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South
Dakota Law Review
The South Dakota
Law Review is a journal of critical commentary on current
legal issues with a state, national, and international circulation.
Published three times per year, the Law Review contains articles
by leading members of the legal profession, as well as student
notes and comments. Students involved in the Law Review develop
their research and writing skills.
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Moot
Court
The South Dakota
Moot Court Board is dedicated to mastering the art of appellate
advocacy. Its members enjoy a unique opportunity to develop
and perfect the skills of appellate brief writing and oral
advocacy.
The Board is comprised of six third-year
and six second-year students. Board members compete in various
regional and national competitions. At tournaments in New
York, Chicago, Minneapolis, and other cities, Board members
compete against law students from across the nation. Teams
from the University of South Dakota have placed first and
received awards for Best Oral Advocate and Best Brief at twelve
regional tournaments since 1970.
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Client
Counseling and Negotiations
The
South Dakota Client Counseling and Negotiations Board is devoted
to educating law students on the practical aspects of law.
Its members develop and perfect the skills of negotiating
and counseling on behalf of a client.
The Board is comprised of twelve members
who host an intra-school competition each semester. Both the
Negotiations and Client Counseling competitions are sponsored
by the American Bar Association Law Student Division, which
also provides the problems for the competitions. In addition,
Board members are given the opportunity to compete against
law students from across the nation in regional and national
competitions.
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Student
Bar Association
The Student Bar
Association introduces the law student to a professional legal
organization and the activities and responsibilities of the
organized legal profession. The Student Bar Association is
affiliated with the Law Student Division of the American Bar
Association. Delegates are sent each year to the national
convention of the organization.
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Native
American Law Student Association
The School of Law
Chapter is a member of the National American Indian Law Student
Association. Its principal goals are to provide a local and
national network of mutual support, to focus attention on
Indian Law issues of interest to the Law School community,
and to serve as a minority and cultural resource within the
University community.
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Legal
Fraternities
There
are two legal fraternities serving the School of Law: Delta
Theta Phi and Phi Alpha Delta. The fraternities are primarily
social and service organizations whose activities include
dinner meetings, guest speaker programs, and social functions.
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Women
In Law
Women
In Law is an organization composed of both male and female
law students, faculty members and members of the South Dakota
State Bar. The group works to increase awareness of current
issues affecting women in law. It solicits speakers for the
annual State Bar meeting. Past speakers have included Sarah
Weddington, an attorney who argued before the United States
Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade, and Pat Clark, Director of the
Klan Watch.
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Black
Law Students Association
The
Black Law Students Association (BLSA) is active in providing
opportunities and venues for participation by its members
to promote the awareness of minorities on the campus and surrounding
communities. The Black Law Students Association hosts BLSA
Week annually, which is a culmination of events taking place
during February in conjunction with Black History Month. BLSA
is instrumental in helping recruit potential students to the
School of Law and are committed to helping build a foundation
for the future.
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Innocence
Project of South Dakota
The purpose of the Innocence Project of South Dakota is to
provide pro bono legal assistance to South Dakota inmates
that have cognizable claims of wrongful conviction. The IPSD
is an entirely voluntary endeavor - from the volunteer attorneys,
law professors, and law students.
The IPSD Law Student Organization, located
at the University of South Dakota School of Law, will provide
law students with valuable experience concerning the criminal
justice system, as well as providing students with the opportunity
to work for, and come in contact with, practicing lawyers
in the community. IPSD law student responsibilities may include
researching an inmate's claim, conducting follow-up investigations,
and interviewing clients, witnesses, or law enforcement personnel.
In addition, other opportunities include legal research and
the preparation of legal documents. Law students in this organization
will be closely supervised by the attorney they are matched
with, and by the faculty advisor.
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Great
Plains Natural Resources Journal
The Great Plains
Natural Resources Journal provides readers with scholarly
and practical articles dealing with environmental law and
policy and natural resources management pertinent to the Great
Plains regions of the United States and Canada.
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Christian
Legal Society
The Christian
Legal Society is a non-denominational organization designed
to provide students with fellowship and support in understanding
the integration of Christian life and the law. The organization
meets on a weekly basis for reading and discussion. Local
attorneys are occasionally invited to meetings to present
guest lectures.
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Federalist
Society
Their founding
principles are that the state exists to preserve individual
freedom, that the separation of governmental powers is central
to our Constitution, and that it is emphatically the province
and duty of the judiciary to say what the law is, not what
it should be. The Society seeks both to promote an awareness
of these principles and to further their application through
its activities. Organizational activities will include sponsoring
debates, discussions, and speeches, assisting other organizations
in recruiting nationally known speakers, and hosting informational
and social gatherings.
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International
Law Student Association
The School
of Law Chapter of the International Law Student Association
provides students with exposure to current issues in international
law through participation in seminars, conventions, and competitions
which focus on international law, including an international
competition in Vienna, Austria.
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Legal
Research Service
This service is
provided by the Law School Foundation and directed by the
Director of the Law Library. It provides traditional and computerized
research services to practicing attorneys.
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Student
Alumni Association
The Student Alumni
Association consists of student volunteers and graduate assistants
who assist the Office of the Dean with activities on behalf
of the Law School's alumni/ae and friends.
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South
Dakotan Lawyer
The South Dakotan
Lawyer is the magazine for the Law School and the Law School's
Alumni/ae. Faculty, staff, and student editors participate
in the production of the annual publication which distributes
5,000 copies nation-wide. The emphasis of the publication
includes alumni/ae, students, faculty, career counseling news,
and information about the efforts the Law School is making
toward excellence in the law.
A
link to the Fall 2002 South Dakotan Lawyer magazine can be
found on the menu at the bottom of the page on our web site
at: http://www.usd.edu/law/new_web_site/
alumni/alumni_page.htm
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R.D. Hurd
Volunteer Law School Society
The R.D. Hurd
Volunteer Law School Society is a program designed to give
2L and 3L law students an opportunity to provide pro bono
legal services to low-income persons. The students interview
clients, perform research, prepare documents, and in some
instances, make court appearances. Students are assigned an
attorney supervisor who offers assistance to the students
throughout the cases.
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Environmental
Law Society
The University of South
Dakota Environmental Law Society is a Law School student organization
dedicated to promoting awareness and understanding of environmental
issues. The Society sponsors speakers, panels, and seminars
on contemporary environmental problems. It participates in
such community activities as recycling campaigns and pro bono
assistance to various environmental organizations.
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