The John Marshall Law School has specially designed a curriculum that is allowing 14 Chinese attorneys and members of the State Intellectual Property Office to earn an LL.M. degree in intellectual property law.

The three-pronged program includes LL.M. courses the attorneys took at a Chinese university, John Marshall Law School courses taught in China, and intellectual property courses taught in Chicago.

The attorneys completed six hours of course work in China during summer 2001 when John Marshall's Professor Kevin Hopkins spent six weeks in Beijing, China, teaching "Introduction to American Law and Legal System" and "Legal Research and Writing" to the group. The attorneys were also tested in written and spoken English before being accepted for the Chicago portion of the coursework.

The Chinese delegation includes nine attorneys from the State Intellectual Property Office, and five who are with intellectual property law firms in China. Each attorney has already earned an LL.M. in China.

The LL.M. degree program is another outreach initiative by the law school to assist in the training of staff at the China State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) and intellectual property attorneys in the Peoples Republic of China. The John Marshall Law School has been working in partnership with Chinese government officials since 1994 and has trained more than 30 officers from the SIPO.

That training was a certificate course in intellectual property law. In 1999, John Marshall Law School Dean Robert Gilbert Johnston signed an agreement with then SIPO Commissioner, Jiang Ying, to jointly implement a full LL.M. degree in intellectual property law for Chinese attorneys.

In summer 2000, five John Marshall professors lectured to Chinese judges, lawyers and legal professionals in Shanghai and Shenyang as part of a U.S. Information Agency "Rule of Law" program. A select group of Chinese officials than came to John Marshall in fall 2000, to continue the discussions with other professors and business attorneys.

Monday, September 24^th

The Christian Legal Society will meet at 10:45 a.m. in room 1105. All are welcome.

Wednesday, September 26^th

The Latter Day Saint Student Association will meet at 3:00 p.m. in room 428.

The JMLS Vocal Ensemble is our "in-house" choir for students, staff and faculty. The first program for the Ensemble would be held in December at our Annual Holiday Party. Please contact Miss Criss in room 212 if you are interested.

Professor Susan M. Connor

Activity

The Illinois Supreme Court recently cited her as an authority on land use and zoning law. In The City of Chicago Heights v. Living Word Outreach Full Gospel Church, 196 Ill 2d (2001), the church had applied for a "Special Use Permit" from the City to allow it to hold religious services in a building that was located in a zoning district that did not permit churches "as of right" but did allow them pursuant to a special use permit. The city refused to grant the church a permit asserting that the religious use would be inconsistent with development of the street, on which it sought to locate, as a "commercial corridor." Witnesses for the city explained that the city was suffering severe economic problems and for this reason, economic development was a high priority. The city argued that if the "commercial corridor" developed with commercial uses, desperately needed tax revenue (both property and sales tax) would result but that, of course, no such revenue stream would accompany the church. Citing Professor Connor's "Zoning" Chapter in Municipal Law and Practice, IICLE © 2000, the Court explained that because the special use permit application of the church satisfied all standards contained in the city ordinance, it was unlawful for the city to have refused to issue the permit. The case was of particular interest to churches, of course, and the American Jewish Committee, the Anti-Defamation League, the Catholic Conference of Illinois, as well as several other groups filed Amicus Curiae briefs in the case. Although the constitutionality of the Illinois Religious Restoration Act was questioned in the case, the court did not reach this issue.

Professor Ralph Ruebner

Activity

He delivered a lecture on September 11, 2001 to the Rotary Club of Northbrook, Illinois. His topic was "Palestinian Nation Building and the Rule of Law."

September 24

Strategic Planning Committee Meeting, Room 1200B, 12:00 p.m.

September 25

BUYUSA.com: U.S. Commercial Service/IBM Corporation Electronic Marketplace for U.S. Exporters, Room 1200A, 9:00 a.m.

September 26

Alumni Association Executive Committee Meeting, Room 1203, 11:00 am.

Alumni Association Board Meeting, Room 1200A, 12:00 p.m.

The Sydney Olympics and Ambush Marketing, Room 1200B, 12:00 p.m.

September 27

Yom Kippur

Cook County State's Attorney's Program, Room 1200, 8:00 a.m.

September 28

Cook County State's Attorney's Program, Room 1200, 8:00 a.m.

September 29

Board of Trustees Workshop, Room 1200B, 9:00 a.m.

October 1

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

October 2

Lorman Education Service Seminar, Room 1200A, 9:00 a.m.

National Center for State Courts, Room 1200B, 2:00 p.m.

October 3

Law Consortium for Palestinian Legal Education Meeting, Room 1203, 5:00 p.m.

October 4

Lunch & Learn Seminar, Room 1200, 11:00 a.m.

Center Directors' Meeting, Room 3East, 12:00 p.m.