Congratulations to Ben Basil, winner of the 2009 First-Year Oral Advocacy Competition! Appellant, Ben Basil, and Appellee, Courtney Phelps, advanced from the semi-final rounds to compete in the final round. They were both commended by the judges for an exceptional performance.
Ben Basil	Courtney Phelps
Ben Basil and Courtney Phelps (seated)	Members of the audience
The Honorable Chief Judge Danny J. Boggs, Judge Ann O'Malley Shake, and Judge McKay Chauvin presided over the final round of arguments.

University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law alumna and Louisville public figure Tori Murden McClure, '95, the first woman to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean, will publish her memoir, A Pearl in the Storm, on April 7. Detailing her first and second attempts to row across the Atlantic, A Pearl in the Storm, focuses on Tori’s personal reflections on the achievements, along with the lessons she learned along the way. The memoir includes tales of Tori's time in Louisville, and has been hailed by actress Candace Bergen as one of  “courage, adventure and personal discovery that will appeal to women - and men of all ages."

Tori Murden McClure will give a booktalk at the Public Library's downtown branch at 7 PM on April 7. Tickets are free and may be ordered online or by calling 574-1644. She's also the featured guest at Aprily's Kentucky Author Forum on April 14 at the Bomhard Theater in the Kentucky Center for the Arts. This event includes a book sale in the Main Lobby from 6-7 PM followed by a lecture and Q&A session from 7-8 PM and then a post reception and book signing in the Main Lobby 8-9 PM. Tickets are $15 and may be ordered online or by calling 584-7777.

"Unlike Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea, Tori Murden McClure's true story of a woman and the sea and a boat named American Pearl is one of victory.  But her triumph is not merely over the elements.  Tori finds the courage to cross the inner seas and discover not monsters but a land of promise and an expanded opportunity to love.  If you want to be inspired, read this book.  You won't stop till you've finished." -- Sena Jeter Naslund, author of Ahab's Wife  

This year's Edwin H. Perry Fellowship recipients, Christopher Ballantine, Gayla Cissell, Claire Rogers, Abigail Fargen, Andrew Henson, Maria Teresa dela Cruz, Jacob Davis, and Catherine Head, spent spring break in mediation training at Just Solutions, Inc. As a mediation training and services group, Just Solutions exists to create, facilitate, and teach collaborative processes for managing conflict and building community.  

The free training is made possible through an endowment established by local attorney, Edwin H. Perry.

Our students will now be able to participate in mediations referred from the Jefferson County Family Court in conjunction with the Family Law Pro Bono Mediation Project. 

Below are some photos of our students during a training session.

Instructors at Just Solutions	Chris, Gayla, Abigail and Mary
Jacob and Claire	Andrew and Maria

 

Drew Haile and Luke Vance competed in the Wagner National Labor and Employment Law Moot Court competition last week.  They had little time to prepare several arguments that they had not expected to make.  Despite that set-back, their performance rapidly improved over three rounds.  By the final round, they performed quite well, receiving the following feedback from the justices.  Chief Justice Cerruti stated that they “did very well” with a “challenging argument” where every fact presents a “slippery slope.”  He complimented Luke’s deferential attitude and good eye contact.  He stated that Drew was “forceful, confident, and responsive to questions.”  Justice Cunningham agreed that both Drew and Luke had a “good tone” and complimented the way Luke scanned the bench when speaking, stating that “everyone should do that.”  Justice Eskter stated that Drew “addressed hypotheticals very effectively” demonstrating that he was able to “remove” himself from the “facts of the case.”  In sum, Justice Eskter concluded that Drew and Luke, as well as their opponents, were “all four more than qualified.”

The Law School is very saddened to report that Andrew Franklin Young, a third-year student, died March 19, 2009. The entire Law School community extends its deepest sympathies to Mr. Young's family.

Visitation for Mr. Young took place Sunday, March 22, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Morgan's Funeral Home, 301 West Washington Street, Princeton, KY 42445, 270-365-5595. The funeral will take place Monday, March 23, at 1 p.m. CDT at Morgan's Funeral Home.

The Law School will observe a minute of silence at noon on Monday in memory of Mr. Young.

Second Annual Conference on Innovation and Communication Law
Louisville, KY USA
August 21 and 22, 2009

The University of Louisville will host the second annual Conference on Innovation and Communication Law on August 21 and 22, 2009.  The Conference, a follow-up to the 2008 conference held in Turku, Finland, is a cooperative effort of the University of Louisville School of Law, University of Turku Faculty of Law, Drake University Law School, Michigan State University College of Law, and the IPR Center in Helsinki, Finland.  The conference sponsors seek proposals for presentations from those in academics, government, and industry.

This year's conference will focus mainly on the role intellectual property and communications law play in the dissemination of information.  As a result, discussion will focus less on the creation of rights, and more on how the legal system helps (or hinders) the development of knowledge.  For example, we anticipate one or more sessions dealing with licensing and franchising issues.  Other possible topics might include the role of intellectual property registration, the law governing trade secrets and confidential information, remedy issues, and the special case of university inventions and works.  Because many of the participants will come from countries other than the United States, proposals with an international or comparative law perspective are especially encouraged.

Anyone interested in presenting at the conference should submit a written abstract of the topic (not to exceed two letter size or A4 pages) via e-mail to one of the following:

• Professor John Cross
• Professor Lars Smith

To be ensured of full consideration, proposals should be submitted no later than May 2, 2009.

The University of Louisville Law Review will produce a symposium issue of papers submitted at the conference. Presenters are encouraged to prepare articles setting out, or expanding upon, the subject of their presentations. The final draft of the paper would be due a few weeks after the conference.

Details concerning accommodation, registration, travel, and the like will be available shortly on the conference website.

The Student Bar Foundation held its annual auction at the Louisville Bar Association on March 11. Items ranged from dinner with a professor to a BAR/BRI Full Kentucky tuition certificate. Those who attended had a wonderful time and raised money for the Student Bar Foundation.

The Student Bar Foundation is the charitable giving arm of the Student Bar Association.  This student run organization helps raise and distribute funds for student fellowships or travel stipends for law-related public service work with a focus on:

1. Delivery of legal services to the poor and indigent
2. Law related public education
3. Improvement of the judiciary, the legal profession, and citizen access to the justice system

Thanks to everyone who attended. Below are a few photos from the event.

SBF President Andrea Vetter	Two 1-Ls volunteer at the auction
Dean Jim Chen with alums Vanessa and Shawn Cantley.	The live auction begins.
Students, alumni, faculty and staff all take part in the auction.	Almuna Robyn Lurding celebrates after winning Cincinnati Reds tickets.

 

 

Three more exciting CLE programs are being offered this spring.

• Should Law Firms Use Independent Contractors to Handle Client Affairs?, April 10, 2009
• 12th Annual Estate Planning Institute, April 24, 2009
• 26th Annual Carl A. Warns Jr. Labor & Employment Law Institute, June 18-19, 2009

Online registration is now available for each.

Recent graduates and law school students are invited and strongly encouraged to attend the program on April 10. Current students may attend the program portion free of charge. Lunch will be available for a small fee. 

Program	Date and time	Location	CLE hours	Cost	Brochure	Online registration
Should Lawyers Use Independent Contractors to Handle Client Affairs?	April 10 11:30 a.m-1:30 p.m.	Masterson's, 1830 South Third Street	2 hours (1 ethics hour)	$50 for CLE credit; $15 for lunch.
12th Annual Estate Planning Institute	April 24 8 a.m.- 5 p.m.	University Club, University of Louisville	7 hours (2 ethics hours)	$225
26th Annual Carl A. Warns, Jr., Labor and Employment Law Institute	June 18-19 7:45 a.m.-4 p.m.	Louisville Marriott Downtown Hotel, 280 West Jefferson Street	13.25 hours (2 ethics hours)	$395. 10% discount for multiple registrations and early registration by May 1.

Congratulations to Ted Farrell and Rachel Carmona for participating in the Immigration Law Coot Court Competition at NYU Law School over the weekend.  They were among the top six teams after the preliminary round and they competed in the quarter final round of the competition.

University of Louisville Law Review Symposium: First Amendment Issues in Emerging Technology - February 20, 2009

 

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Christopher McDavid kicks off the symposium.		Dean James Chen delivers the opening address.		Keynote speaker, Emory law school Dean David F. Partlett
Session 1: Advances in Speech Technology and the Implications for Society			Session 2: Regulating Potentially Harmful Speech
Moderator Kurt Metzmeier		Professor Ellen Podgor		Cato Institute Fellow Ilya Shapiro
Moderator Susan Duncan		Professor Udo Fink		Professor Arnold Loewy
Session 3: Regulating "Hate Speech" & Holocaust Denial			Session 4: The Shifting Nature of Speech Technology
Dean Blake Morant			Professor Paul Secunda
Professor Eric Segall			Dean James Chen
Conference Attendees			Members of UofL's Law Review