Law School News Archives

12/17/2009 - Law Faculty Scholarship Cited in FTC Virtual World Report
A recent report to the U.S. Congress from the Federal Trade Commission examining virtual worlds prominently cites the work of two Washington and Lee law professors.

12/16/2009 - Prof. Brian Murchison Lectures about Blogging and Free Speech during Australia Visit
Brian Murchison, Charles S. Rowe Professor of Law at Washington and Lee, recently spent several weeks in Australia as a visiting scholar at the University of Melbourne Law School and its Center for Media and Communications Law.

12/14/2009 - Law Dean Rodney Smolla Named President of Furman University
Rodney A. Smolla, dean and Roy L. Steinheimer, Jr. Professor at Washington and Lee University School of Law, has been named president of Furman University in Greenville, S.C. Smolla will assume his new position on July 1, 2010.

12/3/2009 - GAO Report Highlights W&L Black Lung Clinic
The U.S. General Accounting Office has released a report examining the Federal Black Lung Benefits program, and the Black Lung Clinic at Washington and Lee University School of Law is mentioned several times in the report as a prominent provider of legal services for those seeking federal benefits.

11/23/2009 - Law Professor Christopher Bruner Wins AALS Scholarly Papers Competition
Christopher Bruner, Associate Professor of Law at Washington and Lee University School of Law, has been named the winner of the Association of American Law Schools 2010 Scholarly Papers Competition.

11/18/2009 - Community Law Center Hosts Voting Rights Seminar
Nationally prominent voting rights advocates gathered in Lexington at the Washington and Lee School of Law to discuss reform of Virginia's felony disenfranchisement law, which takes away convicted felons' right to vote.

11/9/2009 - Law Students Travel to Tanzania to Research Sex Crime Enforcement
Watching human suffering from half a world away can be frustrating. But six Washington and Lee law students in a new international law class are getting the rare chance to do something about it.

11/7/2009 - Law Professor Files Supreme Court Amicus Brief
Washington and Lee University School of Law Prof. Lyman Johnson filed in October an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in the case Merck and Co. v. Reynolds.

11/6/2009 - Robin F. Wilson Named to Chaired Professorship
Robin Fretwell Wilson, a professor of law at Washington and Lee University School of Law, has been named Class of 1958 Law Alumni Professor of Law.

10/28/2009 - Law Professor’s New Book Chronicles Execution of Juvenile Offender
When Chris Thomas was executed by the Commonwealth of Virginia in January 2000 for a brutal double murder he committed at the age of 17, he became one of the last juvenile offenders put to death before the U.S Supreme Court ruled that the execution of juveniles constituted cruel and unusual punishment.

10/27/2009 - New Law School Organization Explores Economy and Politics of Arab World
The Middle East and North Africa Law Society brings together students, alumni, faculty, and professionals dedicated to surveying and analyzing the economic, legal, political, and cultural issues of the Middle East and North Africa.

10/22/2009 - Law Symposium to Explore Violence on College Campuses
In the United States, the last decade has been largely defined by violent events. With the exception of the 9/11 attacks, most of these tragedies have involved violence on school grounds. From Columbine to Virginia Tech, people hear these names and remember where they were when they heard the news.

10/19/2009 - W&L and United Nations Partner on International Investment Project
Washington and Lee School of Law has announced a new partnership with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development to explore the prevention and efficient management of investment treaty disputes.

10/14/2009 - Law School Launches New Criminal Defense Clinic
The School of Law at Washington and Lee University has launched a new legal clinic focusing on misdemeanor criminal defense. Law students working in the Criminal Justice Clinic will represent in district and circuit court indigent clients facing criminal charges including assault, driving while intoxicated, shoplifting, and marijuana possession.

10/13/2009 - Poverty Law Scholar David Super to Lecture at School of Law
David Super, professor of law at the University of Maryland School of Law and a leading scholar in the field of anti-poverty law, will speak at the Washington and Lee School of Law on Monday, Oct. 19.

10/9/2009 - Annual Supreme Court Preview Highlights Variety on Supreme Court Docket
The 2009-10 U.S. Supreme Court docket is full of interesting cases, including another exploration of the Second Amendment and its application to state gun laws, the free speech protections related to images depicting animal cruelty, and corporate malfeasance.

9/30/2009 - Prison Overcrowding Target of New W&L Partnership in Liberia
A new partnership between Washington and Lee and the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative, and the James A.A. Pierre Judicial Institute in Liberia will focus much needed resources on Liberia's overcrowded prison system.

9/23/2009 - Visiting LL.M. Students Hope to Bring Better Life to Afghanistan
M. Asif Ehsan and Sebghatullah Ebrahimi can see the path to peace and prosperity in their native Afghanistan, and it is a long one that may even wind through Lexington.

9/15/2009 - Louis Fisher to Deliver Constitution Day Address at W&L
Louis Fisher, Specialist in Constitutional Law with the Law Library of the Library of Congress will deliver the University's Constitution Day address at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 17, in the Stackhouse Theater.

9/10/2009 - ASIL President Lucy Reed to Deliver Transnational Law Institute Fall Lecture
Lucy Reed, president of the American Society of International Law and a senior partner with Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, will deliver the Washington and Lee Transnational Law Institute Distinguished Lecture for fall 2009.

9/7/2009 - Law Professor’s New Book Explores Human Side of Bioethics and Health Law
September 17 marks the ten year anniversary of the death of Jesse Gelsinger, the first person to die in a human gene therapy trial. Gelsinger's story is just one of the cases revisited in the new collection from professor Robin Fretwell Wilson.

8/31/2009 - Washington and Lee Partners with Carter Center to Expand Liberia Justice Project
The Transnational Law Institute at Washington and Lee University School of Law has announced a new partnership with the Carter Center that places current or recently graduated U.S. law students with a variety of institutions in Liberia working pro-bono on access to justice issues.

8/21/2009 - Critically Acclaimed Novelist and Former Botswana High Court Judge visits School of Law
Unity Dow, the first woman appointed as Justice in the High Court of Botswana, will deliver a public lecture at Washington and Lee School of Law on Thursday, Aug. 27.

8/20/2009 - Law Students Return to Revamped Third Year
When third year students return to Washington and Lee Law School this week, they will be met with a brand new curriculum, one designed to prepare them for the transition from law students to legal practitioners.

8/14/2009 - New Law Professor Trains the World’s Lawyers
James E. Moliterno, the Vincent Bradford Professor of Law at Washington and Lee School of Law, travels the globe helping foreign legal systems develop ethics codes and training programs that guide lawyers, judges and law students through the conundrums they face in their professional careers.

7/28/2009 - Law Dean Reflects on Role as Gubernatorial Debate Moderator
Washington and Lee Law Dean Rodney A. Smolla explains how he prepared to moderate the first debate in the closely watched Virginia governor's race and shares his impressions of the event.

7/16/2009 - New Article Examines How Public Health Plans Affect Federal and State Regulations
On Wednesday, the Senate health committee approved a plan to revamp U.S. health care. A new article by Washington and Lee law professor and leading health law expert Tim Jost examines the challenges to federal and state regulations as reform is implemented.

7/15/2009 - Law Dean to Moderate First Debate in Virginia Governor’s Race
Washington and Lee School of Law Dean Rodney A. Smolla will moderate the first debate between Creigh Deeds and Bob McDonnell for the closely watched Virginia governor's race.

7/6/2009 - Law Professor’s Work Cited by UK High Court
Washington and Lee law professor Mark Drumbl's research on the Rwandan genocide trials influenced a recent United Kingdom High Court of Justice decision involving the extradition to Rwanda of four high-profile genocide suspects.

7/2/2009 - German Law Journal, Leading Online Journal, Celebrates Ten Years of Transnational Legal Analysis
The German Law Journal, the first English-language legal periodical to comment on developments in German, European and international jurisprudence, will celebrate its tenth anniversary on July 2 in Berlin with a two-day symposium featuring world renowned scholars and experts in law and public policy.

6/23/2009 - Law Professor Benjamin Spencer Appointed Special Assistant United States Attorney
A. Benjamin Spencer, Associate Professor of Law at Washington and Lee University School of Law has been appointed to serve as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia.

6/22/2009 - Carole Shorter, Long-time Dean’s Assistant, to Retire from W&L
After many years of distinguished service, Carole Shorter will retire from on July 31, 2009. Shorter has long served as the assistant to the Law School Dean.

6/16/2009 - Washington and Lee Participates in Yellow Ribbon Program for Veterans
Washington and Lee University is among the colleges and universities participating in the new Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program, a provision of the 2008 Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act.

6/15/2009 - Law Professor Participates in SEC’s 75th Anniversary Program
On June 4, Washington and Lee Law School professor Lyman Johnson participated in a program to celebrate the Securities and Exchange Commission's 75th anniversary. An audience of several hundred attended the program.

6/10/2009 - Sally Wiant to Retire as Law Library Director
Prof. Sarah K. Wiant will retire as director of the Washington and Lee Law School Library at the end of June to assume full-time duties as a teacher and scholar on the Washington and Lee Faculty of Law.

6/5/2009 - Law Professor Testifies on Indigent Defense before Congressional Committee
Erik Luna, professor of law at Washington and Lee School of Law, testified again before a U.S. congressional subcommittee on a state's ability to provide legal services to indigent defendants.

6/1/2009 - W&L Black Lung Clinic Wins Two 4th Circuit Cases
Washington and Lee University School of Law students have again prevailed in two Black Lung benefits disputes argued this year before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

5/9/2009 - School of Law Honors Graduates at 2009 Commencement Ceremony
The Washington and Lee University School of Law celebrated its 154th commencement on Saturday, May 9 as 138 J.D. degrees and five LL.M. degrees were awarded.

5/6/2009 - Law Student Wins Top Scholarship Award Honoring Virginia Civil Rights Champions
Kathy Pritts '11L, a first year law student at Washington and Lee School of Law, has received the top scholarship from the Greater Richmond Bar Association and the Oliver W. Hill and Samuel W. Tucker Scholarship Committee.

5/4/2009 - Law Professor Elected Vice-President of American Bankruptcy Institute
Margaret Howard, Law Alumni Association Professor of Law at the Washington and Lee University School of Law, has been elected Vice-President of the American Bankruptcy Institute.

5/4/2009 - Law Professor Russell Miller Receives Fulbright Research Grant
Law professor Russell Miller has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar senior research grant to conduct research in Heidelberg, Germany at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and Public International Law.

4/24/2009 - Head of British Supreme Court to Deliver Law Commencement Address
Lord Nicholas Addison Phillips, president of the newly formed Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, will deliver this year's commencement address during the 2009 graduation exercises at the Washington and Lee University School of Law.

4/21/2009 - W&L to Hold Open House at Roanoke Legal Clinic
On May 1, from noon to 4 p.m., the School of Law will hold an open house to officially launch the Washington and Lee Community Law Center in Roanoke. The event is co-sponsored by the Oliver Hill Foundation and is part of a series of events to celebrate Law Day.

4/17/2009 - Three Law Students Receive VLF Public Service Scholarships
Washington and Lee School of Law students Patrick Chamberlain '10L, Gail Deady '11L, and Rachel Mack '11L have been selected as the 2009 recipients of Virginia Law Foundation Public Service Internship awards.

4/17/2009 - Prof. Johanna Bond Named WLSO Professor of the Year
The Women Law Students Organization at Washington and Lee University School of Law has named Johanna E. Bond the 2009 recipient of the organization's Professor of the Year award.

4/9/2009 - Law Professor’s Book Honored by International Law Organizations
The American Society of International Law has selected Washington and Lee Law Professor Mark Drumbl's recent book as first runner-up for its 2009 Certificate of Merit for Creative Scholarship. This prize is among the most prestigious publishing awards globally in the field of international law.

4/2/2009 - Medal of Freedom Winner William T. Coleman to Deliver Annual Law and History Lecture
Distinguished attorney and public servant William Thaddeus Coleman, Jr. will deliver the annual Hendricks Lecture in Law and History. Coleman, one of the lead strategists and coauthor of the legal brief in Brown v. Board of Education, will explore the impact of the NAACP on the civil rights movement.

4/2/2009 - Law School Tax Clinic Receives IRS Grant
The Tax Clinic at the Washington and Lee University School of Law has been awarded a matching grant from the Internal Revenue Service's Low Income Taxpayer Clinic program. This is the second straight year that the Tax Clinic has received federal dollars to support its efforts.

4/2/2009 - Professor’s New Study Finds ALI Family Law Principles Have Small Impact
Seeking to deal with the greater complexity of the American family, the American Law Institute nine years ago adopted a set of principles to help the courts and state legislatures negotiate these breakups.

3/31/2009 - Joshua Fairfield Named Director of the Frances Lewis Law Center
Joshua A.T. Fairfield, associate professor of law at Washington and Lee University School of Law, has been named the next director of the Frances Lewis Law Center. He will begin his duties with the Center on July 1, 2009.

3/30/2009 - Law Professor Testifies on Indigent Defense before Congressional Committee
Erik Luna, professor of law at Washington and Lee School of Law, testified last week before a U.S. congressional subcommittee on a state's ability to provide legal services to indigent defendants.

3/23/2009 - 2009 Lewis F. Powell Jr. Lecture On a Supreme Court Advocate’s Perspective
Carter G. Phillips, one of the nation's foremost U.S. Supreme Court advocates, will deliver the Seventh Annual Lewis F. Powell Jr. Lecture on Thursday, April 2, at 6 p.m. in Lee Chapel.

3/23/2009 - W&L Law Symposium to Explore African Women’s Rights and Health Issues
On Friday, April 3, human rights scholars from around the world will gather at Washington and Lee University School of Law for a human rights symposium exploring women's reproductive and sexual health on the African continent.

3/20/2009 - Government Bailouts Topic of Federalist Society Panel
Former presidential candidate Bob Barr will be among the participants for an upcoming panel discussion at Washington and Lee School of Law exploring government bailouts.

3/19/2009 - Applications to School of Law Buck National Trend, Up 29 Percent This Year
Law school applications are up nationally 4 percent, running lower than expected during an economic downturn. Washington and Lee School of Law is a notable exception, with applications up 29 percent over last year.

3/18/2009 - Death Penalty Topic of Law School Panel Discussion
On Wed. March 25, legal scholars will meet at the School of Law to debate the influence of contemporary culture on the Supreme Court's death penalty rulings.

3/17/2009 - Law Professor Expert Witness on Mutual Fund Case Headed to U.S. Supreme Court
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear arguments next term in a case involving a mutual fund management company and allegations of excessive fees. Washington and Lee School of Law Professor Lyman Johnson served as an expert witness for the plaintiffs in the case.

3/9/2009 - Reconciling Same-Sex Marriage and Religious Liberty
On March 13, Prof. Robin Wilson will participate in a Brookings Institute forum exploring church-state conflicts that same-sex unions may engender.

3/5/2009 - W&L School of Law Receives $2 Million Gift for Third Year Reform
The Washington and Lee School of Law has received a major financial boost with the announcement of a $2-million gift to support the efforts to change the way third-year students prepare for transition from law students to legal practitioners.

3/4/2009 - James F. Childress to Deliver Inaugural Johnson & Johnson Lecture
Dr. James F. Childress, Professor of Ethics and Medical Education at the University of Virginia, will deliver the inaugural lecture of the new Johnson and Johnson Law and Medicine Colloquium Series at the Washington and Lee School of Law.

3/4/2009 - School of Law Welcomes New Faculty for 2009-10 Academic Year
Washington and Lee University School of Law will welcome five new teachers to the permanent faculty for the upcoming academic year.

2/19/2009 - W&L Negotiations Teams Finishes Fourth at National Championships
The Washington and Lee School of Law team of Mike Gardner '10L and Steve Mammarella '10L took fourth place at the American Bar Association's 2009 National Negotiations Competition, held in Boston February 14-15.

2/18/2009 - 2009 Phi Alpha Delta Charity Auction Raises over $11,000 for Local Charity
Phi Alpha Delta raised over $11,000 during their annual charity auction. Proceeds will benefit the Hoofbeats Therapeutic Riding Center.

2/17/2009 - Dean Smolla Elected to Board of Governors of Virginia Bar
Rodney A. Smolla, dean and Roy L. Steinheimer, Jr. Professor of Law at Washington and Lee University School of Law has been elected to the Board of Governors of the Virginia Bar Association.

2/13/2009 - Law Students to Assist Area Residents with Tax Preparation
Students from Washington and Lee University School of Law will offer free tax preparation assistance for low- to moderate-income taxpayers in the Rockbridge county area this tax season.

2/10/2009 - W&L Symposium Advises Obama Administration on Climate Change
On Feb. 20, legal scholars, economists and scientists from around the nation will converge at Washington and Lee for a symposium exploring the Obama administration's initial steps at addressing the effects of climate change and anticipating the challenges ahead.

2/6/2009 - Law Professor Offers Expert Testimony at United Nations Conference
Susan D. Franck, associate professor at Washington and Lee University School of Law and an expert in international economic law and dispute resolution, will present expert evidence this February at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development in Geneva, Switzerland.

1/29/2009 - W&L Negotiations Team Headed to National Championships
The Washington and Lee School of Law team of Mike Gardner '10 and Steve Mammarella '10 will compete at the American Bar Association's 2009 National Negotiations Competition, to be held in Boston February 14-15.

1/22/2009 - W&L Law Professor Mark Drumbl Delivers Oxford University Honorary Lecture
Washington and Lee School of Law Professor Mark Drumbl delivered the Foundation for Law, Justice and Society Lecture at Oxford University. He presented a lecture titled "Justice after Atrocity: A Cosmopolitan Pluralist Approach."

1/13/2009 - Acclaimed German Novelist and Constitutional Scholar to Visit W&L
Bernhard Schlink, author of the international bestseller and Oprah Book Club selection The Reader, will lecture and meet with students at Washington and Lee University on Feb. 4-5. The German novelist's visit comes in the midst of his tour of awards events celebrating the just-released and critically-acclaimed film adaptation of his book.

1/12/2009 - NAACP Bureau Chief to Speak at W&L Law on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
NAACP Washington bureau director Hilary O. Shelton will join the University's celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Alumnus and Harvard law professor Jack Goldsmith also on hand for ODK/Founders Day.