Featured News at American University Washington College of Law

Students Take In U.S. Supreme Court Arguments on Same-Sex Marriage

Law students Mulan Cui and Jay Shannon began waiting in line more than 24 hours before the U.S. Supreme Court would hear oral arguments Tuesday for Hollingsworth v. Perry, the case considering the constitutionality of California's gay marriage ban, Proposition 8. MORE

Panel Held For Students Interested in Entertainment Industry

This spring, the law school hosted the “Actor’s Ensemble: How Far Can a Law Degree Take You in the Entertainment Business?” The entertaining panel discussion featured individuals who have used their law degrees to help them develop careers in the entertainment industry. MORE

Sold Out Law Revue Show Highlights Diversity of Student and Professor Talent

The 21st annual American University Law Revue show provided AUWCL students the opportunity to show off their singing, dancing, script writing, and technical skills to playfully poke fun at the law school, their professors, fellow students, and the legal profession. The law school students transformed one of the large classrooms into a musical set complete with lights, sound, and video. MORE

Successful Capitol City Challenge Welcomes 18 Teams

The Stephen S. Weinstein Trial Advocacy Program and The Mock Trial Honor Society recently hosted the fifth annual Capitol City Challenge at the law school. Teams from 18 law schools participated in the competition, with more than 120 state and federal judges, prosecutors, public defenders, andprivate practice attorneys serving as competition evaluators. MORE

Student Publications Strive to Broaden Audiences, Increase Visibility

American University Washington College of Law student publications are working this year to increase their visibility in the law school and legal communities by embracing technology, working with local law firms, and expanding their mission statements. MORE

Students Gain Valuable Pro Bono Experience in New Orleans

For the past seven years, AUWCL has been sending a group of 30 to 40 students to New Orleans for an alternative winter break. While in New Orleans, the students provide pro bono legal services and help rebuild in areas affected by Hurricane Katrina. MORE

New Hands-on Learning Opportunities Prepare Students to Enter Legal Profession

New hands-on seminars this fall in legislative lawyering, immigrant women advocacy, and course on in-house counsel lawyering offered American University Washington College of Law students practical skills for launching legal careers in a competitive job market. MORE

Expanding Wellness Program Focuses on Student Needs

American University Washington College of Law students have a helping hand in managing stress and achieving balance thanks to new initiatives by the Office of Student Affairs and the Student Bar Association. This fall marked the first time a full semester of health and wellness programming was scheduled at the law school. From food prep presentations, to movie nights, to fitness sessions, students had the opportunity to participate in nearly 20 events held on-site at the law school. In previous years, the office focused on one or two wellness-themed days each semester. MORE

Law and Government LL.M. Students Broaden Horizons with Community Development Initiatives

This year's Law & Government LL.M. Executive Board joins a long line of past boards dedicated to promoting communication between the law school and students while creating programming for the law school community. MORE

Law Students Teach Dynamic Human Rights Curriculum in Community High Schools

American University Washington College of Law JD students Nicole Weinstock ’14 and Alli Assiter ’14 and eight of their law school colleagues are among the first law students to participate in the Speak Truth to Power (STTP) Human Rights Teaching Fellows Program at American University Washington College of Law, a pilot program coordinated by the law school’s Center of Human Rights & Humanitarian Law in partnership with the RFK Center for Justice & Human Rights. MORE

Students Apply Legal Knowledge to Protect Voters' Rights

Students and faculty at American University Washington College of Law teamed up during the 2012 election season to inform and protect voters as they exercised their fundamental right at the polls. As experts predicted a tight presidential race, faculty members and students stood ready to educate the community about voter identification laws. MORE

International Humphrey Fellows Observe the U.S. Election Process

As residents in the region headed to the polls on Nov. 6, the Humphrey fellows at American University Washington College of Law embarked on a day-long observation of the election process. Alongisde American University professors and election experts Robert Pastor and George Guess, International Programs Coordinator Melanija Radnovic, and staff assistant Daniel Enos, fellows observed a number of polling stations in Arlington County, Virginia; Montgomery County, Maryland; and the District of Columbia. They talked with Chief Election Judges at each location. MORE

Women and the Law Program Hosts Conference to Cultivate New Women Leaders

In early October, the Women and the Law Program at American University Washington College of Law hosted the Ms. JD: Fifth Annual Conference on Women and the Law. The dynamic, full-day conference was themed “She Leads,” and was designed to cultivate the next generation of women leaders. The conference was organized by Ms. JD, a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to the success of women in law school and the legal profession. MORE

Professors Discuss Apple-Samsung's Impact on IP Law and Litigation

Apple Inc. recently requested that the courts kick Samsung Electronics out of the smartphone market. Apple requested a court-ordered injunction after a California jury ruled that Samsung illegally copied Apple’s patents. The two electronics makers are in a ten-country patent war, both of them battling for the top spot in the market. Two of the law school's IP and patent law experts discuss the Apple-Samsung impact on IP law and litigation. MORE

International Legal Studies Program Celebrates 30th Anniversary

American University Washington College of Law held a three-day conference and alumni reunion in celebration of the 30th Anniversary of the law school's renowned International Legal Studies Program (ILSP). The program has more than 3,500 alumni worldwide. The event, held Oct. 10-13, included conference sessions and roundtable discussions about a variety of compelling international law topics -- from ending torture, to trends in foreign investment, to the future of legal education. MORE

Successful International Commercial Arbitration Competition Hosted at American University Washington College of Law

In early October, student competitors from the University Externado de Colombia won the Fifth Annual International Commercial Arbitration Competition hosted by the Center on International Commercial Arbitration at American University Washington College of Law. The competition, conducted exclusively in Spanish, promoted the study of international commercial law and arbitration as a means of conflict resolution in international business. More than 200 students from 39 law schools participated in addition to more than 150 arbitrators and coaches. MORE

Health Law & Justice Seminar on the Health Care Ruling Features SCOTUSblog's Tom Goldstein '95

The Student Health Law and Justice Society held a seminar August 28 covering the U.S. Supreme Court's Affordable Care Act decision. The panel featured alumnus and SCOTUSblog co-founder and publisher Tom Goldstein '95, and faculty experts Benjamin Leff, Stephen Vladeck, Stephen Wermiel, and Lindsay Wiley. MORE

New JD Students Give Back to the D.C. Community at the Annual "In My Back Yard" Public Service Day

JD orientation week is filled with tours, sessions, and receptions to acclimate new students to the opportunities at American University Washington College of Law. Before orientation begins, new students have the chance to join faculty, staff, and upperclassmen for “IMBY” or the “In My Back Yard” Public Service Day. IMBY is an annual event dedicated to improving the neighborhoods that members of the law school community call home. MORE

Unique Humphrey Fellows Program Welcomes 12 Scholars

Twelve legal scholars and professionals from around the world arrived in Washington, D.C. in August to participate in the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program coordinated by the International Legal Studies Program at American University Washington College of Law. MORE

New Programs of the Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law Shape Global Conversations, Explore Emerging Intersections, and Create Dynamic Advocates

The Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (Center) at American University Washington College of Law and the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights (RFKC) have launched a new transformative initiative for student-to-student peer education in the field of human rights, the Speak Truth To Power (STTP) Human Rights Teaching Fellows Program. MORE

Summer Students Gain Unparalleled Access to Legal Professionals and High-Profile Organizations

This summer, American University Washington College of Law’s programs in D.C. and abroad offered students unparalleled access to professionals and organizations involved with many areas of law. For example, nearly 30 students—representing countries such as Canada, Columbia, Chile, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, United States, Mongolia, South Korea, and Ecuador—recently completed the summer Program on International Organizations, Law & Diplomacy (PIOLD) in Geneva. MORE

Law School Experts React to U.S. Supreme Court's Affordable Care Act Ruling

Constitutional law and health law and policy experts convened at American University Washington College of Law to analyze the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The United States Supreme Court handed down their ruling on the health care law, upholding the Affordable Care Act in its entirety—including the individual mandate, under Congress' taxing authority. The panel, "Analyzing the Supreme Court's Health Reform Decision," was held only hours after the release of the nearly 200 pages of opinions, and featured the commentary of faculty from the law school and American University. MORE

Summer Programs in D.C. Feature Instruction from Top Legal Minds

Commencement has passed and the 2011-2012 academic year has drawn to a close, but American University Washington College of Law’s exciting line-up of summer law programs in D.C. are only just beginning. Students and practitioners can gain a competitive edge by participating in one of the law school’s eight summer programs which feature intensive training and networking opportunities within diverse and compelling fields of law. Perhaps the hallmark of the law school’s summer programs is the expert instruction that each student receives from some of the world’s top legal scholars and practitioners. MORE