News & Announcements - September 2009

Professor Diane Orentlicher Appointed to State Department Position
Professor Diane F. Orentlicher has been named Deputy, Office of War Crimes Issues for the U.S. Department of State. The Office of War Crimes Issues, led by Ambassador-at-Large Stephen Rapp, advises the Secretary of State directly and formulates U.S. policy responses to atrocities committed in areas of conflict and elsewhere throughout the world. Orentlicher, co-director of the Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law at WCL, is a leading authority on war crimes tribunals and has lectured and written extensively on the scope of states' obligations to address mass atrocities and on the law and policy issues relating to international criminal tribunals. MORE
Professor Phelps Receives Legal Writing Institute's Courage Award
Professor Teresa Godwin Phelps, director of WCL's Legal Rhetoric Program, has been selected as the 2009 recipient of the Legal Writing Institute's (LWI) Courage Award. The endowed award honors an LWI member who has demonstrated acts of personal, moral, or civil courage that required abandoning or overcoming fear. Phelps was selected based on her "extraordinary international humanitarian work and efforts to improve both the status of the legal writing profession as well as the stature and depth of the scholarly dialogue in [the legal writing] field." The award will be formally presented at the LWI 14th Biennial Conference next June.
WCL Lawyer Re-Entry Program Begins
The WCL Lawyer Re-entry Program begins its instructional sessions this weekend, and will continue for two more weekends until Oct. 18.The program prepares lawyers to re-enter the profession after time away by helping them explore career options, update their knowledge and job search skills, and learn how to reestablish their professional networks. MORE
LatCrit XIV Conference Comes to WCL
This year's conference theme is Outsiders Inside: Critical Outsider Theory and Praxis in the Policymaking of the New American Regime. The conference takes place Oct. 1-4, with the first day of the conference devoted to the LatCrit-Society for American Law Teachers jointly sponsored Faculty Development Workshop. Most of the Oct. 3 conference events, including a keynote luncheon, five panel rounds, and 27 work-in-progress colloquia, will take place at WCL. MORE
WCL Faculty Preview Upcoming Supreme Court Term
WCL professors Cynthia Jones, Stephen Wermiel, and Stephen Vladeck will be offering a preview of some of the important cases that lie ahead for upcoming Supreme Court term. The panel is on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 11:50 a.m. - 1:20 p.m. MORE
Author Barry Friedman Hosts Roundtable Discussion
WCL will host a roundtable discussion of Author Barry Friedman's book, The Will of the People: How Public Opinion Has Influenced the Court and Shaped the Meaning of the Constitution. Friedman is vice dean and Jacob D. Fuchsberg professor of law at NYU School of Law, and he will be joined on the panel with a group of professors from four other schools, including Lynda Dodd, assistant professor at WCL. The discussion will take place Friday, Sept. 25, 3:30-5 p.m. in room 603. MORE
WCL Hosts Third Annual International Right-to-Know Day Celebration
WCL will host the third annual Right-to-Know Day Celebration on Monday, Sept. 28. The program includes presentations from experts in openness in government from the Global Transparency Initiative, the American Society of Newspaper Editors, and the Office of Government Inforamtion Services, and is presented by the Collaboration on Government Secrecy. MORE
WCL Professor to Host Book Signing Events
Professor Andrew Popper will be holding two book signings for his new novel, Rediscovering Lone Pine. On Saturday, Sept. 26 he will be at the One Plus Convenience Market in Bethesda from 8-10 a.m., and on Monday, Sept. 28 he will be at the AU Butler Pavilion bookstore at 4 p.m. Rediscovering Lone Pine has received the Maryland Writers Association Prize for Mainstream Fiction.
WCL Hosts Annual Lecture on International Law for International Week
The 3rd Annual International Legal Studies Program Lecture on International Law, Thursday, Sept. 24, 5:30 p.m., features Sally Engle Merry, director of the Law and Society Program and professor of anthropology at New York University, who will discuss "Crossing the Culture-Rights Divide: The Making of Human Rights in the Vernacular." The lecture is sponsored by the International Legal Studies Program, and is followed by the Annual ILSP Embassy Reception.
Myers Society Hosts 25th Annual Dinner
On Friday, Sept. 25, the WCL Myers Society will hold its annual dinner at the National Museum of Women in the Arts at 7 p.m. The group will be honoring Thomas Goldstein with the special alumni award and Professor Herman Schwartz with the special faculty award. Millard S. Bennett '77, the outgoing Myers Society chair, and Thomas Morante '77, the incoming chair, will also be recognized. Since its inception, the Myers Society has aided WCL students by supporting the academic programs and activities that define their legal education. MORE
Annual ILSP Embassy Reception Welcomes International Students
Padideh Ala'i, acting director of the International Legal Studies Program, cordially invites ILSP students, faculty and staff to attend the ILSP Annual Embassy Reception in honor of the incoming LLM students and their 45 countries. The reception takes place Thursday, Sept. 24 at 6:30 P.M in the 6th Floor dining room.
WCL Sponsors APABA-DC Dinner at National Press Club
WCL is sponsoring the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Washington, DC (APABA-DC) 2009 Installation Dinner. The APABA-DC will be welcoming Ivan K. Fong, Esq., General Counsel of the Department of Homeland Security, as the keynote speaker. The 2009-2010 Board will be sworn in by The Honorable Eric T. Washington, Chief Judge, The District of Columbia Court of Appeals. The event will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 23 at the National Press Club, beginning at 6 P.M.
WCL Welcomes 2009-10 Humphrey Fellows

The Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program brings together accomplished professionals who are at a midpoint in their careers for a year of study in international law and related professional experience. The Program provides a basis for establishing long-lasting, productive partnerships and relationships between citizens of the United States and their professional counterparts in other countries. This year's class includes professionals from Angola, Russia, Namibia, and the Philippines. Meet the 2009-10 Humphrey Fellows.
Health Care Reform Conversation Comes to WCL
WCL will host a forum titled "The Presidency of Barack Obama, the Legacy of Senator Kennedy: Has the Time for Health Care Reform Arrived?" The event is co-sponsored by Health Law and Policy, the Program on Law and Government, and the Health Law and Justice Initiative. The discussion will focus on the constitutionality of individual and employer mandates, the "public option" in health care reform, the effect on the Medicare and Medicaid populations of reforms to the current health care system, and other topics. MORE
Marshall Brennan Fellows Visit National Archives for Constitution Day
To celebrate National Constitution Day, forty-nine Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project Fellows will be visiting the Constitution-in-Action Lab at the National Archives on Friday, September 18 to gain hands-on exposure to the U.S. Constitution. They will then coordinate field trips for the students from their 12 DC-area public high schools to visit the Lab throughout the months of September and October. The relationship between the Marshall-Brennan Project and the National Archives was fostered by alumnus Kenneth Lore, chair of the Dean's Advisory Council and president of the Foundation for the National Archives. Mr. Lore is a partner in the Washington, DC office of Bingham McCutchen. For more information, contact Maryam Ahranjani at mahranjani@wcl.american.edu.
PIJIP Associate Director Files Brief in the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals
Sean Flynn, Associate Director of the Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property (PIJIP), filed a brief in the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit for amicus curiae AARP, the National Legislative Association on Prescription Drug Prices, Community Catalyst, and Prescription Policy Choices. The case, IMS Health, Inc., v. Sorrell, was a challenge to a Vermont law protecting prescriber-identifiable prescription data from being used for marketing purposes without consent. MORE
WCL Celebrates Constitution Day
Sept. 17 is National Constitution Day, celebrating the 222nd anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution. In celebration, WCL hosted an International Constitutional Law conference last week featuring a presentation from constitutional law expert and former acting Solicitor General Walter Dellinger. Dellinger's talk was warmly received by attendees, and was followed by remarks from WCL professor Herman Schwartz. View the presentation.
WCL Announces Center on International Commercial Arbitration
WCL is proud to introduce a new Center on International Commercial Arbitration this fall. The Center will provide a high-level academic forum for exchanging ideas on salient issues and current developments in the field of arbitration, expanding on the accomplishments of WCL's International Arbitration Program, which debuted in 2004. The Center is directed by Horacio A. Grigera Naón, former secretary general of the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce. MORE
Center for Human Rights Hosts LLM Roundtable
The Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law will hold a discussion of cutting edge practices in human rights work to help students interested in strengthening their skills as human rights attorneys, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 3:30-4:20 P.M. in room 528. Hadar Harris, director of the Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Meetali Jain, practitioner-in-residence, and other members of WCL's faculty will facilitate discussion.
International Week Returns to WCL in September
Presented by the International Legal Studies Program, the third annual International Week will take place September 21-25, with events ranging from lectures and panels to luncheons and socials—all hosted by various offices within WCL. The goal of international week is to promote awareness of international law in an attempt to better understand what it means to live in an international community. Faculty, staff, and students are invited to attend all events throughout the week. MORE
WCL Professor Pens Op-Ed for National Public Radio
Professor Jamin Raskin wrote an op-ed piece that was featured on NPR's website on Sept. 10. The piece argued that corporations shouldn't be viewed the same as people in the eyes of the court. Raskin's piece was one side of a two-part debate over whether or not corporations should have the same freedom of speech protections as people. View the op-ed.
WCL Ranks Fourth in Top Ten Law Schools for Hispanics by Hispanic Business Magazine
WCL has been ranked fourth in the 2009 ranking of top ten law schools for Hispanic students, compiled by Hispanic Business magazine. WCL finished behind University of New Mexico School of Law, University of Texas at Austin School of Law, and Florida State University College of Law. See the rankings.
WCL Visiting Professor Invited to Co-Chair Human Rights Institute of the International Bar Association
WCL visiting professor Juan Mendez has been invited to co-chair the International Bar Association Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI). The IBAHRI works across the International Bar Association to promote, protect, and enforce human rights under a just rule of law, and to preserve the independence of the judiciary and the legal profession worldwide. Professor Mendez follows in the footsteps of Richard Goldstone, the South African jurist who has been a member of his country's Constitutional Court and previously prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda.
WCL Co-Hosts International Association of Law Schools Conference on Constitutional Law Sept. 11
WCL is co-hosting the International Association of Law Schools (IALS) Conference on Constitutional Law with Georgetown University Law Center this weekend. WCL will host the first day of the conference Friday, Sept. 11, and Georgetown will host on Saturday. WCL faculty participating in the conference includes Dean Claudio Grossman, and professors Jamin Raskin and Herman Schwartz. The conference will bring together more than 100 internationally recognized experts on constitutional law. More information.
WCL to Host Conference on Infrastructure and Energy Development
WCL will host a conference titled "21st Century Infrastructure: Opportunities and Hurdles for Renewable Energy Development," Thursday, Sept. 10. The conference is co-sponsored by the Renewable & Distributed Generation Resources Committee of the ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources. The program includes panel discussions with experts in environmental law, energy development, public utilities, and the financial sector, and a keynote presentation from Jon Wellinghoff, chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. MORE
WCL Professor Gives International Keynote on Copyright in the Internet Era at German Media Conference
WCL Professor Michael Carroll, Director of Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property, will give the international keynote address at Mediawoche, a large media fair in Berlin, on Tuesday, September 8. The title of his presentation is "Creative Commons as Conversational Copyright", and will cover topics on intellectual property and copyright infringement.
WCL Dean Heads to RFK Human Rights Award Judges' Meeting in New York
WCL Dean Claudio Grossman will participate in a judges' meeting for the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award on Tuesday, Sept. 8. It will be the second meeting Grossman has attended since joining the prestigious judging panel. Each year, the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial recognizes individuals whose courageous activism is at the heart of the human rights movement and in the spirit of RFK's vision and legacy.
NIMJ Applauds Appointment of Interrogations Prosecutor
The National Institute of Military Justice at WCL has issued a statement applauding the recent decision by Attorney General Eric Holder to have a federal prosecutor investigate the allegations of torture of detainees in U.S. custody. The NIMJ mission is to advance the fair administration of justice in the armed forces and to foster improved public understanding of the military justice system. MORE
WCL Students Completing Dual Degree Program in Australia
Three WCL students are studying at Monash University Law School in Melbourne, Australia, to complete the second half of their International J.D. Dual Degree Program. Students study at WCL for the first two years followed by four trimesters (approximately 1.5 years) in Melbourne in order to earn their JD from the U.S. and the Master in Laws (Juris Doctor) from Australia. This is the first group of students from WCL to participate in the dual degree program with Monash - WCL also offers international dual degree opportunities with Spain, France, and Canada. MORE
Introducing the 2009 JD Entering Class
This fall, Washington College of Law welcomes 385 full-time and 96 part-time students. These students graduated from 201 different undergraduate institutions and are residents of 41 states, the District of Columbia, and nine foreign countries. They speak 37 foreign languages and were born in 36 foreign countries. Prior to entering law school, more than 44 worked on Capitol Hill, 11 were AmeriCorps Volunteers, ten are patent examiners, 147 studied abroad, and 52 worked overseas. Forty-two percent of the students are from ethnic or racial minority groups. Examples of professional experiences include: Navy Seal, Copy Editor for Politico, Policy Advisor for the Department of Homeland Security, Firefighter, Legal Intern for the U.N. Criminal Tribunal in Yugoslavia, Author of two children's books, Oceanographer for the National Ocean Service, Chief of Staff for a Texas State Representative, and a National Broadcast Editor for the Associated Press. See the full admissions profile.
PIJIP and the IP Law Society to hold Intro to IP Session
PIJIP and the Intellectual Property Law Society will co-host "Intro to IP at WCL," an event to introduce new students to the intellectual property-related opportunities at WCL. IP faculty, staff and student leadership will introduce PIJIP's work and its fellowships and internships, the IP Law Society's networking events and other activities, the new WCL IP Brief, and the Glushko-Samuelson Intellectual Property Clinic. The event will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 1 at noon. MORE
Dean Grossman Visits Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, LLP
Washington College of Law Dean Claudio Grossman, in conjunction with the Office of Development and Alumni Relations, will host an alumni luncheon at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, LLP, Tuesday, Sept. 1. The visit is part of the Dean's Firm Visit Program, which promotes continued excellence in legal education by engaging WCL alumni at law firms, and was coordinated by alumnus Richard Busca '81. For more information, contact the Office of Development and Alumni Relations.
WCL Welcomes New Law & Government Fellows
The Program on Law and Government at WCL is pleased to announce that William R. Yeomans and Steve Wermiel have joined the Program as fellows. Yeomans and Wermiel follow in the footsteps of other great Law and Government Fellows including Judge Abner Mikva, Senator John Culver and, most recently, former D.C. Attorney General Linda Singer. MORE
August Edition of @WCL Newsletter Online
Check out the August edition of the Washington College of Law monthly e-mail newsletter - @WCL - for the latest news and upcoming events listings from WCL. If you are not already receiving the newsletter, please sign up online.

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