Hosting a Shadow Through the Data Privacy Practicum

at the University of Minnesota Law School

Dear Colleague:

I hope you will consider serving as a mentor for students at the University of Minnesota Law School who
are interested in data privacy law. The Data Privacy Practicum is an exciting new initiative that we have
developed with the cooperation and support of the International Association of Privacy Professionals
(IAPP). Students will gain insight into privacy practice, study for their CIPP certification exams, and write
a short memo about a cutting-edge privacy issue. The final component is the opportunity to experience a
day in the life of a privacy professional. But we need help from our Twin Cities privacy community to
make it work!

A full-dress internship is a large commitment for the sponsoring organization, students, and the law school
alike. Because the purpose of the practicum is to introduce students to the real life of a privacy professional,
this course will instead include a shadowing opportunity. I will pair each student with a local privacy
lawyer for 10-15 hours of shadowing experiencing your day in the life. Think of it as Take your Law
Student Mentee to Work Day. (If some of the shadows do lead to internships or jobs, of course thats
lovely, but it isnt really the goal.)

Certainly the shadowing time might include giving students research assignments. This could be the perfect
opportunity to get help with that long-range research project that has been on your wish list for months. But
you do not need to manufacture anything like that if you dont have something in mind. I hope you can
have the student accompany you to for example meetings, a speech you are giving, or a staff training
you are conducting. You can also arrange for the student to connect with your privacy-involved colleagues
if thats feasible. Basically, I want to give the students an opportunity to be a fly on the wall and experience
what its like to practice privacy law.

Scheduling is flexible depending on your needs, the students other commitments, and the times when there
are interesting things for the student to see or do. We will start shadowing in late March and run it through
the end of April. The 10-15 hours could be arranged anywhere during that period; for example, it could be
two fairly full work days or a handful of mornings.

Students can sign nondisclosure agreements where necessary, and even then we all recognize that some
activities will be too sensitive for students to witness; when that happens, they will sit in an armchair outside
and read for their other classes. Perhaps, though, you can give them a digest afterwards about what
happened.

If you think you could mentor a shadow, or if you have questions, please contact me at
mcgeveran@umn.edu or (612) 625-6047. Feel free to forward this invitation to other colleagues who you
think might be interested. And I hope to see you as part of the Data Privacy Practicum this semester!

Best wishes,

Bill McGeveran
Associate Professor of Law and Solly Robins Distinguished Research Fellow