Representatives of two military branches of JAG, the legal arm of the U.S. military, will be present over the next two weeks recruiting Brandeis law students. As the military continues to discriminate in its hiring policies, the members of Lambda Law Caucus wish to reiterate our continuing opposition to JAG's presence on campus.

According to the bylaws of the Association of American Law Schools, under which this law school is presently certified, our school has an affirmative duty to provide students with equal opportunities to obtain employment without discrimination based upon several criteria, including sexual orientation. The Brandeis School of Law requires every employer recruiting law students on campus to sign the school’s nondiscrimination policy. However, the law school has been forced to make an exception and grant the military access to campus because the United States Congress under the Solomon Amendment threatens to withhold federal funding from the entire University if the law school does not comply.

We stand against the federal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy which prohibits otherwise qualified, willing and patriotic lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender people from serving in the armed services if their sexual orientation is ever disclosed. We call upon the United States Congress to repeal both the disgraceful “Solomon Amendment” that forces law schools to abandon their nondiscrimination policies, and the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy that forces LGBT servicemembers to either sacrifice their personal integrity by serving their country in silence or forsake their hope for an honorable military career.

Interested in free Decedent's tickets? Submit a t-shirt design for Halloween to the SBA office by Friday, September 28th. During the week of October 1, the student body will vote for the best t-shirt design. The winner will get his/her design printed on the t-shirts AND two (2) free tickets to the Decedent's Ball.

Please submit your design for a white t-shirt with no more than three (3) colors for the design. Submission forms are available in the SBA office.

QUESTIONS: Contact Rebecca Simms at 502-807-2170 or rmsimm02@louisville.edu.

As a part of the Partners in Professionalism program sponsored by the University of Louisville School of Law and the Louis D. Brandeis American Inns of Court, a panel of two appellate court judges and two attorneys shared with interested law students what it means to be professional. The presentation, "Beyond the MPRE: What You Need to Know About Being a Professional in the Practice of Law," brought together students and members of the bar to discuss the realities of law practice and the need for civility, discretion, and respect in those who choose this career.

Partners in Professionalism will host three more programs throughout the school year:

• October 23 - Avoiding the Money - How to Stay Out of Trouble
• January 29 - What You Need to Know About Clients
• March 4 - What You Need to Know to Make the Transition from Law School to Practice - Surviving the First Six Months

All Louisville Law students are invited to attend these programs.

The mission of the American Inns of Court is to foster excellence in professionalism, ethics, civility, and legal skills. Most Inns concentrate on issues surrounding civil and criminal litigation practice, and include attorneys from a number of specialties. However, there are several Inns that specialize in criminal practice, federal litigation, tax law, administrative law, white-collar crime, bankruptcy, intellectual property, family law, or employment and labor law.

 

Dean Chen welcomes students and those in the profession to "Partners in Professionalism"	Former Kentucky Supreme Court Justice Martin Johnstone shares information about the Louis D. Brandeis American Inns of Court and its mission.
The September 25 panel included (l-r) Judge Thomas Wine, attorney J. Michael Brown, Chief Judge Sara Walter Combs and attorney William E. Johnson.	Attorney Jack Ballantine and Louisville Law students listen to the presentation.

Three members of the law library's staff were recognized at UofL's 2007 Staff Recognition Years of Service Award luncheon last Friday, September 21. Many thanks to Miriam Schusler-Williams (30 years), Nancy Baker (10 years), and Janissa Moore (10 years).

See: http://louisville.edu/hr/news_item.2007-07-30.0798971034 for a complete list of honorees.

 

Interested in free Decedent's tickets?  Submit a t-shirt design for Halloween to the SBA office by September 26th. On September 27th and 28th, the student body will vote for the best t-shirt design. The winner will get his/her design printed on the t-shirts AND two (2) free tickets to the Decedent's Ball.

Please submit your design for a white t-shirt with no more than three (3) colors for the design.  Submission forms will be available in the SBA office or from Tyson Adams.

QUESTIONS:  Contact Rebecca Simms at 502-807-2170 or rmsimm02@louisville.edu. 

If you are interested in the SBF fundraiser and want to learn more about the SBF, we will be hosting tables in the lobby on Tuesday and Thursday from 4 to 6pm.  Please stop by and make a donation, enter your ticket for three fabulous door prizes (First Year study aid basket, dinner at Primo, or champagne brunch at the Seelbach) and talk to an SBF officer about the SBF charity auction and grant process.  The fundraiser will continue to run at lunch-time, Mon through Fri.

Sign up now to participate in the Environmental Law Competition to be held at Pace Law School, White Plains, New York from Feb. 21-23, 2008. Brandeis is participating in this appellate style competition for the first time this year, so all students with an interest in environmental law should show their support. A sign up sheet is posted on the Moot Court Office door, room #183. A writing sample is required and must be submitted to room #262 by Thursday, September 27, 2007. More information is posted on flyers around school, the Moot Court Office, and Prof. Long's office, room #262.

TRADEMARK LAW TEAM TRYOUTS

The Trademark team is seeking 2-L and 3-L students interested in
intellectual property and unfair competition law. Two (2) teams of two
(2) students each will be selected to compete at the Trademark and
Unfair Competition Law Regional Tournament in Chicago on February 9,
2008.  Qualifying teams advance to the National Tournament in
Washington, D.C. on March 22, 2008.


Interested 2nd and 3rd year students should select a try-out/competition
partner and sign up on the sheet posted on the Moot Court Board office
door by Thursday, September 27, 2007. The problem will be distributed on
Friday, September 28, 2007.

Try-out briefs are due and oral arguments will be held on October 5,
2007.  

Try-Out Requirements
1. Each team member must submit an appellate brief.  One team member
must write for the appellant and the other for the appellee.

2. The brief’s argument section may not exceed three (3) pages in
length.

3. Each team member must prepare a 12-minute oral argument for both
sides of the case problem.  Each team member will argue one side of the
case, to be determined on the day of try-outs.

Profs. John Cross and Lars Smith will serve as team coaches.  For
questions, please contact Prof. Cross at john.cross@louisville.edu.

Congratulations to David Scott, Scott Powell, Elizabeth Powell, and Adam Fuller.  These four were selected to compete in the ABA Negotiations Competition.

Take Action for Confined Calves!

Greetings Law Students, As you know, the Animal Legal Defense Fund is committed to protecting the lives of animals everywhere. But you may not know that we have filed a lawsuit against Mendes Calf Ranch for their violation of California animal cruelty laws. The ranch is a facility that dairy producers use to house and raise newborn calves while their mothers are milked. The babies are taken soon after birth and shipped away to live in Mendes's cramped, filthy crates with barely enough room to move. Day after day, these calves live by themselves in crates so small they can't even turn around or lie down naturally. They must contort their bodies even to stand in the small space, which is often covered with their own excrement. This is in direct violation of California Penal Code Section 597t, which provides: "Every person who keeps an animal confined in an enclosed area shall provide it with an adequate exercise area..." (emphasis added). While we wait for the courts to stop this practice, there is more we can do for these animals right now. We need to reach Mendes through the people they're most likely to listen to: their clients. Major dairy producers Land O'Lakes and Challenge Dairy get their milk from calves who spend the first months of their lives confined at Mendes Calf Ranch. It's time to let dairy corporations know that these practices are unnecessary - and unacceptable. For these reasons, ALDF is launching the Free Baby Mendes campaign in an effort to mobilize consumers and animal lovers to sign on to a letter we'll deliver to Land O'Lakes and Challenge Dairy. Please visit the site now to sign the letter and ask your friends to do the same. This is also an excellent opportunity to help us spread the word on your campus about ALDF v. Mendes and the corporations that profit from the cruelty taking place at Mendes Calf Ranch.  IT WILL ONLY TAKE A FEW MINUTES!!  PLEASE VISIT THE FOLLOWING SITE TO ELECTRONICALLY SIGN THE PETITION: http://www.aldf.org/mendes/.