The Informant
January 20, 2009
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Annual MLK Lunch Jan. 20
There is a January tradition at the College of Law that coincides with and celebrates the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Each year, law students are invited to join faculty and staff for lunch in faculty offices. At these informal gatherings, small groups of students, faculty, and staff enjoy lunch together and the opportunity to discuss the life and times of the late Dr. King and his visions of racial justice and equality. Some groups also read parts of Dr. King’s more memorable speeches. There is no advance preparation required or expected; however, copies of I Have a Dream, a collection of Dr. King’s speeches, are on reserve in the Law Library for anyone who would like to look at his speeches.
This year’s luncheon event is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009 from 12 until 1 p.m. The date for the luncheon this year is particularly notable, as it occurs at the same time as the inauguration of this country’s first African-American president. We are planning to watch the inauguration in faculty offices, as this historic event embodies the life and work of Dr. King and should provide an exceptional backdrop to the luncheons.
Sign-up sheets are available in the Student Records office and at the Law Library Circulation and Reference Desks. Those who are interested in participating should try to sign up at least a week before the scheduled date. Students who have signed up to participate will receive a note in their student mail boxes telling them of the faculty member who will be hosting their luncheon. Attempts to assign students who sign up during the last week will be made if space is available. Lunches will be provided courtesy of the Dean and will be delivered to faculty offices by volunteers in advance.
Watch Inauguration and Swearing-in Ceremony on the big screen
The inauguration and swearing-in ceremony for Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States will be shown live in Room 136 beginning at 10:30 until Noon Tuesday, Jan. 20. The screening is offered in addition to the MLK Day luncheons also planned for the 20th. Lunch will NOT be provided to those who simply attend the screening. The ceremony will also be viewed during the annual MLK Day lunches beginning a little before Noon.
Advocacy Center lecture on ADR Wednesday
The Center for Advocacy & Dispute Resolution will host a presentation by Howard H. Vogel on Alternative Dispute Resolution in Tennessee on Wednesday, Jan. 21, from noon until 1 p.m. in Room 135. After many years as a civil litigator, Howard Vogel turned to service as a mediator of civil disputes. He is a Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 31 civil mediator and a member of the mediation panel for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. He has mediated over 1500 civil disputes and is board certified by the American Academy of ADR Attorneys. He is a Fellow in the International Academy of Mediators and a member of its Board of Governors. Mr. Vogel has served on Tennessee’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Commission since 2002 and lectures frequently on mediation techniques.
CAN-LEARN meeting Tuesday
The CAN-LEARN Attorney Network will meet Tuesday, Jan. 20, at 5:30 p.m. in the Faculty Lounge. Prof. Dean Rivkin, who spent the fall 2008 semester as a visiting professor at American University in Washington, D.C., will be the speaker. All are welcome. The program will be web cast beginning at 6 p.m. To view the web cast or past meetings that have been archived click here. The username and password are both “utlaw.”
Docket Day 2009
The University of Tennessee College of Law will host its annual Docket Day on Jan. 27, 2009. The Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals will hold its session in the law school providing law students the wonderful opportunity to observe appellate arguments. The event will take place in Room 237 all day, and it is open to all faculty and students. Everyone is encouraged to attend and participate in this event.
Mark calendars for death penalty program
The Tennessee Law Review will present “The Past, Present, and Future of the Death Penalty" Feb. 6-7.
FACULTY
Professors' book benefits Clayton Center
Profs. Bob Lloyd and George Kuney have published their newest text book, Secured Transactions: UCC Article 9 and the Bankruptcy Code. The book, available at the UT Bookstore and soon through Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and other online distributors, was published by the Clayton Center for Entrepreneurial Law. The book, which relies mainly upon the problem method but includes a select number of cases, retails for $50, and all proceeds go to benefit the Center for Entrepreneurial Law; the authors receive no royalties.
Prof. Quinn conducts faculty workshop at Akron
Last week Prof. Mae Quinn conducted a faculty workshop at the University of Akron School of Law entitled "Teaching Public Citizen Lawyering: From Aspiration to Inspiration." Prof. Quinn, invited as an Akron Visiting Scholar, talked about the importance of addressing through law school teaching the "Preamble of the Rules of Professional Conduct." The Preamble urges lawyers to do more than serve as client representatives and court officers, but to also embrace the role of public citizen concerned with the quality of justice.
Prof. Stucke's essay to be published in symposium issue
Prof. Maurice E. Stucke's essay, "New Antitrust Realism," available at http://ssrn.com/abstract=1323815, will be published in Global Competition Policy magazine's upcoming symposium on competition policy in the Obama administration. GCP's symposia generally involve competition policy experts drawn from academia, competition authorities, courts, and law firms around the world. Prof. Stucke's essay outlines the needed transformative change in today's competition policy and how behavioral economics can assist in this new antitrust realism.
Prof. Stein participates in Oregon meeting
Prof. Greg Stein recently participated in a two-day meeting of the Drafting Committee for the Uniform Partition of Tenancy-in-Common Act, held in Portland, Oregon. This Act is being drafted to address the problem of land loss by rural African-American families. Professor Stein serves as the Committee’s observer from the American College of Real Estate Lawyers. Prof. Stein also has been invited to serve on the Member Selection Committee of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers.
Prof. Heminway quoted on Steve Jobs' health disclosures
Prof. Joan Heminway was quoted in a Washington Post article Jan. 16 on recent public disclosures about the health of Apple CEO Steve Jobs.
STUDENTS
Consider studying in Rio this summer
Thinking about what you'll be doing this summer? Consider studying in Rio de Janeiro before you start your summer job. The program the UT College of Law offers through Georgia State University College of Law (in collaboration with Seattle University School of Law and Universidade Candido Mendes) starts in mid-May and classes end in the middle of June. So, you can get up to six credit hours, travel to a beautiful, unique city, get relevant work experience, and earn money--all in one summer. For more information, see http://law.gsu.edu/rio/ or contact Prof. Joan Heminway, Prof. Becky Jacobs, or Prof. Penny White. The priority application deadline is Feb. 2, 2009, and all applications are due on Feb.16. Applying by Feb. 2 best ensures that you'll receive your housing and course preferences.
Summer clerkship opportunity
Refugee Family Services is seeking law students to fill full-time summer clerkship positions that will focus on issues-specific legal analysis and fact gathering in support of policy development, as well as grant writing for the policy and direct service programs of the agenda. MORE
Student Bankruptcy Law Writing Competition
The Bankruptcy Litigation Committee of the American Bankruptcy Institute has announced its first annual ABI Bankruptcy Law Student Writing Competition. For details, click here. Prof. George Kuney is happy to meet with students wishing to discuss topics relating to section 363 sales and plans of reorganization.
Business court clerk opportunities
The Business Law Diversity Clerkship Program, an initiative of the American Bar Association’s Section of Business Law, encourages students to pursue business court clerkship opportunities and to consider careers in the practice of business law. In considering a student's diversity, the Section of Business Law will give special consideration to individuals who have overcome social or economic disadvantages such as physical disability, financial constraints, or cultural impediments to becoming a law student. Up to nine interns will be given a summer stipend of $6,000 and placed in business court clerkships in the Philadelphia Commerce Court or the Delaware Court of Chancery. Other possible internship locations include New York and Florida. To apply, students must be Section of Business Law members. For membership information and to join the Section, click here.
CAREER CENTER
-- No events/programs scheduled this week.