-, 1.33=D+, 1.0=D, 0.67=D-, 0.0 =F.

ExamsExams must be taken at the regularly scheduled time

except under extraordinary circumstances. If a student arrives late for an exam, no additional time is given to finish the exam; the student is expected to turn in his or her exam at the time the exam proctor indicated when the exam was distributed to other students. If a student does not show up for an exam and the absence is not excused, a grade of “F” is the usual penalty.

Exams

Generally, ExamSoft is required by professors. One advantage of ExamSoft is that an encrypted copy of your exam is placed on the computer’s hard drive.

ExamSoft•ExamSoft is a secure word processing program. One advantage of ExamSoft is that an encrypted copy of your exam is placed on the computer’s hard drive. Another advantage is that there is one version that does not allow students to go to other materials and a version that does. Professors can choose to have either available.

ExamSoft

• Download the software program by going to examsoft.com/alabamalaw

• The Law School purchases ExamSoft for all law students.

ExamSoft•Avoid any thumbdrive with security software installed. Your exam will not save properly unless that security software is disabled. (example: U-3).

•We have never lost an exam using this software.

ExamSoft• Please be sure myBama lists your correct phone number so that the Record’s Office may contact you in the event your exam does not print properly.

Grading•Each semester you will be issued an anonymous number. The number will be located on the Law School website on your Student Information Page at http://www.law.ua.edu/students/info

•Your anonymous number will change each semester.

Grading•You identify your exam using your anonymous number, not your name.

•Professors grade your exams anonymously and turn in the grades to the Law School Records Office. Grades are then decoded and your name attached to the grade received.

Printing from Lab Computers•Begin the print process just as you would for any other Windows-based computer.•At the printer-selection dialog box, choose Uniprint•The printer-selection dialog box will close and a second dialog box will open. You will be asked to name the print job you have just ordered. Name it anything you want, but if you will be ordering several print jobs before you print them, give each job a different name.

Printing from Lab Computers•Go to the printer station, and swipe your Action Card through the reader on the top of the monitor.

•Select your print job. Your BamaCash account will be debited $.05 a page.

•Click the Log Off button. Otherwise you may be paying for printing done by the lucky student behind you.

How To Establish a BamaCash Account•How to establish a BamaCash account or add money to an existing account:

•Click the padlock icon on the screen of a library lab computer or go to http://alabama.blackboard.com

Electronic Bulletin Board•Students may post documents, items for sale, exchanging books, etc.

•The URL is http:// www.law.ua.edu/mboard. It is also linked to the student page http://www.law.ua.edu/students

•The electronic bulletin board uses the same username and password as the one you use to log in to your email.

Transferred Credits from Across Campus• Students may take up to six hours of graduate level course work from divisions other than law so long as Associate Dean Jenelle Marsh gives prior approval, and you can demonstrate in writing that the class enhances your law school curriculum.

Transferred Credits from Across Campus•Your grade is transferred as a “Pass” as long as a “B” or better is earned in the course.

• The credit earned will be applied toward hours needed for Law School graduation and will be recorded on your transcript; however, grade points earned will not be used in the computation of your overall law school grade point average.

Transferred Creditfrom Other Law Schools

Coursework taken at other law schools requires advance written approval of Associate Dean Marsh

P/D/F Classes•In certain classes graded on a P/D/F basis, professors may designate up to 1/3 of the grades as “High Pass.” This option applies to trial advocacy classes, P/D/F law clinics, and appellate advocacy classes.

•Other classes designated as P/D/F may be graded this way.

Independent Studies•Students may use up to 3 hours of independent study.

•Independent studies can be for 1-3 hours and graded or pass/D/fail, depending on the agreement between the student and the supervising professor.

•Students can only enroll for one independent study each semester.

Summertime!•Each summer the Law School offers students the option of three sessions for classes – Interim, Summer I and Summer II.

•Students may register for only one interim course and no more than two courses per summer term.

Summertime!• In addition, students may take advantage of the Law School’s summer programs at the University of Fribroug in Switzerland and the Australian National University in Canberra. Each of the summer abroad programs is five weeks long.

•Students also may participate in summer abroad programs at other ABA-approved schools.

Semester Abroad Programs•Tel Aviv University

•TAU in India

Compensated Work•First-year students may not undertake outside work and second- and third-year students may not work more than 20 hours per week.

Law School Email and Distribution ListsThe Law School email server, including use of email addresses and distribution lists, can only be used for messages pertaining to the official business of the Law School and matters related to the Law School community.

Sharing Music and Video•The Recording Industry of America (RIAA) and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) strictly monitor our campus network for illegally Peer to Peer (P2P) shared music and video.•You will be blocked from our network if we receive a detailed complaint from either the RIAA or MPAA. Multiple complaints could lead to releasing your personal information and potential University misconduct proceedings.

Email and Student boxes•Please check your Law School email at least once a day. It is courteous to respond to emails within 24 hours.

•Please check your Law School box at least once at day.

Laptops In Class•Laptop use is generally allowed by professors; however, students may only use them during class for academic purposes. •Faculty members may restrict use of laptops through notice in the syllabus.

Certificate Programs

• Public Interest Law

•Governmental Affairs

•See the Law School website (www.law.ua.edu) for details and requirements.

Joint Programs•The Law School not only offers the traditional four-year joint JD/MBA program, but it also now offers students the option of finishing both degrees in three years. Five years are required if the degrees are sought separately.

Joint Programs•There also is a joint JD/advanced degree in political science program, a joint JD/advanced degree in economics program, a joint JD/MSW, and a joint program towards a masters in civil engineering.

•Several students are dually enrolled in the Law School and in other masters and Ph.D. programs on campus.

Lockers• Please do not “homestead” a locker. If you are dissatisfied with your locker, please, see Brenda McPherson (room 257) for options. Putting your belongings in another person’s locker, even if it appears unused, creates problems.

•In the Spring, you can sign up for new lockers.

Lockers

•Student organizations can sign up for a locker. The student organization lockers are in the locker room on the south wall. They are black and wooden with keyed locks.

Moot Court•Class: First-year students participate in a moot court program during the second semester. Students draft a brief and argue it in front of their professor and several upper-class students. [2 credits]•Campbell Competition: This course involves advance brief writing and oral advocacy at the appellate level. Second- and third-year students may compete in an intramural competition. [1 credit]

Moot Court•Interscholastic Competition Teams: Most teams are chosen from third-year students who have participated in the Moot Court Competition. Some teams operate independently of the Moot Court Competition. [2 credits]

Trial Advocacy•Trial Ad I: This course provides a general overview of litigation topics, including discovery and pre-trial issues, through lecture, simulation, and practical exercises. This course may address both civil and criminal cases. [3 credits]

•Trial Ad II: Advanced litigation skills are developed through the preparation for and trial of two mock civil or criminal cases, the conduct of small-group exercises designed to develop particular skills, and, perhaps, attendance at an actual trial. [3 credits]

Trial Advocacy (cont’d)•Trial Advocacy Competition Class: Students compete for selection to national trial advocacy teams by trying cases based on prepared file materials. [2 credits]

•Trial Advocacy Teams: Second- and third-year students are chosen for teams after participating in the Trial Competition Class. Alabama’s trial teams compete against teams from other law schools across the country.

Trial Advocacy (cont’d)

Trial Advocacy classes have a limited enrollment of 12. Because of this, the last day to drop a Trial Advocacy class is the last day of classes of the semester before.

Graduation Requirements•Maintain an overall grade point average of at least 2.33 for all work attempted in the School of Law to remain in good academic standing

•Earn at least 90 semester hours of credit for work in the Law School, including all required courses

•Successfully complete at least three credit hours in designated Professional Skills courses (labeled “PS” on the course listing.)

Graduation Requirements•Successfully complete one seminar. Students may take no more than two seminars without special permission.

•Maintain a satisfactory record of honorable conduct befitting a prospective member of the legal profession.

•Complete requirements for the J.D. not less than 24 months after matriculating as a law student and not more than 6 calendar years after matriculating as a law student.

Law School HonorsRecognition of outstanding academic achievement for law graduates is based on a percentage of the graduating class.

Top 5% - summa cum laudeNext 10% - magna cum laudeNext 10% - cum laude

A complete list of honors and awards are listed in the Student Handbook, among those are:

Law School HonorsOrder of the Coif: Awarded to the top 10% of the graduating

class. Students may not have more than 22 pass/d/fail hours to qualify. Students not pursuing this honor do not have a limit on the number of pass/d/fail hours they can take.

Law School Honors•Order of Samaritan (highest honor)

•Dean’s Community Service Award

•Alabama Volunteer Lawyers Program Student Award

•Independent Legal Public Service Program Award

Student Bar Applicationhttp://www.alabar.org

•Click on the link on this page•Go to “Programs/Departments•Click on “Admissions”, then “Law Student Application” and proceed according to the directions.•Make a copy of the application to use as a worksheet.

Student Bar Application•The records office has the fingerprint cards. Your fingerprints may be processed at the UA Police Station Tuesday & Thursday afternoons from 1:00 to 4:00 or at the Tuscaloosa Police Station Tuesdays & Thursdays from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. or 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.•Complete the entire application (except your signature), THEN have the application notarized. The Law School Records Office personnel (Karla, Caroline, or Brenda) can notarize your bar application.

Student Bar Application•If your application is received in Montgomery within 60 days of the first day of fall classes you do not have to pay an application fee.

•You must register with the Alabama State Bar to participate in some clinics and to get a Third-Year Practice Card.