COMMENCEMENT

 

Three Honorary LL.D. Degrees to be Awarded at Commencement

Student Commencement Speaker Selected

 

National Anthem Singers Selected for Commencement

For the first time, Southwestern will add the Star Spangled Banner to its commencement ceremony. Graduating day students Aylin Algan and Zeina Jafar were selected to perform the National Anthem as a duet for Southwestern's 92nd Commencement Ceremony. During the Fall semester, a student proposal sought to include Francis Scott Key's notoriously challenging theme to the annual ceremony, which would be performed by a graduating student(s). The proposal was accepted and auditions were held in February.

STUDENTS

ITAP Teams Reach 2nd Place, Semifinals

The Interscholastic Trial Advocacy Program (ITAP) recently sent teams to two major regional competitions.

National Ethics Trial Competition; Second-Place Team
Advised by Professor Joseph Esposito, Southwestern's team of advocates - Linda K. Bradlyn, Elisabeth Duarte, Mia Floisand and Heather Patrick - competed at the National Ethics Trial Competition in Sacramento in March, going undefeated in three preliminary rounds. Out of 16 teams, Southwestern placed second. "Once again our ITAP students enjoyed another very successful tournament experience," Professor Esposito said. "They did a truly outstanding job. The four advocates were incredible ambassadors for Southwestern."

In addition to Professor Esposito, coaches for the team included Professors Karen Smith and Bill Seki, and alums Mario Trujillo '95 and Octavio Chiadez '00. Michael Whitmarsh served as team manager.

American Attorneys for Justice (formerly the American Trial Lawyers Association) Competition; Semi-finalists
Southwestern sent two teams to the The American Attorneys for Justice (formerly ATLA) competition last month in Santa Monica. According to Professor Bill Seki, both teams performed admirably. The team of Tessa King, Keya Koul, Autumn Puro and Kristie Shields placed fourth after three preliminary rounds and advanced to the semi finals where they were defeated by Pepperdine, which took first place in the competition.

 

Law Review/Law Journal Announce 2007-2008 Leaders

Congratulations to the following students on their appointment to leadership positions on the boards of the Southwestern University Law Review and Southwestern Journal of Law and Trade in the Americas.

Law Review Executive Board

Editor-in-Chief
Adrienne Dameron

Managing Editor
Marcus Cuper

Special Projects Editor
Daria Boxer

Lead Articles Editors
Artin Gholian
Alison Hamer
Lonnie McDowell
China Rosas

Note and Comment Editors
Melanie Deutsch
Erin Uyeshima
Lisa Wantanabe
Rachael Weinfeld

Law Journal Executive Board

Editor-in-Chief
Ly Tran

Managing Editor
Alexis Amber

Lead Articles Editors
Anne Goldin
Todd Mumford
Katherine Quigley
Michael Weir

Note and Comments Editors
Samantha Borghi
Jessica Cohen
Jonathan Nese
Danielle Ochi

Associate Editors
Carrie Ayon
Leila Golchehreh
Tara Rose

Southwestern Student Lands Prestigious Internship

 

"Dinah Bear, the CEQ's General Counsel, explained that the office coordinates federal environmental policies and initiatives including the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and works with other agencies and White House offices," Webster said. "She described a very hands-on experience where I would have the opportunity to write legal memoranda, do legal research and attend Congressional hearings. It is a great fit because my Ojibwe grandparents taught me that Indian people have a deep responsibility to protect the earth and all its creatures."

Professor Angela Riley recognized Webster's strong commitment to Indian legal issues during her Federal Indian Law and Cultural Property classes as well as her involvement with Southwestern's Native American Law Students Association (NALSA) and encouraged her to apply for the program. "Professor Riley is the faculty advisor of the club and an incredible resource, constantly providing NALSA with information on opportunities in the field of Indian Law." Read more.

86 Students Participating in Spring Externships

Externships offer law students an opportunity to explore areas of interest and gain valuable on-the-job experience. During the Spring semester, 86 students are working in a variety of positions: 19 in judicial offices, 30 in government, 10 in public interest, 23 in the entertainment/sports and four in entertainment practicum.

AROUND CAMPUS

Online Registration Now Available

Southwestern students can now register online for Summer 2007, Fall 2007 and Spring 2008 courses through WebAdvisor. According to Carolyn Haith, Director of Registration and Records, access to the schedule of classes and registration times is now available. Students will need to specify their student ID number and the last four digits of their Social Security Number to get a priority start time. Registration materials have been prepared to assist in the registration process and to provide guidance in the selection of classes for this upcoming academic year. Students are strongly encouraged to read the following guides before attempting to register for courses through WebAdvisor:

           
Additional assistance is available in the Registration and Records Office.

LSSSE Surveys

 

Staff Promotions

Anne Lynn has been named Student Counselor/Disability Coordinator in the Office of the Dean of Students. In this capacity, Anne will assist students seeking advisement concerning their progress to graduation, coordinate student requests for special accommodations, and assist students with other personal concerns. She will provide special assistance to transfer and visiting students and will provide support for other special projects to enhance the student experience at Southwestern, including Table Days and the LSSSE survey. Anne will continue to provide other support to the Dean of Students Office as well as related support to the Student Affairs Office.

GETTING TO KNOW YOU

 

A Dozen Questions for Professor Michael Scott

Q: With such an extensive background in technology, what are some of your favorite new products?
A: I am actually not a fan of technology for technology's sake. I buy something if I have a real need for it, and even then I only get the features I really need. My iPod is not new, but I use it every day at work and it is incredibly convenient not to have to carry around a bag full of CDs. I am really sold on Firefox, an Internet browser that has an enormous array of free add-ons that allow you to customize the browser to do everything you might want.

Q: What attracted you to technology law?
A: I had a technology background (graduated from MIT), but did not really think I would be using any of that training after law school. However, when lawyers I worked with found out that I knew what computers and software were, they started referring work to me. Out of that grew my specialized practice. It is an area of law that is never dull and is continually challenging.

Q: In your opinion, what has been the most important piece of legislation in that last few years that directly addresses the advancing technological landscape?
A: Most of the “technology" legislation enacted over the last decade has actually been anti-technology. It was proposed and supported by old-line companies that were trying to slow down the use of new, innovative technologies, not to facilitate the adoption of those technologies. These companies and the trade associations that front for them have the political clout necessary to gain passage of these laws. Seldom does Congress pass legislation that is pro-technology. The best that technology supporters have been able to do in most cases has been to get a compromise, such as the DMCA, which provides something for everyone. But as recent developments have shown, the DMCA is sorely out of date and does not provide the public with the flexibility needed to use new technologies to their maximum capabilities.

Q: How has the Internet affected intellectual property law?
A: The positive result of the Internet has been to level the playing field in terms of allowing individuals and small organizations to compete with larger, established companies in getting their intellectual property into the marketplace. The negative result has been the fact that the Internet makes it extremely easy for people to infringe other people's IP rights. A new balance between copyright owners and users of copyrighted works needs to be achieved. Unfortunately, that hasn't happened yet. But it will, because consumers are not willing to wait and, if large copyright owners don't become more reasonable, piracy will increase to the point that companies will not be able profitably to develop and distribute new works. But it is not all doom and gloom. New business models will develop that will give consumers what they want and still allow copyright owners to make a decent return on their investment.

Q: What was your most memorable case when you practiced?
A: Most of the cases I worked on did not seem to be that memorable at the outset. It was just two parties slugging it out over a particular, relatively narrow issue. However, once those cases went to the appellate level, they took on much broader significance. There were a number of landmark copyright cases that I was fortunate to be involved in while in private practice. Perhaps the most cited is MAI v. Peak, in which the 9th Circuit held, for the first time, that copying a work into the memory of a computer constituted a copy, and hence an act of copyright infringement. The decision pre-dated the Internet, so at the time the ruling did not seem to be that significant. However, with the advent of the Internet, this decision has become very significant.

Q: Which course is your favorite to teach and why?
A: I enjoy all of the courses I teach. But my favorite is Drafting and Negotiating Technology Agreements. It allows me to teach students what is not in any textbook, namely, how lawyers really draft contracts. I try to make it fun by having interesting fact situations. Also at the end of the course we have two experts come in who act as clients, and the students get to be their lawyers and represent their interests.

Q: If you could not fail, what would you do?
Write screenplays - while continuing to teach law, of course.

Q: Since you began your affiliation with Southwestern [in 1976 as an adjunct faculty member], what's the biggest change you've seen in your students throughout the years?
A: The school has always had extremely motivated students, many of whom would not have been able to attend law school if it weren't for the many options available to them - evening classes, part time programs, etc. There has been a steady increase in the credentials of students entering the school. There has also been a steady increase in the technical savvy of our students. There were no laptops, or even personal computers in 1976. There was no Internet, no email, no cell phones, no instant messaging. Now even the least tech-savvy law student considers these amazing technologies to be second nature. Most students use these technologies to aid in their learning experience. Unfortunately, too many students allow these technologies to be a distraction. They are not listening or participating in class, and that is an enormous mistake. Being an active participant in one's legal training is critical to becoming a good lawyer. You can't learn to think like a lawyer, or participate like a lawyer, if you are merely a reader and passive listener.

Q: How often do you need to update and revise your texts on technology to keep them current?
A: Every text I use is outdated by the time it is printed. That is just the nature of the field - things move much too rapidly to be captured in a printed publication. Fortunately, the Internet allows the authors of these casebooks to provide electronic updates as new issues develop. For my contract drafting class, I change approximately 20% of the book each year. And there are always a few new developments that occur during the course that the students need to be made aware of. So there are always some handouts to supplement the Syllabus.

Q: What is your favorite law themed TV show or movie?
A: I generally don't watch TV shows or movies that involve trial scenes, because they invariably do them wrong - particularly with evidentiary objections and rulings. I find that I am yelling at the TV set - "Object, for heaven's sake. It's hearsay (or a violation of the parole evidence rule or best evidence rule, etc.). But I like shows like CSI and Numbers, which involve legal issues but generally do not involve courtrooms scenes."

Q: What are some of your hobbies outside of teaching and technology?
A: While others like to play golf or poker, I like to write. When I am not updating my books, I like to write fiction - novels, short stories, movie and TV scripts. I do it for my own edification, not for money. Most of the things I have written have never been read by anyone else - and that's fine with me. It's just a personal outlet.

Q: What advice do you have for students who want to practice in the area of technology law?
A: Don't let the technology scare you off. If you got into law school, you are smart enough to learn what you need to know about the technology your clients are developing or using. Also, you don't have to know everything about every technology instantly. You can learn as you go. Clients are always willing to talk about their technology, and they are used to explaining it to non-technical people - bankers, investors, customers, etc. You can also read books written for non-technical people to get a basic background in new technologies - like the "For Dummies" series - which are surprisingly good sources of information.

Q: Mac or PC?
A: Both. I much prefer the Mac, but I use both interchangeably. If you come to my office you'll see me using my desktop PC and my laptop Mac at the same time. Using cross-platform software like Microsoft Office and the Firefox web browser make it relatively easy to use both technologies simultaneously.
 

FACULTY ACTIVITIES

• Site Team Chair, Provisional Accreditation, ABA Section on Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, Faulkner University School of Law, Montgomery, Alabama

• "Broadcast Technology as Diversity Opportunity: Exchanging Market Power for Multiplexed Signal Set-Asides," 59 FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS LAW JOURNAL 1 (December 2006)

• "Lawyer Satisfaction in the Process of Structuring Legal Careers," 41 LAW AND SOCIETY REVIEW 1 (with R. Dinovitzer; 2007)
• Chair, AALS Committee on Research Meeting, Washington, D.C.

TRUSTEES

Southwestern Alum and Trustee Confirmed to Federal Bench

 

FACULTY

 

Southwestern Welcomes New Full-Time Faculty for 2007-2008

Two new full-time faculty members will be joining Southwestern this fall. David Fagundes has been appointed as Associate Professor of Law. He will initially teach courses in Copyright and Property. Julie K. Waterstone has been appointed as Associate Clinical Professor of Law. She will help develop and direct the new Children's Rights Clinic.

"Both bring outstanding academic and professional credentials as well as tremendous enthusiasm for teaching and research," Dean Garth said. "They are great bets to be future leaders of their fields." Read more.

Southwestern Welcomes New Adjunct Faculty

Hon. Mitchell Beckloff and Professors Patrick Crawford and David Rosenbaum, experts in community property, tax law and video game law, have joined Southwestern's adjunct faculty for Summer 2007. Read more.

Three Professors Honored with 2007 Excellence in Teaching Award

 

 

Professor Austen Parrish - First-Year Professor

• "Professor Parrish is a fantastic professor and contributes to nearly all aspects of the Southwestern Community."
• "In the classroom, Professor Parrish fosters interesting discussions that are engaging, and easy to follow. He teaches in a manner that allows students to discern the relevant legal issues."
  
• "Beyond his teaching style, Professor Parrish is the most approachable professor on campus. He will always drop whatever he is doing to meet with any student, whether or not that student is in his class." 
• "In his five years as a professor at Southwestern, Professor Parrish has been a great influence on students' lives and on their legal development."
  

Professor Angela Riley - Upper Division Professor

• "Professor Riley brings her excellent knowledge of specialized areas of law to her classroom. She teaches cutting edge legal topics such as Federal Indian Law, and has created a tremendous course that is not taught anywhere else in the country, Illiberal Groups in the Liberal State."
• "Professor Riley brings her extensive knowledge as an attorney, Judge for the Morongo Tribe, and Justice on the Supreme Court of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation of Oklahoma."
• "After having taken classes with Professor Riley, it is clear that she is brilliant, kind, and very passionate about the subjects that she teaches."
  
• "Professor Riley has shown tremendous dedication to Southwestern over the past four years, and I hope she stays here for decades to come."
  

Hon. J. Gary Hastings - Adjunct Professor

• "Professor Hastings is extremely generous with his time for all students. His experience as an Associate Justice for the California Court of Appeal, Second District, Fourth Division, is unparalleled."
• "Professor Hastings' accessibility to his students is incredible, especially considering the fact that he is not on campus everyday."
• "He is both a caring Judge and professor, and his contributions to the Southwestern community are much appreciated."
  
  

 

Southwestern Professors Help Judges Polish Writing Skills

Professors Michael Frost and Paul Bateman have partnered in a unique effort to help judges advance at one of their most essential responsibilities: drafting opinions. What began as a one-time job evaluating a course for the National Judicial College (NJC) has blossomed into regular engagements for the professors, where they have taught members of the bench how to improve their writing for the last 15 years. "Sometimes their writing simply needs to be burnished a little bit stylistically. Sometimes the material is not as well organized as it ought to be," Professor Frost said.

Each year, Professors Frost and Batemen conduct a handful of seminars for practicing judges from all over the country. About half are held at the NJC in Reno, Nevada, where judges from across the spectrum go to hone their professional skills. "When we do a session, we read their work first," Professor Bateman explained. "That gives us some idea of what we're going to do for a particular session. We customize it each time." Read more.

EVENTS

Leading State Jurists to Preside over Final Intramural Moot Court Rounds

 

Coming Soon: SBA Elections

The campaign to elect the 2007-2008 Student Bar Association officers kicks off on Monday, April 16 when candidates will address the student body at 12:30 p.m. in the Student Commons (behind the Westmoreland building). Elections will take place Tuesday and Wednesday, April 17 and 18 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The SBA encourages all students to meet the candidates, vote and then volunteer. For further information, contact the SBA Office.

Alumni and Students Honored at Annual Event

The entire Southwestern community is invited to attend the Alumni Association's 20th Annual Awards Recognition Reception and Auction on Thursday, April 19 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. on the second floor of the Bullocks Wilshire building. This year's honorees include "Alumnus of the Year," Michael J. Downer '81, Senior Vice President, Fund Business Management and Coordinator of Legal and Compliance, Capital Research and Management Company; "Outstanding Judicial Officer," The Honorable David S. Wesley '72, Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles; and "Outstanding Friend," Professor Karen Smith. In addition, two deserving students will be presented with scholarships during the event. This year's recipients are Greg Mohrman from the traditional day program and Joshua David Buck, a first-year SCALE student. They were selected based on their active involvement in community and law school activities while upholding academic excellence.

A silent auction will provide guests the chance to bid on everything from movie tickets to Maui vacations. With bids ranging from $10 to $500, anyone can join the fun. The event is designed to pay tribute to those who have generously given their time and resources to Southwestern and raise money from the auction to benefit the Alumni Association's Scholarship Fund. The cost to attend is $40 for alumni and friends, $15 for Southwestern students and free for students in the Graduating Class of 2007. Reservations are mandatory, so those planning to attend are urged to contact the Development Office as soon as possible.

Julia Mason to be Honored Upon Retirement

Julia Mason, Southwestern's Associate Director of the Externship Program, has served students and the legal profession for nearly two decades. She will be retiring in June and Southwestern will honor her work in a reception, to be held in the Bullocks Wilshire Building on May 29. To receive an invitation to this free event, please contact the Public Information Office, as an RSVP is required.

CAREER CORNER

Career Services has several upcoming events to help students make connections, obtain clerkships, learn about the Patent Bar and prepare to be a summer clerk. For more information on any of the following programs, contact the Career Services Office.

Summer Job Listings
In an effort to assist students, the Alumni Association in conjunction with the Development and Career Services Offices, have contacted Southwestern alumni and encouraged them to list positions for Southwestern students for the summer as well as for graduates pending bar results. Last year, more than 100 paid and volunteer positions were listed. The CSO has five lists already published and more will come out every Friday until the end of the semester.

Learn about the Patent Bar - Tuesday, April 17, 4:45 p.m., W311
Mark Dighton of the Practising Law Institute will talk about the Patent Bar Exam, including application procedures. This is a must attend event for anyone thinking of taking this exam.

Summer Clerk Boot Camp - Monday, April 23, 12:30 and 5 p.m., W311
Find out what to do to get the most out of summer clerking experiences. Topics will include how to approach assignments, effective networking skills, how to deal with billable hours, and everything else that students need to know to make the summer a success.

ABOTA Fellowship Opportunity for Graduating Students

The Los Angeles County Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) is accepting applications for its fellowship program for graduating students taking the California Bar Examination this summer. The program begins in September and lasts three months (the successful candidate must agree not to accept any offers of employment until the program has been completed).

The first month of the program will be spent in a defense firm. The fellow will not be a law clerk, but will sit with a senior partner or associate in depositions, court appearances, settlement conferences, motion hearings and/or trials. The second month will be spent in a plaintiffs' firm, witnessing all of the above from a different angle. The third month will be spent at the Los Angeles County Superior Court with various judges who will expose the fellow to both courtroom and chambers proceedings.

A stipend is typically offered with the fellowship and many past fellowships have resulted in job offers. The deadline to apply is May 18, 2007 and interviews will begin in mid to late May 2007. For more information and submission details, contact the Career Services Office.

Unfair Competition Law Program

The Antitrust and Unfair Competition Law Section of the State Bar of California is presenting its annual Unfair Competition Law Program at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles on Friday, May 18, 2007, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The section is offering scholarships to the first five law students to phone in and register for the program (call the State Bar Program Registrations Office at
(415) 538-2466 for instructions).

The theme of the program is California's Unfair Competition Law After Prop. 64: You Want To Sue? May the Force Be With You. The program will examine multiple aspects of California's unfair competition laws, including the Unfair Competition Law, California B&P Code Section 17200; the Consumer Legal Remedies Act; and the impact on class actions of the federal Class Action Fairness Act. The program, chaired by Elaine Foreman, Director of Legal Services for Cisco, will feature Federal Trade Commissioner J. Thomas Rosch as the keynote speaker. Panelists include several prominent practitioners from government, the plaintiffs' bar, and the defense bar. Registration is also available online at www.calbar.ca.gov/antitrust and a special student rate is also available.

GETTING TO KNOW YOU

"W.A.Y." - Who Are You & Why Are You here?

 

Dakar Diourbel, Third-Year Day Program

When Dakar Diourbel took the LSAT on Southwestern's campus, he walked around the Bullocks Wilshire building and saw an old photo of the law school's first graduating class from 1914. "I remember walking through the building and looking in the display case and there was a black man in the group. I was very impressed because that picture was taken long before the civil rights movement." Then he saw a picture of the late Los Angeles Mayor (and Southwestern alumnus) Tom Bradley. "I had moved to L.A. and I thought Southwestern was the best option for me, so I decided to go here."

Born and raised in and around the suburbs of Chicago, Diourbel earned two bachelors degrees from Illinois State University: one in Occupational Health and Safety and the other in Anthropology. Although he spent part of his sophomore year of undergrad living in Southern California and taking class at Los Angeles City College, he returned to Illinois to finish his degrees and work in Occupational Compliance.

The youngest of eight siblings, he moved to Los Angeles four years ago because several of his brothers and sisters already resided here and he wanted to live in a better climate. Diourbel spent his first year in Southern California working for Eastman Chemical. He started law school thinking he would go into environmental law, representing plaintiffs against chemical companies. But as he has continued to study and network with local attorneys, his interest has shifted to criminal defense and personal injury.

Now in his third year, Diourbel has enjoyed his experience at Southwestern, working in the fitness center since his first year, in what he calls "one of the most coveted jobs on campus because you can get a lot of studying done down here." He also enjoys talking to the students who come to the gym. "I've wound up mentoring first year students, giving them advice."

When he is not studying, Diourbel enjoys spending time with his family, working out (he prefers weights), riding motorcycles and reading anthropology books. Though he is almost finished with school, he has a big choice to make: the location of his next step. "I'm making my decision about where I'm going to take the bar: it will either be California, Arizona, Georgia or somewhere in the South."

ESSAYS & SCHOLARSHIPS

A selection of scholarships and essay contests are available in the Financial Aid Office (W102), on the bulletin board in the Westmoreland basement and online.