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September 1999—Vol. 28, No. 1

Table of Contents

FEATURES

Room for Improvement
BY SANDRA DAY O’CONNOR
"I work in a building that bears a marble inscription over the entrance that says ‘Equal Justice Under Law,’ the U.S. Supreme Court justice writes. "Everyone involved in our profession (including law students preparing to enter it) would do well to remember that public trust in the justice system is critically important as a dimension of equal justice under law." Although O’Connor acknowledges that public confidence in the justice system is relatively high, she outlines areas for reform—juvenile and family courts, bias in the courts and court-community relations, the jury system, and access to justice. These are "issues of my own longtime concern," O’Connor writes in this article, which is based on a speech she gave at the National Conference on Public Trust and Confidence in the Justice System in May 1999.

Civil Law?
BY ANNEMARIE MICKLO
With adversarial argument and competition the name of the game in law school, how can law students learn to be civil? And why should they? Many now believe that the existing foundation of legal training and practice creates individuals who fit comfortably at the bargaining table or courtroom, but whose contentious style ill prepares them for life’s more complex terrain. Some law schools and programs are working to change that.

Make Law, Not War
BY JANE EASTER BAHLS
Leaving the classroom for the Balkans, students from Chicago-Kent College of Law have been helping Kosovo refugees and promoting the rule of law in the region through a unique interdisciplinary program that uses the Internet to track refugees, document war crimes, and disseminate legal information.

Running to Class, Running for Office
BY BARRY E. KATZ
As law students ponder life beyond the classroom, many consider careers in public office. Some don’t wait; they run for election while still in school. Meet a few who have succeeded, and some who haven’t.