Christine Corral, Executive Director

Career Planning Center

It is my pleasure to welcome you back to the new academic year and a new recruiting season.  I am pleased to report that the CPC is now fully staffed and is even more committed to delivering high quality, personal service to our students.

By now most 2L and 3L students have received a personal telephone call from a CPC staff member.  The purpose of these calls has been to have direct contact with each student to ensure they were prepared for the 2010-2011 recruiting season.  Specifically to update Strategy recruiting profiles, job search documents, and answer any recruiting-related questions.  If you have not received your call yet, know that one is coming.  Our goal is to have the personal calls completed by mid-September.

To further assist our 2L and 3L students in preparing for the 2010-2011 recruiting season, the CPC staff has planned specific orientations for these groups. The schedule for these orientations along with a brief outline of their content follows:

2L Orientation: September 15^th – 11:40am – 12:30pm (Stride Courtroom)

Be sure to attend this career planning information session tailored specifically for second year law students.  Topic discussed during this interactive session will include utilizing Strategy in your job search, experiential education opportunities, career conferences that you do not want to miss, and important information regarding the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam and bar examination.  A 2L Career Strategy Timeline will be provided to those that attend this session.

3L Orientation: September 15^th – 10-10:50am (Pelzer)

Be sure to attend this career planning information session tailored specifically for third year law students.  Topic discussed during this interactive session will include utilizing Strategy in your job search, experiential education opportunities, career conferences that you do not want to miss, and important information regarding the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam and bar examination.  A 3L Career Strategy Timeline will be provided to those that attend this session.

The CPC team encourages your participation in these informative sessions to help give you a competitive advantage in the marketplace.  You may register for these orientation sessions via Strategy (http://myinterfase.com/valpolaw/students)

Upon completion of the personal telephone calls to 2L and 3L students in mid-September, the CPC staff will begin a round of personal telephone calls to 1L students.  These telephone calls will carry a similar message, making a personal connection and will follow-up on many of the career planning activities during pre-orientation and orientation in which 1Ls have been engaged.  We hope your Strategy recruiting profiles and initial job search documents will be completed as you begin scheduling your 1L career advising appointments.

The CPC team will be visiting 1L Legal Research classes on Friday, October 22 to review the job search documents assignment with an emphasis on cover letters and resumes.

One of many other updates that I am excited to share is the creation of CPC Atrium Days as suggested by the members of the CPC Student Advisory Committee.  A CPC staff member and a CPC Student Advisory Committee member will team together to manage a table in the atrium twice each month.  During a CPC Atrium Day, students are encouraged to ask general questions about any CPC programs and services as well as to receive an updated calendar of recruiting and networking activities.  The September 2010 Atrium Days are September 7^th and September 22 (10:50-11:30am).  We hope to see you there!

Should you have any questions about your job search or need assistance with your Strategy account, please contact the Career Planning Center staff at (219) 465-7814 or careerplanning.law@valpo.edu.

By Heidi A. Duncan

2010 Chile/Argentina Group

This past June, eleven Valparaiso law students and two from other schools crossed into the southern hemisphere for a month-long exploration into Chilean and Argentine law and culture, accompanied by Professor Elizabeth Bruch and Valparaiso’s Professor Alan White. The two-course program delved into national human rights issues and land reform systems in both countries, and other countries explored in the course, in addition to the role the international community and international courts played in resolving national accountability and pursuing resolutions that actuated justice.

For the duration of the program, students spent eight days along the coastal mountain communities of Viña del Mar and Valparaiso, Chile and the remainder of the time in Argentina. The sights, tastes, music, and historical richness of the communities are deeply nestled within a naval-based area affected in varying degrees by the military dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet. The University of Viña del Mar law school invited internationally renowned Judge Juan Guzmán to present a film documenting his investigation that ultimately led to the criminal prosecution of Pinochet. In addition, visits to an area winery, Chilean constitutional and appellate courts, home stays with local families, fresh seafood, and hospitable Chilean law students warmed up the visiting students before they went deeper within the country for several days of tours and study at the University of the Andes in Santiago, Chile.

Buenos Aires, Argentina revealed a sophisticated and fast-paced metropolis, filled with tourists, tango, shopping, opulent food, art, and museums, yet the country has been healing from a tumultuous political history. Students examined the circumstances surrounding and following the Dirty War through study accompanied by visits to organizations and facilities involved with uncovering the truth of what happened to the thousands lost in the government’s systematic detention, torture, and murder against “subversives.” Students visited sites of clandestine detention centers and witnessed the weekly march of las Madres de la Plaza de Mayo, with protesters still demanding answers of what happened to their missing relatives. Argentine Supreme Court Justice Elena Highton met with Valparaiso’s law students and others from Pontifica Catholic University of Argentina, answering questions in her chambers. To further explain Argentine law and present legal issues, several Argentine professors lectured throughout the two-week stay in Buenos Aires, including Professors Riviera and LeGarre, who are frequent visiting professors in Valparaiso, Indiana.

Time not spent in lectures, on tours, or studying was spent attempting to take advantage of the possibilities available in Buenos Aires. A Saturday spent at Professor LeGarre’s ranch entailed seeing 96,000 chickens, horseback riding, soccer, and giant slabs of beef. Throughout the two weeks, many students traveled to Uruguay for a day, a few took polo lessons, and others explored the Eva Peron museum or went to the theatre. Most students even attempted tango following a lesson, although none were able to keep up with the tango professional of the group. The Argentine students welcomed the U.S. students as warmly as the Viña del Mar students had done, and likewise establishing many friendships that will long outlast the duration of the trip.

Despite the cruel reality of the history of political development in Chile and Argentina, and the difficulties both nations face in coming to terms with and healing from the past, these two beautiful countries yield adventures far beyond this brief recounting of our experiences. My advice is to book your next vacation in Chile and Argentina, and allow yourself to be immersed in an unforgettable adventure.

Photo: (back row) Brian Frankenberg, Desiree Allen, Professor Elizabeth Bruch, Jacob Salazar, Luis Vasquez, Sonny Hodgin, Professor White, Monica Jones, Allie Wallace (Chicago Kent Law), Heidi Duncan

(front row): Jessica Levitt, Ian McInnis, Maggie Acuna, Ana Paula Bastian (Thomas Jefferson Law), Elizabeth Hollingsworth