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February 15 - 21, 2004 |
Alumni Association To Present Freedom Award to Sen. Richard J. Durbin
The John Marshall Law School Alumni Association will present its 2004 Freedom Award to U.S. Senator Richard J. Durbin at its annual luncheon scheduled for May 21 at the Palmer House Hilton.
"We are honored and delighted to have Sen. Durbin as our recipient," said Celia Gamrath, president of the alumni association. "Sen. Durbin has been admired by many of us for his positions on various issues, including protecting consumers and improving health care. He is a strong voice not only for Illinois, but also for the nation, and his efforts are ensuring that freedom and our democratic ideals remain strong."
Freedom Award recipient Durbin practiced law in Springfield before he entered politics in 1982 winning a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. He moved to the U.S. Senate in 1996 when he filled a vacancy following the retirement from government of his long-time friend and mentor, the late Paul Simon.
He is the first Illinois senator to serve on the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee in more than 25 years. He also serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee, the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration.
Durbin is Illinois' senior senator, and serves as chairman of the bipartisan Illinois delegation. He received his bachelor's and J.D. degrees from Georgetown University.
Proceeds for the luncheon help underwrite the alumni association's annual $10,000 scholarship that benefits children of alumni. Past recipients have included third-year student Timothy O'Brien, son of Timothy James O'Brien (J.D. '81); Peter Kramer (J.D. '02), son of James Michael Kramer (J.D. '75); and William Ward III (J.D. `01), son of Judge William Ward, Jr. (J.D. '75). A special award was given this year to third-year student Jennifer Irmen, who was president of the Student Bar Association in 2002-2003.
Reservations for the Freedom Award luncheon are being accepted by the Department of Event Management at 312.987.1420. Individual tickets are $75. For additional information about the event, contact Kevin Hull, director of the Office of Alumni Relations, at 312.427.2737, extension 341.
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John Marshall Hosts Brown v. Board Court Re-enactment
The John Marshall Law School, in conjunction with the Chicago Board of Education, will host honor students from Chicago public high schools re-enacting the oral arguments of Brown v. Board of Education before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1954.
Attorney Thurgood Marshall argued the case of Brown which led to the ruling that separate schools did not equate to equal education.
This program April 26 is part of the law school's celebration of the legislative and judicial outcomes of the civil rights movement. The events coincide with The John Marshall Law School's 100th anniversary of the graduation of its first African-American, James H. Randle, in 1904.
The Brown v. Board program is being spearheaded by Professor Michael Seng. He has prepared readings for the high school students so that they can become familiar with the arguments made in this historic case. There will be 40 students, selected from the Chicago Debate League, participating in the arguments. They will have three training seminars to help them develop skills for presenting an oral argument and proper court proceedings. John Marshall students will be assisting at these seminars.
On April 26, the students will present the oral arguments before a panel of judges, and their presentations will be critiqued by John Marshall professors.
Also included as part of the April programming is a 12:15 p.m. program April 14 on Illinois v. Escobedo hosted by Professor Timothy O'Neill and moderated by Professor Ron Smith. Escobedo is a remarkable case with respect to involuntary confessions, and came just two years before the landmark case of Miranda v. Arizona.
Panelists will include Illinois Appellate Court Justice Warren Wolfson, who served as Escobedo's first attorney, and argued the motion to suppress his confession; attorney Barry Kroll who represented Escobedo on appeal before the Illinois Supreme Court; attorney Benjamin Mackoff, former Cook County assistant state's attorney who argued the case before the U.S. Supreme Court; and retired Illinois Supreme Court Justice John Stamos, who was an attorney representing the state.
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Schedule of Events
February 17
- Multistate Bar Exam, Room 1101, 9:00 a.m.
- Career Services Program How to Get a Job, Room 1200B, 12:30 p.m.
February 18
- Morning Bakery with the Deans, Student Lounge, 8:15 a.m.
- Civil Rights Film Series, Room 1200B, 12:00 and 4:00 p.m.
February 19
- Career Services Program - Interviewing Skills, Room 1200B, 12:30 p.m.
- ITCC Networking Event, Room 3East, 5:00 p.m.
February 20
- Fast Start Program, Room 300, 12:00 p.m.
February 21
- Bar Exam Workshop, Room 300, 1:00 p.m.
- Fast Start Program, Room 409, 1:30 p.m.
February 22
- Jessup Competition, Room 3East, 9:00 am.
February 23
- Tenure Meeting, Room 300, 12:00 p.m.
- Civil Rights Committee Meeting, Room 1200B, 1:00 p.m.
February 24
- Career Services Meeting with 1L's, Room 200, 12:30 pm.
- Tea Time with the Dean, Student Lounge, 4:30 p.m.
- Career Services - Interviewing Workshops, Room 1200B, 5:00 p.m.
February 25
- ACS Program - Guantanamo Bay Detainees Case, Room 3East, 11:45 a.m.
- Law Review Editor-In-Chief Speeches, Room 3East, 2:30 p.m.
- Civil Rights Film, Room 1200B, 4:00 p.m. only
February 26
- Career Services - DuPage County's State's Attorney's Office Panel, Room 1200B, 12:30 p.m.
- Khader Memorial Service, Courtroom and 3East, 5:00 p.m.
February 27
- IP Annual Conference, Room 1200, 8:00 a.m.
- Fast Start Program, Room 300, 12:00 p.m.
- Barrister's Ball, Intercontinental Hotel, 9 p.m. - 1 a.m.
February 28
- Bar Exam Workshop, Room 300, 1:00 p.m.
- Fast Start Program, Room 409, 1:30 p.m.
A complete online listing of events scheduled at The John Marshall Law School can be found at the following URL: http://www.jmls.edu/calendar.htm
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Contents
Fair Housing Center and Clinic
Fair Housing Litigation Skills Training
The John Marshall Law School Fair Housing Legal Support Center has completed another successful Litigation Skills Training for attorneys who are interested in learning more about litigating fair housing cases. The program began on Thursday, Feb. 5, and ended at noon on Saturday, Feb. 7. Forty attorneys participated in the training from seventeen states including Hawaii. These attorneys varied from those who were new to the profession and had never litigated a case to seasoned trial attorneys. The attorneys were divided into groups depending upon their litigation experience, and they went through a complete trial from opening to closing statements. Instructors included HUD's Chief Administrative Law Judge Arthur A. Liberty, and HUD Administrative Law Judges William C. Cregar, Thomas C. Heinz, and Constance T. O'Bryant. Chicago Attorney Edward Voci conducted the sessions for the most experienced attorneys. Over 400 attorneys have participated in these trainings over the past 11years.
City Awards John Marshall CDBG Funds to fight Predatory Home Mortgage Lending
The City of Chicago has awarded to The John Marshall Law School Fair Housing Legal Support Center, a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) to fight predatory home mortgage lending. John Marshall has been offering students a three-credit hour course in predatory home mortgage lending law where students learn the complex system of laws in the such diverse areas as banking, commercial law, consumer fraud, real estate, bankruptcy and foreclosure practice, and fair housing law that can be used to combat predatory home lending practices. The students then spend time in neighborhoods in the City of Chicago counseling borrowers and reviewing their loan documents to spot terms that may be predatory. Predatory home lending abuses have skyrocketed in the past 10years and are a factor in the record number of home foreclosures that are being filed in Chicago and around the nation. The grant will assist John Marshall in its education and counseling efforts to combat this problem.
CDBG funds are provided to cities and local governments pursuant to the Federal Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 and are to be used for the development of viable urban communities, by providing decent housing, a suitable living environment and expanding economic opportunities, principally for persons of low and moderate income. This is the first time that John Marshall has received these funds from the city.
The John Marshall Law School Fair Housing Legal Support Center has also received a grant from the Fannie Mae Foundation to assist it in the predatory home mortgage lending counseling project.
Fair Housing Training at The John Marshall Law School
Attorneys from 17 states, including Hawaii, gathered at The John Marshall Law School for a fair housing Litigation Skills Training presented by judges of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Presenters for this workshop, hosted by the Fair Housing Legal Support Center at John Marshall, were (from left) HUD Administrative Law Judges William C. Cregar, Thomas C. Heinz and Constance T. O'Bryant, with Chief Administrative Law Judge Arthur A. Liberty and Chicago attorney Edward Voci, an adjunct professor at John Marshall.
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Author Leads Constitutional Discussion
Members of The John Marshall Law School's Federalist Society hosted a discussion by Randy E. Barnett (second from right), author of "Restoring the Lost Constitution: The Presumption of Liberty." Welcoming Barnett, the Austin B. Fletcher Professor of Law at Boston University School of Law, are (from left) James Brian Beckham, Federalist Society vice president; Scott Criss, the society's president; and Professor Donald Beschle, the society's faculty advisor.
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Faculty Activity and Publications
Professor Michael P. Seng
Activities
He has agreed to become a member of the board of directors for the Community Nutrition Network and Senior Services Association of Cook County (CNNSSA). CNNSSA is a not-for-profit corporation that is a provider of senior nutrition services under Title III-C of the Older American's Act. These services are delivered through congregate or group dining programs and through home delivered meals, or the meals on wheels program. These services are offered at 22 facilities across suburban Cook County. The board, which consists of between five and seven members, supervises a budget of $5 million.