Background readings on professionalism (required)
LL.M. Students should plan to arrive in Topeka no later than Monday, August 12, 2024. You are responsible for ensuring you complete any required quarantine period prior to the beginning of LL.M. Orientation. It will take some time for you to set up your household, source and buy food and get other necessities you could not bring with you. You will want to set up your accommodations, find out where the nearest grocery store is, and figure out transportation to and from campus. Please have these things settled before you start Orientation on August 14, so you are not scrambling for time.
9:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. – International House – 1824 SW Jewell Ave, Topeka, KS 66621
Afternoon 1:00 p.m.-3:30 p.m. – Office of International Programs – International House
9 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Dole Hall School of Law Building, 2073 SW Washburn Terrace E, Topeka Kansas 66621, Room 150
9:00 a.m. – Breakfast and Introductions
10:00 a.m. – Technology Connection
Technology staff will assist you with connecting to the Washburn University wireless network and verify that your email address is active. Be sure to have your computer and phone with you!
10:30 a.m. – Directory and Class Photo
Take your photo for the School of Law directory. There will also be an LL.M. class photo taken at this time.
11:00 a.m. – Bar Admission Introductory Information
Professor McMillan, will provide an introduction to the program and share some information for those of you considering taking a U.S. bar exam.
11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. – Course Selection
You will finalize your course selections (based on the questionnaire you filled out previously) with Professor McMillan
12:30-1:30 p.m. – Lunch (provided)
1:30-2:00 p.m. – Landlord/Tenant Rights in Kansas
Professor Michelle Ewert will give a presentation on:
2:00-3:00 p.m. – Washburn Law Honor Code
Dean Grant will give an essential presentation to LL.M. students about how to stay out of trouble with the Honor Code. Such codes are taken very seriously in U.S. legal culture, and failure to understand and comply with the Honor Code can result in serious repercussions, including failing classes, inability to take a bar exam in any state in the U.S., and even dismissal from law school. You need to know these rules, so you can avoid trouble and help ensure your success in earning your degree.
Please read the honor code and procedure for law students prior to this session.
3:00-4:30 p.m. – Campus Tours
LL.M. Ambassadors will take you around campus and show you where to find the bookstore, cafeteria, Health Services, and gym. Students who have not submitted a photo for their Washburn ID (see above) will be taken to have their Washburn ID issued, which requires government-issued identification (usually passport).
Breaks are NOT noted on the schedule but will be provided throughout the day as needed.
9:00 a.m. – Breakfast, Check-in and Photos – WU Law Admissions and Marketing Team
10:00-10:30a.m. – Welcome -
10:30-11:00 – Law School Resources
11:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m. – Washburn University Campus Resources
12:00-1:00 p.m. - Lunch (provided)
1:00-1:30 p.m. – Email, Wi-Fi, Printing – Get Connected
Technology staff will assist you with connecting to the Washburn University wireless network and verify that your email address is active. Be sure to have your computer and phone with you!
1:30-2:30 p.m. - I Belong at WU Law
"Belonging" - Dean Emily Grant, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
2:30-3:00 p.m. – Planning for a Meaningful Legal Career (optional for LL.M students who are not planning to work in the U.S.) - Dean Tammy King, Assistant Dean for Professional Development.
3:00-4:00 p.m. - Time Management for Busy Law Students - Succeeding in U.S. Legal Education- Professor Chelsea Baldwin
HOMEWORK: Take what you learn in this workshop to read and brief the cases for the sessions on Monday August 19 and Tuesday August 20.
4:00-5:00 p.m. Building Tours and Campus Tours
All Friday, August 16, sessions will be in the Law School Building Room 151
9:00-10:00 a.m. – KALAP and Student Wellness (ABA Standard 303)
KALAP Wellness: Director Danielle Hall, Kansas Lawyers Assistance Program (KALAP)
10:00-11:00 a.m. – Professionalism and the Honor Code (Academic Section) (required for LL.M students despite having a previous session with Dean Grant) - Dean Emily Grant, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. – Character and Fitness Qualifications for the Bar Exam
Ms. Kathleen J. Selzler, Deputy Disciplinary Administrator and Admissions Attorney for the Kansas Supreme Court, will present important information about the Character and Fitness investigations required for licensure.
Ms. Selzer will be joined by Ms. Royetta Rodewald, Investigative Specialist, Office of the Disciplinary Administrator (rodewaldr@kscourts.org), and Amanda Kohlman, Attorney Admission Administrator (admissions@kscourts.org).
If you have individual questions for the Disciplinary Office after today, you may call Ms. Selzler at (785) 435-8218 or email her at lippertk@kscourts.org.
If you discover after the presentation that you have any matters that you need to report to the law school, please call (785) 670-1662 and set up a meeting with the Associate Dean for Student Affairs.
12:30-1:30 p.m. – Lunch (provided) – Meet Your Mentor - Lunch (provided) with your professionalism mentor and mentor group.
1:30-2:30 p.m. – Cross-Cultural Competency for Lawyers: ABA Standard 303 – Professor Michelle Ewert
2:30 p.m. – Student Oath of Professionalism
3:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m. – Tour – Brown v. Board National Historic Park (REQUIRED)
Please be sure to sign the register at the Park, noting on the register that you are a Washburn Law Student.
Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Park Building – 1515 SE Monroe, Topeka, Kansas
You should plan at least one hour to self-tour. The National Historic Park Building is about five minutes east of the law school. (See map below. From the Law School Building go north on SW Washburn Avenue. Turn right on 17th Street and go east until you reach the Park Building's parking lot on your left just past Monroe Street. If you need disability-accessible parking, go through the parking lot and park behind the building.)
It is advised that you do not wear spike heels or expensive shoes, as the path to the building is sometimes not good in bad weather.
Please contact Danielle Dempsey-Swopes, Associate Dean for Student Affairs, if you need a ride to the park.
See the Summer 2004 issue of Washburn Lawyer for more information about Washburn Law graduates involved in the Brown case.
You are free for the rest of the day once you have finished your tour.
Unscheduled days.
All Monday, August 19, sessions will be in the Law School Building Room 151
9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. – Breakfast and Academic Skills Program – Part 1
Professor Chelsea Baldwin, Academic Enrichment and Bar Passage
Review required readings. This intensive program will introduce students to many of the basic skills and processes they need to succeed in law school. Students will begin the study of case law during the program and the process of learning how to extract critical information from case readings. Students will also be exposed to law school fact patterns and the mechanics of answering law school examination questions. These skills are not explicitly taught in the traditional legal education model, but the program represents Washburn's commitment to cutting-edge legal pedagogy that is supported by modern educational research.
The Academic Skills Program is required for all J.D. and LL.M. students. It is optional for Transfer and Visiting students (but highly encouraged for those who will not yet be starting their third year).
12:00-1:00 p.m. – Lunch (provided) and Student Panel
2L Students will share their experience as first-year law students.
1:00-2:00 p.m. Library Tour and Research Techniques - Library staff
Bring your laptop. Students will get their Westlaw and Lexis/Nexis database account information, and have an introductory training session on how to use these databases, Zoom, and D2L (the Learning Management System used by Washburn).
2:00-4:00 p.m. – Academic Skills Program – Part 2
Professor Chelsea Baldwin
All Tuesday, August 20, sessions will be in the Law School Building Room 151
9:00 a.m. – Class Photo - Wear your Washburn Law t-shirt today for the J.D./LL.M class photo! (t-shirt distributed at check-in) – Marketing Staff
9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. – Academic Skills Program Part 3
Professor Chelsea Baldwin
11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. – Professionalism Mentor Group Meeting - Professionalism Group Meetings (Mandatory) will continue for the first few weeks of the regular semester. This meeting will be used to set the location and time for each group.
12:30 – 1:00 p.m. – Lunch provided.
1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. – Academic Skills Program Part 4
Professor Chelsea Baldwin
Thursday August 22 – Regular Law School Classes Begin
Other Activities Throughout the Semester
Most law students are advised not to immerse themselves in other activities at the beginning of their first semester, until they find their footing and know how much time they will actually have.
Professional Development Office (PDO) Events
Academic Support Events
Washburn Student Bar Association Events
Opportunity Fairs / Organizations
Learn about student and non-student organizations at the Opportunity Fairs – Dates TBD.
Feel free to contact the student organizations on your own at any time.
Non-Student Organizations Opportunity Fair
Information about and opportunities with university, law school and legal community organizations.