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April 11 - 17, 2004 |
The John Marshall Law School Czech Program Commended by American Ambassador
On March 16, Professor Michael P. Seng met with William J. Cabaniss, the new U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic, at the U.S. Embassy in Prague. The Ambassador complimented John Marshall on its twelve-year long commitment in establishing the rule of law in the Czech Republic through its various educational exchange programs. The discussion also focused on judicial training in the Czech Republic and the establishment of a code of conduct for the Czech judiciary and prosecutor's office.
Professor Seng was in Prague for three weeks under the Fulbright Senior Specialist program where he taught two courses at the University of Economics: An Introduction to American Law and An Introduction to American Constitutional Law. Approximately 40 Czech students were registered for the two courses. Professor Seng was impressed with the students, who faithfully attended the classes, which ran five days a week from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. without a substantial break.
In addition to teaching the two courses at the Economics University, Professor Seng conducted two seminars at the Faculty of Law at Charles University in Prague. The first session dealt with the right to counsel in criminal cases established by Gideon v. Wainwright, and the second dealt with the right to protest established in Texas v. Johnson. Professor Seng also lectured on Freedom of Information and Public Administration at VSVSM in Prague, a new private university, and on Commercial and Political Advertising at The Higher Professional School of Information Services in Prague. He also gave lectures on the common law system and the USA Patriot Act to students at the Economics University.
Professor Seng visited Masaryk University in Brno, where he attended the annual Ball held by the Faculty of Law and visited with many John Marshall alumni and friends. Professor Seng was joined in Brno and in Prague by Lester and Judith Munson, who were in Prague to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the founding of their son's restaurant, the Jama, a popular hang-out for John Marshall folks when they visit the Czech Republic.
Professor Seng was assisted in his teaching by Radovan Kacin, who has been coordinating John Marshall's programs in Prague for the past eight years. . Kacin has been awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to study law and economics at George Mason University in Virginia in 2005.
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Women's Law Caucus Hosts "Dress for Success"
The John Marshall Women's Law Caucus will host its annual "Dress for Success" program on the 8th floor of the CBA Building on Wednesday, April 14th from 12:30 _ 3 p.m. Representatives from Marshall Fields and the Elizabeth Arden Red Door Salon will conduct the event in a "fashion show-like" manner. In addition, the caucus is providing a luncheon provided by Monday's Restaurant and will offer free makeup and hairstyling consultations from Elizabeth Arden Red Door Salon. Elizabeth Arden has also agreed to provide a wonderful discount to John Marshall students who would like to schedule appointments at their salon. In addition, the caucus will raffle a MicroMash bar review package to one lucky winner!
The cost is $5 for students and $10 for professionals to attend the event. All proceeds will benefit Fertile Hope, an organization that funds research of infertility caused by cancer treatment.
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John Marshall Renews Agreement with Italian University
The John Marshall Law School's Dean Patricia Mell (seated, left) and Gianmario Demuro, a professor of law at the University of Cagliari in Sardinia, Italy (seated, right), recently renewed an agreement for the continuation of a relationship between John Marshall and the Italian law school. Witnessing the agreement were (standing, from left) William B.T. Mock, professor and associate dean for academic affairs; Professor Mark Wojcik, director of Global Legal Studies; and Italian attorney Giovanni Coinu.
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Careers in International Law Discussed at The John Marshall Law School
Guest speaker Bert Lazerow, professor of law and director of the Institute of International and Comparative Law at the University of San Diego, recently addressed John Marshall students at a program co-sponsored by the International Law Society and the Career Services Office. The discussion focused on international law jobs and summer study abroad programs.
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John Marshall Students Help Families of Fallen Police Officers
During a recent fundraiser for the Law Enforcement Students Organization representatives (from left) Sunny MacLachlan, associate director of the Center for Trial Advocacy and Dispute Resolution, and students Megan Whelehan and Matt Walsh sold Krispy Kreme donuts to students, faculty and staff. Money collected was donated to the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation and Gold Star Families.
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Faculty Activity and Publications
Professors F. Willis Caruso and Michael P. Seng
Activities
They participated in the 11th Annual Fair Housing
Conference on February 18 _20, 2004, conducted jointly by The John Marshall Law
School Fair Housing Legal Support Center and the City of San Diego Fair Housing
Council. The February 18 program was focused on training real estate brokers
about their fair housing responsibilities. Professors Caruso and Seng jointly
addressed how the brokers can use the Fair Housing Laws as a risk management
tool. The program on February 19 and 20 was addressed to a more general
audience. Seng conducted a preliminary session on the basic coverage of both
state and federal fair housing laws, and Caruso
conducted a basic session on fair housing law for public housing
authorities and providers of affordable housing. They also did a joint session
on choosing a forum to resolve fair housing disputes. Caruso discussed the fair
housing rights of persons with disabilities, and Seng participated in a panel
on the impact of Brown v. Board of Education on housing issues.
Professor Diane Kaplan
Publications
She recently received a letter from Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg congratulating her on her Baylor Law Review article, "Paddling Up The Wrong Stream: Why Stream Of Commerce Jurisdiction Is Not Part of the Minimum Contacts Doctrine."
Professor Paul Lewis
Activities
He will be a keynote speaker at the Insolvency and Trustee Service of Australia's 5th International Bankruptcy Congress in Melbourne, Australia, in early May. The title of Lewis' presentation is "The Future of Personal Bankruptcy: An International Perspective." While in Australia, Lewis will also present a paper titled "Why Rescue Insolvent Firms?" at a faculty colloquium at the University of Southern Queensland.
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Student Activities
April 12
It is election time for the Student Bar Association Board members and the candidates for those positions will speak at our Annual Spring Fling. Awards will be presented to those student organizations for their activity during the semester. All are welcome to join us for a delicious lunch at 12:00 p.m. on 3 East.
April 13
The Black Law Student Association will hold elections at 5:00 p.m. in room 216.
April 14
The Women's Law Caucus is sponsoring a very special program, "Dress for Success," on the 8th floor of the CBA building at 12:30 p.m. Representatives from Marshall Fields and Nordstrom will be present to show fashions and proper makeup application as well as hairstyling techniques. A delicious lunch will be served. The cost is $5 for students and $10 for professionals; and all proceeds go to charity.
The Hispanic Law Student Association will meet at 12:00 p.m. in room 201.
The Public Interest Law Council will meet at 5:00 p.m. in room 201.
April 15
The International Law Society will serve pizza at its last meeting at 5:00 p.m. in room 216.
April 16
Delta Theta Phi will be selling "Shoes" for the March of Dimes. Please donate.
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Previous Issues of Up & Coming
The John Marshall Law School-China Partnership Celebrated
The John Marshall Law School marked the 10th anniversary of its partnership with the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) of the People's Republic of China with a luncheon and celebratory cake. Starting off the festivities with a cake-cutting ceremony were (from left) John Marshall Dean Patricia Mell; Alfred E. Gallo, chairman of the John Marshall Board of Trustees; and Xiao Luqing, director general of the personnel department at SIPO. The luncheon was attended by more than 70 current Chinese students, John Marshall students and guests from the Chinese consulate in Chicago.
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John Marshall Students Offer Predatory Lending Counseling
Students at The John Marshall Law School have been helping residents of Chicago's Southwest Side untangle the many economic assaults they have been facing through an onslaught of predatory lenders.
Begun in the spring 2003 semester and repeated this spring 2004 semester, third-year law students at The John Marshall Law School joined with members of the Greater Southwest Side Development Corp. and the Neighborhood Housing Services to counsel existing homeowners on the tactics and pitfalls of predatory lending practices before they sign mortgage papers or refinance their homes.
Professor Michael Seng, co-executive director of The John Marshall Law School Fair Housing Legal Support Center, with John Marshall alumna Ann Melichar, supervises the students in the three credit-hour course that has students using their knowledge in banking, fair housing, real estate law and consumer law as they sort through the issues of each case.
Appointments between the students and the homeowners are arranged by the two neighborhood organizations in cooperation with the Chicago Department of Housing and underwritten with a Community Development Block Grant.
"The circumstances are often very unfortunate, because the property owners didn't know they were being swindled," said Professor Seng, who has investigated fair housing issues in the Chicago area for more than a decade. "They didn't understand the terms of the contract, or in some cases, the contracts were signed with blank spaces."
The program is one more way that The John Marshall Law School has been working to assist the community on the issue of predatory lending. The law school's Fair Housing Legal Support Center sponsored a Predatory Lending Symposium in April 2001 in conjunction with the Fannie Mae Foundation, and in September 2003 the center hosted a Predatory Home Lending Law conference helping attendees review the changes in Illinois' predatory lending law.
The John Marshall Law School is the only law school in the nation that has a clinical program devoted exclusively to training students in fair housing law and enforcement. The law school has, on average, 55 ongoing cases representing persons who have been denied housing in violation of federal, state and local fair housing laws for discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, marital status or source of income.
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Two Join John Marshall Faculty as Guest Professors
The John Marshall Law School will welcome Stephen G. Gilles and Rogelio A. Lasso as visiting faculty for the 2004-2005 academic year.
They will join with new professors Cecil J. Hunt II, Tayyab Mahmud and Alice Martin Thomas who have accepted full-time faculty positions.
Gilles will be teaching Torts I and II, and Law and Economics. He has been a professor at Quinnipiac University School of Law since 1995. He also was an assistant professor of law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1989 to 1995. Gilles was a visiting professor at Washington and Lee University School of Law in 1997, and the John M. Olin Visiting Fellow in Law and Economics at the University of Virginia Law School in 1993.
Gilles received a bachelor's degree from St. John's College in 1976 and received a J.D. degree from the University of Chicago in 1984. After graduation Gilles was a law clerk from 1984 to 1985 to Robert H. Bork when he was a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals, and was a law clerk from 1985 to 1986 for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. He was an associate at Mayer Brown & Platt from 1986 to 1989.
Gilles is authoring "The Tort Litigation System: A Practical Guide," a book that will explain the legal rules that combine to shape the contemporary tort litigation system. His most recent writing was "The Story of United States v. Carroll Towing Co.: The Hand Formula's Home Port" published in 2003.
Lasso will teach Torts I and II, and Current Legal Issues which in 2004-2005 will be "Current Legal Issues in Complex Litigation." Lasso comes to John Marshall from University of Missouri-Kansas City. He was a visiting professor at Santa Clara University School of Law in spring 2003; was on the faculty at Washburn University School of Law from 1991 to 2003; and was a visiting professor at DePaul University School of Law in fall 2001.
Lasso received a bachelor's degree from Mankato State University in 1973, and was a graduate student at Iowa State University from 1972 to 1974. He received a J.D. degree in 1985 from the University of Minnesota School of Law. One of his areas of interest is the use of the Internet and electronic technology to improve learning.
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Schedule of Events
April 12
- Spring Fling, Room 3East, 12:00 p.m.
- Center for Tax Law and Employee Benefits Open House, Room 1200B, 12:00 & 5:00 p.m.
April 13
- Law Review Candidacy Q&A, Room 300, 12:00 p.m. & 5:00 p.m.
- Financial Aid Consolidation Event, Room 1200, 12:00 p.m.
- Career Services - Preparing for your Summer Job, Room 200, 12:30 p.m.
- Financial Aid Consolidation Event, Room 503, 4:30 p.m.
- Domestic & Foreign Patent, Trademark, Trade Secret & Copyright Documentation, Room 402, 6:00 p.m.
April 14
- Alumni Association Executive Committee Meeting, Room 1202, 11:00 a.m.
- Faculty Candidate Interview, Room 522, 12:00 p.m.
- Civil Rights Discussion - Escobedo v. Illinois: A Forty-Year Perspective, Room 1200, 12:15 p.m.
- Alumni Association Board Meeting, Room 3East, 12:00 p.m.
- Phi Alpha Delta Alumni Chapter, Room 216, 12:00 p.m.
- Women's Law Caucus Program, Room 800, 12:30 p.m.
- Board of Trustees Executive Committee Meeting, 5th Floor of the CBA, 2:00 p.m.
- Board of Trustees Meeting, Albert Hofeld Room of the CBA, 4:00 p.m.
April 15
- Lunch and Learn Seminar - Evolving Rules for Virtual Environments, Room 1200B, 11:00 a.m.
- Career Services - Get Ready for Fall Interviewing, Room 1200, 5:00 p.m.
- Young Alumni Council Meeting, Room 3East, 5:45 p.m.
April 16
- Fair Housing Conference - Housing Our Senior Population, Room 1200, 8:30 a.m.
- FAST Start Programs, Room 300, 12:00 & 2:00 p.m.
April 17
- Fair Housing Conference - Housing Our Senior Population, Room 1200, 8:30 a.m.
- Multistate Diagnostic Exam, Room 200, 9:00 a.m.
- FAST Start Programs, Room 409, 10:30 a.m. & 1:30 p.m.
April 18
- Multistate Diagnostic Exam, Room 200, 9:00 a.m.
April 19
- Faculty Open Meeting, Room 1200A, 12:00 p.m.
- National Library Week Celebration, Library Lobby, 2:00 p.m.
April 20
- Career Services - Get Ready for Fall Interviewing, Room 1200, 12:45 p.m.
- San Francisco Alumni Reception, 5:30 p.m.
- Domestic & Foreign Patent, Trademark, Trade Secret & Copyright Documentation, Room 402, 6:00 p.m.
April 21
- Beach Meeting, Room 1101, 11:30 a.m.
- University of Illinois Moot Court Program, Courtroom, 12:00 p.m.
- Civil Rights Program, Room 1200, 12:00 p.m.
April 22
- Real Estate Center Lunch, Room 3East, 12:00 p.m.
- Alumni Relations Event, Room 1200A, 12:30 p.m.
- Center for International Business & Trade Law Reception, 8th Floor of the CBA, 4:00 p.m.
- Law Review Alumni Reception, Room 3East, 5:00 p.m.
- Los Angeles Alumni Reception, Four Seasons Hotel, 5:30 p.m.
April 23
- FAST Start Programs, Room 300, 12:00 & 2:00 p.m.
April 24
- Jackson Lewis, Courtroom, 8:30 a.m.
- FAST Start Programs, Room 409, 10:30 a.m. & 1:30 p.m.