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

 

In memory of Andrew Young, several 3Ls have organized a group walk/run around the loop in front of the law school on Sunday March 29 at 12:00 PM.   We will take a group photo at noon and then walk/run around the loop for half an hour. Pets, spouses, and significant others are also welcome. It is unfortunate that many could not go to Andrew's visitation or funeral, so we will send photos to his family to show our sympathy and support.  All faculty, students, staff, and administrators are welcome and encouraged to attend.

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.

We've installed two new printers in the Law Library: one in the first floor lab and one for laptop users.  Each new printer is an HP LaserJet 9050 -- candy apple red, with chrome fins and flame decals.  Laptop users who wish to use the new laptop printer must stop by room 119 and see John Shelman.  John will cheerfully install the driver for the new printer and get you connected.  Students will not be able to use the new laptop printer until Cheerful John has installed the driver for it.

Congratulations to Bradley R. Palmer and Darren Mayberry for being chosen for publication in the JLE's April 2009 issue.  Bradley's exceptional note is titled "Uncle Sam, Tuition Costs, and the Changing Economy: Tax Incentives for Education Expenses and How to Improve Them."  Darren's excellent note is titled "The F-1/H-1B Visa Contradiction: Uncle Sam Wants Your Tuition, But Not Your Expertise Or Your Tax Dollars."

The Journal of Law and Education would also like to congratulate Algeria Ford on being chosen as the JLE's 2009-2010 Editor-in-chief.

 

~Kevin J. Graves, Editor-in-Chief
Journal of Law and Education (2008-2009)

The Law Library's own Jerome Neukirch is a featured illustrator of the new book "The Beats: A Graphic History" (Harvey Pekar et al, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2009). In its review of the book, Publishers Weekly writes that "Jerome Neukirch's art for the bio of proto-beat Slim Brundage [is] the artistic standout illustrations" of the book. The book will go on sale March 17 and is already available for pre-purchase on Amazon.com.

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.

Three projects have been chosen for the 2nd Annual Community Service Day on April 4.

The Student Animal Legal Defense Fund has organized a project at the Animal Care Society, Louisville's only no-kill animal shelter; the Women's Law Caucus has organized a project with the Family Scholar House; and members of the Environmental Law & Land Use Society have arranged a clean-up project with Olmsted Parks Conservancy.

We will also be collecting donated items for the Animal Care Society and the Kentucky Foster Care & Special Needs Adoption Program Recruitment and Certification program the week prior to the event.

Donations and monetary contributions are still needed for door prizes, food, and beverages for the kick-off party that morning. Please contact Virginia Smith if you'd like to help out.

"What You Need to Know About Clients"

The panel discussion addressed various client issues, including where to find them, how to keep the good ones, how to spot the bad ones, how to bill and how to avoid bar complaints.

Speakers included distinguished lawyers from large firms, small firms and the Kentucky Bar Association who are members of the Louis D. Brandeis Inn of Court.