|
|
May 13 - 19, 2007 | |
SBA's First Diversity Committee |
During the 2006-2007 academic year, the Student Bar Association (SBA) created a Diversity Committee. Members who served during this year are (from left, back row) Puneet Arora, SBA past president; Alfred Murray II, outgoing vice president, Black Law Students Association (BLSA); Michelle Steiman, incoming president, Decalogue Society; Karl Tetzlaff, outgoing president, Latino Law Students Association; (from left, middle row) Tolulope Olowomeye, BLSA incoming president; Holly Grosshans, SBA incoming president; Regina Calcagno, incoming co-chair of the Gay and Lesbian Legal Alliance; Janene Carter, outgoing president, Women's Law Caucus; Farnaz Hakimian, outgoing co-chair, Decalogue Society; (front row, from left) Michael Abramson, SBA outgoing president; Tahani Afaneh, chair of the John Marshall chapter of the National Lawyer's Guild; Tuyet Tran, outgoing president, Asian Pacific American Law Student Association (APALSA); David Sweis, outgoing president, Middle Eastern Law Student Association; Tope Odoffin, BLSA outgoing president; Teresa Do, APALSA incoming president.
|
Controversial YUKOS Oil Case Discussed at John Marshall |
Aleksandra Fremderman (fifth from left), outgoing president of the John Marshall student chapter of the American Association of Russian-Speaking Attorneys, welcomed guest speakers (from left) Pavel Ivlev, a partner with ALM Feldmans; Maria P. Logan, an associate with Greenberg Traurig; Jeremy D. Margolis, a partner with Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal; Sanford M. Saunders, a partner with Greenberg Traurig; Robert M. Andalman, a partner with Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal; and John A. Pappalardo, a partner with Greenberg Traurig, as panelists for the discussion, "Abuse of Legal Process for Political and Economic Gain in Russia." The program was co-hosted with The Center for International Business and Trade Law and co-sponsored by The John Marshall chapters of the International Law Society, Decalogue Society and Amnesty International, and the Chicago Bar Association International & Foreign Law Committee and the American Association of Russian-Speaking Attorneys. 
Julia Bikbova (center) (J.D. '07), who was named an honorary member of the John Marshall student chapter of the American Association of Russian-Speaking Attorneys at its inception, joins fellow association members at the April 2007 event focusing on the current charges of embezzlement and money laundering against former YUKOS Oil Company CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky and his business associate Platon Lebedev. The student officers who helped organize the panel discussion are (from left) Boris Vaynman, outgoing treasurer; Julia Sverdloff, outgoing secretary; Aleksandra Fremderman, outgoing president; Eugene Goryunov, outgoing alumni relations director and incoming vice-president; and Vitaly Gashpar, outgoing event manager and incoming president.
|
Schedule of Events |
May 14
- PMBR 6-Day Course, Room 529, 3 p.m.
May 15
- PMBR 6-Day Course, Room 529, 3 p.m.
May 16
- Deans' Meeting, Courtroom, 10 a.m.
- PMBR 6-Day Course, Room 529, 3 p.m.
- Prague Trip Meeting with Students, Room 1202, 5:30 p.m.
May 17
- PMBR 6-Day Course, Room 529, 3 p.m.
May 18
- Cap & Gown Pick-Up and Photography, Room 300 and 201, noon
- Obviousness in Patent Litigation, Room 1200, noon
- PMBR 6-Day Course, Room 529, 3 p.m.
May 19
- PMBR 6-Day Course, Room 529, 3 p.m.
May 20
- Commencement, Sheraton Hotel & Towers, 3 p.m.
May 21
- SCALES Orientation and Dinner, Room 3East and 503, 5 p.m.
May 23
- Deans' Meeting, Courtroom, 10 a.m.
May 24
- Staff Brown Bag Lunch, Room 1200, noon
| |
Student and Faculty Activities Help Mark Fair Housing Month at John Marshall |
|
Students at The John Marshall Law School Fair Housing Legal Clinic and faculty at the clinic and The John Marshall Law School Fair Housing Legal Support Center took the message of fair housing to the public during April. The various programs they participated in helped mark the national designation of April as Fair Housing Month.
On April 10, students and attorneys from the clinic participated in a celebration of Fair Housing Month at the James R. Thompson Center in Chicago. As part of the program sponsored by the Illinois Department of Human Rights, the clinic had an information table in the lobby. Students spoke to more than 100 individuals looking for information on housing rights. The event was attended by Kim Kendrick, the assistant secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity at the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, and by other federal and state housing officials.
On April 13, Professor F. Willis Caruso, co-executive director of the fair housing center, was the keynote speaker at the 4th Annual Fair Housing Conference of the Fair Housing Center of Southwest Michigan in Kalamazoo, Mich. He reviewed recent fair housing decisions and offered a roadmap for the future of fair housing enforcement.
On April 24, Caruso was given special recognition by Housing Advocates, Inc. in Cleveland, Ohio, at a conference at the Cleveland Marshall Law School. Caruso was given the Fair Housing Achievement Award for his many years working to achieve equal housing opportunities. In addition, his accomplishments were honored in a special certificate given to him by Cleveland's mayor, Frank G. Jackson, at the conference.
Caruso's keynote address at the conference focused on new legal developments and the role of community leaders in fighting for fair housing and equal justice.
Also on April 24, Visiting Professor Robert Schwemm made a presentation at a conference hosted by the Chicago Area Fair Housing Alliance at the Thompson Center. Schwemm spoke about rental discrimination, the statutory duty imposed by the Fair Housing Act on federal, state and local officials to further fair housing and new case developments. Students from the fair housing clinic attending the conference answered questions and distributed brochures describing the work of the clinic. 
Students and faculty from The John Marshall Law School Fair Housing Legal Clinic shared information with residents and housing advocates at various programs during April. Their efforts marked the national celebration of April as Fair Housing Month. Working at the clinic are (back row, from left) Clinical Professors Damian Ortiz and F. Willis Caruso; Professor Michael Seng, executive director of the clinic; students Samuel Digrino; (middle row, from left) Vaishal Rao, Akash Vyas, Brian Rudd, Kelly Keating, and (seated from left) Curtis Vosti and Rachael Schneider.
|
Chicago Public Schools Students Get Look at Law School During John Marshall Visit |
|
A visit by 35 Chicago Public Schools students offered a glimpse of what is required in law school and how a trial is presented during a day-long visit by freshmen, sophomores and juniors from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. College Preparatory High School on the city's south side.
"This was one of my best trips this school year," said teacher Michelle Brumfield, "and students were even talking about it with their peers the following day." The students prepared for the visit to John Marshall, and afterward, Brumfield said the students had "interesting discussions and journal entries about the mock trial."
The John Marshall Law School invitation offered King students a better understanding of what a lawyer does and what is required for admission into law school. Brumfield wanted to make her students aware of the need to enroll in honors and advanced placement courses so students are better prepared for competition in college and graduate school.
The King prep students were welcomed to John Marshall by Associate Dean Rory Smith, and got time to hear from John Marshall students, including Tope Odoffin, outgoing president of the Black Law Student Association, and Alfred Murray II, a member of the John Marshall team that won the National Moot Court Competition sponsored by the National Black Law Students Association. A group of John Marshall students also helped students understand trial procedure and formulate arguments for their mock trial.
This program was part of a continuing outreach effort being led by Smith. He is coordinating programs with Chicago-area high schools and elementary schools. The goal is to increase the pipeline of minorities interested in pursuing a career in the legal profession.
"The American Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association and Law School Admission Counsel have begun to focus on the pipeline issue as numbers of minorities applying and attending law schools have begun to decrease as a percentage of those applying and in relation to previous years," Smith said. "Professor Mark Wojcik and I are members of the committee addressing this issue for the Illinois State Bar Association."
In January, The John Marshall Law School conducted mock trial programs for minority high school students in the southern suburbs for the Leaders of Tomorrow Program of the Theta Mu Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
The law school has also hosted and conducted the Black Law Student Association's Midwest Regional Mini-Mock Trial Program that included high school students from several Chicago public schools. The program was conducted over two consecutive Saturdays in February.
This month, John Marshall will conduct a mock trial program for junior high students from St. Gregory's Episcopal School.
"In each of these programs students receive training from John Marshall faculty and law students on how to conduct a trial. Then they take on the tasks of the lawyer by conducting a mock trial complete with opening and closing statements and direct and cross examination of witnesses," Smith explained. "Critiques and comments from judges after the mock trial are constructive and designed to encourage students to pursue the legal profession.
"Law school students also meet with the participants in an informational question and answer session following the mock trial," he added.
In addition, to the preceding programs which focused on junior high and high school students, The John Marshall Law School also annually conducts the National Diversity Undergraduate Mock Trial Competition which is also geared toward increasing the pipeline of minority students applying to law school. The fifth annual competition will be held April 4th and 5th next year. 
John Marshall student Alfred Murray II talks with high school students about his preparation work and that of the other John Marshall team members for the National Black Law Students Association moot court competition. John Marshall won the national competition. 
John Marshall student Tope Odoffin (seated, center) helps visiting high school students formulate an argument for their mock trial presentation. 
Martin Luther King Preparatory High School students got one-on-one assistance from Associate Dean Rory Smith during their small group break-out session.
|
Beijing Guests Visit John Marshall |
John Marshall students and faculty welcomed guests from Deqi Intellectual Property Law Corp. of Beijing, China. Attorney Wendy Wang (sixth from left), founder and senior partner of the firm; with Brooks Zhu (fourth from left), patent attorney and partner at Deqi; and Lu Yi (LL.M. '04) (tenth from left), a partner at the firm, were in Chicago for the International Trademark Association annual meeting in early May. Joining them during their visit were (from left) Professor Kevin Hopkins, co-director of the Asian Alliance Program; Yibo Sun, an LL.M. student from China's Jilin University Law School; John Marshall student Dillon Beardsley who will intern at a Beijing law firm this summer; William McGrath, associate director of the Center for Intellectual Property Law; John Marshall student Jacob Armstrong who will work at a Beijing law firm this summer; Dorothy Li, co-director of the Asian Alliance Program; Dean John E. Corkery; Professor David Schwartz; and Kelley Gilbert (J.D. '07) who will work at the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacture Company this summer.
|
South American Intellectual Property Attorneys Visit John Marshall |
A delegation of South American intellectual property attorneys recently met with representatives of John Marshall's Center for Intellectual Property Law while in Chicago for the International Trademark Association (INTA) meeting. Dean John Corkery (center) and Professor Doris Long welcomed (from left) Justin R. Young (LL.M. '02) of Dineff Trademark Law Ltd. in Chicago; Martin Pittaluga Pereira of Pittaluga & Associates of Uruguay; Martin Michaus of Mexico, current president of the Inter-American Association of Intellectual Property (ASIPI); Rafael Covarrubias of Chile, treasurer of ASIPI; and Fernando Triana of Colombia, second vice president of ASIPI.
| |
|
Editor's Note
In the Loop is published by The John Marshall Law School, Chicago, Copyright 2007
Editor: Assistant Dean John M. McNamara; Contributors: Marilyn Thomas, Director, Public Relations and Advertising; Andrea Koklys, Assistant Director, Public Relations and Advertising
All information to be included in In the Loop must be placed in the INTHELOOP folder on the H drive of the law school's computer network by 12 p.m. each Wednesday. When the volume of submissions exceeds the available space in the printed version of In the Loop, additonal material will appear only in the online version of the Newsletter, which can be found on the law school's website at www.jmls.edu. 
| |