News for alumni and friends of Indiana Law
January 2021
In this issue:
- From the Dean
- Academy of Law Alumni Fellows named
- Johnsen named to Biden Administration post
- Protective Order Project offers CLE
- Hon. Shirley Abrahamson, pathbreaking Wisconsin judge, dies at 87
- Class notes
- Faculty news
From the Dean
Happy New Year! The IU spring semester officially resumes on February 8, but the Law School is already up and running. First-year students are midway through a concentrated four-week, online course in Property, and upper-division students are taking a dozen doctrinal and experiential classes in subjects such as corporations, evidence, negotiations, and health law. As with the fall semester, students have the option to choose online or in-person instruction for the 11-week spring semester term.
The spring calendar is also active with virtual lectures and conferences, many of which offer Indiana continuing legal education credit. Be sure to consult the Law School calendar to stay up-to-date on coming events. Our faculty, too, remain on the forefront of scholarship, with frequent appearances at conferences and lectures over the past several months.
Our students, faculty, and staff continue to demonstrate remarkable resilience and determination in the face of the ongoing pandemic. Although nothing is certain at this point, I am hopeful that the Law School will return to some semblance of “normal” instruction by this fall.
Please join me in congratulating the 2021 Academy of Law Alumni Fellows, whom you’ll read about in this issue of ergo. We plan to celebrate their achievements in person this fall.
I look forward to seeing you at our virtual alumni receptions during the next several weeks. As always, thank you for your interest and support.
Austen Parrish
Dean and James H. Rudy Professor of Law
Academy of Law Alumni Fellows named
Four distinguished alumni have been named to the Academy of Law Alumni Fellows, the Law School’s highest honor: Bonnie Gibson, '78, Randy Lebedoff, '75, R. Anthony (Tony) Prather, '83, and Randy (Randolph) Seger, '72.
Gibson is a retired partner in the Phoenix office Fragomen Worldwide. She practiced immigration and employment law for more than 30 years. While in law school, she was elected to Order of the Coif in law school and served on the Indiana Law Journal, and she served on the school’s Law Alumni Board from 2012–2018. She currently serves on the Indiana University Foundation's Women's Philanthropy Leadership Council.
Lebedoff is senior vice president and general counsel and secretary for the Star Tribune Media Company LLC in Minneapolis. She has served on the boards of several nonprofits, including the Minnesota Newspaper Association and Milkweed Editions, the YWCA of Minneapolis, Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, the Fund for the Legal Aid Society, and the Downtown Council, among others. Lebedoff is a 2016 recipient of the Law School’s Distinguished Service Award.
Prather is a partner in the Indianapolis office of Barnes & Thornburg, where he represents management interests in all aspects of labor and employment law and litigation. He also represents judges, lawyers, and other professionals in disciplinary and licensing issues and other matters of professional responsibility. Prather is a member of the Law School’s BLSA Advisory Board and former member of the Law Alumni Board and Board of Visitors. He received the Distinguished Service Award in 2015.
Seger is a partner in the Indianapolis office of Dentons Bingham Greenebaum, practicing in Indiana for 49 years in public utilities, energy, and agribusiness. His practice includes renewable energy clients in wind and solar, investor owned and municipal utilities, and agri-business in food production. Seger is a member of the Law School’s Board of Visitors and the IU Foundation board of directors. He and his family are also longtime supporters of the Kelley School of Business and the IU Varsity Club.
Established in 1985, the Academy of Law Alumni Fellows recognizes alumni who have distinguished themselves in their careers through personal achievements and dedication to the highest standards of the profession.
Johnsen named to Biden Administration post
Dawn Johnsen, Walter W. Foskett Professor of Law at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law, has been named senior counselor at the US Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel. She will be continuing the work she began as part of the Biden transition team.
Johnsen joined the law school faculty in 1998, following a distinguished career in Washington, DC. She served in the US Department of Justice under President Bill Clinton (1993-1998), including as the acting assistant attorney general for the Office of Legal Counsel (1997-1998), which provides legal advice to the attorney general, the president, and the general counsels of the various executive branch agencies. She served on the transition teams for both President Clinton and President Barack Obama. President Obama nominated her to return to head the Office of Legal Counsel as assistant attorney general but the US Senate failed to act on the nomination from 2009-2010.
At the law school, Johnsen teaches courses in Constitutional Law, the First Amendment, and seminars on the constitution and on sexuality and reproductive rights.
Protective Order Project offers CLE
The Law School's Protective Order Project is hosting a CLE presentation on Wednesday, January 27, from noon-1:00 p.m. EST. The talk is titled "The Ethical Necessity of Providing Trauma Informed Legal Representation." presented by Kerry Hyatt Bennett, Chief Legal Counsel at the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence (ICADV). One hour of Indiana CLE credit is available. Please register in advance.
Shirley Abrahamson, '56, pathbreaking Wisconsin judge, dies at 87
Hon. Shirley Abrahamson, the first woman to serve as chief justice of Wisconsin, died December 19, 2020. She spent 43 years on the bench, 19 as chief justice. Abrahamson was an advocate for First and Fourth Amendment freedoms, writing that state constitutions can provide citizens with rights that the US constitution does not. According to her obituary in the New York Times, she was short-listed for the US Supreme Court three times, most recently in 1993, when President Bill Clinton nominated the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Abrahamson was a member of the Law School's Academy of Law Alumni Fellows.
Class notes
Keep up with your classmates and submit your own news at our class notes page.
Faculty news
Read In the media for faculty quotes and op-eds in state and national media.
Despite the pandemic, Indiana Law faculty were more prolific and productive than ever during the past few months. Here is a summary.
In October, Asaf Lubin joined University of Nebraska Governance and Technology Center as Visiting Faculty Fellow.
Lauren Robel was elected to the American Law Institute in October.
Pamela Foohey spoke on “Debt Collection, Garnishment, & Bankruptcy: Surprising Pre-COVID Stats, COVID trends, & the Future” as part of the web series, Toward Firmer Financial Ground: How Policy and Community Action Can Improve Consumer Protection and Financial Well-being, hosted by Indiana Institutes for Working Families on October 8.
Michael Mattioli participated in the Governing Knowledge Commons Smart Cities Workshop: Data, Tech, Institutions, & Trustworthy Governance October 9–10 at Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law.
Steve Sanders debated John Bursch on October 12 in “What to Make of Bostock v. Clayton County?” co-organized by Federalist Societies at Indiana University and the University of Texas.
On October 12, Luis Fuentes-Rohwer spoke on “The Unfinished Fight for Voting Rights: Modern Day Voter Suppression” in the second of a two-part virtual series, The Intersectionality of Voting: 1920s to Today, hosted by Women in Government at IU.
On October 13, Leandra Lederman testified before the House Ways & Means Oversight Subcommittee in a hearing to discuss taxpayer fairness and the IRS’s reported handling of President Trump’s tax returns.
On October 15, Asaf Lubin presented during the Cybersecurity Law Policy Pedagogy session at the Cybersecurity Law and Policy Scholars Conference hosted by Nebraska College of Law Governance and Technology Center.
Michael Mattioli and Scott Shackelford participated in the Blockchain and Capital Markets panel session at the 20/20 Vision: Blockchain & The Future of Law Symposium hosted by Iowa Law School Journal of Corporation Law on October 16.
Marshall Leaffer participated in a panel session entitled, “International IP Practice in a Post-COVID World,” at the International IP Practice Seminar hosted by UIC John Marshall Law School on October 16.
Jody Madeira and co-authors were recognized by Fertility and Sterility Editorial Office at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine on October 20 for their article, “IVF Errors: Is this only the tip of the iceberg?” as the most viewed piece in its “Consider This” special feature series.
On October 21, Victor Quintanilla presented new research in a UCLA Law webinar entitled, “Race-ing the Bar: The Racial Construction of Merit and the CA Bar Exam.” His topic, “An Empirical Study of Bar Exam Cut Scores and their Impact Disparities and Diversity in the Legal Profession.”
Maggie Kiel-Morse co-presented in a session entitled, “Blooming Possibilities: ORCiD & Other Tools for Faculty, Scholarly Impact Metrics & Promotion” at the 2020 Ohio Regional Association of Law Libraries Annual Meeting on October 21.
On October 23, Luis Fuentes-Rohwer co-presented the Thinking About Race, Voting Rights, & the Past: People, Moments, and Documents session at the 2020 Federal Depository Library Conference.
Michael Mattioli presented at the Defining Health Data Symposium, co-hosted by University of Houston Law Center Health Law & Policy and the Houston Journal of Health Law and Policy on October 23. He opened the symposium with a discussion on the meaning of health data, using USFDA regulation of mental health apps and its relaxed standards in the wake of COVID-19 as the case study
Jessica Eaglin represented the Law School in the Big 10 Law School Speaker Series, Perspectives on Race, law, and Equality. On October 27, she led a webinar entitled, “Toward a Structural Conception of Race in Criminal Administration.”
On October 29, Jeannine Bell participated in the panel discussion on the documentary film, The Talk: Race in America as part of IU Kelley School of Business The Commons Series.
On October 30, Victor Quintanilla spoke on “The LSAT, Socioeconomics and U.S. News & World Reports” at the Black Lawyers Matter: Strategies to Enhance Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Virtual Conference co-hosted by Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law and University of Houston Law Center.
Leandra Lederman participated in the Valuation Symposium jointly hosted by NYU School of Law Classical Liberal Institute and Notre Dame Law Review on October 31. Her topic, “When the Price Isn’t Right: The Role of Third Parties in Tax Valuation.”
Dawn Johnsen was named to President-Elect Joe Biden’s Department of Justice Agency Review Transition Team in early November.
In November, David Gamage reached fourth-place in the monthly rankings by Social Science research Network (SSRN) for Top US Tax Professor in All-Time Paper Downloads.
Asaf Lubin’s doctoral dissertation on the international law of espionage was awarded the Ambrose Gherini Prize for Best Written Work in the Field of International Law in November by Yale Law School Faculty.
Leandra Lederman was profiled in “Leandra Lederman: Spotter of Silver Linings,” an academic spotlight article from Tax Notes published on November 4, 2020.
Donna Nagy co-organized and participated in the event, "Insider Trading: Honoring the Past—A Program Commemorating the 40th Anniversary of Chiarella v. United States," on November 5, 2020. Her co-organizers were The Securities and Exchange Commission Historical Society and New York University Pollack Center for Law and Business.
On November 6, Pamela Foohey presented scholarship during the Transportation and Finance Panel at the Iowa Law Review Symposium, The Future of Law & Transportation. Her topic, “Bursting the Auto Loan Bubble in the Wake of COVID-19.”
Steve Sanders presented his research, “Are Universities Still First Amendment Institutions?” at the Loyola Law Constitutional Law Colloquium on November 7.
On November 9, Asaf Lubin participated in the Collaboration Campus Course Series, The Present and Future of Cybersecurity in International Trade, hosted by the University of Padjadjaran-Indonesia. His topic, “The Future of Cybersecurity Regulation: Managing Cyber Risks in the Age of Ransomware, Data Breaches, and Internet of Things.”
On November 11, Steve Sanders presented “After Bostock: The Future of LGBT Protections in the Supreme Court” at Washburn University Law School in an event hosted by Washburn Law Genders and Sexualities Alliances.
Charles Geyh was recognized by IU President Michael McRobbie in a virtual ceremony on November 11, 2020 as one of the 2020 IU Distinguished Professors, the most prestigious academic appointment at Indiana University. It honors individuals whose research, scholarship, artistic, and literary accomplishments have transformed their fields.
On November 13, Asaf Lubin presented his scholarship, “Blind Oracles: Regulating Intelligence Processing, Analysis, and Verification in Wartime Aerial Strikes” at the American Society of International Law Midwest Virtual Works-in-Progress Conference organized by UIC John Marshall Law School.
In mid-November, Timothy Waters presented at the Bilbao Conference, "Sovereignty Conflicts in Europe: Basis for Solution."
Leandra Lederman chaired two panels during the National Tax Association 113th Annual Conference on Taxation: “Tax Administration: Rules, Rulings, and Risks” on Nov. 18 (during which she also presented) and “Advances in Tax Administration” on Nov. 20.
Gabrielle Goodwin participated in the US LLM Legal Education Conference: From Application to Bar Exam on November 21-22.
On November 27, Austen Parrish spoke on “Sustaining International Collaborations for Achieving Best Outcomes” in a session during the Jindal Global Law School Conference, Reimagining and Transforming the Future of Law Schools. On December 1, he spoke at an US-Indonesia Research and Education Collaboration Event organized by the Indonesian Embassy.
Asaf Lubin led a master class on espionage and international law organized by Sciences Po Cybersecurity Association on December 7.
Former Jerome Hall Law Library Directors Linda Fariss and Keith Buckley received IU Bicentennial medals on December 7.
On December 9, Jeannine Bell participated in a panel discussion entitled, “Hate Crimes Are Growing More Violent: Realities, Challenges, Remedies” as part of the 2020 Social Justice Policy Summit sponsored by the American Bar Association Civil Rights and Social Justice Section.
Jody Madeira gave a TEDxtalk on December 17. Her talk, “Shooting Blanks,” discussed instances when law doesn’t keep up with technology, using fertility fraud and 3D plastic firearms as case studies.
On December 22, Norm Hedges led a webinar on Intellectual Property Ethics organized by the Indianapolis Bar Association.