Administrative Announcements September 6 - September 12, 2016

Faculty Services

Students are welcomed by Professors Driscoll and Piasta to attend a presentation by Hon. Donald F. Miles, Judge of the State Bar Court . The topic of Judge Miles' discussion in the 3-hour California Civil Discovery class next Thursday (Sept 8) is:  “Legal Ethics and Discovery Abuse Stories From The State Bar Court”

Financial Aid

  • FAFSA for 2016-2017
  • Financial Aid Cost of Attendance Budget Update Requests
  • Important Notice Regarding Fall 2016 Tuition Bill
  • Financial Aid Disbursement Fate and Aid Refunds
  • Important Information for 2L, 3L, and 4L Part Time Evening Students Regarding Add/Drop
  • Federal Financial Aid & Work Study Award Cancellation Notice
  • Loan Payment Deferments
  • Financial Literacy Online Information Videos

    • FAFSA for 2016-17

    The FAFSA for the Fall 2016/Spring 2017 academic year is available online. Any student who wishes to receive financial aid for the 2016-17 year can still apply for aid and should complete the FAFSA as soon as possible if you have not already done so. You can access the FAFSA online at www.fafsa.ed.gov.  Our Title IV code is 001325 and must be listed on your FAFSA.
     
    If you have already paid your fall semester bill with personal funds or signed up for the payment plan, you can utilize anyAuthorized Financial Aid received later in the semester for tuition expenses or living expenses.  Any Authorized Financial Aid funds received AFTER your tuition bill is paid with personal funds would be refunded to you.

    Once you are offered the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan for the 2016-17 academic year, you must “accept” the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan online via your myUSF student portal as soon as possible. 

    If you need additional financial aid besides the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan, you can apply for Federal Direct Graduate PLUS loan, which is a credit based loan offered through the federal government. You must first be awarded and “accept” the maximum Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan before you can apply for a PLUS Loan.  You can apply for a PLUS Loan online at the www.studentloans.gov web site. Instructions for applying online are available at:https://www.usfca.edu/law/admissions/tuition-aid/jd/deadlines-documents

    New Loan Borrowers Only: If you are a first time Unsubsidized Loan and/or PLUS Loan borrower, you must complete a Master Promissory Note (MPN) and an Online Entrance Counseling Session for each loan at www.studentloans.gov. Failure to complete these requirements will prevent your Loan(s) from being noted as Authorized Financial Aid and will NOT be disbursed to USF. 

    Financial Aid Cost of Attendance (COA) Budget Update Requests

    Adjustments to your financial aid Cost of Attendance Budget (COA) can be made for students who incur non-standard expenses such as bar fees, childcare, computer purchase, or unanticipated medical or dental expenses. Inquiries onfinancial aid COA budget adjustments should be sent to Rosanna Woods, the Assistant Director for Law Financial Aid, atrlwoods@usfca.edu or call 415.422.6210.

    Important Notice Regarding Fall 2016 Tuition Bill
    Fall 2016 tuition was due on August 1.  Please be sure to check your student account record via your myUSF student portal to insure that you do not have any outstanding tuition charges. 

    If your student account remains unpaid and you still have a balance due on your account you will also be assessed a 1.5% fee on any outstanding balance due and you will have a Hold placed on your student record, which could prevent you from adding or dropping classes, or receiving certain student services, such as requesting transcripts, or registering for the Spring 2017 semester.  

    You will need to pay any outstanding tuition charges with personal funds or sign up for the 4 month payment plan and make the first installment for Fall 2016.  Payment plan information is available on-line at: https://myusf.usfca.edu/onestop/billing-tuition/payment-plan

    Financial Aid Disbursement Date & Aid Refunds

    The earliest scheduled disbursement date for registered students for Fall 2016 financial aid took place on Monday, August 15.  Once financial aid funds disburse, your fall semester charges were paid off and any remaining credit after your bill is paid was refunded to you.  The refund process began on Tuesday, August 16.  If you were expecting a refund and you are enrolled in direct deposit refund processing, you should have received your refund in your designated bank account approximately 2-5 business days AFTER the August 15 disbursement date.  Spring 2017 disbursement date is scheduled for January 3, 2017.

    Receipt of refunds vary depending on your banking institution.  Larger, national banks take shorter time to process electronic transfer of funds compared to smaller banks or credit unions. If you are not enrolled in the direct deposit refund process, a paper check refund will be cut 10-15 business days AFTER the August 15 disbursement date and mailed to your current mailing address.

    If you are receiving federal loans, please remember that the Department of Education withholds loan origination fees for both the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan (1.073%) and the Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan (4.292%). These fees are deducted from the fall portion of your loan aid PRIOR to disbursement.

    Aid will continue to be disbursed throughout each semester as individual student financial aid files become complete later in the term and/or additional federal or private loan applications are processed and approved.

    Important Information for 2L, 3L and 4L Part Time Students Regarding Add/Drop

    Late registration and Add/Drop began on Thursday, August 18, AFTER you have already been processed for a financial aid refund.  Adjustments to your financial aid may be necessary if any of the following situations occur during Add/Drop:

  • If you have received the maximum financial aid award for 20 annual units but you are registered for less than 10 units for the fall semester as of August 15, your aid refund will be in excess of your anticipated cost of living expenses for the fall semester. If you are not planning on adding any additional units, you will be required to return the excess financial aid awarded to you since you cannot receive aid for units that you are not registered for.
  • If you Add a class after your refund has been processed, you will be immediately billed for the additional units. You will need to submit a payment with personal funds to pay for the additional units (or make a personal payment using the funds you received as a refund).  If you are already receiving the maximum financial aid for the semester prior to the addition of your added class, you can request additional financial aid to cover the cost of the additional units. For more information, please contact Rosanna Woods, the Assistant Director for Law Financial Aid at rlwoods@usfca.edu.
  • If you Drop a class after your refund has been processed, with the intention of adding another class with the same unit value, you must Add and Drop on the same day, otherwise you run the risk of a an outstanding tuition balance due on your USF student account.
  • If you Drop a class after your refund has been processed, and you do not intend to add another class, you will create a credit on your USF student account. You must notify the Law Financial Aid Office immediately by contacting Rosanna woods, the Assistant Director for Law Financial Aid at rlwoods@usfca.edu.  Otherwise you will be inadvertently issued a refund for this credit, which you will be required to repay the University since you are not eligible to receive financial aid for this dropped class.

    • Important:  The Law Financial Aid Office will conduct an audit of all Part Time students' financial aid records after the September 9 census date (last day to withdraw without penalty).  If your financial aid for the fall semester is not appropriate for the unit load you are registered, we will make the necessary adjustments to your aid and you will be notified via email.  Please remember that any over-award (receiving financial aid in excess of your unit load), will result in the USF One Stop Office returning those funds to the lender and creating a balance due on your USF student account.  It is critically important that you review your student account after the census date to insure that your account is reconciled. Any unpaid balance will result in late fees assessed on your student account and a Hold placed on your student record, which will prevent you from registering for the spring semester.

    Federal Financial Aid & Work Study Award Cancellation Notice

    Please be aware that if you were awarded any Federal Financial Aid award for the upcoming 2016-17 academic year(Unsubsidized Loan and/or PLUS Loan) and you did NOT accept this award via your myUSF student portal within 30 days of the award offer, the main campus University Financial Aid Office has cancelled that award amount from your USF financial aid record this past week.  If you are interested in the aid award later this fall or spring semester, you can request reinstatement of the award offer via email request from your usfca.edu email account by sending a request to Rosanna Woods, the Asst. Director of Law Financial Aid at rlwoods@usfca.edu. You must request reinstatement of any cancelled federal aid no later than April 1, 2017.

    If you were awarded Federal Work Study (FWS) aid and you did NOT accept this award via your myUSF student portalwithin 30 days of the award offer, the main campus University Financial Aid Office has cancelled the FWS award amount from your USF financial aid record this past week.  You can petition for reinstatement of this aid by submitting a written letter to Norman Caito, USF Director of University Financial Aid Student Services. Letters can be faxed to his attention at415.422.6084, or can be dropped off at the USF One Stop Office at Lone Mountain, room 251.  Petitions for reinstatement should include your name and USF ID number and the following: 

    -The reason why a student did not accept the Federal Work Study aid in a timely manner.

    -The financial hardship a student would experience without the Federal Work Study aid.

    Please note that you cannot submit a letter of appeal for Federal Work Study aid via email.  The last day to submit an appeal for FWS aid is November 1, 2016.

    Loan Payment Deferments
    The main campus University Registrar will forward fall class registration confirmation for all USF registered students to a national clearinghouse used by federal and private lenders to verify enrollment for its loan borrowers.  The information is sent in mid-September after the Law School census deadline (last day to withdraw with full tuition refund).  The enrollment confirmation is used by lenders to continue your loan payment deferments while enrolled in school.

    Financial Literacy Online Information Videos

    The School of Law has made the following short financial literacy video modules available to you online on our web site:

    https://www.usfca.edu/law/admissions/tuition-aid/jd/financial-literacy-borrower-education

    You may find these presentations to be helpful in understanding Federal Student Loans as well as repayment strategies.

    FINANCIAL LITERACY ONLINE VIDEO MODULES

    1. Understanding the Unique Nature of Federal Student Loans
    2. Planning for Student Loan Repayment
    3. Exploring the Student Loan Payment Plans
    4. Understanding the Income-Driven Repayment Plans
    5. REPAYE
    6. Estimating Your Monthly Student Loan Payments
    7. Taking Stock of Your Student Loan Portfolio
    8. Developing Your Student Loan Repayment Timeline
    9. Choosing Your Student Loan Payment Plan
    10. Understanding Student Loan Consolidation
    11. Public Service Loan Forgiveness

    Please contact your loan servicer with any loan repayment questions

    If you have any other questions related to your financial aid, please feel free to contact either Alan Guerrero atguerrero@usfca.edu  or Rosanna Woods at rlwoods@usfca.edu or call 415.422.6210. We wish you all a very successful fall semester!  Take care

    Intellectual Property Law Bulletin

    Call for Submissions

    USF Intellectual Property Law Bulletin is looking for article submissions for Volume 21.  If you completed your writing requirement (or a class paper) on an intellectual property or technology law topic, you may have the opportunity to be published.  If you are interested, please submit your article to the Editor-in-Chief, Kacee Taylor, at kctaylor@usfca.edu byThursday, September 8th. 

    Office of the Registrar

    Friday, September 9th

  • Last Day to Drop Classes
  • Last Day to File a Notice of Candidacy (Petition to Graduate) - https://myusf.usfca.edu/law/graduation-and-bar-admission/graduation-petition

    • Academic Calendar - https://myusf.usfca.edu/law/registration/academic-calendar.

    Registration Dates - https://myusf.usfca.edu/law/registration/registration-dates-and-procedures.

    The following professors have reserved the right to utilize discretionary grading in the Fall 2016 courses.

  • Blau – Income Tax of Trusts & Estates
  • Green, T. – Civil Procedure, Wills & Trusts
  • Green, V. – Elder Law
  • Iglesias – Community Property, Property
  • Lathrope – Federal Income Taxation
  • Leo – Criminal Law
  • Travis - Torts

    • USF School of Law offers certificate programs for JD students in the following areas:

    Business Law, Intellectual Property and Technology Law, International and Comparative Law, Labor and Employment Law, Public Interest Law, and Tax Law.


    Final Deadline (Dec 2016 Grads) and Priority Deadline (May 2017 Grads) to submit a Certificate Application.

    Office of Student Affairs

    Law Student Pro Bono Coordinator

    The Assistant Dean for Student Affairs is hiring a law student for the 2016-2017 academic year. Interested Students should review the Pro Bono Student Coordinator Job Posting and email all required documents to probono@usfca.edu. 

    MUNI Passes

    Passes will be available for pick up in the Student Boulevard during the following times:

  • Tuesday, September 6, from 12:00 – 1:30 pm
  • Tuesday, September 6, from 5:00 – 6:30 pm

    • All uncollected passes can be picked up in the Deans’ Office during regular business hours between Wednesday, September 7 and Friday, September 16.

    Any questions about distribution, please contact the Program Assistant for Student Affairs, Megan Watt, at mwatt@usfca.edu. 

    SF Aloha Run - September 25

    The Office of Student Affairs would like to encourage students to join members of the faculty and staff for the San Francisco Aloha Run on September 25. If students register themselves, we will reimburse students for $20 towards their event registration.

    Runners will receive a San Francisco Aloha Run runner's shirt with their registration and there will be a post-run celebration at Crissy Field. Register here and contact Megan Watt at mwatt@usfca.edu for more information and for reimbursement. 

    School of Law Runners Group

    Interested in joining law students and faculty for a weekly run? The Office of Sudents Affairs would like to start a weekly runner's group. If you would like to receive updates as more details are confirmed, email Megan Watt at mwatt@usfca.edu.

    Pro Bono Opportunities

    Justice Bus Trip - October 22-23, 2016

    OneJustice’s Justice Bus Project is partnering with the Shasta Public Defender’s Office and Chico’s Employment Development Department to bring two free criminal record change clinics to Northern California. During the clinics, USF student volunteers will work one-on-one with low-income individuals to screen them for criminal record change remedies and assist with any court petitions. Both clinics are aimed at empowering vulnerable, low-income Californians in need. No prior experience is needed!

    All spots for the Justice Bus Trip have been filled and we are currently accepting applications for a waitlist. To get on the waitlist: Email probono@usfca.edu. Please include (1) your full name, (2) your class year, (3) any language abilities, and (4) a brief statement of interest (not more than one paragraph). 

    Legal Advice and Referral Clinic - Saturday 9/24 from 10:30-2:30

    1The Justice & Diversity Center of the Bar Association of San Francisco Bar Association organizes and sponsors the Legal Advice and Referral Clinic (“LARC”).  At these clinics, low-income clients receive legal advice and referrals from experienced attorneys in various areas of the law, including personal injury, contracts, collection defense, eviction defense, employment, immigration, and criminal defense.

    1. What do law students do?  When law students volunteer at LARC, they will be conducting client intakes.  This means that they will be the first person to meet with the client to understand what the client’s issues and concerns are.  By asking meaningful questions and listening carefully, law students will be able to complete an intake form, which will be used by the experienced attorneys to provide appropriate advice and referrals to the client.

    Law students can also volunteer to be interpreters.  Many of the clients that come to LARC speak Spanish, Mandarin, and Cantonese, so law students with language abilities play an important part of the legal process when providing interpreting services for clients and attorneys at LARC.

    1. What training do law students need?  The Justice & Diversity staff members provide a brief training to all volunteers before LARC opens its doors to clients.
    2. What is the time commitment?  LARC is held on the last Saturday of every month (August 27, September 24, and October 29) from 10:30-2:30 pm, and we encourage students to attend this clinic as often as their schedules permit throughout the semester.
    3. Where is the LARC clinic?  The Bayview LARC is located at Providence Baptist Church, 1601 McKinnon Ave. (cross-street is Mendell, one block East of 3rd Street), San Francisco, CA  94124.
    4. How do law students sign up?  Law students should email probono@usfca.edu  at least three weeks in advance of the LARC Clinic to sign up.
    5. The Asian American Bar Association (“AABA”) collaborates with Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach (“APILO”) to offer Pro Bono Clinics in San Francisco and Oakland in areas primarily related to immigration and family law.
      1. What do law students do?  Law students will team up with a volunteer attorney to conduct intakes and provide preliminary legal advice.  Students will occasionally be asked to complete paperwork on behalf of the client, but such work will be done under the supervision of an attorney.
      2. What training do law students need?  Law students will be given onsite training by the supervising attorney.  However, USF and AABA, with co-sponsorships with APALSA, La Raza, and the Immigration Law Society, will be organizing a training on-campus at 6:15 on September 20, 2016 in Kendrick 101.
      3. What is the time commitment?  The clinic is open from 6-9pm, and we encourage students to attend this clinic as often as their schedules permit throughout the semester.
      4. Where is the AABA clinic?East Bay-Oakland Legal Clinics is held every 3rd Wednesday of the monthe at the APILO Office, 1305 Franklin Street, Suite 410, Oakland, CA 94612
      5. How do law students sign up? Law students should email probono@usfca.edu  at least three weeks in advance of the AABA Clinic to sign up.
    East Bay-Oakland Legal Clinic - Wednesday 9/21 from 6:00-9:00pmSan Francisco-Tenderloin Legal Clinic - Wednesday 9/28 from 6:00-9:00pm

       The Asian American Bar Association (“AABA”) collaborates with Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach (“APILO”) to offer Pro Bono Clinics in San Francisco and Oakland in areas primarily related to immigration and family law.

    1. What do law students do?  Law students will team up with a volunteer attorney to conduct intakes and provide preliminary legal advice.  Students will occasionally be asked to complete paperwork on behalf of the client, but such work will be done under the supervision of an attorney.
    2. What training do law students need?  Law students will be given onsite training by the supervising attorney.  However, USF and AABA, with co-sponsorships with APALSA, La Raza, and the Immigration Law Society, will be organizing a training on-campus at 6:15 on September 20, 2016 in Kendrick 101.
    3. What is the time commitment?  The clinic is open from 6-9pm, and we encourage students to attend this clinic as often as their schedules permit throughout the semester.
    4. Where is the AABA clinic?  San Francisco-Tenderloin Legal Clinics is held every 4th Wednesday of the month at UC Hastings, 100 McAllister Street, 3rd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94102
    1. How do law students sign up? Law students should email probono@usfca.edu  at least three weeks in advance of the AABA Clinic to sign up.
    2. The Bay Area Military Law Panel (“BAMLP”) is a committee of the SF Bay Area National Lawyers Guild.  Its members are lawyers, law students and legal workers who meet regularly and provide representation for military recruits, active duty service members, and veterans.   The GI Rights Network is coalition of nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations that provide free and confidential information to United States military service members, veterans, and their families. Most of the work of the Network is done through the GI Rights Hotline, but the Network also provides email counseling and live in-person counseling in some locales.
      1. What do law students do?  After attending the training, laws student will be paired with experienced counselors.  Once law students have acquired command of the necessary materials, they may counsel on their own. This is a great opportunity to learn about military issues and to work on your interviewing skills.
      2. What training do law students need?  BAMLP lawyers and legal workers provide training and mentorship to law students who volunteer for the GI Rights Network.  Law students must attend the training on September 23, 2016 from 2-5pm at the San Francisco Quaker Meetinghouse at 65 9th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103.   
      3. What is the time commitment?  In addition to the training, the GI Rights Hotline expects law students to volunteer two hours per week between 10:00am-5:00pm. 
      4. Where will the work be done?  The counseling will be take place at the GI Rights office, which is located at 65 9th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103.
      5. How do law students sign up?  This is an ongoing opportunity, so law students can email probono@usfca.edu at any time to sign up.
      6. The USF School of Law Employment Clinic handles a variety of cases, including Wage and Hour cases.  The legal issues in Wage and Hour cases include failure to pay workers for labor and overtime, failure to give meal and rest breaks, and a range of other employment issues.  Law students work on these cases under the supervision of Professor Robert Talbot or an adjunct faculty member, and they receive academic credit for their work, which is not considered pro bono work.  However, there is a need for interpreting services, which is considered pro bono work.
        1. What do law students do?  Bilingual Spanish and English law students can serve as interpreters to help prepare clients for their wage and hour settlement conferences or hearings.
        2. What training do law students need?  Professor Talbot or the supervising adjunct faculty member will provide onsite training information to the law student.
        3. What is the time commitment?  The time commitment is variable.  Interviews with clients last one to three hours. 
        4. Where is the work located? The work may be done at the law school or at the Instituto Laboral de La Raza, which is located at 2947 16th Street, San Francisco, CA  94103.
        5. How do law students sign up? Law students should email probono@usfca.edu  to express their interest, their language ability, and a schedule of their availability throughout the week for the current semester.  We will keep a running list of students who are interested in performing interpreting services for the USF Law Clinic and provide that list to Professor Talbot on an ongoing basis.  Professor Talbot will reach out to students on the list throughout the semester based on clinic needs and law student availability.
        6. The Justice & Diversity Center provides limited scope representation to pro per litigants during their unlawful detainer mandatory settlement conferences.  Both transactional attorneys and litigation attorney volunteer with this project.  Attorneys from Morgan, Lewis & Bockius have committed to staffing HNP every 4th Thursday of the month and have agreed to partner with USF to allow our law students to shadow and participate in the settlement negotiations.
          1. What do law students do?  Law students will team up with a volunteer attorney from Morgan Lewis to represent one to three clients.  This is a valuable opportunity to collaborate with an attorney, observe settlement conferences, and gain valuable negotiation experience. 
          2. What training do law students need?  Law students must attend a two-hour required training by the Justice & Diversity Center before volunteering.  Once students have expressed their interest to USF, we will schedule the training at a mutually convenient time.
          3. What is the time commitment?  HNP occurs every Wednesday and Thursday afternoon.  Because Morgan Lewis has committed to staffing every fourth Thursday of the month (September 22 and October 27), these are the days that law students can partner with Morgan Lewis.  Shifts are from 12:15-4:30 pm. 
          4. Where is HNP located?  HNP is located at the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco, 400 McAllister Street, SF, CA  94102
    Bay Area Military Law Panel - GI RIghts Hotline Training 9/23 from 2-5 pmUSF School of Law Employment Law ClinicHousing Negotiation Project with Morgan, Lewis & Bockius
    1. How do law students sign up? Law students should email probono@usfca.edu  at least two weeks in advance of the HNP Clinic to sign up.
    1. LARC:  The Justice & Diversity Center of the Bar Association of San Francisco Bar Association organizes and sponsors the Legal Advice and Referral Clinic (“LARC”).  At these clinics, low-income clients receive legal advice and referrals from experienced attorneys in various areas of the law, including personal injury, contracts, collection defense, eviction defense, employment, immigration, and criminal defense.

     

    1. What do law students do?  When law students volunteer at LARC, they will be conducting client intakes.  This means that they will be the first person to meet with the client to understand what the client’s issues and concerns are.  By asking meaningful questions and listening carefully, law students will be able to complete an intake form, which will be used by the experienced attorneys to provide appropriate advice and referrals to the client.

     

    Law students can also volunteer to be interpreters.  Many of the clients that come to LARC speak Spanish, Mandarin, and Cantonese, so law students with language abilities play an important part of the legal process when providing interpreting services for clients and attorneys at LARC.

     

    1. What training do law students need?  The Justice & Diversity staff members provide a brief training to all volunteers before LARC opens its doors to clients.

     

    1. What is the time commitment?  LARC is held on the last Saturday of every month (August 27, September 24, and October 29) from 10:30-2:30 pm, and we encourage students to attend this clinic as often as their schedules permit throughout the semester.

     

    1. Where is the LARC clinic?  The Bayview LARC is located at Providence Baptist Church, 1601 McKinnon Ave. (cross-street is Mendell, one block East of 3rd Street), San Francisco, CA  94124.

     

    1. How do law students sign up?  Law students should email probono@usfca.edu  at least three weeks in advance of the LARC Clinic to sign up.