"Lack of preparation is the worst thing I've seen come through (the firm)," stated alumnus Kimberly Copp ('97), associate and recruiting coordinator at Shefsky & Froelich Ltd., during a recent program, "Interviewing Skills Workshop," hosted by the Career Services Office.

"You must do research on the firm before an interview," Copp suggests. "At this point, not many students know the difference between law firms."

She points out that websites are one of the best ways to find out the information needed about a law firm. One of the most important things to know, in her opinion, is if the law firm has the practice area a student has chosen.

"Believe it or not, some people who go into interviews don't (know if the firm has their chosen practice area)," Copp said.

She offered additional tips to interviewing, including tips on networking, reviewing resumes, asking the interviewer questions and dress codes.

Copp suggested that networking is one of the most important ways to become considered for an interview with a firm as well as for securing a job after interviews. "Let everyone you know, know you are looking for a job," she advised students. "You never know who knows whom."

When reviewing resumes, Copp reminded students, "anything written is fair game… Know and be able to explain what you've written. People will ask questions."

She also explains that it is important that the interviewee also ask questions about the firm, so the interviewer knows he is interested. "Know the reason why you chose the firm. They can tell if you don't care. Ask something, even if it's the same question you've asked everyone else."

Finally, Copp discussed dress code for interviews. "You can't mess up with a suit," she stated simply. "It's always better to overdress than to be underdressed."

A copy of, "Person to Person: Informational and Job Interviewing Handbook," which covers these interviewing tips in more detail, can be found in the Career Services Office.

Professor Michael Closen of The John Marshall Law School, a national expert on legal issues relating to AIDS, has accepted an invitation to serve on a national policy committee that will recommend guidelines on how to prevent the transmission of blood borne pathogens from health care professionals to patients.

According to committee organizer Patti Tereskerz, of the International Health Care Worker Safety Center at the University of Virginia, Closen will be one of three attorneys working on this project funded by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

Closen will join four physicians, two other attorneys, two ethicists and a community member on the committee. He will make a presentation to the committee at a fall meeting and help formulate national policy.

"The charge of the committee is to make recommendations for a uniform national policy. An essential component of this process is fostering a balanced approach with representation and protection of all of the involved parties," she said. "Weighing the risk to the life of the patient against the threat to the livelihood of health care workers presents medical, ethical and legal challenges."

Currently, federal rules call for adopting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations which state that infected health care workers should not perform exposure-prone procedures unless they have sought counsel from an expert panel. Panel members should be health professionals from a variety of medical backgrounds. Tereskerz said policies now vary from state to state.

In 1985, Closen won the first AIDS-related case in the country as the pro bono attorney for a man who argued he should not be forced to submit a blood sample. In 1987, Closen began lecturing in other states about HIV-AIDS topics. He has represented papers at the AIDS Conference in Amsterdam, as well as speaking in eight countries. He has published nearly 50 related articles.

In 1988, he taught the first AIDS law course at John Marshall, which was also one of the first such classes in the United States.

In 1990, Closen authored a chapter in the AIDS treatise published by Callaghan & Co. and in 1991 he co-authored "AIDS Law in a Nutshell" published by West Publishing. A second edition of the book was published in 1997.

Fair Housing Clinic student interns, Melanie Davis and Yvonne Anderson; Lillian Seymore, tester coordinator, presented a workshop on Section 8 and Housing Discrimination, at St. Paul Head Start, on Tuesday, January 30, 2001.

Davis and Anderson provided the participants with a comprehensive overview of the Fair Housing Act and The City of Chicago Fair Housing Ordinance. Participants were informed on what housing providers may consider discriminatory actions and what remedies are available to victims of such actions. Seymore told the participants of the purpose of the Clinic and what is required to receive the services of the Clinic.

Participants at the workshop included parents of head start children as well representatives from several citywide social service agencies. Participants from local agencies included Catholic Charities, Abraham Lincoln Center and Educare Center of the Ounce of Prevention Fund.

The representatives of the Clinic received numerous requests for a repeat of this program. As part of the Clinic's requirement of out reach participation, the program will be repeated in February.

Clinical Professor Damian Ortiz supervises the outreach program.

February 19

Faculty Meeting, Room 1200A, 12:00 p.m.

UIC/JMLS Meeting, Room 1200B, 2:30 p.m.

February 20

Career Services - Careers in Intellectual Property Law, Room 1200, 12:45 p.m.

February 21

Career Services - Mission Possible: Strategies for Thriving in the Face of Debt, Room 1200, 12:45 p.m.

February 22

Open House, 3 East, 6:00 p.m.

February 23

45th Annual Conference on Developments in Intellectual Property Law, Room 1200, 9:00 a.m.

February 24

Open House: Diversity Within Patent Law, Room 1200, 10:00 a.m.

February 26

Faculty Meeting, Room 1200, 12:00 p.m.

February 27

International Criminal Court Program with Guest speaker Doug Cassel, Room 1200, 12:00 p.m.

February 28

Career Services - Lunch & Conversations with Alumni, Room 1200B, 1:45 p.m.

After the Bar Ski Party, Room 3East, 5:30 p.m.

Friends of Battered Women Meeting, Room 1203, 6:00 p.m.

March 2

Career Services - Alumni Mentor Lunch, Room 1200B, 12:30 p.m.

SBA Talent Show, Room 3East, 2:00 p.m.

March 3

Open House, Room 200, 10:00 a.m.