Jack Valenti, chairman and chief executive officer of the Motion Picture Association of America, and Richard Roeper, syndicated columnist and co-host of "Ebert & Roeper and the Movies," will discuss media violence and its effects on today's society during, "Fatal Attractions: Media Violence and American Culture."

The program is presented as The John Marshall Law School's 12^th annual Belle R. and Joseph H. Braun Memorial Distinguished Lecture, and will be held from

2 to 4 p.m., Friday, April 27, at the law school, 315 South Plymouth Ct., Chicago. Guests will hear Valenti and Roeper discuss the presentation of violence in movies, the assessments of violence for motion picture ratings, and the real or perceived effects of violence on society. A question and answer period will follow.

Valenti has been chairman and chief executive officer of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) since 1966. MPAA represents not only the world of theatrical film, but also serves as leader and advocate for major producers and distributors of entertainment programming. Valenti's projects for MPAA included designing the movie rating system in 1969. His work on behalf of the industry has earned him a star on Hollywood's renowned "Walk of Fame" and the French Legion of Honor. Valenti's essays have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post and Atlantic Monthly.

He has written four books, including "Speak Up With Confidence."

Roeper has been co-host of "Ebert & Roeper and the Movies" since July 2000, after a national search to find a replacement for Roger Eberts's partner, the late Gene Siskel. The weekly discussion program on current movies airs on PBS stations across the country. Roeper has been watching movies for years, and is the co-author of "He Rents, She Rents: the Ultimate Film Guide to the Best Women's Films and Guy Movies." His weekly column in the Chicago Sun-Times is distributed nationally by The New York Times syndicate. His writings have earned him the National Headliner Award as top columnist in the country.

The program is free and open to the public. For more information contact the John Marshall Department of Event Management at (312) 987-1420 or e-mail events@jmls.edu. Pre-registration is preferred.

The John Marshall Law School won runners-up honors in the 2000-01 Giles Rich Intellectual Property Law Moot Court Competition. Team members Adam Kelly and Jacqueline Thompson, coached by Professor Janice M. Mueller, did an outstanding job during the Midwest Regional round of that competition, in which twenty teams competed. The winning team was Marquette. The presiding judge termed the final scores of the JMLS and Marquette teams "unbelievably close." Brandon Benson is the JMLS team's manager.

As regional runners-up, the JMLS team now advances to the national round of the Giles Rich competition, to be held at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C. from April 18-20. JMLS will be one of 8 teams from the entire country to compete in the national round. The competition is sponsored by the American Intellectual Property Law Association.

The John Marshall Law School Fair Housing Legal Support Center is presenting "Predatory Lending: How to Find It, How to Remedy It," April 6 and 7, 2001, at the law school, 315 South Plymouth Court, Chicago.

The conference, supported by a grant from the Fannie Mae Foundation, is bringing together experts to discuss what constitutes predatory lending, how it may be related to the Fair Housing Act and how it can be remedied.

Specific topics for the April 6 segment of the conference, scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., will include "Federal Review of Current Lending-Predatory Cases," "Predatory Lending: Class Action Cases in the Courts or Recently Settled," and "Identifying Predatory Practices."

Presenters include Zina G. Greene, with Lending Discrimination & Creative Financing in Washington D.C.; Carol Hemingway of the National Executive Board of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) in Philadelphia, Penn.; Robert G. Schwemm, Ashland Oil Professor of Law at the University of Kentucky; John Seward, deputy chief of the Housing and Civil Enforcement Section of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.; Peggy Twohig, assistant director for financial practices at the Federal Trade commission in Washington, D.C.

Allison Bethel, assistant director of civil rights in the Office of the Attorney General of Florida; John P. Relman of Relman & Associates in Washington, D.C.; Howard Rothbloom, an attorney in private practice in Marietta, Ga.; William Butterfield of Thomson & Loughran in Washington, D.C.; F. Willis Caruso, co-director of The John Marshall Law School Fair Housing Legal Support Center.

Steve Hebel, vice president and general manager of Consumer Information Services at Equifax in Atlanta, Ga.; Frank Raiter, managing director of Residential Mortgage Backed Securities at Standard and Poor's in New York; James H. Carr, senior vice president of the Fannie Mae Foundation in Washington, D.C.; Martin Eakes, CEO of the Self Help Credit Union in Durham, N.C.; and Cheryl Zeigler, director of the Housing & Community Development Project of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law in New York.

Topics for the April 7 program, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., include, "Preventing Predatory Loans," and "Fixing Predatory Loans (and the Cost)."

Presenters will be Cheryl Zeigler; Ira Goldstein, director of Public Policy Program Assessment with The Reinvestment Fund in Philadelphia, Penn.; Lisa Donner; Kathleen C. Engel and Patricia McCoy, law professors at Cleveland Marshall College of Law, Zina G. Greene; Thomas P. FitzGibbon, Jr., senior vice president of Manufacturers Bank in Chicago; Ira A. Rheingold, supervisory attorney for Legal Assistance Foundation; and Pamela Sah, staff attorney for the Foreclosure Prevention Project for Seniors at South Brooklyn Legal Services in Brooklyn, N.Y.

The conference offers approximately 10.5 hours of CLE credit. The free program requires registration by March 22. For additional information, contact The Fair Housing Legal Support Center at The John Marshall Law School at (312) 987-2397.

The John Marshall Law School's media production of the Great Chicago Fire Trial has been awarded a first place honor in the 22^nd annual Telly Awards, a respected national competition.

The work by Jennifer Frantom, Michael Kerwin and Ben Minnis of the media services department at the law school was judged in the video production non-network TV programming category. More than 11,000 entries were received in Telly competition, which includes not only video productions but also non-network and cable TV commercials. Projects are rated for their professional qualities. The John Marshall video received a top rating.

In 1871, most of Chicago burned to the ground when, myth says, Mrs. O'Leary's cow knocked over a lantern which started the roaring fire that spread across Chicago neighborhoods for more than 24 hours. Records show more than 300 people died and more than 100,000 were left homeless. Historians argue that the record should show Mrs. O'Leary's neighbor, Daniel "Peg Leg" Sullivan was responsible for the fire after he entered Mrs. O'Leary's barn and was careless with a lantern.

For its 100^th anniversary, The John Marshall Law School staged a trial of Sullivan who was charged with several counts of perjury. Character actors from Lookingglass Theatre Company presented testimony as Sullivan, Mrs. O'Leary, Chicago's fire chief and others during the trial. Attorneys for the event were John Marshall students and alumni.

The media services staff taped the three-hour trial and then edited the tape. The final version aired on several cable stations and was distributed to high schools in the Chicagoland area as a legal teaching tool.

Issues of software licensing will be the subject of an April 9 Congressional Town Hall meeting hosted by Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.) at The John Marshall Law School, 315 S. Plymouth Ct., Chicago.

Davis' 10 a.m. to noon town hall meeting will feature professors from John Marshall's Center for Information Technology and Privacy Law and Center for Intellectual Property Law who will help explain what rights computer users have when they purchase and use software. Joining them will be Illinois Rep. Constance Howard (D-Chicago), chairperson of the Illinois House Technology Committee; Norman Montgomery, president of Chicago Computer Society; a representative of Microsoft and other software developers.

Davis selected the software pirating issue after 7^th District residents and members of its Digital Opportunities and Empowerment Task Force received confusing information about software licensing that left them unclear about their legal responsibilities. In addition, Davis is concerned with the broader issue of pirating materials and the escalating licensing fees that he argues are causing a digital divide.

Davis' district stretches from Chicago's Gold Coast neighborhood on the north, 57^th Street on the south, Lake Michigan on the east and a jogging border on the west that includes King Drive at the south end, and the Cook/DuPage County boundary.

The town hall meeting is free and open to the general public, but pre-registration is recommended. For information on this program, contact Rep. Davis' office at

(773) 533-7520. If you plan to attend the program, contact the Events Management Office at The John Marshall Law School at (312) 987-1420, or events@jmls.edu.

John Marshall students and staff members became actors last week in several public service announcements filmed by the Fair Housing Legal Support Center. The City of Dubuque, Iowa contracted with the Fair Housing Center to produce and film several of these announcements. Similar films will also be used to promote The John Marshall Fair Housing Clinic on cable television in the Chicago area. Students Tracie Coleman and Roger Galer starred in an announcement depicting a father seeking housing for his family. This same scenario was filmed again in Spanish with staff members Anselmo Espinar as the father and Alejandra Cangiano as the wicked rental agent. Anna McWillie and Alejandra Cangiano also appeared in an announcement depicting a disabled woman seeking an accessible space in her condominium parking lot.

Dean John M. McNamara supplied the voice-over for the English language announcements and Clinical Professor Damian Ortiz supplied the voice for the Spanish language announcements. Professor Michael Seng wrote the scripts, and Michael Kerwin, assisted by Media Services staff Jennifer Frantom, and Timothy Finchum, did the set design in addition to the filming and editing. The group is now anxiously awaiting word from the Academy Awards committee.

Mark your calendar! The John Marshall Law School Alumni Association invites alumni, faculty, staff, and students to our First Tuesday event, Tuesday, April 3, 2001. This event will be held from 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Our guest host for April is Phil Maher, President of the Alumni Association with Co-Hosts, the Executive Committee of the Alumni Association. The First Tuesday event will be held at Monday's Restaurant, 19 East Jackson Boulevard, lower level. The cost is $10.00 for alumni, faculty, and staff and $5.00 for students. This fee includes beer, wine, and munchies. Non-alcoholic beverages are always available.

Please join us for this relaxed, monthly gathering. No reservations required - just come on over! This event is held the first Tuesday of every month.

For more information, contact: Office of Alumni Programs, 312.427.2737, ext. 558

Stop by Room 216 on Wednesday, April 11^th from 12 to 1 p.m. or from 5 to 6 p.m. and learn more about the graduate tax and employee benefits degree programs. Pizza and refreshments will be served. The directors of the tax and employee benefits will be available to answer questions and to inform you about the host of job opportunities available in these fields. Both these degrees may be earned while pursuing a J.D. or after graduation. Come by and discover why these fields of law provide so many opportunities!

For more information, contact Kathy Winiczay at 312.987.2380 or stop by the 16^th floor of the CBA building (right next door).

Monday, April 2

The Decalogue Society is having a toiletry drive this week. They are looking for donations of soap, toilet articles, combs, etc. Donations will be collected on the 2^nd floor.

Thursday, April 5

The Honorable Shelia Murphy, former Cook County Judge, is the Director of the Illinois Death Penalty Education Project. The Criminal Law Society invites you to hear Judge Murphy speak about this nonpartisan organization. All are welcome. Refreshments will be served. 12:15, room 216

Friday, April 6

Once again it is time for the Annual Hispanic Law Student Association Fiesta. This is always a great evening of fun, food, music and dancing. Please join us for this special time. 6 to 10 p.m., room 200

The Latter-Day Saint Student Association meets at 10:15 a.m. in room 428.

Phi Delta Phi certificates are available in Miss Criss's office, room 212.

The proof sheets from the Barrister's Ball is available for viewing in Miss Criss's office, room 212.

The Annual Spring Fling is on April 10 and the JMLS Vocal Ensemble is looking for students who would like to join a choir or participate in an individual talent. If interested, please see Miss Criss in room 212.

The John Marshall Law School Center for Intellectual Property Law is presenting the 2nd Annual Howard T. Markey Distinguished Lecture on Intellectual Property Law from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 3, at the law school, 315 South Plymouth Court in Chicago.

The lecture is sponsored, in part, by the Chicago law firm of McAndrews, Held and Malloy, one of the premier intellectual property law firms in the United States.

This year's speaker, Professor Donald Chisum of Santa Clara University School of Law in Santa Clara, Calif., will present, "The Patent system in 2001: The Best of Times or the Worst of Times?"

Chisum, author of a 15-volume treatise, "Chisum on Patents," is a graduate of Stanford Law School. He also is co-author of "Understanding Intellectual Property Law," and "Principles of Patent Law: Cases and Materials." He has written a large number of law review and journal articles as well.

Chisum is an active member, and formerly served on the board of directors, of the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA), former editor and member of the AIPLA quarterly journal and former visiting scholar at the Max Planck Institute for Foreign and International Patent, Copyright and Competition Law in Munich, Germany.

He has served as a consultant and expert witness in major patent cases, and has authored a number of amicus curiae briefs filed in appellate courts.

The Howard T. Markey Distinguished Lecture on Intellectual Property Law was established in honor of John Marshall Dean Emeritus Howard T. Markey, who served as chief judge of the Court of Customs and Patent Appeals from 1972 to 1982, and as the first chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit from 1982 through 1990.

Anyone interested in attending the free lecture should reserve a space by March 27 by calling the Department of Event Management at The John Marshall Law School at (312) 987-1420 ext. 578 or e-mail events@jmls.edu.

Stop by the Student Lounge on Thursday, April 5th from 12 - 1 p.m. and learn more about Joint J.D./LL.M. Degree Programs.

Center Directors and current Joint Degree students will be available to answer your questions.

Joint Degrees offered in: Employee Benefits, Information Technology, Intellectual Property, International Business and Trade, Real Estate and Tax.

If you cannot make it to the informational event and would like to learn more, please contact: Julia Beckman, Assistant Director Graduate Admission; 16^th Floor of the CBA (Room 1603); 312.360.2658; 6beckman@jmls.edu.

Professor Michael L. Closen

Publications

He and Dean Robert G. Johnston have been selected by Oxford University Press to author the sole entry on "Legal Education" for its new reference book, The Oxford Companion to American Law.

His article about the criminalization of HIV-AIDS [46 Arkansas Law Review 921 (1966)] has been cited in 28 Fordham Urban Law Journal at 855 (2001).

Professor Dorothy Li

Activities

As director of The John Marshall Law Library, she has been nominated for the 2001 Spirit of Law Librarianship Award. The award was established by
Roy Mersky and Rich Leiter to honor "a law librarian who, using his or her position and skills as a law librarian, has made a meaningful contribution to a social concern or cause, or who has in some way used his or her professional training in service of mankind." The reasons given for the nomination are as follows:

"Dorothy Li has been director of the John Marshall Law Library since 1992. The library collection includes more than 360,000 volumes and 1,400 audiovisual tapes. In 1990, the Library of the Chicago Bar Association was merged into the John Marshall Library and since then members of that Association are allowed to use the John Marshall facilities. Professor Li supervises a staff of 23 employees and is responsible for the school-wide computer network and access to the Internet.

"Professor Li has served as the president of the Asian-American Law Librarians Caucus of the American Association of Law Libraries. She is a recipient of the Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award from Dominican University Graduate School of Library and Information Science, and the 1994-95 Agnes and Harvey T. Reid Award for Outstanding Contribution of Law Librarianship from the Chicago Association of Law Libraries. She has also served on the Education Committee for the American Association of Law Libraries.

"Professor Li is also the Director of The John Marshall Law School's Chinese Exchange Program, which Professor Li started in 1993. The program has developed cooperative programs with many universities and government agencies in the People's Republic of China. Due to her hard work, over 30 officers from the Chinese State Intellectual Property Office have received training at John Marshall. In June 2000, Professor Li supervised an exchange program under a grant from the United States State Department where professors from The John Marshall Law School went to China and lectured on American legal topics in both Shanghai and Shenyang. In September 2000, attorneys from Shanghai and Shenyang visited Chicago where they attended lectures to supplement those delivered in China in June and visited law offices and the courts.

"Also, in 1994, under the direction of Professor Li, the Zheda-Marshall Center for International Economic and Trade Law, a joint venture between John Marshall and Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, was established to host international conferences and facilitate the international exchange of law students. The Center hosted a conference on Intellectual Property Protection in October 1996.

"As a result of the Zheda-Marshall Center's activities, three John Marshall professors have made extended visits to China to teach American law, and a number of distinguished Chinese have visited John Marshall, including Dr. Gao Lulin who was the Director General of the Chinese Patent Office, Dean Wu Zhipan of Peking University Law School, Dean Yu Jianhua of Shanghai International Studies University, Judge Jiang Zhipei of the Supreme People's court, and Shi Jinlan of the Chinese Ministry of Justice. To accomplish all of these projects, Professor Li has solicited and received support from such major corporations as Motorola, Amoco, and Monsanto.

"Professor Li has thus not only performed the duties of a traditional director of a library, she has instigated and directed one of the most extensive legal education exchange programs between the United States and China. She also serves as a mentor to a large number of students, especially those of Asian origin, who attend John Marshall and other schools in the area."

Professor Michael P. Seng

Activities

He represented The John Marshall Law School Fair Housing Legal Support Center and Clinic at the annual housing fair sponsored by the Spanish Coalition for Housing. The event, attended by approximately one thousand persons, was held at the Westside Technical Institute, 2800 South Western Avenue in Chicago. Professor Seng made two presentations on problems of discrimination experienced by Latinos when they seek housing. He specifically highlighted problems of occupancy standards and discrimination against families with children and problems concerning predatory lending practices. He also answered individual questions at the exhibit table sponsored by The John Marshall Law School. Many families stopped by to ask advice about how they can best prepare their young children so that the children can attend The John Marshall Law School when they grow up.

Professor David E. Sorkin

Activities

He gave a talk about legal issues involving online auctions for the Abraham Lincoln Marovitz Inn of Court on March 13, 2001.

Adjunct Professor Joseph F. Vosicky, Jr.

Activities

A 1981 alumnus, he has been awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to teach in the Czech Republic in 2002. The United States Government established the Fulbright program to promote world understanding and to honor distinguished American Scholars. Mr. Vosicky has been in private practice in Chicago and Wheaton since his graduation from John Marshall in 1981. He has also served as an adjunct professor at John Marshall. He has participated in the Czech Study trips organized by John Marshall each fall since 1993, where he has lectured on numerous American legal topics to Czech students and attorneys. He has also served as a host to several of the Czech exchange students who have studied at John Marshall.

He will teach courses in contracts, legal ethics, and the American legal system at John Marshall's sister school, the Masaryk University Faculty of Law in Brno. He will be in the Czech Republic from February to June 2002. Recently Mr. Vosicky took a special bar exam and became licensed by the Czech Chamber of Lawyers to give advice on American Law in the Czech Republic. Congratulations to Mr. Vosicky for this distinct honor.

April 2

Faculty Works-In-Progress, Room 217, 2:00 p.m.

April 3

IP Advisory Board Meeting, Room 1203, 7:30 a.m.

2^nd Annual Howard Markey Distinguished Lecture - "The Patent System in 2001", Room 1200

Career Services - Alternative Careers with a Law Degree, Room 1200A, 4:00 p.m.

Alumni Association First Tuesday, Monday's Restaurant, 5:00 p.m.

IP Paralegal Course, Room 201, 6:00 p.m.

April 4

Visiting Palestinian Deans and Law Professors, Room 1200B, 8:00 a.m.

Asian Law Student Association Meeting, Room 3 East, 5:00 p.m.

April 5

Lorman Educational Services Seminar, Room 1200, 9:00 a.m.

Development Committee Meeting, Room 1203, 12:00 p.m.

Joint Degree Day, Student Lounge, 12:00 p.m.

Career Services - How to Have a Successful Summer Clerkship, Room 1200B, 12:45 p.m.

April 6

Fair Housing Seminar - "Predatory Lending: How to Find it, How to Remedy It", Room 1200, 8:00 a.m.

April 7

Fair Housing Seminar - "Predatory Lending: How to Find it, How to Remedy It", Room 1200, 8:00 a.m.

PMBR Bar Review, Room 300, 8:00 a.m.

PMBR Bar Review, Room 300, 8:00 a.m.

April 9

Town Hall Meeting: Software Licensing, Room 1200, 10:00 a.m.

Faculty Assembly, Room 409, 12:00 p.m.

April 10

Asylum Training for Pro-Bono Attorneys in Chicago, Room 1200, 1:00 p.m.

IP Paralegal Course, Room 201, 6:00 p.m.

April 11

The Center for Tax Law and Employee Benefits Open House, Room 216, 12:00 and 5:00 p.m.

Board of Trustees Meeting, Room 1200B, 400 p.m.

April 13

Career Services - Alumni Mentor Lunch, Room 1200B, 12:30 p.m.