WELCOME ENTERING CLASS OF 2023!
I look forward to seeing you during our 1L Orientation, which will begin with the Dean's Welcome. Our goal during Orientation is to welcome you to the CSU|LAW family, introduce you to the profession you are entering, and offer you opportunities to meet and get to know each other. This webpage is your one-stop resource to prepare you to begin law school. I encourage you to carefully review all the information below well in advance of orientation. Please be sure to return often for updates and new information.
All of us eagerly anticipate meeting you and welcoming you to CSU College of Law. We know you will share our pride as you become a part of the extraordinary CSU|LAW family.
Lee Fisher
Dean and Joseph C. Hostetler-BakerHostetler Chair in Law
lee.fishernull@csuohio.nulledu
ORIENTATION SCHEDULE
Day Student Orientation
Monday, August 14: Dean Fisher Welcomes You to Law School
10:30AM - 2:00PM, Required Attendance, Atrium level at the College of Law, Lunch will be provided.
10:30AM: Pick up materials in the Atrium of the College of Law
11:00AM: Dean Fisher’s Welcome in the Moot Court Room
12PM: Lunch at the College of Law
1:30 - 2PM: Reflection and Closing in the Moot Court Room
Your afternoon is free. Suggested activities include stopping by the CSU Bookstore, completing your Law Library Tour, stopping into the Student Services Suite to meet Student and Career Services, stopping into the Academic Support and Legal Writing Suite to meet Student Success and Bar Preparation.
4 PM Building School Budget and AskEDNA (Optional Webinar with AccessLex)
Tuesday, August 15: Introduction to Professional Identity and Legal Competencies
10:30AM – 2:00PM: Required Attendance, Atrium level at the College of Law, Lunch will be provided.
10:00AM: Alumni Discussion in the Moot Court Room.
12:00PM: Lunch Discussions at the College of Law
1:15PM: Wellness and Professionalism
Your afternoon is free. Suggested activities include stopping by the CSU Bookstore, completing your Law Library Tour, stopping into the Student Services Suite to meet Student and Career Services, stopping into the Academic Support and Legal Writing Suite to meet Student Success and Bar Preparation.
Wednesday, August 16: Cross-Cultural Competency and Identity
10:00 - 11:30AM: Required Attendance, Atrium level at the College of Law
10:00AM: Connecting with Clients and Building Trust Across Cultural Differences.
Break/Lunch on Own
1:00PM - 2:00PM (207): Professional Identity Formation Small Group Session, LRW Section 1 and 2
2:00PM - 3:00PM (207): Professional Identity Formation Small Group Session, LRW Section 3 and 4
3:00PM - 4:00PM (207): Professional Identity Formation Small Group Session, LRW Section 5, 6, and 7
Afternoon: You will receive an assigned time for your one-hour required Professional Identity Formation course meeting.
Thursday, August 17: Student Success, Bar Preparation & Strategic Planning for Law School
12:00PM - 1:30PM: Lunch with Faculty and Staff
1:30PM - 5:00PM: Required Attendance, Atrium level at the College of Law
1:30PM: Introduction to Academic Support and Bar Preparation & Strategic Planning for Law School
3:15PM: Student Panel Followed by Break-Out Sessions with your AEP Fellows
Friday, August 18: Eight District Court Visit and Reception
1:15PM until 7PM: Required Attendance, Atrium level at the College of Law
1:15PM: CSU|LAW Welcomes the Eighth District Court of Appeals; Introductory remarks by Professor Doron Kalir and Professor Jonathan Witmer-Rich; Oral Argument at the College of Law
Saturday, August 19: Live Justice Day of Service (Optional)
9:15AM: Donuts and Coffee in the Atrium
9:45AM: Walk to Harbor Light Shelter with Professor Pam Daiker-Middaugh
12:15PM: Debriefing, Pizza and Soda in Student Cafeteria with Professor Pam Daiker-Middaugh
LAW LIBRARY & IT ORIENTATION
ACADEMIC INFORMATION FOR 2023-24
The Fall 2023 First Year Exam Schedule will be emailed to all students during Fall 2023, however, do not plan any vacations or events between December 6 and December 19, 2023 as this is final exam period. Be aware, we will not change exams because of vacations, weddings, birthdays, personal appointments, or other planned events!
Course Materials and First Assignments Please check https://www.law.csuohio.edu/academics/schedules/firstassignmentsbooksandmaterials the first week of August. This is where you will find your first assignments for Fall 2023. You must be prepared for all classes on Monday, August 21. The assignments may not be posted until mid-August, so please check back frequently.
STUDENT HANDBOOK, HONOR CODE, AND CODE OF CONDUCT
You are responsible for knowing and understanding these documents fully.
Student Rights and Responsibilities
UNIVERSITY SERVICES
- Disability Services If you require accommodations for the classroom or exams, we recommend you develop a relationship with disability services early and often. CSU College of Law, of course, honors any recommended accommodation.
- Health & Wellness All services are free and the office is conveniently located across the street in the Union Building.
- Counseling Center All services are free and the office is conveniently located across the street in the Union Building. However, should you need to talk something over or get some personal counseling or advice, Amy L. Miller, our Director of Student Life is more than pleased to speak with you.
- Recreation Center The Rec Center is free for all law students - even part-time students. Your ID card will be programmed to swipe in for access. You do not have to do anything but plan to stay healthy while in law school!
CAMPUSNET, PARKING, VIKING CARD (ID) & UPASS
CampusNet Login & Use Information - CampusNet has ALL the information you need, including registration, parking, financial aid, and account balances. This is the first and most important tool you have to monitor your account at CSU. Please login as soon as possible (well before Orientation) as University correspondence will begin to be mailed to the address listed on CampusNet.
Viking Card - Your Viking Card, or your student ID card, is the official identification card for all Cleveland State University students, faculty, and staff. The card is required for all active members of the Cleveland State Community. Among other things, the Viking Card will be the way that you can access certain information and services, such as the Student Services Suite and Law Library, as well as campus buildings and parking garages.
You will need to visit the Viking Card website to start the process to receive your Viking Card - . You should do this at some point after you are registered for classes and before July 24. Follow the New Viking Card process, and be sure to select LAW, so that we can have your card available to you when you arrive to the College of Law: https://www.csuohio.edu/vikingcard/my-photo-viking-card-0
Parking Services - Student parking permits go on sale August 1, at 9 a.m. The link below will provide you with information on how to obtain a parking permit. You’ll need your CSU ID number and password to access the parking system. (Your student ID number was sent to you along with a guide on how to navigate CampusNet.) Purchase permits via CSU GO Online Parking System, by logging in using your CSU ID and Campus Net password. Permits are priced based on the parking access they provide relative to the parking location’s proximity to the core of campus.
NOTE: Parking permits do sell out, and they sell out quickly, so don’t delay.
CSU Commuter Parking Information Page
UPass - every CSU College of Law student has free public transportation on all buses and Rapid in Cuyahoga County. The UPass sticker will be mailed to your address in CampusNet in early August. You simply put the sticker on your ID card. Please make sure your address is current in CampusNet.
MAPS
LIVING IN CLEVELAND & HOUSING RESOURCES
LIVING IN CLEVELAND COULDN'T BE BETTER!
- We have baseball, basketball, football, and hockey professional teams - Cleveland Indians, Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Cavaliers and Lake Erie Monsters
- Excellent restaurants and chefs (we're home to Iron Chef Michael Symon and Jonathon Sawyer).
- World-renowned museums - Cleveland Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Cleveland Museum of Natural History, The Great Lakes Science Center, Polka Hall of Fame, and of course, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!
- One of the best park systems around. The Cleveland Metroparks have Lake Erie beach access, hiking trails, horse-back riding, a railroad, skiing, golf, and nature all around Cleveland and its suburbs.
- A vibrant and rejuvenated downtown. Heinen's, a Cleveland grocery chain, is now the renovated Cleveland Trust Bank; revitalized downtown shopping; quality restaurants and bars on 4th Street, and the second largest theatre district in the United States (outside of NYC) create a lively social scene for law students.
Check out some other sites for information:
HOUSING
The Campus District, our neighborhood in Cleveland, is a great place to live, work, socialize, and go to law school. Learning about the Campus District, including the many housing options available within walking distance of CSU|LAW. See Housing Resources
PROFESSIONAL LEGAL ORGANIZATIONS
American Bar Association (ABA) - FREE membership for law students.
Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association (CMBA) - FREE membership for law students.
Ohio State Bar Association (OSBA) - FREE membership for law students. One of the benefits of membership is use of Casemaker, an online legal research tool to look up cases.
Supreme Court of Ohio Professional Ideals for Lawyers and Law Students
"How to Survive the First Year of Law School" -- by the American Bar Association
BARBRI BAR EXAMINATION REVIEW - FREE FOR YOU!
Under the CSU College of Law - BarBri Partnership, CSU College of Law pays 100% of the BarBri tuition for CSU|LAW graduates who are enrolled in BarBri through the partnership. CSU College of Law graduates may take BarBri in Ohio or elsewhere. The Partnership, through which the BarBri course is provided at no cost, applies only to CSU College of Law graduates.
The BARBRI bar review course has been trusted by more than 1 million law school students to date. The full Bar Review course is available in all jurisdictions. It includes anytime access to lectures, outlines, practice questions, essay writing help and tutoring. As well as our unique BARBRI AMP technology that help you learn and retain the black letter law, the foundational rules you will have to apply throughout law school and beyond. There are live lectures for the Ohio Bar Exam at CSU College of Law for the Summer Bar Review course.