The Informant
February 9, 2010
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Program on disability issues February 16
On Tuesday, February 16, Mitchell (Mitch) Pomerantz, President of the American Council of the Blind (ACB) and an active member of the organization for over 25 years, will be joining Dr. Otis Stephens’ Disability Law class at 1 p.m. in Room 237 of the College of Law. He will be discussing a wide range of disability issues, including those in which the ACB has taken an active part.
In his capacity as President of ACB, a national organization with more than 20,000 members, over 70 state affiliates, and hundreds of local chapters, Mr. Pomerantz oversees a 16-member Board of Directors and the activities of 25 committees and task forces charged with carrying out the work of the organization.
As the first totally blind person to be hired in a professional capacity by the City of Los Angeles and holding a variety of positions in his tenure of over 30 years, including that of ADA Compliance Officer, Mr. Pomerantz was instrumental in coordinating city-wide compliance with the American with Disabilities Act as well as conducting training and providing technical assistance to city departments.
As a private consultant, Mr. Pomerantz specializes in the areas of disability awareness and reasonable accommodation in the workplace, having served as a trainer for the internationally recognized “Windmills” attitudinal awareness program.
This discussion is free and open to the public.
Authors of Asylum Denied to discuss their book here March 1
On Monday, March 1, 2010, David Ngaruri Kenney and Philip G. Shrag will be coming to the law school to speak during the free hour about their book Asylum Denied. Asylum Denied is the gripping story of political refugee David Ngaruri Kenney's harrowing odyssey through the world of immigration processing in the United States. The event will take place in Room 132, and the authors will be available to speak and sign the books afterwards.
Professors to lead sessions in Baker Center program
UT law Professors Joseph Cook, Otis Stephens and Iris Goodwin will lead sessions in a Baker Center reading group series to discuss the book Justice as Fairness: A restatement by John Rawls. The series is sponsored by the Baker Center and the Knox County Public Library and will meet on Mondays from 6 until 8 p.m. in the Toyota Auditorium in the Baker Center. MORE
FACULTY
From Greg Stein, Associate Dean for Faculty Development
Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) has invited Prof. Maurice Stucke to speak at the 5th IDRC Forum on Competition and Development, titled The Customer is King (and Queen): Bringing the Consumer Back to Competition Law. The Forum will take place in April in Istanbul, Turkey. Prof. Stucke will be able to present his behavioral economics research to competition authorities from nearly 100 countries.
Prof. George Kuney has been invited to speak and to moderate a panel on “Fault and Virtue in Contract Law” later this month at UNLV’s 2010 Spring Contracts Conference. His article, “Non-Debtor Releases and Travelers v. Bailey: A Circuit Split that is Likely to Remain,” is being published this month in the Norton Annual Survey of Bankruptcy Law. In addition, Prof. Kuney has been invited to speak at the Norton Institute on Bankruptcy, also in Las Vegas, in March. There he will address Section 363 sale issues, which have been a major focus of his scholarship in recent years. He also will address ethics in bankruptcy law, the subject of his most recent article for The American Bankruptcy Journal, the peer-reviewed law journal of the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges.
Prof. Joan Heminway was quoted recently on WATE television, in a story about Planned Parenthood’s upcoming relocation to East Knoxville. Prof. Heminway discussed Planned Parenthood’s use of an LLC to purchase its new property. See the story here.
STAFF
Director Britton appointed to NALP committee
Karen Britton was appointed to the Long-Range Strategic Planning Committee of NALP, the National Association for Law Placement, which will chart the course of the association through 2015. NALP provides education, research, principles and standards for the attorney recruitment industry for American legal employers and law schools.
STUDENTS
Mandatory 1L registration meeting March 3
A mandatory meeting for all 1Ls regarding Fall 2010 registration will be held Wednesday, March 3, from 12:15 until 1:35 in Room 132. Bag lunches will be provided; bring your own beverage. The Registration Bidding System will be discussed.
Jenkins Competition draws near
It’s time to get ready for a legal showdown that revolves around kidnapping and murder. This year’s Jenkins Competition will be held Feb. 25-26 (preliminary rounds) and March 1 (final round). The last day for teams to sign up is Feb. 8. Each team can have one or two students and will have to argue both sides of the trial during the competition. We also need witnesses, so if you have a bit of a theatrical streak, this could be your chance to show off your skills. There are cash prizes for the best competitors and for the best witness!
The Ray H. Jenkins Trial Competition was founded by the Moot Court Board in 1985 and was made possible by the generous support of the Knoxville law firm of Jenkins & Jenkins. The competition honors the memory of a prestigious member of the Knoxville bar, Ray H. Jenkins, a legendary trial lawyer and 1920 alumnus of the College. Mr. Jenkins gained international prominence in 1954 as Special Counsel to the Senate Committee investigating the Army-McArthur hearings; his life was illustrated in the autobiography The Terror of Tellico Plains. The Ray H. Jenkins Trial Competition is held each spring, and it alternates between civil and criminal contexts.
Anyone with questions can e-mail Kathryn Ellis at cst1@utk.edu.
2010 Spring Hooding
Spring '10 Hooding information, including hotel accommodations.
International Law hosting study abroad information session Feb. 9
The College of Law's International Law Society will host an information session on legal programs abroad on Tuesday, Feb. 9, during the free hour (12-1 p.m.) in Room 132.
You do not want to miss this session if you are at all interested in studying abroad for a summer or a semester! Whether you are thinking about taking advantage of one of the many ABA approved legal programs abroad this year or next year, this session will give you everything you need to know!
A panel of "experts" -- students and faculty from right here at UT Law who have studied abroad for a summer or semester on legal study programs all around the world -- will participate. Whether it is studying public international law or international commercial litigation in Cambridge, England, international human rights in The Hague, Netherlands, or international maritime law in Rhodes, Greece, there is bound to be a program out there for you!
Studying law abroad is a great way to get a new perspective on the world and the different legal systems out there, to get access to programs that might not be offered here in Tennessee, and to have a wonderful cultural experience with students from all over the United States and the world.
Please contact Hannah Lowe at hlowe6@utk.edu if you have questions.
Research Assistant needed
A Research Assistant is needed to work approximately 10 to 15 hours per week. Research will be in the area of immigration and asylum law. Students interested in the position should send a resume, current transcript and writing sample to Professor Karla McKanders at mckanders@utk.edu. Any questions regarding the position can be sent by email or telephone at (865) 974-5710.
Bankruptcy Law Writing Competition
The Bankruptcy Litigation Committee of the American Bankruptcy Institute ("ABI") invites students to participate in its Second Annual ABI Bankruptcy Law Student Writing Competition. First, Second and Third Place prizes, which include cash, an ABI membership, and publication in an ABI periodical, will be awarded. The Competition takes place from Jan. 1, 2010, through March 1, 2010. Submissions must be a minimum of 10 pages and a maximum of 12 pages long. To be eligible, each submission must be reviewed by a law professor prior to submission to ensure quality and must be accompanied by written confirmation from the reviewing professor that the paper has been so reviewed. Prof. Kuney is available to review and comment on proposed submissions. For more information, click here.
Environmental writing competition underway
The TBA Environmental Law Section has announced the 2010 Jon E. Hastings Memorial Award writing competition for law student members of the section. The competition is held each year in memory of one of the section's most outstanding founding members and has a cash prize pool of $1,200. It is a juried competition for the best legal writing on a topic related to Tennessee or federal environmental law. Entries are due March 27.
Learn more about the contest.
Education Law writing contest
Entries are being sought for the 2010 George Jay Joseph
Education Law Writing Award. Learn more about the contest.
Affordable Housing writing competition
An annual writing competition through the ABA for the Affordable Housing Forum is accepting papers from students through March 12. Click here and then the "Writing Competition" link on the left side.
CAREER SERVICES
Upcoming programs offered through the Bettye B. Lewis Career Center:
The Business of Practicing Law Workshop Series for Law Students
Recognition of the need to educate law students about the "business side" of legal practice led to a successful collaboration between the College of Law and the Knoxville Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators. The Business of Practicing Law workshops, taught by teams of KALA members and practicing attorneys, provide practical information and advice for law students who have accepted positions with law firms or are considering a career in a law firm setting.
All workshops are offered from noon – 1 p.m. in Room 132, College of Law. The topics, dates and speakers for the full series are:
The Successful Associate: Lawyer Roles in Firm Practice (Monday, February 8): Marc Upchurch and Will Carver, Kramer Rayson
Producing the Firm’s Work (Wednesday, February 10): Dave Kristy and Donna Davis, Butler Vines & Babb, and Doug Thompson, Stone & Hinds
Practicing Profitably (Monday, February 15): Debbie Stevens and Bill Kunkel, Lewis, King, Krieg & Waldrop
Succeeding in the Summer Clerkship (Tuesday, February 23): Randy Miller, Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter, with law students panelists
Participants can expect to learn the following:
-- to recognize the varied roles that lawyers play in a law firm environment and the skills needed to excel in these roles;
-- to identify work habits that will enable them to be both effective and efficient lawyers;
-- to understand expectations legal employers have of associates, past the knowledge and understanding of substantive law they learn in the classroom;
-- to grasp the role of technology in the legal workplace;
-- to be exposed to the basic concepts of law firm finance; and
-- to be given context for consideration of work/life balance issues, of helping others as an attorney, and of crafting a career that will lead to a satisfied life.
No pre-registration is required. Law students and candidates admitted to the law school for 2010 are invited to participate. The series is coordinated by KALA officer Kathy Scourby, Hunton & Williams, and the Bettye B. Lewis Career Center staff.
Students Gain Practical Job Interview Experience Through KBA Barristers/ Career Center Mock Interview Program
Twenty-three attorney members of the Knoxville Bar Association Barristers will be in the College of Law February 8 - 12 conducting mock interviews and offering interview advice for College of Law students. Approximately 100 students in all three classes will be able to gain practical experience in a simulated job interview setting. This annual program is coordinated by the Career Center and Barrister officers Dean Howell and Meghan Morgan, both of Woolf McClane. Many of the twenty-two interviewers are UT College of Law alumni. Interviewers are Nic Arning, Mike Baisley, Jonathan Borsodi, Will Carver, Shayne Clinton, Loretta Cravens, Connie Ditto, Scott Griswold, Andrew Hebar, Kyle Hixson, Rachel Hurt, Joseph Jarrett, Sarah Keith, Joe Lynch, Jay Moneyhun, Tyler Roper, Brad Sagraves, Daniel Sanders, Michael Stanusek, Latisha Stubblefield, and Leah Walker.
Other programs:
-- KBA Mock Interviews (1Ls), Tuesday, Feb. 9, 12:30-3 p.m., Room 250.
-- KBA Mock Interviews (1Ls), Thursday, Feb. 11, 8-9:45 a.m., Room 250.
-- KBA Mock Interviews (1Ls), Thursday, Feb. 11, 1:30-5:30 p.m., Room 250.
-- KBA Mock Interviews (1Ls), Friday, Feb. 12, 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Room 250.