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June 13 - 19, 2004 |
Chinese Students Earn LL.M.s, Certificates
The John Marshall Law School presented 20 LL.M. degrees and three certificates in intellectual property law to attorneys who spent the spring 2004 semester at the law school.
Members of the Chinese judiciary, the Chinese Trademark Office and private practitioners from Chinese firms participated in the program that is marking the 10th anniversary of cooperation between John Marshall and the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) in Beijing, the People's Republic of China.
Professors Julie Spanbauer and Mark Wojcik went to China in October 2003 to teach the attorneys the introductory courses they needed to complete before transferring to John Marshall for the graduate program.
"Collectively, our group was enrolled in 12 courses at John Marshall," said Zhu Renxiu at a farewell lunch. Renxiu, who works in the Mechanical Invention Examination Department of SIPO, first came to John Marshall in 1994. "This trip gave an exceptional opportunity to learn significant areas of American law. By studying the case law, we no longer have just a superficial understanding of American IP law."
The group also took a legal writing course designed for the non-English speaker, and they were also given special classes to help them improve their online research abilities through Lexis, West Law and the Internet. Associate Dean Dorothy Li, the program's director, also arranged for them to visit state and federal courthouses and visit with judges.
Renxiu said she and her fellow students also enjoyed non-academic activities that helped them "better understand American thinking and the American legal system. Clearly, we measure our time here by the excellent quality of our experience. Each of us hopes to be able to come back some time in the future."
The students extended special thanks to not only Professors Spanbauer and Wojcik and Associate Dean Li, but also Dean Patricia Mell; the Center for Intellectual Property Law Executive Director Michele Bridges; Juli Campagna who helped them with English language lessons; Julia Beckman, graduate admissions and international students services assistant director; and Alejandra Cangiano, assistant in the Center for IP Law, for their help in finding housing and guiding the students through the academic system.
"I would like to make it clear that the past, present and future benefits achieved through this cooperative program both result from and are intended for the entire Chinese intellectual property community. Professionals from all walks of IP life in China have benefited and surely will benefit, in ever increasing numbers, from the relationship between SIPO and John Marshall," Renxiu said.
"We will always look back with great fondness and nostalgia for the people we knew and the experiences we had during our time here."
John Marshall hosted a farewell luncheon (May 2004) for its Chinese student delegation. Guest speaker was U.S. District Court Judge Marvin Aspen who was welcomed by Dean Patricia Mell (standing in rear), Associate Dean Dorothy Li (front, left) and Zhu Renxiu (right).
Administrators at The John Marshall Law School welcomed guests from the Jilin University School of Law in China. The two schools have signed a cooperative agreement. Participants were (from left) Professor Kevin Hopkins, director of China alliances; Dean Huo Cunfu and Assistant Professor Zhou Xiashong of Jilin University; John Marshall Dean Patricia Mell; Gerald Berendt, associate dean for advanced studies; and Associate Dean Dorothy Li, director of John Marshall's China program.
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Real Estate Center Adds New Associate Director
The Center for Real Estate Law has hired Michelle Corey as its new associate director. She will be responsible for development, alumni networking and programs associated with the center.
Corey joins John Marshall after assisting in the creation and success of The Real Estate Center at DePaul University where she supervised continuing education offerings, launched a mentoring program and engaged industry leaders and alumni in various programs and initiatives.
Corey earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan and an M.B.A. from DePaul University. She spent 15 years in real estate transaction experience _ both on the debt and equity investment side of the industry.
She is an active member and chairs the scholarship initiatives of Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW), Commercial Real Estate Council, and Real Estate Finance Forum. She is an Illinois licensed real estate broker and licensed continuing education instructor, and was a member of the adjunct faculty at DePaul teaching real estate finance, analysis, and banking.
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Previous Issues of Up & Coming
Schedule of Events
June 14
- LSAT, Rooms 200, 300, 531 and 1200, 8:00 a.m.
June 16
- International Trade Club of Chicago Meeting, Room 402, 12:00 p.m.
June 17
- AIDS Foundation of Chicago Seminar, Room 1200A, 8:00 a.m.
- Czech Exchange Program Meeting, Room 1200B, 12:00 p.m.
June 18
- Center for International Business and Trade Law Lunch, Room 1200B, 12:30 p.m.
June 23
- AIDS Foundation of Chicago Seminar, Room 1200A, 8:00 a.m.
- SBA Survey Project, Room 1102, 12:00 p.m.
June 25
- Last day to withdraw from classes
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Faculty Activity and Publications
Professor F. Willis Caruso
Activities
He provided a day of fair housing training for the 31st Annual Indiana Consortium of State and Local Human Rights Agencies Training Conference on June 3, in South Bend, Ind. The presentation focused on recent developments in fair housing law and the "hot topics" that are currently changing the application of the law. Attendees included agency board members, state and local commissioners, state and local agency attorneys and the city attorneys who handle fair housing litigation. Also in attendance were managers, supervisors, and the investigators who handle intakes, investigations and recommendations with respect to probable cause in fair housing cases.
He was the moderator and a speaker of a workshop on Fair Housing at the annual Forum conference in Washington DC on May 19th and 20th. The workshop covered Fair Housing Hot Topics and speakers on his panel were Harry Carey Assistant General Counsel at HUD and Edward Kramer, Executive Director, The Housing Advocates, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. Professor Caruso participated in the meeting of the Committee of Legal Educators and the planning session directed toward more involvement of the law schools and law school clinics in the issues of affordable housing and community development. As a committee chairman, Professor Caruso participated in the Forums Retreat on Friday May 21, 2004, that prepared the agenda and plans for the Forum. Professor Caruso is charged with planning fair housing programs for the mid-year conference and annual conference in 2005.
He attended the Editorial Board meeting of the Fair Housing and Fair Lending Reporter on May 13, 2004 in New York City. The Fair Housing/Fair Lending Reporter provides monthly updates of developments in Fair Housing and Fair Lending Law and reports case law decisions and settlements of private attorneys, the Justice Department, HUD and state and local agencies. The Editorial Board advises Aspen Publishing on the content and format of the Reporter. Professor Caruso has been involved with the Reporter from its inception and played an important role in the development of the Reporter with Kenneth Holbert in the Assistant Secretary's office at HUD in Washington. The cases and settlement agreements of the John Marshall Fair Housing Legal Clinic are regularly reported in the Service. Professor Caruso has assisted the staff of Aspen Publishing in redesigning and improving the effectiveness of the Fair Housing/Fair Lending Service on line.
Professor Celeste Hammond
Activities
She participated as a speaker at a program on Commercial Leases presented by the American Law Institute-American Bar Association in San Francisco on June 3-4, 2004. She spoke about the hazards of using Letters of Intent in negotiating commercial real estate leases, especially due to the tendency of courts and juries to view them as binding agreements, or at least, creating binding obligations on the parties to negotiate the remaining terms in "good faith."
Also, Professor Hammond led the ethics portion of the program by presenting several hypotheticals that raise issues in commercial leasing. One problem was taken from her recently published casebook Modern Real Estate Finance and Land Transfer - A Transactional Approach (with Bender, Madison & Zinman for Aspen). It considered the ethical obligation of transactional attorneys to advise clients about pre-dispute Alternative Dispute Resolutions, including mediation and arbitration. The other problem involved the transactional attorney's obligation of candor in negotiations of a lease.