JDinteractive Students Kick Off 2024 with Syracuse-based Residencies

To kick off the New Year, two cohorts of Online JDinteractive Program students traveled to Syracuse for experiential Residencies before the beginning of the spring semester.

First year students came for their Legal Applications Residency, their second of six total Residencies through the course of their legal education. Meanwhile, second-year students returned to Dineen Hall for concurrent Residencies three and four, immersing themselves in Professional Skills courses tailored to their interests and career aspirations. This vibrant start set the stage for a year of profound learning and growth.

student holding up two fingers in front of shuttle, wearing a syracuse hat and scarf

Legal Applications Residency

Prior to their second semester in the JDi program, first year students returned to Syracuse for the Legal Applications Residency. This problem-based course utilized experiential learning techniques to help students integrate the doctrinal subjects with practical skills. Students worked on interviewing, public speaking, negotiating, writing, and researching during their week in Syracuse.

three images of instagram stories from syracuse residency, the first in front of the fireplace at dineen hall, the second of food at a table and the third of a colorful mural outside on a wall of a woman swinging on a swing made of flowers
Click the image to view an Instagram takeover from the Syracuse Legal Applications Residency.

JDi students attended a reception along with fellow Syracuse University Martin J. Whitman School of Management Online MBA Students to introduce the two online programs and network with other people also pursuing their degrees virtually.

four students sitting around a table smiling, with otto the mascot in the background

Venturing beyond the classroom, JDi students also explored downtown Syracuse, met for dinner in small groups at local area restaurants, and ate local cuisine at the Salt City Market. They also had a networking event with the Student Bar Association (SBA) where they were able to meet with their On-Campus J.D. classmates.

two students smiling and eating at a table together at salt city market

two students standing in front of a mural at salt city market

two students standing in front of a salt city bar lit up sign and greenery in the background

Professional Skills Residencies

As they enter their second year in the JDi Program, students partake in Professional Skills Residencies spanning topics like negotiation, client counseling, trial advocacy, and more. Best of all, this one week fulfills the requirement for both the third and fourth Residential Courses concurrently with just one trip to Syracuse.

three images of instagram stories from syracuse residency, the first a description of the takeover student, the second of beth kubala and the third of four students smiling at the camera
Click the image to view an Instagram takeover from the Syracuse Professional Skills Residency.

Over the six days of the residential experience earlier this year, students learned from professors and experts in their fields including the Hon. Jamie Baker, Director of the Institute of Security Policy and Law, Professor Beth Kubala, Director of the Veterans’ Legal Clinic, and Professor Todd Berger, Director of the Advocacy Program.

Teaching Legal Ethics in National Security, Judge Baker addressed the ethical challenges that arise in national security policy and legal practice from the perspective of someone with extensive experience in the field as a previous Chief Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.

judge jamie baker talking to two students in front of a large white board
Judge Jamie Baker talks to students taking his Legal Ethics in National Security class.

Professor Berger provided an introduction to Trial Advocacy, coaching students to perform as trial counsel in a variety of simulated courtroom exercises. Students engaged in direct examination, cross-examination, an introduction of exhibits, opening statements and closing arguments.

professor todd berger standing in a courtroom with wooden walls, teaching four JDi students sitting down in the jury area
Professor Todd Berger teaches Advocacy in the Bond, Schoeneck & King Courtroom.

Through the Administrative Representation for Veterans course, Professor Kubala provided students with the opportunity to represent real clients in an administrative process with a goal of changing a veteran’s character of service. 

beth kubala behind her office desk talking to two students
Professor Beth Kubala meets with JDi students in her office to discuss representation for veterans.
group of four people sit around a desk talking to a veteran in front of a military and veteran law society sign
JDi students learned about navigating the complex regulatory requirements of the Army Review Boards Agency and applied those skills to assist our community’s veterans in upgrading their discharges to allow increased access to benefits.  

To wrap up the week, students in the Media Training for Attorneys course took advantage of the resources in the Dick Clark Studios with a taped on-camera interview in a mock studio with camera, lights, and sound. This course builds life skills that all attorneys will need at some point in their lives, and it helps the students gain confidence in speaking and writing for a public audience.

two people talk to each other at a news station for the newhouse communications center
Professor Kevin Noble Maillard works with JDi student in Media Training for Attorneys course in Newhouse’s Dick Clark Studios.