Left to right: Arbitrators Dr. Prof. Christian Schwartz (Netherlands), Prof. Janet Walker (Canada) and Ziva Filipic (Slovenia), University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law teammates Marshall Casey, Rebecca Simms, UNAM teammates Luis Paz and Angelica Huacuja

The Willem Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot involved 233 teams representing 59 countries and 1,500 students.  Fifty-three United States law schools were represented, although the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law team was the only team representing Kentucky.  There were more than 600 arbitrators from around the world – drawn from law firms and law school faculties – comprised the three-person panels that heard more than 1,000 arbitrations.  

The  University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law team was represented by Marshall Casey and Rebecca Simms. The team acquitted itself extremely well in the first four rounds, receiving very positive comments from the Arbitrators, and actually competed against three teams that went on to the finals.

In the first round the  University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law team went against the top team of three representing the University of Paris, the Sorbonne; in round two they went against the National Autonomous University of Mexico which could be described as the “Harvard of Mexico,” the number one school in the country; they faced Charles University, Czech Republic, in round three, and, finally, the University of Munich, an extremely strong school and one of 24 German (second only to the United States) teams.  As noted, Paris, UNAM and Munich went on to the finals.

Although the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law team did not make the final round of 64 they moved very successfully through the first four rounds, learned a great deal and represented Brandeis in a very important aspect of the gathering, international networking.  It seemed that many participants – from both civil law and common law countries were aware of Louis Brandeis.  There were also opportunities to view the art and history of Vienna. In this the team was aided by alumna, Kristina Huddleston,`97.

Keith Sealing, Assistant Dean for Student Affairs

The UofL Law Clinic Open House and Reception showcases the UofL Law Clinic, an initiative that enables the law school to refocus legal education as a primarily (or even exclusively) classroom-based endeavor into an active, hands-on enterprise of learning by doing.

 

We'd like to thank all the members of the Louisville legal community, alumni, faculty, staff and students who shared in this celebration.

University of Louisville Law Clinic students, from left: Dustin Thacker, Becca O'Neill, Chad Reid, Christopher McDavid, Caroline Pieroni, Amy Jay. Photo credit: Robert Pieroni
Professor Lars Smith, Dean Jim Chen and the incoming Clinic Director Shelley Santry enjoy the reception.
Becca O'Neill and her classmates present gifts to their instructors Stewart Pope, Legal Aid Advocacy Director, and Lars Smith, University of Louisville Professor and Samuel J. Stallings Chair in Law.
Guests enjoy the conversation and live music, compliments of Middleton Reutlinger and Stites & Harbison.
Law Clinic Reception Guests	Law students, Cheri Jones and Simone Beach
Wine, beer, and soft drinks were provided by Middleton Reutlinger and Stites & Harbison.	Bourbon tasting provided by Woodford Reserve.
Hors d'oeuvres provided by Carrabba's Italian Grill.	Vickie Tencer (Unit Business Manager), Kathy Urbach (Assistant Dean for Career Services and Public Service) and Jina Scinta (Program Assistant)
Professor Susan Duncan, Justice Elisabeth Hughes Abramson, Judge Paula Sherlock, Professor Laura Rothstein, and Maria Fernandez, '89	Third year student and Law Clinic member Caroline Pieroni and family, from left: Jennifer Lynch Nickel, Mark Nickel, David Lynch, Julia Lynch, Caroline Lynch Pieroni, Robert Pieroni
Law student, Amy Jay	University of Louisville Law Students

Diversity Forum Series: From Prop 8 to SB 68: Legislative Attacks on LGBT Families - April 7, 2009

Dean Chen opens the program.			Moderator, Christopher McDavid introduces the panel.
Bryan Gatewood		Chris Hartman		Reverend Vernon S. Broyles, III
The panelists engage in a discussion while a clip of an interview with Chris Hartman on “Kentucky Tonight” appears on the screen.
Nancy Baker and Miriam Schusler-Williams serve lunch.			Diversity Committee Members

			On April 8, attorney Gregory Belzley presented "Civil Rights of the Incarcerated." This first event of the University's recently formed, American Constitution Society chapter, was well attended.   Pictured at left:  Sean Donaldson, ACS Program Director, Gregory Belzley, and James Ficher, ACS President *Click on each of the photos for a larger image.
Sean Donaldson introduces Mr. Belzley.		Mr. Belzley takes questions from the audience.		Mr. Belzley meets with the founding members of the law school's ACS chapter.

Participating in the ABA’s Student Division Arbitration Competition is a rare opportunity to learn about and practice your arbitration skills as a student.  The team is now open for 2Ls to interview to join the team.  You will be awarded two credits for your participation.  You must be prepared to devote considerable preparation time and between two to four hours of practice time per week from the end of September through early November.  You will also need to do some light reading on arbitration over the summer so that we can hit the ground running when the problem is released in September. 

Most interviews will be held with Professor Levinson and Josh Speirs, one of the returning team members.  Lily Chan, the other team member, may also join the interviews.  Please be prepared to discuss 1) why you are interested in arbitration, 2) what courses you will be taking Fall semester, and 3) what other obligations you must devote time to.

We will be interviewing through finals.  Please sign up for a slot on the sheet posted outside room 285 (Professor Levinson’s office).  If the times do not work for you, please contact Professor Levinson to schedule another time to meet.

Participation is, of course, contingent on law school funding decisions.

Volunteers pose outside the law school prior to departing for their service projects. Scroll down for more photographs.

 

Nearly fifty volunteers gathered at the law school on a beautiful spring day to donate their time to three worthy causes. Among the participants were Harlan Scholars, alums, students, staff, faculty and their friends & families. Several of them had volunteered last year as well.

Many thanks to the following people for making the 2nd Annual Louisville Law Community Service Day such a success!

PROJECT COORDINATORS

Rexéna Napier (Student Animal Legal Defense Fund) – Animal Care Society

Jenna Johnston (Women’s Law Caucus) – Family Scholar House

Adam Watson (Enivronmental Law & Land Use Society) – Olmsted Parks Conservancy

PLANNING PARTICIPANTS & FACILITATORS

Students: Lauren Bean, Brian Bennett, Matt Birkhoffer, Kevin Graves, Jamie Izlar, Jenna Johnston, Melissa McHendrix, Rexéna Napier, Brian Pollock, Victor Revill, Luke Vance, and Adam Watson

Faculty & Staff: Nancy Baker, Jodi Duce, Ariana Levinson, Debra Reh, Jina Scinta, Keith Sealing, Virginia Smith, Barbara Thompson, and Kathy Urbach

VOLUNTEERS

Sierra Ashby, Lauren Bean, Justin Brewer, Daniel Jay Cameron, Scott Campbell & Beth Nahinsky, Ashley Crabtree, Bridget Coraz, Matthew Dutcher, Brian Fayman, Kevin & Lindsay Graves, Bartley Hagerman, Nick Hart, Ebert Haegele, Jamie Izlar, Guion Johnstone, Jenna Johnston, Jared Kelly, Courtney King, Forrest Kuhn, Arianna Levinson, Ashley Morden, Christopher McDavid, Melissa McHendrix, Rexéna Napier, Marilyn Osborn, Kaitlyn Patrick, Emily Peeler, Brian Pollock, Katie Reisz, Victor Revill, Laura Rothstein, Ben Silver, Virginia Smith, Victoria Steinbach, Nicole Tarrence, Vickie Tencer, Paige Thompson, Katherine Toms, Adam & Jenn Watson, Rebecca Weis, Becky Wimberg, and Boris Yelin

DONORS

The Law School ● Law Library ● LexisNexis ● Westlaw ● Kathy Bean ●  Scott Campbell ● Robin Harris ● Ariana Levinson ● Christopher McDavid  ● Kurt Metzmeier ● Jerome Neukirch ● Laura Rothstein  ● Virginia Smith ● Anonymous Donors

 

Volunteers work with the Olmsted Parks Convervancy to clean up debris from the winter ice storm in Iroquois Park.
Project Coordinator, Jenna Johnston	Family Scholar House Volunteers
Volunteers assemble gift bags for the Family Scholar House.
Project Coordinator, Rexéna Napier (center)	Animal Care Society Volunteers
Friendships blossom at the Animal Care Society.
Volunteers assist at the Animal Care Society.

More photos are publicly viewable at our Facebook group. Search for "University of Louisville Law School Annual Community Service Day Project".

	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  

The following streets will be closed, or traffic will be disrupted, on the listed streets from midnight, Friday, April 24 to approximately 6PM, Saturday, April 25. There could be disruption to traffic on peripheral streets to those listed, because of the fluid nature of this event.

The law library will be open from 8 AM to 6 PM that Saturday.

Many thanks to Jim Bland for providing this report.

The route is described below:

SOUTH LOUISVILLE

Southern Parkway from 3rd Street (by Oakdale Ave) to New Cut (into the park).

Kenwood from New Cut to Seneca Trail.

3rd Street from Seneca Trail to W. Kenwood Way.

W. Kenwood Way from 3rd Street to BurkleyAve.

Burkley Ave from S. 5th Street to Southern Parkway.

Oakdale from Southern Parkway into S. 4th (into Gate #3 of Churchill Downs)

Central Ave from Rodman to 4th Street.

OLD LOUISVILLE

4th Street from Central to Breckinridge Street.

Breckinridge from 7th to Barret Ave.

HIGHLANDS

Barret Ave from Breckinridge to Castlewood Ave.

Baxter from Castlewood to Tyler Park (near the other end of Castlewood)

Tyler Park from Baxter to Eastern Parkway.

Eastern Parkway from Tyler Park to Scenic Loop (inside Cherokee Park)

Lexington from Ledge to Grinstead Drive.

Grinstead from Lexington to Cherokee Road.

Cherokee Road from Grinstead to Broadway.

DOWNTOWN

Baxter Ave from Broadway to Jefferson Street.

Chestnut from Jefferson to Main.

Main from Chestnut to Campbell Street.

Campbell from Main to Washington.

Washington from Campbell to Clay Street.

Clay from Washington to E. Witherspoon.

E. Witherspoon from Clay to River Road.

River Road from E. Witherspoon to Preston & Witherspoon.

Witherspoon from Preston to Floyd.

Floyd from Witherspoon to Main.

Main from Floyd to 2nd Street.

2nd Street from Main to Chestnut Street.

Chestnut from 2nd to 7th Street.

7th from Breckinridge to Market Street.

Market from 7th to 2nd.

The law library will open earlier and close later during the exam period, April 21 to May 1. However, it will be closed Derby Weekend (May 2-3) and the following weekend (May 9-10) for graduation.

Please refer to our Library Hours for details.