Hello. I'm Nick Johnson. You are receiving this e-mail because you're currently enrolled in the Economics of Law Practice seminar in which I will be participating as your professor. (Sharlee Feller is my assistant. She is in Room 433.)

If you have not yet done so, you might want to look at the seminar announcement. It is posted outside my office (BLB 445), and available with a couple of clicks off of my Web site (https://www.nicholasjohnson.org [Previously http://soli.inav.net/~njohnson ]). [Click on "Research Resources," then "Teaching," then under "Courses Currently Being Taught" click on "Economics of Law Practice Seminar, Fall 1999."]

We need to get together early on as a group for a variety of reasons.

1. There will be plenty for you to do during September, but much of that you will be doing on your own. So I want to provide you such guidance as I can before then. (I will be in Bulgaria September 9-20 helping the government with a forthcoming election and related media practices/regulations; and in Colorado during much of the week prior.)

2. We do not -- in part deliberately -- have a scheduled time or place for group meetings. (a) We do need a couple of meetings during the week of August 23. But we won't need to tie up a room meeting every week. Many of our meetings will be one-on-one (presumably in my office). (b) To the extent we do need to get together as a group I'd like to pick times that are the most convenient to most of you. (c) Where we meet is not a big problem. We could almost just use my office. Seminar rooms may be available; or the faculty lounge in the evenings. Or, since my house is only a couple blocks from here, we could even meet over dinner.

3. As you see, I find e-mail the most convenient way to communicate. (And, in that connection, note that the best address for me is the one in the "cc:" field on this message: njohnson@inav.net) Because I don't now know if each of you actually uses e-mail on a regular basis I am also printing out copies of this message and putting them in your mail folders at the law school.

4. So please, as soon as possible, provide me:

 a. E-mail information. (1) How regularly you check it (or that you don't use it at all). (2) Your preferred address if different from your "@uiowa.edu" address.

 b. Schedule information. Assuming a 24-hour, 7-day week, what hours do you know that you have (1) a pre-existing conflict (e.g., class or work), or (2) a strong preference not to meet (such as, say, a preference for sleep between 1:00 and 5:00 a.m.)? Get this to me as soon as possible, and we'll set up a couple initial, exploratory meetings this next week. OK?

Nick