The Informant

April 7, 2009

ANNOUNCEMENTS

3L Daniel Ellis briefs UT law students on 4ALL Day procedures

TBA 4 ALL Day program Saturday, April 4
The UT College of Law was the site of a Tennessee Bar Association 4 ALL Public Service Day Project last Saturday, April 4. On that day attorneys across Tennessee donated their time and talents to bring access to justice to those in need.
The TBA Young Lawyers Division, TBA Leadership Law, Legal Aid of East Tennessee, Knoxville Bar Association, KBA Barristers, and the UT College of Law hosted a legal clinic at the College of Law. At the clinic, members of the community received free legal consultation from area attorneys and were also able to attend informative classes regarding specific areas of the law, including consumer rights.
Nearly 50 lawyers volunteered their time and handled 55 cases at the Knoxville clinic. Complete details, with photos and a video featuring TBA President Buck Lewis of Memphis, are available on the TBA website.


'09 Blackshear Banquet
Nearly 100 alumni, students and friends of the College attended the annual Julian Blackshear Scholarship Banquet Saturday, April 4, at the UT Visitors Center. Judge Camille McMullen ‘96 (center above) of Memphis, the youngest member of the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals, was guest speaker. The banquet is sponsored by the Black Law Students Association and benefits the Julian Blackshear Scholarship fund, named in honor of one of UT’s first black law school graduates. Mr. Blackshear ‘70 (right above) is a retired Nashville attorney. Dean Doug Blaze is at left.

Dean Blaze and UT Law alumni named to state commission
UT Law Dean Doug Blaze and alumni Margaret Behm '76 of Nashville and George T. "Buck" Lewis '80 of Memphis were named April 3 to a new statewide Access to Justice Commission created by the Tennessee Supreme Court. MORE

Prof. Sobieski named UT Macebearer
Professor and former Interim Dean John Sobieski, Jr. was named University of Tennessee Macebearer at the UT Chancellor's Honors Banquet April 6. Macebearer is the University's highest faculty award.

Prof. Sobieski has been a member of the law faculty since 1972 and has been the Lindsay Young Distinguished Professor of Law since 1986. He served as interim dean during the 2007 and 2008 academic year. He has also ben an advisor to the Tennessee Supreme Court and the Tennessee Bar Association. MORE

Collection for the Humane Society of the Tennessee Valley
Through Thursday, the Animal Law Project and the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund will collect items to donate to the Humane Society of the Tennessee Valley (Knoxville’s no-kill shelter). In these tough times, the Humane Society desperately needs the following: Purina brand “kitten chow” (dry), Purina brand “dog” and “cat” chow (dry), Purina brand “puppy chow” (beef or chicken flavor only)(dry), Bath size terry cloth towels (No sheets or blankets), Puppy toys and chews (not vinyl or latex), Batteries (9 volt, AA, AAA), and Copy paper (8.5 x 11). The collection box will be outside the Records Office until Thursday afternoon, April 9. If you do not have time to run to the store and you still want to donate, email aarmbrus@utk.edu for information on how to help.

Want some Pro-Bono hours, but are too busy during the school year?
During the summer, the Animal Law Project updates the “Compiled and Edited Laws of Tennessee Pertaining to Animals” (Animal Law Book) published by the Companion Animal Initiative of Tennessee. The group uses Lexis or Westlaw to find any changes to existing laws and to find new Tennessee laws pertaining to animals. It is not a huge time commitment, but any hours spent count as pro-bono hours. (If you have 50 pro-bono hours by the time you graduate, you get a designation on your diploma). If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Alicia Teubert (aarmbrus@utk.edu) by Thursday, April 9. There will be a quick (15-30 minute) organizational meeting the week of the 13.

The six 1-L Advocacy Competition finalists prepare to deliver their opening statements. L to R: Michael Woods, Kevin Swinton, Jacob Wilson, Jason Bobo, Heather Graves, and Eric Mauldin.

2009 Advocacy Idol competition
On Wednesday, March 25, thirty first-year UT law students participated in the Second Annual Advocacy Idol. With the help of their second- and third-year law student coaches, these Idol participants prepared a five-minute opening statement in the second-degree murder case of State of Rockytop v. Bobby “Rambo” Edwards. Panels of three judges from federal and state courts across Tennessee selected the top six advocates: Jason Bobo, Heather Graves, Eric Mauldin, Kevin Swinton, Jacob Wilson, and Michael Woods. After a final round, the en banc panel of nine judges, the Honorable Camille McMullen, presiding, named Eric Mauldin the 2009 First-Year Advocacy Idol. Jason Bobo placed second, and Jacob Wilson finished third.All of the advocates demonstrated skill in organization, delivery, and substantive technique in giving their opening statements, showing great promise as future advocates. These first-year students, their coaches, and the student bailiffs are to be commended for an enjoyable and successful competition.

Law Dog Day – Kickoff of Animal Law Week
The Animal Law Project and the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund held the annual Law Dog Day at Victor Ashe Park Sunday, April 5. The law pooches enjoyed the beautiful day and had lots of fun playing around in the park.

 

Lunch with Prof. Jeff Hirsh
On Tuesday April 7th from 12:10-1 p.m. in Room 242, Prof. Jeff Hirsch will be speaking on veganism/vegetarianism and his life. A vegetarian lunch from Tomato Head will be served.

Phi Alpha Delta hosts reception for Justice Lee April 15
Please join Phi Alpha Delta for a reception honoring the newest Tennessee Supreme Court Justice, Sharon Lee. The McReynolds Chapter of Phi Alpha Delta is hosting a reception in honor of Justice Lee April 15 from 5:30 until 7:30 p.m. at Calhoun's by the River. Faculty, including Dean Doug Blaze, as well as attorneys and judges in town are expected to be in attendance. Admission is free for students and faculty. A table will be in the Commons through this Thursday, April 2, to sign students and faculty up to reserve their place for this event. Contact Sachin Kori at sachin.kori@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Seton Hall faculty member to speak on Same-Sex Marriage site controversy
April 8, at 12 p.m. as part of the Speaker Series, Professor Marc Poirier of Seton Hall School of Law will speak on "Ocean Grove versus Ocean Grove: Property, Community, and the Where of a Same-Sex Civil Union Ceremony." The talk centers on an ongoing controversy in Ocean Grove, New Jersey, over whether a same-sex couple can rely on the state's Law Against Discrimination to compel the rental of a beachfront pavilion for their civil union ceremony. The owner of the pavilion is the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, although the Association has granted an easement to the town of Ocean Grove in order to allow public access to the beach. At the time of the request for rental, the Association rented out the pavilion for weddings on a regular basis. It refused to rent to the couple, however, because the Association is affiliated with the United Methodist Church, which while affirming the value of homosexual persons prohibits the use of church buildings for same-sex union ceremonies. The pavilion is not a church building, though it is often used for religious purposes; and the Association has formally made the pavilion available to the public for recreational use. The state recently found probable cause of a violation of the state law on public accommodations, so an administrative hearing is very likely. The case obviously sits at more than one intersection in the law. Not only does it raise the issue of gay rights in general (and the right to marry in particular), but it also implicates church and state and numerous property issues. Professor Poirier's talk will be followed by a panel discussion with College of Law faculty members. Please save the date and plan to attend.

Annual Novak Auction set for April 15
The Student Bar Association will be hosting its Annual Allen Novak Auction on Wednesday, April 15, 2009, during the free hour on the front patio of the law school. In addition to the live auction, a silent auction will be set up in the Rotunda from Monday, April 13 until the live auction begins. All students, faculty, and staff are invited to attend and to bid on some wonderful items donated by local businesses and faculty members!

Funds raised by the auction go to support TAPIL, which provides summer stipends for students participating in public service work, and emergency student loans. Members of your SBA Council will be selling pizza during the auction, so come with an appetite. The SBA hopes to see you there!

VITA program swinging into action
Tax season is here, and that means it's time for Volunteer Income Tax Assistance. VITA is a program, sponsored by both the IRS and UT Pro Bono, whose mission is to provide free tax services for UT students, faculty, and staff, as well as low- to moderate- income individuals and families. This year, VITA will be taking place Monday-Wednesday, 4-7 p.m., in the Student Organization Office on the third floor (Room 302). VITA will also be hosting a special International Night on Tuesdays for international students and friends (U.S. citizens can come on any night). Please be sure to bring a valid photo ID, your Social Security card, and all relevant tax documents (W-2, 1099, etc.). If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Roman Hankins (rhankins@utk.edu) or Rachel Levinson (rlevinso@utk.edu).

FACULTY

From Greg Stein, Associate Dean for Faculty Development:

Congratulations to Prof. Dean Rivkin, who spoke this week at a conference co-sponsored by the national ACLU (Racial Justice Project) and New York Law School. Prof. Rivkin's presentation was entitled "Decriminalizing Students With Disabilities." His paper will be published in a conference symposium issue of the New York Law School Law Review. Approximately 150 lawyers from around the country attended the event. Prof. Charles Ogletree of Harvard Law School was the keynote speaker.

Congratulations once again to College of Law faculty members who have published books within the past year. These authors were recognized at a reception last week that was sponsored by the Office of Research and the University Libraries. Of the ninety books honored by the University, fifteen were authored by faculty members at the College of Law: Profs. Ansley, Blaze, Cohen, Cook, Heminway, Kuney, Leatherman, Lloyd, Looper, Reynolds, Sobieski, and Stein all authored, co-authored, or edited one or more books during the past year. A description of the event can be found here. Descriptions of some of the books, including several authored by College of Law faculty members, can be found here (note that this list continues for several pages – follow the links at the bottom of each successive page).

Prof. Mae Quinn participated as an invited speaker at Washington University in St. Louis's 9th Annual Access to Justice Colloquium March 29. Prof. Quinn was part of a panel of experts who responded to the program's keynote speaker, Prof. Jane Spinak of Columbia University. The day-long program's aim was to provide critical perspectives on current court and law reform efforts. Prof. Quinn's remarks focused on the modern problem-solving court movement and historical parallels found in the work of Judge Anna Moscowitz Kross during the early 1900's. Further information about the program can be found here.

Last week Prof. Quinn was interviewed by the Washington Post regarding pending litigation challenging Maryland's drug treatment court system. The article, including Prof. Quinn's remarks, can be found here.

Prof. Quinn has also been asked to speak at this year's New Clinician's Program at the AALS Clinical Conference in Cleveland on the topic of "Scholarship Success: Fitting It In and Writing It Well." Prof. Quinn will co-host the program with Professor Kate Kruse of UNLV Law. Congratulations, Prof. Quinn on these accomplishments!

Prof. Paula Schaefer's article "Inadvertent Disclosure in 2009 and Beyond: The Lingering Need to Revise Professional Conduct Rules" will be published in Volume 69 of the Maryland Law Review. Congratulations, Prof. Schaefer!

STUDENTS

FCBA Student writing competition
The Federal Circuit Bar Association announces the 2009 George Hutchinson Writing Competition on a topic directed to a subject within the jurisdiction of the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Deadline for submissions is June 26, 2009. MORE

LEWIS CAREER CENTER

-- Judicial Clerkship Panel for 1, 2 and 3Ls, Monday, April 13, 12-12:50 p.m., Room 135.