Fall Semester Start Date Changes

Classes for the Fall 1998 semester will begin on Thursday, August 20. This is a change from the previously scheduled date of August 24.

Contents

Schedule of Events

Fall Semester Start Date Changes

USIA Grant Enables John Marshall to Train Russians in Chicago and in Moscow

Faculty Activity and Publications

Student Activities

Journal of Computer and Information Law

Fair Housing Center/Clinic

Schedule of Events

March 16

Visiting Professor Federico Mioni Lecture - "Constitutional Crossroads in Italy: The Reform Proposals", Room 1200, 1:00 p.m.

March 19

Lunch & Conversations with Alumni, Room 216, 12:30 p.m.

Visiting Professor Federico Mioni Seminar - "Thomas Jefferson: A View from Both Sides of the Atlantic", Room 1200, 1:00 p.m.

March 21

Law Program for Community Developers & Social Workers, Room 200, 10:00 a.m.

Faculty Activity and Publications

Professor Michael P. Seng

Activities

He addressed members of the Atticus Finch Inn of Court on March 3, 1998 at The Berghoff, discussing the "Amistad" case. The attendees were interested in the case and the surrounding historical circumstances.

Journal of Computer and Information Law

The John Marshall Journal of Computer & Information Law is proud to announce that William Pigott, Jr. is the newly elected Editor-in-Chief for the 1998-1999 school year. After a grueling multi day interview process, Bill was selected from among four well qualified candidates. Bill is a 2L in the J.D. program. The John Marshall Journal of Computer & Information Law eagerly looks forward to working with Bill and is excited about an extremely productive year.

Student Activities

Monday, March 16

The Asian Law Student Association is having a clothing drive until the 24th. Please donate. Clothing will be collected in the student lounge.

A reminder - The visiting professor from Italy, Prof. Federico Mioni, will be lecturing in room 1200 at 1:00 p.m.

Wednesday, March 18

Attention all chief officers - Student Advisory Committee Meeting

The Christian Legal Society will meet at 5:00 p.m. in room 217.

Graduates, Beatriz Santiago and Manny Cardenas, will speak at the 5:00 p.m. meeting of the Hispanic Law Students Association. They will discuss the importance of joining the Latino and Puerto Rican Bar Associations. Pizza will be served. Room 201

Student Bar Association All Students Meeting - 5:00 p.m., room 200 - Pizza will be served - Be there!

Intellectual Property Society - meeting, 5:00 p.m., room 522

Thursday, March 19

Professor Trubow will speak at the Information and Science Technology Association meeting at 5:00 p.m. in room 201. All our welcome. Pizza will be served.

The Justinian Society will celebrate St. Joseph's Day from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in room 428. Refreshments will be served.

A reminder - Visiting Professor, Federico Mioni, will participate in a seminar at 1:00 p.m. in room 1200.

HLSA members are welcome to join the Latino Law Students at Loyola for "Pachanga", a free night of dancing, food and beer. 25 East Pearson, Kasbeer Hall

Friday, March 20

Delta Theta Phi - Initiation

Phi Delta Phi - Initiation - Courtroom, 3 East

Sunday, March 22 - GALLA Seminar

USIA Grant Enables John Marshall to Train Russians in Chicago and in Moscow

Three Russian scholars gained first-hand experience in United States intellectual property law through a specially-created eight-week program hosted by The John Marshall Law School.

Their visit is the first step in a two-step program being underwritten by a grant from the United States Information Agency. The second step will take John Marshall faculty, adjuncts and possibly judges to Russia this fall where they will offer an intensive three-week program on intellectual property enforcement designed for Russian judges, prosecutors and police.

"The program will emphasize not only the traditional areas of patent and copyright law," said Professor Robert Nye, acting director of the Center for Intellectual Property Law, "but also computer and cyberspace law, trade secrets, trademark, unfair competition, franchising and licensing law."

USIA selected John Marshall for this partnership from several law school applicants, according to Nye.

Russian "students" at John Marshall were Yuri D. Kuznetsov, head of the International Cooperative Department of the All-Russian Institute of Patent Information of the State Agency of Russian Federation for Patents and Trademarks (Rospatent); Professor Elena Ivanovna Kaminskaya, professor and attorney who teaches at the Institute for Foreign Relations and the Institute for Legislation and Comparative Law; and Dr. Irina Vladimirov Polonskaya, a former state expert at Rospatent and lecturer at the Russian Institute of Intellectual Property.

Nye said they were selected through a competitive process. He called them "the best of the best."

For seven weeks, the Russians were immersed in three hours of classwork Mondays through Fridays, and spent the afternoons at law firms, courts and government agencies. Their curriculum included an introduction to the U.S. legal system and its intellectual property law, trade secrets, patents, trademarks, copyright, licensing and related contract rights, enforcement and anti-trust law. The final week they visited Washington, D.C. accompanied by Prof. Michael Seng.

The Russian guests found the give-and-take of American education interesting compared to their own learning schemes where professors generally lecture. The amount of detailed information that an American professor offers was also new to them. In Russia, professors will give a strong overview of the subject.

Fair Housing Center/Clinic

Michael P. Seng, Executive Director, and F. Willis Caruso, Clinical Director of the Fair Housing Legal Clinic, along with clinical directors from Loyola, Northwestern, DePaul and Kent Law Schools, attended a breakfast meeting with Professor Jean Koh Peters of the Children's Rights Clinic at Yale University on March 4, 1998 at Loyola University Law School. The clinical instructors are organizing for the future of legal clinical education.

The John Marshall Law School Fair Housing Legal Clinic settled an important case on February 27, 1998. The case was a disability case which was settled for $40,000. The Clinic received $15,000 for attorney's fees. The complaint was based on discrimination against a couple who wanted to purchase a condominium. The client is disabled and during the negotiations for purchase, the price of $12,000 was quoted for a parking space. However, the handicap space was too small to accommodate the specially equipped van, so the clients attempted to purchase two spaces. The price for two spaces increased from $12,000 to $16,000 each. Negotiations to purchase continued to stall as the clients encountered additional costs because of modifications to be installed to accommodate their needs. An additional issue concerns whether the building in question is in compliance. A building permit was obtained establishing that the building was newly constructed and therefore regulated by the new construction codes as promulgated by the Fair Housing Act. The settlement was obtained by clinical students,

William Moore and Donald Dicke, under the supervision of Adjunct Professor, F. Willis Caruso and Adjunct Clinical Professor, J. Damian Ortiz.

On March 6, 1998, Tim Deffet, student of The John Marshall Law School Fair Housing Legal Clinic successfully presented the Motion for Preliminary Injunction before Judge Paul Riley, U. S. District Judge for the Southern District of Illinois. This injunction was entered by agreement on behalf of the Clinic's client, Chestnut Health Systems. The injunction protects the client's operation of group homes for persons with mental handicaps in Pontoon Beach, Illinois and prevents any interference based on purported ordinance violations or state court action. Other John Marshall students working on the case include Alicia Mandolini, who was also at the hearing in East St. Louis, and Heather Brady and, Barbara Bronson, an intern from Roosevelt University. The students were supervised by F. Willis Caruso, Renee Popovitz, the Counsel for Chestnut Systems and Alan Walker, local counsel for Chestnut.

This is the first time the emergency nature of a proceeding required a student to appear on short notice to obtain emergency relief in such a local proceeding.

The John Marshall Law School Fair Housing Legal Clinic was successful in responding to the motion to dismiss in the case entitled Young vs. Allstate, a state court case involving discrimination in the provision of insurance. Judge Paddy McNamara agreed with the argument pre sented by clinical student, Jamie Knodel holding that all but one of the counts of the complaint are enough to defeat the motion to dismiss. Jamie Knodel and John Cosensa, students, prepared the winning brief under the supervision of Adjunct Clinical Professor, Damian Ortiz.

The arguments presented by Jamie Knodel and John Cosensa are considered to be cutting edge theories in this rapid developing area of fair housing law. The case rests in part on HUD's interpretation of the Fair Housing Act, supported by the American Family case, recognizing that housing is made otherwise unavailable and interfered with if insurance is not equally available and consistent regardless of race or where a person lives.

F. Willis Caruso sent a draft copy of the manual on Fair Housing Trials, which includes sample jury instructions, to Legal Services of Greater Miami, Inc. They will be using the jury instructions to assist them at the trial on March 23, 1998, in the defense of a woman who is dying of AIDS and who is being evicted from public housing along with her five children.