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.”

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)

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.

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.

Diversity Forum Series: Passing the Baton - Current and Future Leaders of the Civil Rights Movement in Louisville - February 24, 2009

 Photo Credit: Michael ben-Avraham

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BLSA President, Adrienne Henderson
Judge Denise Clayton	Senator Gerald Neal
Journalist Philip Bailey	Councilwoman Cheri Bryant Hamilton

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

The Animal Law Moot Court Competition was held at Harvard University this past weekend. The University of Louisville sent two moot court teams: Lauren Bean/Rexena Napier and Sarah Haegele/Melissa McHendrix. Additionally, Ebert Haegele competed in the closing argument competition. All competitors performed very well and impressed the judges. Final scores are not out yet, but unofficially both moot court teams went 1-1 against top teams such as Duquesne, Berkeley (Winner of Best Brief), and New Mexico.

Out of 16 teams, only four make the semi-finals and unfortunately neither UofL team advanced among such tough competition. The judges were quite impressed with UofL's preparation. Lauren Bean was complimented on her controlled demeanor and steady pace while delivering her argument. The judges were very complimentary of the policy behind Rexena Napier's argument and her quick responses to their questions. Sarah Haegele impressed the judges with her poise and ability to remain relaxed under intense pressure. The judges complimented Melissa McHendrix on her ability to withstand difficult questioning while choosing her battles wisely and refocusing the judges on her core argument.

"Daddy, they shot the dogs," uttered Ebert Haegele dramatically to begin his closing argument about two family pets that were shot. He did this in front of six jury members from the Harvard Law Community. Ebert impressed them with his level of preparation and all thought his argument was very logical. They also loved his visual aids (they looked like a million bucks). In a battle where mere points separated the competitors, Ebert was not able to advance to the finals. Overall, the University of Louisville was very well represented by this group of competitors who garnered the respect of many in the animal law community over the weekend.

Be sure to congratulate these fine competitors for their tremendous effort and preparation. Special thanks to Professors Marcosson, Liebson, and Cross for their help in the team's preparation.

 

Everyone should know about the extraordinary service of two of our students, Barry Dunn and Johnna Spicer and a recent graduate, Justin Fowles. Barry, Johnna and Justin organized and implemented a two-day mock interview program for our 1L students. 

The first day, led by Johnna, was held at the law school and involved 2Ls and 3Ls interviewing our 1Ls. This was the first professional interview for many of our first year students and excellent practice for the second day of the mock interview program.   The second day, led by Barry and Justin, involved the LBA Young Lawyers interviewing our 1Ls at the offices of Frost Brown Todd.

One of our 1Ls, Teresa Kenyon, told me that she had an actual interview the following Monday and having interviewed  the previous Friday and Saturday contributed to the success of the real interview a day later.

According to Holly Hudelson, another 1L participant, it can sometimes be hard to talk about yourself.  "The more you do it, however,  the more comfortable you become."  Holly's last professional interview was three years ago.

~Kathy Urbach, Assistant Dean Career Services and Public Service 

The program was excellent.  I was one who was unsure about BigLaw because I didn't know what to expect about the environment.  And, although our event Saturday didn't give a real glimpse into the world of BigLaw, it certainly inspired me nonetheless.  The attorneys I interviewed with were awesome and they gave me excellent feedback that I could implement immediately and benefit from.  I've already written them both thank you letters and let them know that I hope they will continue to support this SBA effort because it had such an impact on me and really to every fellow classmate that I have spoken with about it.  I believe the experience both with the students on Friday and the attorneys on Saturday will prove to make a huge difference in my interview skills when it counts.  I feel much more confident after these rounds of mock interviews and I would certainly recommend the experience to all future 1L's.  You guys did an awesome job!  Thanks again.

Best, Kimberley Gant, 1L