We will miss you, Interns!

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

FREE LUNCH CHALLENGE IS BACK!

Many of you are studying for the SAT or ACT right now.  These are entrance examinations for college.  Students who wish to attend law school are required to take an examination called the LSAT or law school admissions test.  The LSAT is a 4–hour exam that consists of five sections: Analytical Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, an Experimental section and a Writing Sample.  We did a sample logical reasoning question on one of our previous free lunch challenges.  Following is a sample of an analytical reasoning test question like one you might find on the LSAT.  Give it a try for a chance to win today's free lunch challenge:

2. All Labrador retrievers bark a great deal. All Saint Bernards bark infrequently. Each of Rosa’s dogs is a cross between a Labrador retriever and a Saint Bernard.  Therefore, Rosa’s dogs are moderate barkers.

Which one of the following arguments below uses flawed reasoning that most closely resembles the flawed reasoning used in the argument above?

(A) All students who study diligently make good grades. But some students who do not study diligently also make good grades. Jane studies somewhat diligently. Therefore, Jane makes somewhat good grades.

(B) All type A chemicals are extremely toxic to human beings. All type B chemicals are
nontoxic to human beings. This household cleaner is a mixture of a type A chemical and a type B chemical. Therefore, this household cleaner is moderately toxic.

(C) All students at Hanson School live in Green County. All students at Edwards School live in
Winn County. Members of the Perry family attend both Hanson and Edwards. Therefore,
some members of the Perry family live in Green County and some live in Winn County.

(D) All transcriptionists know shorthand. All engineers know calculus. Bob has worked both
as a transcriptionist and as an engineer. Therefore, Bob knows both shorthand and calculus.

(E) All of Kenisha’s dresses are very well made.  All of Connie’s dresses are very badly made.
Half of the dresses in this closet are very well made, and half of them are very badly made. Therefore, half of the dresses in this closet are Kenisha’s and half of them are Connie’s.

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Nice job with your analysis of the Abramski case!

I was very impressed with how deeply you considered the arguments.  Are you missing the free lunch challenges?  Check back this week for a couple of free lunch challenges.  See you on Tuesday.

Sunday, June 22, 2014

The Terrence Croft Essay Contest is Underway! Here are some tips for you interns.

Terrence Croft, Esq.
Co-Founder of SLIP
Here are some tips for you interns as you work on your essays.
Justice Kagan

1.  The Supreme Court's opinion in Abramski v. United States is HERE.

2.  An article highlighting the importance of the interpretation of words from The New Yorker magazine is posted HERE.

3.  The audio recording of the oral argument is posted HERE.

4.  The transcript of the oral argument is posted HERE.

Bruce Abramski
Former Virginia Police Officer

A TIP:  IF YOU THINK THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION PRESENTED IN ABRAMSKI IS SIMPLE, REMEMBER THAT THE DECISION WAS 5 TO 4.  YOU SHOULD GO BACK AND REVIEW THE DISSENT OR LISTEN TO THE ORAL ARGUMENT AUDIO AGAIN TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE CONSIDERED ALL SIDES AND ARGUMENTS BEFORE FORMULATING YOUR OWN OPINION.

(ALSO, DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE FOR YOUR ESSAY ASSIGNMENT.)


Richard Dietz, attorney for petitioner Abramski, during oral argument

Sunday, June 15, 2014

SLIP 22 Favorite Quotations


Friday, at the kickoff breakfast, my favorite quote from Paula Frederick was, "You have a village of people invested in your success!"  On June 6, 2014, we gave you our favorite quotations and asked you to give us yours.  There are some real gems in there.  See below.

Wade Malone's Favorite Quotation



Natasha Perdew Silas's Favorite Quotation

Nekia Hackworth Jones's Favorite Quotation


Mariana Pannell's Favorite Quotation


Jumoke Aremu:  "Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game."


Jahvon Blackman:  "Perfection is never enough."


Zeba Pirani's Favorite Quotation

Harsha Sridhar's Favorite Quotation
Karemma Brown's Favorite Quotation
Mary Elizabeth Burke's Favorite Quotation
Avery Bufkin's Favorite Quotation


Jalyn Buster's Favorite Quotation
Norris Davis, III:  "Excuses are moments of nothingness that build bridges to nothing."

Evan Doanes:  "Laziness is nothing more than resting before you get tired."


Tseganesh Gebresilassie's Favorite Quotation










Rachelle Jacques:  
"Those who prepare today will own tomorrow."



Chamondrea Lane's Favorite Quotation

Deborah Fataki's Favorite Quotation

Khari King's Favorite Quotation










Jalil Lucas:  "To be a great leader, you must lead yourself in such a way that will inspire others to follow you."  (Jalil Lucas)

Patrick Mbemena's Favorite Quotation

Isabella Minter's Favorite Quotation



















Anquita Mitchell:  "Success is the epitome of a hardworker."



Esther Nyarko's Favorite Quotation







Nimiye Ogoun:  
"Where there's a will, there's a way."

Brahia Parker:  
"Plan for your next step, don't leave in your next step."
Korey Silas's Favorite Quotation 
Austin Sumlin's Favorite Quotation:  "You gotta have that hunger Rock!"

Tyreek Baisden's Favorite Quotation





















Courtney Taylor:  "You may not have been the one that cut down all the trees, but you're still not standing in a forest."

Jala White:  "Nothing is impossible, it says I'm possible in the world."



Tyanni Wright's Favorite Quotation













Celine Opoku's Favorite Quotation

Richard Williams's Favorite Quotation

Friday, June 13, 2014

Terrific Kickoff Breakfast This Morning!

All of you did so well with your introductions!  Chamondrea hit one out of the park with that awesome introduction.   Paula Frederick's advice was terrific.

Paula's three points of advice :

1.  Learn something new everyday.

2.  Use this summer to learn about yourself.

3.  Think about how lucky you are to be in this program and enjoy the opportunity that you have.

My favorite quote from Paula's remarks was:  "You have a village of people who are invested in your success."  That is so true.

Have a restful weekend and be ready to hit the ground running next week.

Tasha


Thursday, June 12, 2014

SLIP Kick-Off Breakfast

We are looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow at the Kick-Off Breakfast.  The location is 1201 West Peachtree Street, 50th Floor (tall building in the center pictured below).  This is on the corner of West Peachtree and 14th Street.  Please have ID ready when you go through security.

Parking can be rather pricey in this area so, if you are able, we encourage you to take MARTA.  The Arts Center Station is a very short walk away.


Saturday, June 7, 2014

Explanation of the Solution to Free Lunch Challenge 3

Congratulations again to Xayla Wilson for winning the free lunch challenge.  I thought some of you might be interested in the explanation to the problem.  See below for a reprint of the problem followed by its solution.

Logical Reasoning

Everyone who is compassionate is kind, and someone who has experienced life’s challenges is invariably compassionate. Jeremy is kind, so he has experienced life’s challenges.
Which one of the following exhibits a pattern of flawed reasoning most similar to that exhibited above?
(A) Roberta is a highly productive person. Every person who is motivated is highly productive, and every person who is organized is motivated. Therefore, Roberta is very organized.
(B) Nice people are always sympathetic people, and those who have experienced hardships always end up being nice. Betsy is not a sympathetic person, so Betsy has not experienced hardships.
(C) Almost everyone who loves black and white films is a movie buff, and all movie buffs enjoy popcorn. Sasha does not love black and white films, so Sasha probably does not enjoy popcorn.
(D) Patience requires an even temperament, and being a good parent certainly requires patience. James has no patience, so James is not a good parent.
(E) Successful entrepreneurs are either confident or experienced. Yoshi is a successful entrepreneur, and he is not experienced. Therefore, Yoshi is confident.

Solution:

The given argument contains two conditional statements:
1. Everyone who is compassionate is kind. (C → K)
2. Someone who has experienced life’s challenges is invariably compassionate. (E → C)
We can connect these conditionals: E → C → K
From this chain we can see that someone who has experienced life’s challenges is kind: E → K
Notice that the conclusion of the argument is the reverse of this. If Jeremy is kind, then he has experienced life’s challenges: K → E
This is an invalid reversal of the logic. To get a sense of what that means, consider this:
If we know that If Tony wins the prize, he’ll be happy (P → H), can we infer that if Tony is happy, it means he won the prize (H → P)? It may be tempting to say yes, but we cannot infer that (we can’t say it for sure) because perhaps Tony is happy for a different reason (he got engaged, he got a raise at work, etc.).

In selecting our answer, we want to look for a choice that makes the same invalid reversal.
Answer (A): CORRECT
Every person who is motivated is highly productive. (M → HP)
Every person who is organized is motivated. (O → M)
These connect to give: O → M → HP
So we know: O → HP
The argument uses reversed logic to make a conclusion about Roberta. Because she is highly productive, she is organized: HP → O
This is the same flaw that appeared in the original argument, so this is the correct answer. This answer is a bit tricky because the argument is in a different order. However, we’re tasked with finding an argument with the same flawed logic. The order is irrelevant.
Answer (B):
Nice people are always sympathetic people. (N → S)
Those who have experienced hardships always end up being nice. (EH → N)
These connect to give: EH → N → S
So we know: EH → S
The argument uses a correct contrapositive to makes its conclusion about Betsy. Betsy is not sympathetic, so Betsy has not experienced hardships: -S → -EH
This argument has no flaw.
Answer (C):
We can tell immediately that this argument does not contain the same conditional logic flaw as the original because two out of three statements in this argument aren’t even conditional statements:almost everyone who loves black and white films, and Sasha probably does not enjoy popcorn.
Answer (D):
Patience requires an even temperament. (P → ET)
Being a good parent certainly requires patience. (BGP → P)
These connect to give: BGP → P → ET
The argument uses a correct contrapositive to make its conclusion about James. James has no patience, so James is not a good parent: -P → -BGP
This argument has no flaw.
Answer (E):
This argument is based on either/or logic, which is different from the logic used in the original argument. Furthermore, this argument is not flawed. If Yoshi is not experienced he must be confident.

Friday, June 6, 2014

It was a beautiful day for a photograph. Also, congratulations to Xayla Wilson for winning Free Lunch challenge number 3!




Enrichment Due June 12, 2014


2014 ATLANTA BAR ASSOCIATION

SUMMER LAW INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

 
ENRICHMENT FOR JUNE 12, 2014
 

1.      Name the nine (9) United States Supreme Court Justices and the President that nominated each of them.

 
2.      What does the Eighth Amendment mean when it states that an individual will not be subject to "cruel and unusual punishments?"
 

3.      What did the United States Supreme Court hold in its Morse v. Frederick case?  Why is this case significant?
 

4.      What does the "Rule of Sequestration" mean in a jury trial?
 

5.      What is the constitutional significance of "Double Jeopardy?"
 

6.      How old do you have to be before you can serve as President of the United States?  Do you agree?  Why or why not? 
 

7.      Australia requires its citizens to vote.  Should the United States?  Why or why not?

  

You are required to do your work on your own.  At the bottom of each of your assignments during the 2014 summer internship program, please write the following:

 

I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT I DID NOT RECEIVE ASSISTANCE IN COMPLETING THIS WORK AND DID THE WORK BY MYSELF.

 

 

Signed:                                                                                    Date:                                                  

 

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Sample Thank You Letter

As you work on your thank you letters over the summer, please be sure that they are in the right format.  For your reference, an example letter is posted below:


Tasha's Free Lunch Challenge Number 3: See below.

Everyone who is compassionate is kind, and someone who has experienced life’s challenges is invariably compassionate. Jeremy is kind, so he has experienced life’s challenges.
Which one of the following exhibits a pattern of flawed reasoning most similar to that exhibited above?
(A) Roberta is a highly productive person. Every person who is motivated is highly productive, and every person who is organized is motivated. Therefore, Roberta is very organized.
(B) Nice people are always sympathetic people, and those who have experienced hardships always end up being nice. Betsy is not a sympathetic person, so Betsy has not experienced hardships.
(C) Almost everyone who loves black and white films is a movie buff, and all movie buffs enjoy popcorn. Sasha does not love black and white films, so Sasha probably does not enjoy popcorn.
(D) Patience requires an even temperament, and being a good parent certainly requires patience. James has no patience, so James is not a good parent.
(E) Successful entrepreneurs are either confident or experienced. Yoshi is a successful entrepreneur, and he is not experienced. Therefore, Yoshi is confident.

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Congratulations to Free Lunch Challenge Winners!

Great meeting yesterday.  It was exciting to make work assignments.

Congratulations to winners of our free lunch challenges:  Norris Davis, III - first free lunch challenge and Huda Saeb - second free lunch challenge

More to come.  See you Friday morning!


Sunday, June 1, 2014

The Second Free Lunch Challenge: See Below

If you are interested in entering the Second Free Lunch Challenge, read the logic problem below and be ready to submit your answer either A, B, C, D, or E at tomorrow's orientation.  (Remember:  this is not a program requirement, only an opportunity to win a free lunch gift card.)  The first correct answer drawn will receive the free lunch gift card.

Lisa is a travel guide writer who will visit 7 countries: Austria, Belize, China, Denmark, England, Fiji, and  Guatemala. She must visit each of these countries in accordance with the following restrictions:                      

Lisa must visit exactly two countries before her visit to China but after her visit to Belize.                   
China cannot be the last country she visits.                                                                       
Lisa cannot visit Belize until she has visited Austria.                                                       
She cannot visit England immediately after she visits Denmark, nor can she visit Denmark immediately after she visits England.                                                                                                    
Fiji must be visited either 4th or 5th.                                                                            

Which one of the following could be the order in which Lisa visits the countries, from first to last?           
(A) Austria, England, Belize, Guatemala, Fiji, China, Denmark                                                    
(B) Austria, Belize, Guatemala, Fiji, China, Denmark, England                                                    
(C) England, Austria, Belize, Fiji, China, Denmark, Guatemala                                                    
(D) Austria, Denmark, Belizea, Fiji, England, China, Denmark                                                    
(E) Denmark, Guatemala, Austria, Belize, Fiji, England, China 

Can you identify the woman on the right in this photograph?


Friday, May 30, 2014

SLIP 22 Intern Best Seller List/Ideas for Summer Reading

If you are looking for some summer reading, you might check out one of the titles below which represent the top rated books by SLIP 22 interns:

The Alchemist by Nicholas Sparks
Animal Farm by George Orwell
The Art of War by Sun Tzu
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
The Battle of a Tiger Mom by Amy Chua
Before I Die by Jenny Downham
The Bible
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
The Coldest Winter Ever by Sister Souljah
The False Prince by Jennifer Neilsson
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald
Harry Potter Series by J K Rowling
The Harvard Psychedelic Club by Timothy Leary
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
Looking for Alaska by John Green
MacBeth by Shakespeare
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
Million Little Pieces by James Frey
Naughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman
The Present Darkness by Frank E. Peretti
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Roll Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor
Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
Twightlight Series by Stephenie Meyer
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Thursday, May 29, 2014

5/28/2014 Message from Wade Malone

(Reprint of Email Message from Wade Malone on May 28, 2014)
Good Afternoon 2014 Interns.

We thought we had a good meeting today.  We look forward to seeing everyone Friday morning , May 30, for our 8:30 a.m. meeting at Nelson Mullins at Atlantic Station (201 17th Street/Suite 1700). A light breakfast will be provided.  Please eat when you arrive. We will have a guest speaker on Friday, Emily Martin.  Mrs. Martin is the head of HR and hiring coordinator for  the Atlanta Office of Nelson Mullins. She will have good information on what it takes to succeed and what we look for in hiring young attorneys.

Please bring your May 30 Enrichment and your Intern Agreement (attached to the email) signed by your parent/guardian.

Those that did not complete their May 28 Enrichment need to complete it and bring it to Friday’s meeting.

Please also read the attached article and be prepared to discuss it.

Please call me with any questions.

Wade Malone
404-322-6257

 

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

A Message from Tasha & the First Free Lunch Challenge



Hey, I missed you guys today, but I am looking forward to seeing you on Friday morning bright and early!  Since I missed you at the meeting, I wanted to give you a little something to be ready for on Friday.  If you check the blog frequently, you may find various tidbits.  The first one is below.  It is a riddle.  If you can answer it correctly, you might just earn a free lunch.

Also check out the videos in the post below to be ready for some discussion.

Here goes:

A man was found murdered one Sunday morning.  His wife immediately called the police.  The police questioned the wife and staff.  The suspects gave the following alibis:

The Wife said she was in bed reading a book.
The Cook claimed she was cooking breakfast.
The Gardener claimed he was planting seeds.
The Maid claimed she was getting the mail.
The Butler claimed he was polishing the silver.

The police instantly arrested the murderer.

Who did it?

Be Prepared for Your Internship With the Right Business Attire

Enrichment Due May 30, 2014

2014 ATLANTA BAR ASSOCIATION
SUMMER LAW INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

ENRICHMENT FOR MAY 30, 2014


  1. Who is Elbert Tuttle?  Briefly outline his significant achievements.
  2. What does it mean when a United States Court of Appeals hears something en banc?
  3. Identify the law schools of Georgia and where are they located.  (Hint:  There are five.)
  4. Since 1960, how many United States Presidents have been lawyers?  Name them and where they went to law school.
  5. How many female presidents have there been of the Atlanta Bar Association?  Name them.
  6. Using 100 words, please set forth what experience you hope to get out of the 2014 Summer Law Internship Program. 


You are required to do your work on your own.  At the bottom of each of your assignments during the 2014 summer internship program, please write the following:

I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT I DID NOT RECEIVE ASSISTANCE IN COMPLETING THIS WORK AND DID THE WORK BY MYSELF.


Signed: Date:

Enrichment Due May 28, 2014

2014 ATLANTA BAR ASSOCIATION
SUMMER LAW INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

ENRICHMENT FOR MAY 28, 2014



  1. Who is George Leighton?  Please describe his most significant accomplishment(s).
  2. What states comprise the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit?
  3. Who is the Chief Judge of the United States Courts of Appeal for the Eleventh Circuit?
  4. Who is Deval Patrick?  Please describe his most significant accomplishment(s).
  5. Who is John Paul Stephens?  Please describe his most significant accomplishment(s).
  6. How many United States Courts of Appeals are there?
  7. In the many interviews you will be asked the following simple question:  “Please tell me about yourself.”  Using 100 words, please prepare in writing an answer to that question and also be prepared to give it extemporaneously at our orientation.  


You are required to do your work on your own.  At the bottom of each of your assignments during the 2014 summer internship program, please write the following:

I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT I DID NOT RECEIVE ASSISTANCE IN COMPLETING THIS WORK AND DID THE WORK BY MYSELF.




Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Mandatory Orientation Schedule

SLIP 22 MANDATORY Orientation Schedule
There are four mandatory orientation sessions prior to the beginning of your work assignment.  You must attend, dressed in appropriate business attire.  You may not be late.  The orientation schedule is as follows:

May 28, 2014 from noon to 2:00 pm
May 30, 2014 from 8:30 am to 10:30 am
June 2, 2014 from noon to 2:00 pm
June 6, 2014 from 8:30 am to 10:30 am

Afternoon orientation sessions will take place at the Atlanta Bar Association where interviews were held.  Morning orientation sessions will take place at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough (201 17th Street, Suite 1700, Atlanta, GA 30363).  If you have any questions, please contact Mariana Pannell at 404-521-0781.