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October 28 -
November 3, 2007

Professor Kennedy Leads Graduate Programs as Associate Dean for Advanced Studies

The John Marshall Law School's Centers for Excellence and other graduate programs will be under the direction of Kathryn Kennedy who has accepted the position of associate dean for Advanced Studies.

Kennedy is responsible for general supervision, promotion and development and budgetary oversight of the distance learning initiatives, the Global Legal Studies Program and the Centers for Information Technology and Privacy Law, Intellectual Property Law, International Business and Trade Law, Real Estate Law and Tax Law and Employee Benefits.

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Kennedy, a professor and director of the Center for Tax Law and Employee Benefits, stepped in to her new position Oct. 1. Her appointment was announced by Dean John Corkery and ratified by The John Marshall Law School Board of Trustees.

"I see my role as developing and coordinating the roles of the various center directors, as well as those individuals responsible for our programs abroad and distance learning initiatives," Kennedy said. "Due to the breadth and excellence of these programs, I hope to showcase the law school's involvement not only in undergraduate legal education, but also legal education in LL.M. programs and beyond."

Corkery said he was delighted to be working with Kennedy in her associate dean position. "Katie's knowledge of our centers and her relationship with the center directors, plus her experience on the Faculty Executive Committee, make her an ideal person for this position," he explained. "Her national reputation as a teacher and writer in the field of employee benefits is a tremendous asset and it helps her in her role as an ambassador for our law school and for our graduate programs."

Prior to her appointment, Kennedy served as chair of the Faculty Executive Committee and was the primary faculty advisor for The John Marshall Law Review. A respected member of the faculty, Kennedy's specialty areas are employee benefits, executive compensation and taxation. She is a prolific author and recently released a textbook, Employee Benefit Law: Qualification and ERISA Requirements, as part of the LexisNexis graduate tax series. She has testified before the Senate Finance Committee on executive compensation legislation and appeared as an expert witness for the Presidential Advisory Panel for Federal Tax Reform.

Kennedy is serving a three-year term as a member of the U.S. Department of Labor's Advisory Council on Employee Welfare and Pension Benefits Plans. Her appointment in 2005 was announced by U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao.

This year, Kennedy is vice chair of the advisory council's 2007 Working Paper on Participant Benefits Statements. In 2006, she was vice-chair of the Working Paper on Health Information Technology Impact on ERISA Health Plans and in 2005, Kennedy chaired the advisory council's Working Paper on Improved Participant Communications under Health and Welfare Plans.

She also served as a delegate to the 2006 National Summit on Retirement Savings, a quadrennial meeting hosted by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Kennedy is an active member of the IRS' Great Lake Tax Exempt/Government Exempt (TE/GE) Advisory Board and has hosted several educational programs for the 125 IRS agents in the Great Lakes area. Her latest initiative has been the development of an Employee Benefits Training Clinic allowing John Marshall LL.M. students to work with the clinic's director and a clinical professor to develop training materials that will be made available to the TE/GE IRS agents nationwide.

Kennedy is chair of the American Association of Law Schools Employee Benefits Committee for the 2007-2008 academic year; is chair of the Chicago Bar Association's Employee Benefits Committee; and is past chair of the Illinois State Bar Association's Employee Benefits Section Council.

Before joining the John Marshall faculty full-time in 1996, Kennedy was in private practice. She worked as a pension actuary for the international consulting firm of Towers Perrin and as a pension attorney at McDermott Will & Emery.

She received a bachelor's degree with honors from Drake University and a J.D. degree summa cum laude from Northwestern University School of Law, where she was honored with the Order of the Coif. Kennedy also is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries.

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John Marshall's China Program Extends Law School's Historic Mission

Bringing a western perspective to law in an eastern country requires a special skill.

"The best way for me to bring our theories of jurisprudence to life is by making them real," says Professor Diane Kaplan, who will be making her third trip to China as a law professor this fall when she teaches at Jilin Law School in the Manchurian province.

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She has been to China twice before as a faculty member for The John Marshall Law School's Li Asian Alliance led by Dorothy Li and Professor Kevin Hopkins, co-directors of the program.

"I share newspaper articles hot off the press with the class. Everyone enjoys a story, and the newspaper stories allow me to take concepts in constitutional law, American history and political science, and show how we put these concepts into action," Kaplan said.

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On her last trip, Kaplan used the 2005 U.S. Supreme Court's decision on medical marijuana to demonstrate state's rights versus the federal government's claim to jurisdiction. In the medical marijuana case from Oregon, the Supreme Court ruled that the state medical marijuana law conflicted with federal law.

Socialite Paris Hilton was also a subject in Kaplan's classes. Hilton was arrested for failing to meet her probation requirements. Kaplan used it as an example of "rule of law" explaining how the U.S. court system works, and the consequences for those who are brought into court on charges.

Kaplan structures her classes as interactive and participatory, just as she would teach at The John Marshall Law School in Chicago. "The students have to talk in my class," she explains, because she's introducing them to legal problem solving, debate and discussion. "This program is about critical thinking. Active class participation isn't customary in China where the classrooms are professor-centered, rather than student-centered."

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Her work is half of the introductory program. She team teaches with Hopkins who instructs the students in legal writing and research.

Kaplan said her students are all highly educated. Many are attorneys, engineers, scientists; some have earned PhDs. Many are Communist Party members. Many don't know each other before they arrive in Kaplan's class, but by the end of the month-long program, they are a cohesive network of friends.

These full-time professionals attend John Marshall's program in the evening. They are pre-tested for their English abilities. A successful student will be invited to come to John Marshall for an LLM degree in intellectual property law.

"Our program is very demanding, and we have a vested interest in the success of every student," Kaplan said. "I applaud Dorothy Li whose hard work and endless networking have made it possible for John Marshall to extend its mission of providing access to the American legal system on a global basis."

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Attorneys Discuss Diversity in Private Practice

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In a program co-sponsored by the Black Law Students Association (BLSA) and the Career Services Office, attorneys from Mayer Brown shared insights into their practices and how students can best approach employment at large firms. Joining in the discussion were Mayer Brown attorneys (seated, from left) Charles Harris II, a litigation specialist; Kesner Bienvenu, a real estate practitioner; Ami Scott, a firm partner specializing in financial transactions; and Melissa Anyetei, an intellectual property specialist; and (standing, from left) Tolu Oloyomeye, president of BLSA; Rolanda Mitchell, BLSA advocate general; Gail Saracco, a partner at Mayer Brown specializing in corporate law; Jason Cooper, BLSA secretary; Joya McKinstry, BLSA treasurer; Jeff Cheatham, BLSA vice president; David Cole III, a Mayer Brown attorney specializing in litigation.

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2007-2008 Student Bar Association Executive Board

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The 2007-2008 Student Bar Association Executive Board members are (seated, from left) Caitlin Groh, American Bar Association representative; Kelly Heaney, vice president; Holly Grosshans president; and Stephanie Kemen, Illinois State Bar Association representative; and (standing, from left) Konstantino Muhtaris, treasurer; Lauren Leonard, secretary; Pam Swiatkowski, evening student liaison; and Adam Snyder, Chicago Bar Association representative.

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Venezuelan Justice Is Oct. 30 Speaker

The John Marshall Law will welcome Justice Fernando Vegas of the Supreme Court of Venezuela for a 12:15 p.m. Oct. 30 presentation on "Law and Justice in Revolutionary Venezuela."

His presentation is presented by The National Lawyers' Guild, the Latino Law Students Association and the Global Legal Studies Program.

Lunch will be provided. Questions can be addressed by Professor Justin Schwartz on extension 855.

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Staff Activity

Rachel Dawson

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She co-authored a chapter on "Funding for Summer Public Interest Work" for the Law School Guide to Public Interest Careers, published by the National Association for Law Placement. She co-authored the piece with Cindy Wilson of Northwestern University School of Law.

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Conference Addresses Efforts to Help Veterans

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Various organizations gathered during a two-day program sponsored by The John Marshall Law School to help attorneys and others understand the problems encountered by veterans in obtaining benefits, taking advantage of protective legislation for veterans and in dealing with ancillary legal issues. Present for the presentations during day two were (from left) Ryan Coward, director of The John Marshall Law School Veterans Legal Support Clinic, an organization dedicated to representing veterans in benefits administration on a pro-bono basis; Will Schmutz, of the Chicago Commission on Human Relations; Illinois Supreme Court Justice Thomas E. Fitzgerald; William Goren, an associate professor at Northwestern Business College; Ray Parrish, a veterans' advocate; David R. Bryant, an attorney in private practice and the program organizer; Christina M. Tchen, partner in Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, LLP's litigation department, who hosted the second day of the conference; and John Costello of the Legal Assistance Foundation.

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Dublin Professor Addresses Freedom of Speech Law

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John Marshall Professor John Scheid (left) welcomes Professor Neville R. Cox of Trinity College Dublin to The John Marshall Law School to present "Freedom of Speech vs. the Protection of Religious Sensibilities: The Future of Blasphemy Law" as part of the Trinity College Dublin Lecture Series. Cox examined freedom of speech law, especially in the context of United States law, and its application as it relates to religious beliefs. Cox examined these issues following reaction by Muslims to cartoons published in a Danish newspaper in 2004 and to "The Satanic Verses" authored by Salman Rushdie.

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Student Activities

October 29

The Brehon Society will meet at noon and 5:00 p.m. in room 201.

October 30

The Renaissance Society will meet at 12:30 p.m. in room 201. Lunch will be served.

The honor fraternity, Phi Delta Phi, will meet at 5:00 p.m. in room 201. Elections will be held. Refreshments will be served.

The Criminal Law Society will meet at 12:30 p.m. in room 216. Refreshments will be served.

October 31

The Asian Pacific Law Student Association will meet at noon and 5:00 p.m. in room 201.

The Animal Law Society will meet at noon in room 532.

Anyone interested in the fraternity Delta Theta Phi or the Children's Law Society please see Ms. Criss in room 212. Delta Theta Phi is the oldest fraternity at the school and the only one to have a law review.

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Faculty Activity and Publications

Professor Jason Kilborn

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He participated in a panel discussion, "Learning and Teaching International and Comparative Insolvency Law," at the Association of American Law Schools Section on Creditors' and Debtors' Rights meeting in Orlando, Fla. He discussed insolvency law for consumers, and introduced his new book, "Comparative Consumer Bankruptcy."

Professor Paul Lewis

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He discussed "Credit and Restructuring in a Market Economy" at the U.S. _ Asia Executive Development Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Publications

His article, "A Statistical Examination of the Impact of the Bankruptcy and Consumer Protection Act of 2005," appeared recently in the Australian journal, The Insolvency Law Bulletin.

His article, "An Empirical Economic Analysis of the 2005 Bankruptcy Reforms," that he co-authored with Professor Thomas Evans of Cornell University, will appear in a future issue of Emory University's Bankruptcy Developments Journal.

Professor Doris Estelle Long

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From Sept. 24 - 28, 2007 she conducted a workshop on intellectual property enforcement in Kiev, Ukraine. The workshop, co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Ukrainian State Intellectual Property Department (SDIP) and is part of Long's on-going work to assist Ukraine in its World Trade Organization (WTO) accession efforts. The roundtable provided training for enforcement officials, using a training manual which Long co-authored with SDIP officials. She also gave presentations on diverse legislative issues, including collective management, domain names, trade secrets protection and internet enforcement.

While in Kiev, Long also met with officials of the Institute for Intellectual Property in Kiev to discuss academic training issues and was interviewed by local media on upcoming legislative revisions to Ukraine's trademark regime.

On Oct. 15 at John Marshall's Faculty Works in Progress program, Professor Long presented one of her current works in progress - "Women's Art, Women's Truth: Gender Discrimination and the Battle to Protect Traditional Knowledge" which examined the difficulties of protecting traditional knowledge from a feminist perspective.

Publications

The book, The Protection of Intellectual Property Rights: Standards of the International and National Legislation and Their Enforcement, which she co-authored with five officials from the Ukrainian State Department on Intellectual Property and the Ukrainian Institute on Intellectual Property, has been published in Ukrainian and English.

Professor Julie Spanbauer

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In spring of 2007, she was named to chair the Legal Writing Institute Awards Committee.

Publications

She recently accepted an offer of publication for her article, "Lost in Translation in the Law School Classroom: Assessing Coursework in LL.M. Programs for International Students." The article will be published in the International Journal of Legal Information. This article was funded in part by an Association of Legal Writing Directors Incentive Scholarship Grant.

Professor Mark E. Wojcik

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He participated in the American-Swiss Foundation Young Leaders Reunion and the Annual Gala of the American-Swiss Foundation on October 17, 2007. Wojcik, who family heritage is part Swiss, participated in the Young Leaders Program by nomination of then U.S. Senator Carol Moseley-Braun. He also was named a "Permanent Guest Professor" of Anglo-American and Comparative Law at the University of Lucerne Faculty of Law in Lucerne, Switzerland. The John Marshall Law School now has an exchange agreement with the University of Lucerne, and three students from Switzerland are now studying at John Marshall.

Publications

His article, "Race-Based School Assignments After `Parents Involved in Community Schools,'" was published in 95 Illinois Bar Journal 526. The article describes one of the most contentious rulings of the 2006-2007 Supreme Court term, in which the court struck down the race-based plans for assigning students to public schools in Seattle and Louisville.

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Schedule of Events

October 29

IP Lunch and Learn, Room 1200, 11:30 a.m.
CSO: D2 Section Orientation, Room 503, 12 p.m.
Insights I, Room 300, 12 p.m.
Faculty Presentation - Kennedy, Room 1003, 12:15 p.m.
Curriculum Committee, Room 217, 1:30 p.m.

October 30

CSO: D1 Section Orientation, Room 503, 12 p.m.
Information Session for Joint JD/LLM Program in IBT, Room 529, 12:45 p.m.
Library Open House, Library, 2 p.m.
International Student Reception, Room 3east, 4 p.m.
Veterans Legal Support Clinic Program, Room 526, 5 p.m.
Information Session for Joint JD/LLM Program in IBT, Room 529, 5 p.m.

October 31

Tax Lunch and Learn, Room 1200, 11:30 a.m.
D3 Section Orientation, Room 503, 12 p.m.
Opportunities in Real Estate Law for JD Students, Room 216, 12 p.m.
Careers in ERISA Litigation Networking Reception, Room 3East, 5 p.m.
Opportunities in Real Estate Law for JD Students, Room 216, 5 p.m.

November 1

European Patent Practice Seminar, Room 1200, 8 a.m.
CSO: D4 Section Orientation, Room 200, 12 p.m.
Insights I, Room 403, 12 p.m.
Insights II, Room 201, 5 p.m.
Board of Trustees Faculty Dinner, 5 :30 p.m.

November 2

European Patent Practice Seminar, Room 1200, 8 a.m.
CSO: International Law Careers, Room 1102, 12 p.m.

November 3

Law Preview's Exam-Taking Workshop, Room 200, 9 a.m.
Kaplan PMBR, Room 503, 9:30 a.m.
Insights I, Room 409, 12:30 p.m.
Insights II, Room 413, 2:30 p.m.
ABA Employment Law Trial Competition Regional Reception, Room 3East, 5 p.m.

November 4

Kaplan PMBR, Room 503, 9:30 a.m.

November 5

Advanced PCT Seminar, Room 1200, 8:00 a.m.
Insights I, Room 300, 12 p.m.
Library & Computer Policy Committee Meeting, Room 1101, 12:15 p.m.

November 6

Advanced PCT Seminar, Room 1200, 8:00 a.m.
IP Distinguished Professor Presentation, CBA 800, 12 p.m.
Meet the Dean - Open Office Hours, Student Lounge, 4 p.m.

November 7

Alumni Board Executive Committee Meeting, Conference Room, 11th Floor East, 11:30 a.m.
Avoiding the Headline Making Case: How to Handle Internal Investigations in Employment and Labor Law, Room 1200, 12 p.m.
Alumni Association Board Meeting, CBA 800, 12 p.m.
CSO: IP Student Panel Discussion on the Job Search, Room 522, 12 p.m.
International General Counsels' Roundtable Discussion, Room 216, 12:30 p.m.

November 8