News for alumni and friends of Indiana Law
September 2022
In this issue:
- Hoosier athletes get an assist from IP law students on NIL deals
- Law School partners with Stevens Foundation for public interest fellowships
- Madeira elected to ALI
- Najam retires from Court of Appeals of Indiana
- Remembering the Hon. Marc Kellams '78
- New student orientation
- The Maurer Shop offers high-quality apparel, accessories
- Faculty, staff, and student news
- Class notes
Hoosier athletes get an assist from law students through Name, Image and Likeness Initiative
Student-athletes at Indiana University Bloomington will get an assist from their peers at the Law School under a new Name, Image and Likeness Initiative through the school’s Center for Intellectual Property Research. As student-athletes navigate the still-emerging complexities of the NCAA’s new policy surrounding name, image and likeness — also referred to as NIL — they’ll now have a homefield advantage: one of the country’s top intellectual property clinics.
Through a new Name, Image and Likeness Initiative at IU Bloomington, student-athletes will get needed legal representation, and law students will have the opportunity to develop important skills while working with peers.
“Our goal is to serve students who are negotiating NIL deals that might involve significant rights of the student but aren’t likely to generate enough revenue to justify hiring expensive specialized legal counsel,” said Mark Janis, Maurer School of Law professor and director of the Center for Intellectual Property Research. “While the sports pages are full of stories about six-figure deals for star college football and basketball players around the country, we think that’s the exception. We aim to help student-athletes locally who have some great NIL opportunities but don’t always get extensive media attention.”
Law School partners with Stevens Foundation for public interest fellowships
A new collaboration between the Indiana University Maurer School of Law and John Paul Stevens Foundation is expanding financial support to students working in unpaid summer public interest positions. Named after the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice, the John Paul Stevens Foundation is dedicated to promoting public interest and social justice values in the next generation of American lawyers. Through its unique fellowship program, the Foundation supports law students who spend the summer working in unpaid public interest law internships. The Law School is one of eight new schools participating in the program, which now includes 38 law schools across the nation. The five inaugural Indiana Law Stevens Fellows (listed below) completed their respective placements before classes began last month.
- Olivia Allen, 2L, Monroe County (Indiana) Public Defender’s Office
- Annie Horner, 3L, Marion County (Indiana) Public Defender Agency
- Megan Merritt, 2L, Legal Council for Health Justice, Chicago
- Nainika Ravi, 2L, Regional Public Defender for Capital Cases, Texas
- Eric Warman, 3L, Children’s Law Center, Covington, Kentucky
Madeira elected to ALI
Professor Jody Madeira was elected to the American Law Institute (ALI), the nation’s leading independent organization producing scholarly work to clarify, modernize, and otherwise improve the law in late July. Madeira, the Louis F. Neizer Faculty Fellow and co-director of the Center for Law, Society & Culture, becomes the 19th member of the Indiana Law faculty to join the institute. “Recent national events have proven just how important and timely Jody’s scholarship and outreach efforts are,” said Indiana Law Interim Dean Christiana Ochoa. “Her expertise in such a wide variety of legal fields will benefit the ALI and its members for years to come.”
Najam retires from Court of Appeals of Indiana
Court of Appeals of Indiana Judge and longtime Indiana Law Board of Visitors member Edward W. Najam Jr. announced his plans to retire during the summer of 2022. Najam was appointed to the Court of Appeals by Gov. Evan Bayh in 1992, and was retained in 1996, 2006, and 2016. During his time on the appellate bench, he wrote more than 4,200 opinions. Judge Najam served for 10 years on the Indiana Supreme Court Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure, and, as chair of the Appellate Practice Section of the Indiana State Bar Association, he initiated the Appellate Rules Project, which culminated in a comprehensive revision of the Indiana Rules of Appellate Procedure. Judge Najam also represented the judiciary on the Indiana Department of Homeland Security Counter-Terrorism and Security Council. Outside of his judicial duties, Najam has served as a director and president of the Monroe County YMCA and as a director and chair of the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County. He currently serves on the Sycamore Land Trust Advisory Board and on the Board of Visitors for the Law School, where he has endowed a scholarship for law students. Judge Najam was granted appointment as a Senior Judge ahead of his retirement, which took effect August 1.
Remembering the Hon. Marc Kellams
The Law School honors the memory of the Hon. Marc Kellams '78. A longstanding member of the Law School’s adjunct faculty and retired Monroe County Circuit Judge, Kellams passed away following a tragic motor vehicle accident in Indianapolis on July 29. Kellams joined the school in 1983 and was a beloved instructor in our classrooms, teaching countless students in his trial advocacy courses. He was scheduled to teach the course again this fall. "Marc and I taught trial advocacy together for three decades," said Prof. Emeritus Alex Tanford. "I have never met a better human being." Read Judge Kellams’ obituary and where memorial contributions can be made in his honor.
New student orientation
The Law School welcomed new 1L and Graduate Legal Studies students for orientation on Aug. 11 and 12. The Hon. Gregory C. Pittman, Chief Circuit Court Judge and Probate Court Judge for Muskegon County, Michigan, delivered remarks before administering an oath of professionalism. Photos from orientation are below.
