Contents

Schedule of Events

Japanese Delegation Studies Reinstatement of Jury Trials

Student Activities

Faculty Activity and Publications

Upcoming Centennial Events

Fair Housing Center/Clinic

Center for Real Estate Law

John Marshall Alum Featured in Film

Center for Advocacy and Dispute Resolution

Schedule of Events

September 7

Labor Day

September 8

Capital Campaign Steering Committee Meeting, Room 1203, 9:00 a.m.

September 10

Centennial Movie Series: "My Cousin Vinnie", Room 3 East, 4:00 p.m.

Conversations with Alumni, Room 1203, 12:30 p.m.

September 11

Fair Housing Seminar, Room 1200, 9:00 a.m.

September 12

Fair Housing Seminar, Room 1200, 9:00 a.m.

Upcoming Centennial Events

Celebrating 30 Years of Fair Housing: A Focus on Fair Housing Enforcement

September 11 - 12, 1998

For 30 years, fair housing laws have tried to bring about justice and equality for all people. During this milestone year, The John Marshall Law School looks back on the last three decades of fair housing enforcement. Panels of experts will analyze racism as it relates to housing, explore the effectiveness of the Fair Housing Act in eradicating housing discrimination, examine the evolution of the laws (from racism to discrimination against disabled persons) and discuss new initiatives which may further the cause of fair housing.

Center for Real Estate Law

Beth Henning-Guria, attorney/Senior Enforcement Administrator with the United States Environmental Protection Administration and a student in the LL.M. in Real Estate Law program, will teach a course this Fall as an adjunct professor at Valparaiso University School of Law. Beth developed the course, "Legal Drafting, Natural Resources and Environmental Law" from her practice experience at EPA.

John Marshall Alum Featured in Film

The Hon. Jesse Reyes, J.D. '82, of the Circuit Court of Cook County was featured in a recent film produced by the Court's Traffic Division, "Que Precio Tiene La Vida?" It is the second of four films designed to tell the true story about DUIs to the citizens of Cook County. Entirely in Spanish, the film will help educate the Hispanic community about the consequences of driving while impaired as well as the legal rights of people involved in the DUI process. It also demonstrates the need for safety belts and restraint devices. If you know of any organization which would be interested in showing this film to its members, please contact Nina Montelione at 312.822.3530.

Japanese Delegation Studies Reinstatement of Jury Trials

Dean Robert Gilbert Johnston (standing, third from right) and Professor Ron Smith (standing, right), welcomed a delegation from Japan which is investigating the reestablishment of the jury system there.

For 14 years, the Japanese had jury trials. Then in 1943, they were disbanded.

Now a team of lawyers and judges are investigating the possibility of reinstating jury trials in criminal cases. Many believed that system would be reinstated after World War II, and Japanese law still allows for jury trials, but judges continue to decide issues, according to Takaaki Nakata, one of the visiting attorneys to The John Marshall Law School. The Japanese court system has 24 districts, eight superior courts and a supreme court.

A delegation of four judges, four lawyers and a law clerk came to Chicago to study the issues of the jury selection process with Professor Ron Smith. The group also sat in on jury selections at the Daley Center, and met with U.S. District Court Judge Marvin Aspen. Dr. Makoto Ibusuki, a criminal law professor at Kagoshina University in Japan who is a visiting scholar at John Marshall, initiated the trip.

Nakata said the group is hopeful it can convince the Japanese courts to reinstitute jury trials within the next five years.

Student Activities

Feeling Extracurricular?

Student Organization Day is Tuesday, September 8 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. This is your opportunity to get a glimpse of the many John Marshall student organizations has to offer. By joining an organization, you can be part of a rewarding experience by having direct access to scholarship information and grants while also making advantageous contacts in the legal community.

Representatives from all John Marshall student organizations will be present to answer any questions you may have. The SBA will be sponsoring this event and will be providing a free delicious dinner. Stop by the student lounge and check it out.

Decalogue Society

The Decalogue Society will meet on Thursday, September 10 at 12:00 p.m. Room TBA.

Asian Law Students Association

ALSA will meet on Thursday, September 10 at 1:00 p.m. Room TBA.

Attention Women Law Students

The Women's Law Caucus is an organization for women law students whose purpose is to raise awareness about women's issues, promote equality between the genders and is a general forum for exchanging ideas. It's a great opportunity to gain access to scholarship, grant, and job opportunities. If you would like more information about joining this organization, please contact Miss Criss (room 212) or Professor Connor (room 1216).

Sing a Song - Accompanist and Vocalists Wanted

The John Marshall Vocal Ensemble is a drama and music group, which provides an atmosphere for relaxation and a departure from the daily rigors of legal study. They perform two concerts a year - one at holiday time and one in the spring. The Ensemble is seeking an accompanist for the 1998-99 academic year. If you are interested in participating in the ensemble or being an accompanist, please see Miss Criss in room 212.

Faculty Activity and Publications

Professor Kevin Hopkins

Honors

He has been named the winner of the W.M. Keck Essay Contest on Legal Ethics at Georgetown University Law Center. He receives a $5,000 prize for his winning essay: "Law Firms, Technology and The Double-Billing Dilemma." His essay will be published in an upcoming edition of the Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics.

Professor Mark E. Wojcik

Publications

He published an update of international law issues related to AIDS and HIV in the Summer 1998 issue of The International Lawyer, a quarterly publication of the American Bar Association Section of International Law and Practice. The article, "International Health Law," was co-authored with Maureen Bezhuly of New York, Professor David P. Fidler of the Indiana University School of Law at Bloomington, and Allyn L. Taylor, an international health law consultant with the World Health Organization and the World Bank.

Fair Housing Center/Clinic

The John Marshall Fair Housing Clinic prevailed in a dispute with the town of Merrillville Indiana last week, in a case that has attracted the attention of "20/20" (the television program), People magazine and the disability rights community across the nation. The case began shortly after Dr. Mridula Prasad, a neurologist, allowed three of her Multiple Sclerosis patients to live together in a townhome she owned that was located near the Merrillville hospital. The town sought to evict the residents arguing that the doctor's allowing her three patients to live together constituted a "business" in violation of the town's residential zoning code.

After the state court ruled against Merrillville (because a person's allowing others to live rent-free in a home did not constitute a "business") the town commenced another zoning enforcement action—this time seeking to evict the three women with MS because they were not blood relatives and hence not a "family" so that their living together violated the single family zoning for this reason.

The Clinic prepared a Federal Fair Housing Act case against the town and, in that process, sought a variance from the town's zoning code. The variance procedure requires two public hearings and involved the testimony of more than twenty persons.

The clinic was greatly assisted by the expert testimony of alumnus, Jeff Harkin, an experienced real estate appraiser and broker. The former police chief of Valparaiso also testified for the Clinic's clients as an expert on the health, safety and welfare issues relative to the congregate living of persons with a disability. Although the town's Zoning Board of Appeals unanimously voted not to recommend the variance, the Town Council did grant the variance last week. Dr. Prasad and members of the Multiple Sclerosis Society testified about the considerable mental and physical health advantages that accrue to persons with a disability who live together independently rather than in nursing homes.

The case was ably prepared by clinic students: Heather Brady, Chris Mabile, Jennifer O'Reilly, Kevin Jeremiah and PILI Fellow Kevin Polencarz. Professors F. Willis Caruso and Susan Connor directed the students.

Center for Advocacy and Dispute Resolution

Projected Schedule of Competitions

September 8

First Round of Tryouts/Interviews (Tuesday - Thursday)

September 14

Second Round of Tryouts/Continuation of Interviews (Monday - Thursday)

October 1

Notification to students of team selections

Competitions for 1998 - 99

November 6 - 9,1998

Georgetown University White Collar Criminal Mock Trial Competition, Washington, D.C.

November 11 - 14, 1998

National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) Mock Trial Competition, Atlanta, GA

Nov. 7 or 14, 1998

ABA Negotiations Regional Competition

National - Feb. 6 and 7, 1999 - Los Angeles, CA

Jan. 29 - 31 or Feb. 5 - 7, 1999

ABA Texas Young Lawyers Mock Trial Competition Regional

National - March 18 - 20, 1999 - San Antonio, TX

February 13 or 20, 1999

ABA Client Counseling Regional Competition

National - March 12 at Nova University, FL and International - March 29 - April 1 at John Marshall, Chicago

Spring 1999

American Trial Lawyers Association (ATLA) Trial Competition

Fall 1998

Vis Moot Court International Arbitration Competition; Spring 1999 (Writing and research requirements October and December 1998) Vienna, Austria

March 25 - 27,1999

JMLS - ABA Criminal Justice National Mock Trial Competition, Chicago, IL

April 8 - 9, 1999

My Cousin Vinny 1st Year Intramural Mock Trial Competition, The John Marshall Law School, Chicago, IL (No tryouts necessary - all first year students invited to participate)