Indiana Law Annotated Vol. 30 No. 6 (February 13, 2006)
Table of Contents
- HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE WEEK OF FEBRUARY 13
- MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13
- THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16
- FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17
- FACULTY NEWS
- UPCOMING EVENTS
- ANNOUNCEMENTS
- ILA SUBMISSIONS
HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE WEEK OF FEBRUARY 13
Dean Lauren Robel will discuss the state of the Law School and the direction it is headed at noon on Wednesday, Feb. 15, in the Moot Court Room.
The Black Law Student's Association (BLSA) will host the 18th Annual Barrister's Ball at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 17, in the Indiana Memorial Union, Alumni Hall.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13
Women in the Law Lectures
The Women's Law Caucus along with the Feminist Law Forum will host the first in a series of lectures about Women in the Law on Monday, Feb. 13. Marisa Ford, JD'85, an attorney with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Kentucky, will speak at noon in room 122. Lunch will be served. Everyone is welcome.
Federalist Society Hosts Indiana Congressman
The Federalist Society will host Congressman Mike Sodrel at 6:15 p.m. in the Irish Lion. Sodrel serves Indiana's Ninth Congressional District, which includes Bloomington, and he currently sits on the House committees on Science, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Small Business. He will be addressing his views on the role of a legislator, as well as sharing thoughts on his first term in Congress. He will also be taking a few questions from the audience. All are welcome to attend.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16
Speaker to Discuss Islamic Law and Society
The International Law Society is pleased to present John Hanson, director of African Studies at IU-Bloomington, who will speak on the topic of "Islamic Law and Society in Contemporary Africa: Historical Perspectives on Current Debates" at noon, room TBA. All are welcome. Lunch will be provided.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17
GPSO Happy Hour
February blahs got you down? Come join us at the next happy hour sponsored by Graduate and Professional Student Organization (GPSO) from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Opie Taylor's (110 N. Walnut St.). Bring your friends, colleagues, and families to enjoy the delicious free appetizers. This is a great chance for you to meet and mingle with graduate and professional students outside of your department.
BLSA Hosts Barrister's Ball
The Black Law Student's Association (BLSA) will host the 18th Annual Barrister's Ball at 7:30 p.m. in the Indiana Memorial Union, Alumni Hall. The event is a formal dinner and dance that celebrates the excellence of the Indiana Law School. Aside from being a time to honor the Law School and alumni, the Barrister's Ball is also a formal (black tie optional) dance. Tickets, which are on sale in the lobby at lunchtime, are $35 each, or $30 each for purchase of two or more. Join students, friends, faculty, administrators, and alumni for this amazing event, and dance the night away. Purchase your tickets early, because there are a limited number of seats to the Barristers Ball this year. Tickets bought after Monday, Feb. 13, may be sold at higher prices.
FACULTY NEWS
Professor Kevin Brown appeared on the panel sponsored by the Council of Individual Rights and Responsibilities of the American Bar Association titled, "From Dred Scott to Rosa Parks to Hurricane Katrina: Where Do We Go From Here? Constitutional Law Through the Eyes of Black America," held on Feb. 10 at the American Bar Association Midyear Conference in Chicago. Brown's remarks were titled "The Current View of K-12 Educational Reform from an African American Centralist Perspective."
Professor Rob Fischman wrote a guest editorial for Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, the bimonthly interdisciplinary journal of the Ecological Society of America. Fischman's piece is called "The Perils of Defensive Conservation." It is a musing on the relationship between ecology and conservation, spurred by the December filibuster on the Arctic Refuge drilling provision in the defense spending bill.
Professor Joseph Hoffmann will be the featured halftime guest on the radio broadcast of the Harvard-Brown men's basketball game Friday, Feb. 17, on WWZN Radio (1510 AM) in Boston. The station can be heard throughout eastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island, southern New Hampshire, and parts of Connecticut and Maine. The feed of the game next Friday night can also be heard live on the Internet at GoCrimson.com.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Indianapolis Bar Association Law Student Division Social
The Indianapolis Bar Association will be having a law student social in Broad Ripple from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 24, at Landsharks, 810 Broad Ripple Ave. Bloomington students do not need to be a member of the IBA to attend. Cost is $5 per person and includes two drink tickets. Members of the Law School Division will be eligible for a drawing for fun and unusual gifts. If interested, you are encouraged to register for the event at http://www.indybar.org/event.cfm.
PILF's Singing for Summer Salaries
The Public Interest Law Foundation (PILF) will present its annual Singing for Summer Salaries karaoke event at noon on Tuesday, Feb. 28, in the Moot Court Room. Bid on your favorite (or least favorite) faculty member, and force them to sing karaoke in front of the entire school. With a Mardi Gras theme, door prizes, an exciting MC, and vocal performances by one of our beloved faculty members, it is sure to be a good time. We will be tabling the week before and look forward to your support. Remember, the money raised during this event will go directly to summer scholarships for students who work for the public interest, and the Law School has pledged to match our funds! Last year we raised almost $5,000. Please help this year be an even bigger success.
LRAP Dodgeball Wants You!
Did you know that the average starting salary for public interest jobs is $35,000 a year? Combine this with $80,000 or more debt from law school and you get one big deterrent to taking these jobs. Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) is dedicated to encouraging and helping those students who want public interest employment but worry about the financial future. To help the cause, the LRAP is hosting a dodgeball tournament which kicks off at 5 p.m. on Friday, March 3, in the SRSC, room MS2. Tabling for sign-up will begin on Monday, Feb. 20, in the Law School lobby. Teams will consist of five players. Team registration will be $25. For more information, e-mail Sara at saenorto@indiana.edu.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
2005-06 Sherman Minton Moot Court Competition
This week the 32 Octofinalists will begin the Octofinals oral argument rounds of the Sherman Minton Moot Court Competition. Arguments will take place each evening from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 13, through Thursday, Feb. 16. Many Indiana Law alumni will be participating as judges for the competition. Consult the posting on the main floor and outside the Moot Court office for a list of the judges and competitors each night. Anyone who is not a competitor may attend the arguments. Next week, the winners of the Octofinals will compete in the Quarterfinals, which will determine who will advance to the Semifinals and ultimately the Final Round at 7 p.m. on Feb. 24. On behalf of the Moot Court Board, thank you to all of the faculty, staff, and alumni who are contributing to the competition this year. Thanks also to our sponsor, Bose McKinney & Evans. Good luck, Octofinalists!
Law Student Leads IU Venture Capital Team to First Round Victory
On Feb. 3, a team of MBA and JD/MBA students participated in and won the first round Venture Capital Investment Competition (VCIC) at Vanderbilt University. Fourth-year JD/MBA student Mark Horvick wrote the team's term sheet and led the team's Q & A portion of the competition. The VCIC is regarded as the nation's premiere strategy competition for venture-minded and entrepreneurial students. The competition is open to all graduate level students, and successful teams typically have expertise in the areas of finance, law, information technology, and the life sciences. Students from top universities in the United States and Europe play the role of venture capital firms and interact with real entrepreneurs pitching real business plans. Five real venture capitalists judge the competition. IU's team is coached by Professor Tim Boeglin, director of the Entrepreneurship Law Clinic, Donald F. Kuratko, executive director of the Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation (JCEI), and Gary Anderson, JCEI Venture Capitalist in Residence. The team is comprised of Horvick, as well as Daniel O'Neill, second-year MBA, and Yogini Samudra, David Rowling, and Tony McAllister, first-year MBAs. The team earned a rarely seen unanimous first place vote among the five judges, decisively deposing teams from Purdue, Georgetown, Georgia and Wake Forest. The team will face teams from Duke, North Carolina, Virginia, NYU, and others in the upcoming Atlanta round.
Snyder Visiting Scholar
Professor Earl A. Snyder, a 1947 graduate of Indiana Law, has generously provided support for one student (current 2L, 3L, LLM, or SJD) from Indiana University to work at the Research Centre for International Law of Cambridge University during the fall of 2006 (September through November). Students selected in past years have been graduating 3LS. A current 2L or SJD, if selected, would need to take a leave of absence for the fall 2006 semester. Snyder will provide air fare, housing, meal allowance, and a small stipend. The Centre contemplates that the Snyder Scholar will be in residence for about three months and will conduct extensive research, primarily of his/her own development. Because the Centre expects the Snyder Scholar to work on an international law project, applicants must have had international law or equivalent courses. The Snyder Scholar should also be committed to further study of or practice in international law. Demonstrating a commitment can be done by listing courses taken in the international law area, research in international law topics, employment in the international arena, knowledge of languages, career goals, extracurricular activities, etc. Applicants should provide a resume, a statement of commitment to international law, and a personal research agenda. Return your completed applications to Jeanne Criswell in room 022 by Monday, Feb. 27. The preliminary selection committee will be comprised of faculty. The final selection will be made by the Cambridge University Director in March. See Dean Len Fromm with questions.
Cash and Recognition Opportunities
Have you ever stopped to look at the bulletin boards outside of the offices of Student Affairs and the Recorder? If so, you know that there are loads of opportunities to submit your written handiwork and, in return, make yourself eligible for extra cash and resume-enhancing awards! On the board now are contests with substantial top prizes like: $3,000 in the American Judges Association's competition; $2,000 in the International Association of Defense Counsel's contest; and, $1,000 for the Defense Trial Counsel of Indiana's contest exclusively for Indiana law students. Contact Susan Kerns, director of Student Services, at skkerns@indiana.edu if you have any questions.
Professor Pager Seeks Research Assistant
Professor Sean Pager seeks to hire a research assistant, preferably with previous law journal experience, to research materials in comparative constitutional law and international intellectual property law. Send resume and cover letter to spager@indiana.edu, or leave application in faculty mailbox.
Women's Law Caucus Annual Auction
The Women's Law Caucus (WLC) Annual Auction was extremely successful and raised more than $8,000. All proceeds benefit the MiddleWay House and the Law School's Protective Order Project. We would like to thank all the professors and businesses who helped make this event successful. We also would like to thank the Walnut Street Tap for providing a free venue. Lastly, we want to thank all the bidders who spent their money to benefit these two great causes.
SBA Valentine Candy Grams
The Student Bar Association (SBA), formerly the Student Law Association, is selling Valentine's Day Candy Grams. Send your valentine, friend, classmate, or favorite professor sweet treats and cards for Valentine's Day. Stop by and order a Candy Gram at noon this week in the lobby. Check your mailbox on Valentine's Day to see if you got a Candy Gram, and pick it up during the day on Feb. 14 at the SBA Office.
Community Mediation Training Planned
The Community Justice and Mediation Center (CJAM) will offer a 32-hour community mediation training between Feb. 21 and March 4. Training sessions will be conducted on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Saturdays over the two-week period. The lead trainer will be Tina Nabatchi, an IU-SPEA instructor and doctoral student, as well as a CJAM board member, mediator, and facilitator. Participants will learn about the mediation process, the mediator's role, and restorative justice. Communication and conflict resolution skills will be taught through dynamic activities and role-plays. The training is open to the public. Registration forms can be obtained by contacting cjam@bloomington.in.us or calling Amy Dowell at 336-8677. They are also available online at www.bloomington.in.us/~mediate. The cost of the training is $200 if you register by Feb. 15; late registration will cost $250. Payment is due at the time of registration or on the first day of training. Please send a deposit of $10 with your registration form if you decide to pay at the event. Scholarships and fee reductions are available.
BAR/BRI Offers Reminders for Taking the Bar Exam
As the bar exam quickly approaches, here are some very important reminders. You should receive an invoice from BAR/BRI (via mail and e-mail) by the end of the month. If you do not, please stop by the table in the Law School lobby. Make sure your read through the invoice and accompanying info carefully as there are a lot of important details you should know about. Please note: If you are taking the bar exam in any other state, your invoice will be mailed shortly. If you do nothing else, start thinking about payment immediately. BAR/BRI offers a variety of opportunities to help students with their balance. If you wait too long before applying for scholarship funds or financial assistance, the funds may not be available. The late filing deadline for the MPRE is Wednesday, Feb. 16. You can sign up for the BAR/BRI class to prepare for the MPRE by completing the form at the BAR/BRI table or downloading it from www.barbri.com. The MPRE exam is on Saturday, March 11. The next exam is Friday, Aug. 4. If you have accepted a job with a law firm that will pay for your bar review tuition, you must notify BAR/BRI to bill the firm by April 15. If you haven't done so, please do so ASAP. If you haven't enrolled in BAR/BRI, don't delay! Stop by our table in the lobby between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. You may also enroll online at www.barbri.com. Remember, any funds paid toward another full- service bar review will be fully deducted from your balance. For more information, contact Lucas White (lunwhite@indiana.edu) or Geoff Smith (gedsmith@indiana.edu), your head student BAR/BRI representatives at IU Bloomington. For a comprehensive description of BAR/BRI, visit http://www.barbri.com/about/about_frame.htm.
Law Library Offers Training for Research Assistants
While these sessions will refresh the research skills that might have become rusty since your first-year Legal Research & Writing course, they will also cover more advanced research skills and subject-specific resources that were not covered in that class. Our goal is to make it easier for each R.A. to find the information that his or her faculty member needs. R.A.'s can sign themselves up for a session, or faculty members can do it for them. If you have any questions or would like to sign up, please contact Liz Goldberg by e-mail (ellarson@indiana.edu) or phone (855-1886). She would appreciate at least a few days' advance notice. Also, please specify any particular resources or subject areas that you would like covered in the training session.
Get Involved with the Pro Bono Project
Would you like to network with attorneys? Do you need more real-world legal experience in order to find a job or to decide what area of law to pursue? Is there a specialty area of law that you would like to pursue, but do not know how? The Pro Bono Project is pleased to announce that students can accomplish all of the above while earning one B710 credit. As part of the Pro Bono Project, students can work with local attorneys and/or pro se litigants on a variety of cases in a variety of specialty areas. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Diane Walker, District 10 Pro Bono Project coordinator, at Dist10probono@aol.com.
Scheduling Events
All e-mail about reserving classrooms must be sent to BL-LAW-EVENTS. Mail must be sent to the correct address, bl-law-events (for Outlook users) or bl-events-law@exchange.indiana.edu (for non-Outlook users). Please include the date and time of event, the length of time the room will be needed, the classroom requested, and the number of people attending the event. Requests should be sent at least one week before the event and should include the name of the person requesting, the organization planning the event, and an e-mail address. Confirmations will be sent by reply e-mail. Thank you!
Audio-Video Services
Requests for AV services may be sent to Beth at av@exchange.indiana.edu. Please include the name of your group and the e-mail address of the contact person, a description of what you want to do, and the date, location, starting time, and duration of the event. Requests must be made at least 48 hours in advance and will be confirmed by e-mail.
ILA SUBMISSIONS
The Indiana Law Annotated (ILA) is published every Monday while school is in session with news about the coming week. Information and articles for the ILA should be submitted to ila@indiana.edu by Thursday at noon for inclusion in Monday's edition. If you have questions about an item appearing in the ILA, please contact Debbie O'Leary (e-mail at ila@indiana.edu, or phone 855-2426). To view past issues, visit www.law.indiana.edu/publications/ila/.