Tomorrow (Sept 30) is Eid ul-Fitr

Eid marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. If you didn't already know, religious Muslims fast from sun up to sun down during Ramadan, and Eid, being the end of the month of fasting, is a pretty big deal. Actually, it's a huge deal, with festivities happening all over the world. So happy feasting - you deserve it.

AAI Leadership Forum

Here's something outside of law school - leadership training. AAI is hosting a leadership forum from October 10 - October 11. Details can be found here. It's at UIC, 750 S. Halsted, room 605. Early student registration is $15, $20 at the door. Leadership skills are always important, and this is a great opportunity to hone/learn about what it takes to be a good leader.

AABA Law Student Career Forum

As a part of APALSA's Academic Conference series, we have a great opportunity to hear from practicing attorneys, judges, etc. on what it's like to be a lawyer in Chicago, and what you need to do to become a lawyer in Chicago. This event is being hosted by the AABA and the Chicago Kent College of Law on Saturday, October 25, from 10-1pm. Lunch will be provided, and they'll even have a quick-fire mock interview/resume workshop. This is a great opportunity, and definitely not something you want to miss. More information is available here. Please reserve a spot by October 18.

Election Protection and Poll Monitoring Volunteers Needed

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) is looking for volunteers for it's poll monitoring and election protection program. This will be a one-shot volunteer deal on election day (Nov 4). Volunteers will basically be staking out poll sites in Chicago, making sure that there's no funny business going on, especially when it comes to Asian-Americans with limited language ability.

Training will (probably) be held at the Loyola University College of Law's campus on Thursday, October 23 @ 6pm/ Loyola's campus is right off the Chicago red line stop, at 25 E Pearson.

More information is available (specifically, a volunteer form). If you're interested, please email depaul.apalsa@gmail.com for more information. The volunteer form can be found here.

Volunteer Opportunities

Contact depaul.apalsa@gmail.com for more information.

1) Kan-Win needs interpreters to help out with their legal aid program. Meet attorneys and help someone in the community. If you have any language ability (other than English, obviously), sign up. They are particularly interested in anyone that can speak Korean, Chinese (Mandarin/Cantonese), Japanese, or any other Asian language.

2) AABA is re-launching our partnership with DLA Piper's Asian Legal Services Clinic. Below is some more information and locations on the clinic. We need volunteers, especially from the APA legal community.

DLA Piper holds the clinic THE FIRST WEDNESDAY of every month. NO special training is necessary, as CVLS will be providing the comprehensive support.
The Asian Legal Services Clinic represents DLA Piper's 15 year partnership with Asian Human Services (AHS), Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation (COLS), and the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Chicago Area (AABA) to aid the Asian American community. About 15 years ago, DLA Piper (then Rudnick & Wolfe) saw a need in the Asian American community of Chicago for pro bono legal assistance. Combining relationships with AHS, CVLS, and AABA, DLA Piper established the Asian Legal Services Clinic. AHS provides marketing to potential clients as well as translation services and a headquarters for the Clinic while CVLS provides the legal expertise regarding the family law issues and disputes most common to the Clinic's clients.

Attorneys and staff from DLA Piper and the AABA are responsible for evaluating and, when possible, taking the cases coming into the Clinic. Responsibilities range from performing initial intake interviews to taking a case all the way to resolution. Similarly, a volunteer attorney's time commitment ranges from a few hours conducting intake on the first Wednesday of the month to the period necessary to resolve the client's issue if a lawyer decides to take a case. Our goal is to have each participating attorney assigned at least one Clinic case. As always, the volunteer attorney will benefit from the strong support of the AHS and CVLS.

The Clinic is a great way for attorneys, staff, even law students, to gain experience with interviewing, client counseling, research, and writing. It also provides the opportunity for immediate courtroom experience. More importantly, the Clinic represents a chance to genuinely better our underrepresented clients' lives in a meaningful fashion. We hope that you can join us for an evening at the Clinic!

Mid-Autumn Festival

Did you know that today was the Mid-Autumn Festival? It usually occurs sometime in September-October (whenever the full moon shows up), and Chinese people around the world celebrate by eating a really rich, dense, and incredibly bad-for-you mooncake. It usually takes me a month to get through one, but I've seen people eat an entire cake in one sitting. But hey, it's a harvest festival - what's a harvest festival without food?

Join Chicago's Indian American Bar Association Today!

Meet South Asian Attorneys!

IABA Chicago is one of the best organized, useful and most collegial bar associations in Chicago! We hold events that will benefit your legal career: whether that means making new contacts, meeting new friends, learning from one another, attending informational events and having a great time while getting to know your South Asian Legal community. IABA Chicago also offers the unique opportunity to provide legal assistance to members of the South Asian community through the Cyriac D. Kappil Legal Aid Clinic. We encourage you to sign up for our mailing list, attend an event, and if you are interested, sign up as a member!

For information on our upcoming events and the CDK legal aid clinic, visit www.iabachicago.org. You can also join our mailing list to find out the dates and times.

If interested (or have questions), email iabachicago@gmail.com with your Full Name, Email, Law School, Practice Area of Interest (if any) and Class Year and you will be included on our mailing list. In your email, please indicate whether you are interested in signing up for IABA's formal mentorship program.

Welcome!

Welcome DePaul Law 1L's (2011 grads) to the DePaul APALSA blog. Look here for more detailed information on upcoming events, etc. Also be sure to frequently check our calendar for an up-to-date listing of upcoming events.