
First Week Overview for Spring 2021 J.D. and LL.M. Incoming Students
Updated January 8, 2021.
Washburn University has determined it is necessary for the safety of the community to begin the first week of the Spring 2021 semester with remote learning classes. Thus, our First Week program will be entirely online as well. See the First Week Schedule of Activities for further details.
Introduction
Washburn Law's First Week Program, which begins on Tuesday, January 12, 2021, for Spring 2021 incoming students, helps you become accustomed to the study of law in a supportive, introductory environment. In the interest of planning, you should prepare yourself for full days.
Thursday, January 7, 2021 - 7:00-8:00 p.m.
"So a Family Member is Going to Law School: What to Expect, How to Help, and Your Questions Answered"
Jalen Lowry, Associate Dean for Student Affairs, hosts an online event for family and friends of incoming law students. A Zoom invitation will be sent to you before the meeting. If you have not received the invitation by January 6, please contact admissions@washburnlaw.edu. Topics discussed will include what law students will be experiencing and ways they can be supported. If you, family members, or friends were unable to attend but have questions about law school please feel free to contact Dean Lowry at jalen.lowry@washburn.edu.
Monday, January 11, 2021 – 7:00-8:00 p.m.
1L Small Group Reveal and First Meeting
Session is required, but will be recorded for those who have a conflict.
Meet your upper-class Mentor and fellow group members, and then attend small break-out sessions with your group. This will be a Zoom meeting in advance of First Week. A Zoom invitation will be sent to you before or on January 8. If you have not received the invitation by January 8 please contact admissions@washburnlaw.edu.
If you are not familiar with Zoom, take this opportunity to familiarize yourself with this program. For assistance with Zoom go to: https://washburn.edu/student-life/health-safety/, select "Technology Support Links" under the Resources for Faculty/Staff heading, then click the link below "Zoom Training." Register for access to Zoom if you have not done so already. Test your equipment (Zoom works on desktop computers, laptops, tablets, and smart phones) and internet access (cable, wi-fi, cellular data plans). Contact Professor Thomas Sneed at thomas.sneed@washburn.edu with equipment/internet concerns.
Please Do These Things Before January 12
- Submit a photo for your Washburn ID (iCard)
- In order for us to have your Washburn ID card ready in your orientation packet when you check in on Tuesday, January 12, please email your photo to photos@washburnlaw.edu.
- The photo should meet these specifications (373 KB PDF) (generally, full color; clear with good contrast; WHITE background; centered, frontal view of full face and shoulders; no hats/headgear except those worn daily for religious reasons; no articles not visible in your government issued ID; jpg file format; include first and last name as part of the filename).
- You also need to verify your identity by 1) submitting a photo of your government issued photo ID and a piece of mail that includes your name and address OR 2) scheduling a meeting with the iCard office.
- Questions can be sent to icard@washburn.edu or call (785) 670-1188.
- Complete and Submit the Profile Information Form
- Completing the Profile Information Form will expedite First Week Check In and help us get to know you better.
- Information from the form is also used to compile the law school directory.
- For your address, please use the address where you expect to be during the fall semester.
- Complete and Submit the Remote Attendance Survey
- Completing the Remote Attendance Survey will let us know if you plan to attend First Week and/or the spring 2021 semester remotely.
- Complete and Submit the Consent to Release Information Form
- Download the Consent form (105 KB PDF)
- Print your name on the line at the top of the form.
- Place a checkmark next to each item for which you are granting consent.
- Sign and date the form.
- Scan the form or take a picture of it and email the picture to admissions@washburnlaw.edu.
- Questions about the form can be sent to admissions@washburnlaw.edu or call (785) 670-1185.
- Changes to your consent can be made after submitting the form by contacting Donna Haverkamp, Law School Student Records Administrator, at donna.haverkamp@washburn.edu.
- Send Official Undergraduate Transcript to Washburn Law (J.D. Students Only)
- The accreditation standards of the American Bar Association require that an official copy of your final undergraduate transcript, demonstrating that you have received your Bachelor's Degree, be on file at the law school.
- The transcript must be official and sent directly from the institution in which you graduated to: Washburn University School of Law, Admissions Office, 1700 SW College Ave., Topeka, KS 66621.
- Please note: copies of transcripts provided to LSDAS, for admissions purposes, do not fulfill this requirement.
- Compete the required readings and other assignments described below.
Thank You!
What You Should Bring to Law School
- Textbooks. Once you receive your section assignment, you should order your books. See https://washburnlaw.edu/students/academic/schedules/2021spring/coursereferenceandtextbooks.php.
- Masks. You will be expected to wear a mask while on campus. You will need at least one mask for your arrival on January 12. During orientation, you will receive a law school mask, but you will probably also want several others so that you only have to do laundry on weekends. Please see the law school mask policy at https://washburnlaw.edu/masks.
- Headphones. Recommended because you may find yourself in a room or the library with other students who are monitoring a class remotely.
- Portable charger/power bank. You may find it convenient to have one or two portable chargers/power banks. An electrical outlet may not always be available since seating in classrooms and the library is now configured to promote social distancing. Examples (but not recommending any specific brand) are covered in this review: https://www.pcmag.com/news/the-best-portable-chargers-and-power-banks-for-2020.
- Laptop. Any modern laptop should be able to access the campus wireless network. Instructions are at: https://washburn.edu/its/wireless/index.html.
Many Washburn law students use laptops to take final exams. The program typically used for online exams is Examplify. Learn more about Examplify: https://washburnlaw.edu/students/academic/examsoft/faq.html.
The above FAQ includes suggested requirements for Windows, Surface Pro, and Mac devices (tablets cannot be used with Examplify). If you are in the market for a new laptop, you might want to go above these minimum requirements by purchasing a device with the best processor and most memory that can be accommodated by your budget, expecting the laptop to last throughout law school. An SSD rather than a hard drive would provide for quicker startup. In addition, Washburn University ITS provides suggested minimum and "for best performance" requirements for Windows and Mac devices: https://washburn.edu/its/tech-recommendations.html.
Note that you will be able to download Office 365 to your laptop or other devices at no charge. There is no need to pay for a separate subscription: https://washburn.edu/its/office-365/index.html.
The law school IT staff, Jason Dinkel and David Vermooten, will also be happy to assist should you run into any issues setting up your new laptop or accessing the University network. Feel free to contact them now with questions: lawtech@washburn.edu.
First Week Theme: Professionalism in the Law
You should begin thinking about professionalism early in your career. Some of the following assignments directly address professionalism. All of them help prepare you for a professional career in the law.
Assignments: Readings to Be Completed Before January 12, 2021
In preparation for First Week you should read the following before arriving on January 12 (subject to updating).
Background Readings on Professionalism for January 12 and January 13 (required)
- The Pillars of Professionalism (30 KB PDF): The Pillars have been adopted by the Kansas Supreme Court, the Kansas Bar Association, and the United States District and Bankruptcy Judges of the District of Kansas as an aspirational goal for lawyers. Although the Pillars are addressed to Kansas lawyers and law students, they are relevant for attorneys and law students in any jurisdiction.
- Washburn Law Professionalism Oath
- Character and Fitness to Practice Law
- Honor Code and Procedure for Law Students
Professor Griggs's Assignment for January 14 and January 15 (required)
Your assignment for the Academic Skills class is to read and brief these four cases (297 KB PDF). You should have a completed brief for each case with you on the first day of class (January 14) when you will also be assessed on your class preparation. To aid you with the case reading and briefing assignments, here is an introductory guide to case law briefing, and instruction on how to read a legal opinion (272 KB PDF).
Financial Aid
See the Financial Aid section of the Admitted Student Checklist, Spring 2021 Entering Class.
First Week Check In
Incoming students are expected to check in on Tuesday morning, January 12, 2021, between 10:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Please park in the north parking lot of the law school, at 17th and MacVicar (see directions to law school), and enter in the north door. You will be welcomed and directed to Room 102, where most of your First Week activities will take place.
At check-in:
- You will receive your First Week materials
- You will receive a Washburn Law shirt.
- Your photograph will be taken for the Washburn University School of Law Directory.
Enrollment
Law school staff will formally enroll all first semester students prior to arrival on January 12, 2020. No Spring 2021 pre-enrollment steps need to be taken by incoming students.
Textbooks
Section assignments affect textbook purchases. You may purchase textbooks after being notified of your section assignment. See First Semester Class Schedules for information about ordering textbooks.
Tuition
Tuition rates, per hour, for the 2020-2021 academic year are:
- $803 - J.D. Resident
- $1,253 - J.D. Non-resident
In addition, there is a $55 per semester student activity fee.
See Tuition and Costs for more information (based on 2020-2021 estimates).
LL.M. Students: Please see "Tuition for LL.M. Program."
Health Insurance
A Blanket Accident and Sickness Insurance plan is available to Washburn students. To learn more, see Student Health Services and Health Insurance Coverage.
Washburn University School of Law Directory
The Washburn Student Bar Association sponsors and publishes a directory of students, faculty, and staff at the beginning of each academic year. Photographs taken for the directory are also used to provide faculty with course rosters for their classes.
During check-in on Tuesday, January 12, 2021, we will take your photograph and ask you to provide/verify your address, phone number, hometown, and verify your undergraduate institution.
The directory is available in two formats: print, and electronically through a password protected area of the Washburn Law website. One copy of the print Directory is distributed to each student, faculty, and staff member at Washburn Law. Access to the electronic version of the Directory is limited to students, faculty, and staff at Washburn Law.
Although the information collected above is used to produce the Directory and by Washburn Law personnel in order serve you better during the school year, we recognize that you may not want to share some of this information outside the law school staff. When you provide your Directory information you may indicate your desire to not have one or more of the following items printed in the Directory and displayed in the electronic version:
- Your photograph
- Your local address
- Your local phone number
- Your hometown
- Your undergraduate institution
You will receive a copy of the Directory in your information packet when you check in. Questions about the Directory may be sent to Martin Wisneski at martin.wisneski@washburn.edu.
Optional Leisure Reading
We have identified several books related to adjusting to law school. You may find these interesting to read during your leisure time. Links to more information at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, and publisher websites are provided. Again, these are not mandatory readings.
- Novice
- General
- Bridging the Gap Between College and Law School: Strategies for Success by Ruta K. Stropus and Charlotte D. Taylor. 3rd ed. (Carolina Academic Press, 2014) (CAP website)
- Reading Like a Lawyer: Time-Saving Strategies for Reading Law Like an Expert by Ruth Ann McKinney. 2nd ed. (Carolina Academic Press, 2012) (CAP website)
- How to Think About Studying Law
- Expert Learning for Law Students by Michael Hunter Schwartz. 2nd ed. (Carolina Academic Press, 2008) (Carolina Academic Press)
- Introduction to the Study and Practice of Law by Kenney F. Hegland. 7th ed. (2017) (Amazon.com | West Academic)
- A Student's Guide to Legal Analysis by Patrick M. McFadden (2001) (Amazon.com | Barnes and Noble)
- How to Adjust Academically
- 1L of a Ride: A Well-Traveled Professor's Roadmap to Success in the First Year of Law School by Andrew J. McClurg. 3rd ed. (2017) (Amazon.com | West Academic)
- The Law School Survival Guide (2003) (Amazon.com | Barnes and Noble)
- Acing Your First Year of Law School by Shana Connell Noyes and Henry S. Noyes. 2nd ed. (William S. Hein, 2008) (Hein website)
- Starting Off Right in Law School by Carolyn J. Nygren. 2nd ed. (Carolina Academic Press, 2011) (CAP website)
- Law School Without Fear by Helene Shapo and Marshall Shapo. 3rd ed. (2009) (Amazon.com | West Academic)
- 1000 Days to the Bar by Dennis J. Tonsing (2003) (Amazon.com)
- How to Do Well On Exams
- How to Study Law and Take Law Exams by Ann M. Burkhart and Robert A. Stein (1996) (Amazon.com)
- How To Do Your Best on Law School Exams by John Delaney. Rev. ed. (2012) (Amazon.com)
- Getting to Maybe: How to Excel on Law School Exams by Richard Michael Fischl and Jeremy Paul (Carolina Academic Press, 1999) (Amazon.com | CAP website)
- Racial Justice Readings Recommended by Faculty
- 1619 Project and Podcast by Nikole Hannah-Jones (recommended by Professor Chadwick)
- American Apartheid: Segregation and the Making of the Underclass by Douglas Massey and Nancy Denton (recommended by Professor Boyack)
- Beloved by Toni Morrison (recommended by Professors Elrod and Sourgens)
- Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates (recommended by Professor Elrod)
- Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do by Jennifer L. Eberhardt (recommended by Professor Janet Jackson)
- Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah (recommended by Dean Lowry)
- The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes edited by Arnold Rampersad (recommended by Professor Westbrook)
- The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein (recommended by Professor Boyack)
- The Color of Money: Black Banks and the Racial Wealth Gap by Mehrsa Baradaran (recommended by Professor Boyack)
- A Conversation on Race by The New York Times (video) (recommended by Professor Kowalski)
- Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton (recommended by Professor Judd)
- Forever Foreigners or Honorary Whites? The Asian Ethnic Experience Today by Mia Tuan (recommended by Professor Glashausser)
- The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (recommended by Professor Ewert)
- How To Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi (recommended by Dean Pratt)
- The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison (recommended by Professor Marsha Griggs)
- Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson (recommended by Professors Francis, Grant, Martin, Matthews, and Ramirez)
- Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann (recommended by Professor Duncan)
- The Kingdom of Auschwitz: 1940-1945 by Otto Friedrich (recommended by Professor Duncan)
- Life on the Color Line: The True Story of a White Boy Who Discovered He Was Black by Gregory Howard Williams(recommended by Professor Glashausser)
- March by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell (3-volume graphic/illustraded novel) (recommended by Professor Kowalski)
- Native Son by Richard Wright (recommended by Professor Alaka)
- The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander (recommended by Professors Francis, Grant, Martin, and Ramirez)
- A People's History of the United States: 1492-Present by Howard Zinn (recommended by Professor Matthews)
- Pulled Over: How Police Stops Define Race and Citizenship by Charles R. Epp, Steven Maynard-Muddy, and Donald Haider-Markel (recommended by Professor Hodgkinson)
- Race for Profit: How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Homeownership by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor (recommended by Professor Ewert)
- Saving the Neighborhood: Racially Restrictive Covenants, Law and Social Norms by Carol M. Rose and Richard R. W. Brooks (recommended by Professor Boyack)
- Simple Justice: The History of Brown v. Board of Education and Black America's Struggle for Equality by Richard Kluger (recommended by Dean Lowry and Professors Duncan and Westbrook)
- Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde (recommended by Professor Chadwick)
- Shattered Bonds: The Color Of Child Welfare by Dorothy Roberts (recommended by Professor Chadwick)
- So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo (recommended by Professor Janet Jackson)
- Stamped From the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi (recommended by Dean Pratt)
- Stokely Speaks: From Black Power to Pan-Africanism by Stokely Carmichael (recommended by Professor Marsha Griggs)
- Texaco by Patrick Chamoiseau (recommended by Professor Sourgens)
- There Are No Children Here by Alex Kotlowitz (recommended by Professor Alaka)
- Thick: And Other Essays by Tressie McMillan Cottom (recommended by Professor Ewert)
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (recommended by Dean Leisinger and Professor Hodgkinson)
- Waking Up White by Debby Irving (recommended by Professor Grant)
- "Was Blind But Now I See:" White Race Consciousness and the Law by Barbara J. Flagg (recommended by Professor Elrod)
- White Fragility: Why It's So Hard For White People To Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo (recommended by Professors Grant and Kowalski
- Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White by Frank Wu (recommended by Professor Francis)
Short URL for this page:
http://washburnlaw.edu/firstweek
- Introduction
- "So a Family Member is Going to Law School"
- Professionalism Group Reveal and First Meeting
- Things to Do Before January 12
- What You Should Bring to Law School
- First Week Theme
- Assignments
- Financial Aid
- First Week Check-in
- Enrollment and Section Assignments
- Textbooks
- Tuition
- Health Insurance
- School of Law Directory
- Optional Leisure Reading