• Photo Gallery

The semifinal and final rounds were held on Friday, October 9th in the Allen Courtroom.

Here’s the schedule:

9 AM, Semifinal Round

• Appellant: Duffy Trager
• Appellee: Algeria Ford

• Appellant: Eric Lowe
• Appellee: Barry Dunn

Duffy B. Trager is a native of Louisville.  He earned his B.A. in Political Science and Religious Studies from Western Kentucky University in 2006.  In law school, he competed on the 2008 National Moot Court Team.  He is currently Constitutional Law Editor of the Journal of Law and Education, founder and Vice President of the International Law Society and a Marshall - Brennan Fellow.  In the summer of 2009, he was awarded an IOLTA Fellowship with Catholic Charities Immigration Legal Services.  Duffy has recently become an avid runner.

Algeria Ford is a third year law student and the winner of last year’s Pirtle-Washer competition.  He has a range of interests including criminal and civil litigation, intellectual property law, and environmental law.  He would like to thank his wife for her continued support.

Eric Lowe is from Mt. Washington, Kentucky, but currently lives in the Louisville area.  He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of the Cumberlands, in Williamsburg, Kentucky, where he played varsity football and competed in Parliamentary Debate.  Throughout his career at the Cumberlands, he studied in the areas of Communication and Political Science.  Currently, he is a second year evening student and has been employed full time throughout his law school career at Bullitt Central High School.  At the law school he participates in various programs and activities such as: University of Louisville Law Review, Moot Court Board, Student Bar Association, and as a member of the Health Law Moot Court Team.  He is honored to have been selected to compete in the Pirtle Washer finals and would like to wish all if his fellow competitors congratulations and best wishes.

Barry Dunn is a Columbia, Kentucky, native who received his undergraduate education at Lindsey Wilson College before obtaining an M.A. in political science from the University of Cincinnati.  Mr. Dunn came to law school after teaching eighth grade social studies.  He currently serves as President of the Moot Court Board and Notes Editor for the University of Louisville Law Review.  Mr. Dunn is also a member of the school's National Moot Court Competition team.  Mr. Dunn has worked for the law firms Stoll Keenon Ogden and Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs.  After law school, he hopes to clerk for a federal judge for one year before practicing litigation.

Presiding Judges

Each semifinal round was judged by the following three judge panel:

• Judge John Heyburn - United States District Court
• Chief Circuit Judge Charles Hickman - Kentucky Circuit Court
• Professor Leslie W. Abramson - University of Louisville, Brandeis School of Law
• Professor Karen A. Jordan - University of Louisville, Brandeis School of Law

Appellant, Duffy Trager, and Appellee, Barry Dunn, advanced to the final round at 1 PM, which was judged by the following:

• Chief Circuit Judge Charles Hickman - Kentucky Circuit Court
• Judge John Heyburn - United States District Court
• Honorable Ann Bailey Smith - Kentucky District Court
• Judge Denise Clayton - Kentucky Court of Appeals

Lively Wilson was an admired and respected member of the legal profession who made a significant impact on the judicial system in Southern Indiana and Kentucky.  A native of Kentucky and a Harvard Law School graduate, he was a role model and mentor to an entire generation of lawyers in the region. 
 
As a member of the Stites & Harbison firm in Louisville since 1953, Lively Wilson had a national reputation for his commitment to civility and professionalism by both civil and criminal trial lawyers.  He spoke about the importance of professionalism when he delivered the law school’s 2005 commencement address. 

His reflections about his practice in Kentucky are included in “Kentucky Lawyers Speak:  Oral History from Those Who Lived It,” the recently published book of interviews with seventy-four Kentucky lawyers.  In 1995, Lively Wilson and Dean Donald Burnett founded the Louis D. Brandeis Inns of Court. 

As a tribute to his example, in 2003 Edward H. Stopher, and the firm of Boehl Stopher & Graves and the Stites & Harbison firm, through the leadership of T. Kennedy Helm III, provided support to create the Lively M. Wilson Oral Advocacy Program.  The fund provided for furnishing the Moot Court office and establishing an endowment to fund participation in oral advocacy competitions.  Other major support came from Ronald E. Christian ’83 and the estate of Arnold Robinson ’61.

On July 22, 2009, Lively Wilson lost his valiant three-year battle with cancer.  Kennedy Helm’s email to the community noted that “Lively’s most recent gift to us was the example of optimism, grace and dignity he exhibited every day that he fought his illness.”

The calendar no longer supports the idea that exams are a distant event.  There are only seven weeks remaining before the end of classes.  This week's tips focus on exam preparation.

• Walk away from temptation.  Law school classmates are sometimes the hardest to say “no” to because they are adroit at arguing that not studying is reasonable.  After all, if they can convince someone else to waste time, their own wasting time is not as obvious.
• Focus on one day at a time.  All you can ask of yourself is your best.  Work as hard as you can each day.  Then, you can go to sleep knowing that you did all you could do that day.
  

The calendar no longer supports the idea that exams are a distant event.  There are only seven weeks remaining before the end of classes.  This week's tips focus on exam preparation.

• Keep your eyes focused forward.  Do not look back over your shoulder to bemoan what you wish you had done in August, September, or the beginning of October.  You cannot control the past, but you can control the future.
• Learn to say “no” diplomatically.  Family and friends, especially if they are not in law school, do not understand how important studying is for exams.  After all, in the past you just crammed for a week or two to get A grades.  Explain to them why it is so different now and ask for their understanding. 

The calendar no longer supports the idea that exams are a distant event.  There are only seven weeks remaining before the end of classes.  In light of the seriousness of the time in the semester, this week's tips will focus on exam preparation.

• Stop fragmenting your efforts and refocus.  If you have been coasting through class until now, stop.  If you have been focusing on extracurricular activities to the exclusion of academics, stop.  If you have been partying instead of studying, stop.  You need to prioritize your efforts for studies now.
• Take responsibility for wherever you are in your studies.  If you are in good shape, congratulate yourself and plan the next step before you are tempted to rest on your laurels.  If your studying is in shambles, do not blame your present situation on your professors, study partners, family, or whomever comes to mind.  Own it and move forward.
   

As a student of the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law, you may take advantage of the many services offered through the Belknap Campus Health Center.  Campus Health provides confidential, affordable, effective and student-focused medical, mental and health education services to all students in the university community.  For example, Campus Health Services provides confidential psychiatric services at no-charge to any student for a variety of mental health issues including:

• New or existing depression or other mood problems
• Panic attacks or other forms of anxiety
• Eating disorders
• Sleep problems
• Difficulty concentrating
• Feeling totally "stressed out" or overwhelmed
• Problems with alcohol or drugs

Other campus health services include counseling, primary care, personal nutrition counseling and self-management support, prescription assistance, and Yoga and Pilates classes.  To learn more about the services you can take advantage of this semester and throughout the school year, visit the Campus Health website at https://louisville.edu/campushealth/.  The Student Health Center is a 5-minute walk from the law school and is located between the Student Activities Center and the Houchens Building and behind the Floyd Street Parking Garage.

Thanks to everyone who attended and contributed to the 5th Annual Battle of the Bands! Nearly $4500 was raised for the Judge Ellen B. Ewing Fund.

Congratulations to third-year students Andrew Henson and Forrest Kuhn! Assault with a Deadly Weapon is the first student band ever to win first place in the Lawlapalooza Battle of the Bands. They were followed by 100% Legal in second place and Keltricity in third.

Many thanks to our silent auction bidders! Bekah Soule won a night's accommodation at the Louisville Marriott Downtown. Will Nefzger won a night's accommodation at the Seelbach Hilton. Becky Wenning won the original Guitar Player painting by Schuyler Olt and Vicki Senior won his Trumpet Player painting.  

• Lawlapalooza Program
• Photo Gallery - credits: Leslie Tencer, Jim Becker, and Virginia Smith

I’m stressed!  What can I do?  (Attend the Academic Success Workshop TODAY at 1:00 p.m.)

• Structure your time carefully so that you know what you are going to accomplish each day and each week.  You are less likely to waste time or overwork on tasks if you stick to structured time blocks labeled by task. 
• Focus on each small task instead of becoming distracted by a multitude of other tasks.  When you study 2-207 for Contracts, do not think about your Torts class.  When you study “piercing the corporate veil” for Business Organizations, do not distract yourself with thinking about depreciation for Basic Income Tax.
• Condense the volume of information to the important information you will use on the exam.  Keep condensing your outlines to focus on the “big picture” if you tend to bog down in details.
• Use positive self-talk so that you do not get discouraged.  You have the potential of being your own enemy if you make negative comments to yourself during the remaining 7 weeks.  Congratulate yourself for completing tasks. 
• Minimize your non-law school commitments.  If you work, cut back your hours.  Avoid taking on additional responsibilities with organizations, community activities, or volunteer services.
  

As of an arbitrary moment in time this morning (Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009), the following four Exam4 practice tests were facially wrong:

• 1594601
• 3105
• 3287
• mafar01

Do you enjoy using the Examples & Explanations series to supplement your learning for a particular course?  If so, be sure to stop by the Academic Success Office (Room 212) to review the most recent editions for many core courses, including Federal Income Tax, Property, Contracts, Civil Procedure, Secured Transactions, Domestic Relations, Decedents' Estates, Business Organizations, Torts, Professional Responsibility, and Criminal Law.  You can check these books out during the semester. 

• Alumni Fellow – Justice Lisabeth Hughes Abramson
• Lawrence Grauman Award – Robert L. Ackerson
• Distinguished Alumni/ae Award – Mary E. Barrazotto, Ronald E. Meisburg, Judge Geoffrey P. Morris, Kathleen Pellegrino, Shelton R. Weber
• Recent Alumnus/a Award – Demetrius "D" Holloway
• Dean’s Service Award – Thomas M. Williams
• Excellence in Teaching Award - Kathleen S. Bean

You won't want to miss this year's Battle of the Bands. Assualt with a Deadly Weapon, featuring 3Ls Andrew Henson on guitar and Forrest Kuhn on the drums, will be back to deliver another rockin' performance.

Students may purchase tickets for just $5 at the door (with a student ID) or at the Law Resource Center in room 272. Remember to bring both your student ID and your official ID if you wish to drink. Correction: This is NOT an all-ages event, but UofL Law students under 21 are welcome to attend. Children and teens, however are not.

Thanks to the generous sponsorship of Westlaw, the first 100 students will receive a ticket worth $3.25 (the price of a domestic bottled beer), which may also be used toward the purchase of a more expensive drink. Food and an assortment of potables and nonalcoholic beverages will also be available for purchase.

Lawlapalooza takes place at Phoenix Hill Tavern on Thursday, October 1. Doors open at 6 PM.

What if I am on top of my reading, but feel clueless about some of the material?

• Go through your class notes and try to determine what specific questions you have about the course.
• Write down your questions and where the reference is in your notes/casebook so that you can find the spot quickly if you need to refer back to it.
• Read a study aid to gain more understanding about the specific topic.
• Some learners clear up their confusion by outlining the material.  By “pulling it together” for inclusion in an outline, the material is no longer abstract or confusing.
• If you still have questions, ask for help from your classmates or your professor. 
• The more specific you can be about your questions, the easier it will be for someone to help you.
• Have your class notes/casebook with you when you ask for help so that you can show the person the material that is confusing you.
  

Diversity Forum Series: Keys to the Door: ENDA, Transgender Indentity, and Community - September 29, 2009

Dean Chen opens the program. Moderator, Lucas Vance introduces the panel. Brian Buford, Director of LGBT Services       Gil Reyes Dawn Wilson Morgan Ransdell

The following 20 first-year students successfully submitted an Exam4 practice test by 5:00 PM EDT, Monday, September 28, and their names were drawn at random to receive a free ticket, compliments of Professor Kurt "Wolfman" Metzmeier, to Lawlapalooza, Thursday, October 1, at the Phoenix Hill Tavern:

1. Batey, Nathan
2. Climer, Jeremy
3. Donahue, Natalie
4. Englert, Whitney
5. Esser, Brian
6. Fort, Nathan
7. Garland, Todd
8. Humphrey, Natalie
9. Kahn, Melanie
10. Leeper, Natalie
11. Lewis, Mookie
12. Murray, George
13. Pickett, Melinda
14. Potter, Sarah
15. Simonson, Julie
16. Smith, Natalie
17. Spalding, John
18. Theiss, James
19. Turner, Chad
20. Vinsel, Nancy

The tickets will be placed in your mailboxes this afternoon (Tuesday, September 29).  Congratulations to all, and many thanks to Professor Metzmeier!

What if I am behind on my course outlines?

• For each course, calculate how many weeks behind you are in the outline. 
• Start with the course that is most caught up and finish that outline first.  Then work on the next outline that has the fewest weeks to catch up and so forth.
• If you are equally behind in several outlines, start with the course that you think you can do most quickly. 
• If you have not started any outlines, decide which outline will be the easiest to do and complete it first.  Next easiest and so forth.
• Block off time in your schedule to work on each outline over several days rather than expect to find 8 or 10 hours straight for outlining.
• Set goals for when each outline will be current.  Try to have all outlines completed within 10 days – the earlier the better.
• You will need to sacrifice weekend “fun” time to get on top of your outlining so that you only have to add new material each week.