Incoming LMU Loyola Law School (LLS) students joined in sessions about law school resources, Day One concepts and skills, and the core values of the community during the New Student Orientation held on campus from August 12-14.
Each year, orientation welcomes new Juris Doctor (JD) students (day and evening) and graduate students in the Master of Laws (LLM) and Master of Science in Legal Studies (MLS) programs to prepare them for their first year as Loyola law students. Sessions included a panel on the first year of law school with current advanced students, a refresher course on fundamentals of American law, and a panel on civility with judges and attorneys.
In her opening remarks, Fritz B. Burns Dean Brietta Clark urged new students to reflect on the responsibility of being a lawyer. "Take seriously what it means to earn a law degree: the power that it gives you not just to change your life and your family's lives, but to really help improve others' lives and even to help transform communities. This is an extraordinary privilege," Clark said.
She also highlighted the opportunities to make a real difference, even as students, that Loyola Law School offers, including in the Loyola Social Justice Law Clinic (LSJLC). "At LMU Loyola Law School, we not only ensure you will graduate with the skills to make sure you are ready to practice on Day One, but also give you opportunities to make a real difference now,” she said. “In our clinics, you are getting incredible training while also helping to increase access to justice for those who are underserved."
Several sessions during orientation were focused on creating and cultivating community in law school. In small groups, or “pods,” students engaged in activities to get to know each other, challenge their own assumptions, and practice civility and compassion.
Associate Dean for Equity and Inclusion Patricia Winograd encouraged the students to engage the Socratic ethic to become comfortable with struggle, introspection, and not having all the answers. "Being Socratic means that you press skeptically against easy answers, go many questions deep, and are mindful of your own ignorance,” she said, citing “The Socratic Method: A Practitioner's Handbook.”
Students also had plenty of opportunities to mingle and have fun at an opening night mixer, a student organization social, and a “campus quest” scavenger hunt with prizes. The school provided Pink’s Hot Dogs and other local delicacies along the way.
The law school's academic calendars contain information about fall semester and other course schedules.