EVENTS
Prosecutor Joseph Esposito '89 to Address New Students
Joseph
P. Esposito, Assistant Head Deputy in the Los Angeles County District
Attorney's Hardcore Gang Division, adjunct professor and Southwestern
alumnus, will welcome members of the entering class as the keynote
speaker at Orientation on August 14. Professor Esposito teaches courses
in trial advocacy and has worked in several divisions of the D.A.'s
Office, including the Hate Crimes Suppression Unit and Central Trials.
He has personally tried more than 80 felony cases and now supervises
dozens of lawyers in the Hardcore Gang Division, which is devoted
almost exclusively to murder cases.
Professor
Esposito has been recognized for his outstanding skills in the
courtroom by such entities as the Association of Deputy District
Attorneys, and Justice for Homicide Victims who named him as
"Prosecutor of the Decade" in 1999. He has also been honored for his
performance in the classroom as the recipient of Southwestern's first
Excellence in Teaching Award for Adjunct Faculty. More.
Law Review Symposia to Look at the Legal Profession and the Courts
The Southwestern University Law Review
has set an ambitious agenda with two scholarly symposia scheduled for
the fall and another in the spring. In October, the Law Review will
present a progress report on the "After the J.D." study, and a 40th
anniversary retrospective of California's federal judicial districts. A
third symposium, on the subject of evidence, is being planned for
February.
Southwestern faculty, students and staff will have the opportunity to attend the programs without charge; however, reservations will be required. Click either title for more information and registration details.
This symposium will focus on the early results of the first ever,
national longitudinal study of lawyer careers, the "After the J.D."
Project. The multi-million dollar study is funded by the Access Group,
the American Bar Foundation (ABF), the Law School Admission Council
(LSAC), the National Association for Law Placement (NALP), and the
National Science Foundation, among others, and is headquartered at the
ABF. The study is tracking the careers of nearly 5,000 lawyers who were
admitted to the bar in the year 2000 and explores such issues as the
role of race and gender, law school grades, law school attended, job
settings, and how other factors play into early career moves and the
satisfaction that beginning lawyers get from their professional
practices.
The symposium will pay particular attention to the careers of urban
lawyers and the role of law schools linked closely to urban careers.
Dean Bryant Garth, who is Director Emeritus of the ABF, has served on
the Executive Coordinating Committee of the project since its inception
and will be joined at the program by the other principals of the
project as well as leading commentators from the academic and
professional worlds.
Marking the 40th anniversary of the present design of
California's federal judicial districts, this symposium will examine
the history of the Central District, major changes and some of the key
cases decided by its judges.
Speakers include 14 sitting Federal District Court and Court of
Appeals judges and eight prominent historians and law professors.
Morning panels will focus on the early history of the Court, changes in
U.S. litigation practice since the 1960's, and how changes in Southern
California and U.S. society generally have influenced the work of the
District Court. Afternoon panels will focus on the desegregation of
Pasadena, the Century Freeway litigation and settlement, and important
cases involving Hollywood and Technology and Law Enforcement, with
comments by the judges who presided over the key cases.
ITAP Tryouts Scheduled
Students
who wish to polish their advocacy skills through competition are
invited to participate in the selection process for the 2006-2007 Interscholastic Trial Advocacy Program
(ITAP). Informational meetings will be held on August 28, 2006 at 12:30
and at 5 p.m., with the first round of tryouts taking place September
11-12 & 14. Further information is available from ITAP Chair Peter
Brockenbrow (pbrockenbrow@swlaw.edu), as well as through the ITAP Office or the Student Affairs Office.
Job Opportunities Come Calling with OCIP
Beginning
September 11, a variety of law firms, government entities, and public
interest organizations will be taking part in Southwestern's Fall On-Campus Interview Program
(OCIP). Students in the 2nd and 3rd year Day; 3rd and 4th year Evening;
3rd and 4th year PLEAS; and SCALE II are invited to participate.
To be eligible, applicants must do the following
by 6 p.m. on August 23, 2006: 1) submit a signed copy of the OCIP
registration form to the Career Services Office; 2) fill out a profile
and upload a copy of their resume to the Symplicity system; 3) read and
review the 2006 Fall OCIP information, which includes, but is not
limited to, General Information, How to Participate, NALP Timing
Guidelines, and Policies and Standards. Students must "bid" for
interviews by the relevant and applicable deadlines. For employers
coming to campus in September, employers who have not yet chosen a
date, and all resume forward employers, bids must be placed by 11:00
p.m. on August 23, 2006. For employers visiting campus in October, bids
must be placed by 11:00 p.m. on September 14, 2006.
Students
must also attend a "How to Participate in the OCIP" seminar on either
August 17 at 12 or 3 p.m. in W329 or August 22 at 12:30 or 5 p.m. in
W311. Students are strongly encouraged to attend one of the resume
writing workshops in preparation for the Fall OCIP as well as the many
other workshops and seminars being sponsored by the Career Services
Office. Complete schedules of workshops and events were mailed to
students, and duplicate copies can be obtained in the Career Services
Office. Questions may be directed to the Career Services Office.
Don't Miss Externship Day - 9/12!
For
many students, some of the most rewarding hours in law school are those
spent in an externship getting hands-on experience. About 300
Southwestern students participate in externships
each year, in placements that range from Warner Bros. to the Public
Defender's Office to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. On Tuesday,
September 12, a special Externship Day will be held to provide students
with an opportunity to learn about the program and the application
process.
The
Externship Day event will be held on the Promenade at 12:30pm and
5:00pm. There will be food and drinks, and Externship Program staff
will be on hand to answer questions about field placements, how to
prepare, and what to expect during an externship.
Externships
are graded on a Credit/No Credit basis and may be taken for 2 to 10
units, during the summer, fall or spring. Placements are available in
public interest, government, courts and entertainment settings, as well
as the new "Street Law - Youth in Transition" program in which participants work with at-risk Los Angeles teens.
Don't
miss this event - especially because applications for spring
externships are due by September 15th, and it's not too soon to plan
for summer placements! For more information, contact the Externship Office.
BIEDERMAN INSTITUTE
Journal of International Media and Entertainment Law Debuts
The Biederman Institute is proud to announce that the inaugural issue of the Journal of International Media and Entertainment Law
has been published. A joint project of the Institute and the American
Bar Association's Forum on Communications Law, the Journal fills a
special niche by promoting scholarship focused on the international
dimension of media and entertainment law. While students play an
important role in handling the considerable editing chores, faculty
and practitioners select the articles and make substantive edits.
Among the well-regarded scholars and
practitioners who contributed to the inaugural issue are Floyd Abrams,
one of the country's leading First Amendment scholars and
practitioners; Ashley Packard, a member of the communications faculty
at the University of Houston; Richard N. Winfield, formerly counsel to
the Associated Press and now Chairman of the World Press Freedom
Committee and a faculty member at Columbia and Fordham law schools; and
Kyu Youm, the Jonathan Marshall First Amendment Chair at the University
of Oregon. The issue also includes the transcript of the Entertainment
Without Borders symposium co-sponsored by Southwestern and the Beverly
Hills Bar Association, and a student report on a recent legal
development.
Professor David Kohler's State of the Institute
message contains for more information on the recently published Journal
and other events that took place through the Institute during the past
year.
Upcoming Biederman Institute Events
The Biederman Institute is working with leading organizations in the
media industry and the legal profession to present an array of outstanding
programs for practitioners, students and faculty this semester. For more information on either of these events, contact Tamara
Moore in the Biederman Institute.
Save the Date for the Next "Conversation"
On September 21 at 7:30 p.m., the Institute's "Conversations
With..." series will feature Jamie Gold, the Readers' Representative
of the Los Angeles Times, in a discussion titled "Don't Shoot the Messenger." The event offers one unit of MCLE credit and a reception will follow.
Southwestern Co-Sponsors Videogame Conference
Southwestern
and Loyola Law Schools are co-sponsoring a program, Legal
and Business Issues in the Videogame Industry, on October 21. The video game business is the fastest growing
segment of the entertainment industry, and the legal aspects of this
business are fascinating and very complex. This all-day conference
will be held at Loyola Law School campus and will cover an overview of
video
game technology, business structures
and economics; licensing deals for acquiring movie rights to games,
and game rights to movies; game developer/publisher deals; music-for-games
agreements; talent deals for coders, writers and designers, name & likeness
licenses, and big-name talent agreements; and insight into the newly-emerging
businesses of wireless games, casual games, and digital distribution.
More information will be available online in the coming weeks.
AROUND CAMPUS
Upcoming Security Workshops
Street Smarts
Orientation Fair, August 14
Vehicle Safety
Wednesday, September 20, 12 p.m.
All security workshops are held on the Westmoreland Steps.
Kalush Named CFO
Paul Kalush has been appointed as Southwestern's Chief Financial
Officer. He originally joined Southwestern in December of 1999 as
Accounting Manager after serving in Deloitte & Touche's Assurance
and Advisory Services division. In October 2001, he was promoted to
Controller, and in June of 2005, he also became the Director of the
Accounting Department.
As Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Kalush is responsible for the
management of the daily operations of the accounting department. He
oversees all accounting and financial systems and controls; administers
the school's operating budget; provides budget and financial reports;
oversees the annual audit; administers accounts payable and receivable,
payroll and employee benefits; and implements the investment policy.
During the 2005-2006 academic year, Ms. Janice Manis served as Acting
Chief Financial Officer, in addition to her vast responsibilities as
the Director of Administrative Services. Her management, leadership and
guidance were invaluable, and she and Mr. Kalush have worked to put
systems in place that will both strengthen and simplify the law
school's financial management. Ms. Manis will continue to be
extensively involved in all aspects of budgeting and financial
management.
Staff Additions and Promotions
Southwestern welcomes its newest staff members to campus. In addition,
a Southwestern staff member, Bismarck Garcia, formerly Student Services Assistant in
Accounting, has been promoted to Payroll/Benefits Clerk.
Erin Auerbach, Senior Writer, Public Information Office - Prior
to joining Southwestern, Erin worked as a features writer for two years
at The Press-Enterprise, a 190,000 daily newspaper serving Riverside
and San Bernardino Counties. Her work has also appeared in several
Las Vegas newspapers and national theater and fitness trade magazines.
Erin earned her B.F.A. degree at the University of Arizona, Tucson
and an M.A. degree in print journalism from the University of Southern
California, as well as an M.A. in theater arts from the University
of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Ji Eun Chang, Student Services Assistant, Accounting - Ji
Eun recently earned her bachelors degree in the Mathematics from
University of California, Los Angeles. While attending school,
she worked as a senior clerk for the UCLA Department of Psychology.
Courtney Hong, Student Services Assistant, Student Affairs
Office - Courtney earned her B.A. degree in Journalism from
Pepperdine University. Prior to joining Southwestern, Courtney
worked as a Public Relations Intern with Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA)
where she coordinated media-related fundraising events and composed
articles about the benefits of HOLA’s youth programs. While
a student at Pepperdine, Courtney served as Office Assistant for
the Human Resources and Financial Assistance offices, and as an Intern
in the Public Relations and News Office.
Sean Kao, Assistant Director of Management Information Systems -
With more than 9 years of IT experience in the areas of computer
network administration and technical support, Sean worked for Los
Angeles Harbor College for more than six years as Senior Computer
and Network Specialist. His primary responsibilities at the college
were designing/specifying local area networks; establishing network
policies, procedures and standards; supervising/training IT staff,
and managing the help desk. He also served as an adjunct faculty
member for one year and taught "Computer Information 1." He
earned his B.S. degree in Management Information Systems from University
of California, Riverside and an MBA degree from California State
University, Dominguez Hills.
Hannah Lee, Student Services Assistant, Registration and
Records Office - Prior to joining Southwestern, Hannah worked
as a Legal Assistant to an attorney specializing in business and
bankruptcy law. Hannah earned her B.A. degree in Political Science/International
Relations from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Connie Ng, Computer Services Assistant, Library Staff -
Connie is filling a new staff position for the library, as part of
the effort to enhance computer and technology support for students.
Library Computer and Network Services staff will now respond to all
student inquiries involving ExamSoft and WebAdvisor (the new web-based
interface for student records) as well as student wireless connectivity,
electronic mail and computer lab services. Connie is a graduate of
the University of California, Irvine with a B.S. degree in Information
and Computer Science, and has prior work experience in marketing
and customer service.
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TRUSTEES
Business and Community Leader Joins Southwestern Board
Ms. Lauren B. Leichtman '77, co-founder and chief executive officer of
Levine Leichtman Capital Partners (LLCP), has been elected to
Southwestern's Board of Trustees. A prominent member of the business
community, she also serves on the boards of numerous charitable and
civic organizations. Leichtman has remained close to Southwestern
throughout a career that has taken her from the legal division of the
United States Securities and Exchange Commission to a founding
principal of a billion dollar private equity firm.
Dean Bryant Garth noted, "Lauren Leichtman is a highly respected leader
in the investment community and brings extraordinary financial acumen
and insight to the Board. She has long been an enthusiastic and loyal
supporter of Southwestern, and in this new role will be an even greater
asset to the law school as we plan our future direction." More.
FACULTY
Faculty Activities
PROFESSOR CATHERINE CARPENTER
- The Constitutionality of Strict Liability in Sex Offender
Registration Laws, 86 BOSTON UNIVERSITY LAW REVIEW 295 (2006)
PROFESSOR MICHAEL FROST
- Lecturer (with Professor Paul Bateman), Judicial Opinion Writing Seminar,
National Judicial College, University of Nevada, Reno
DEAN BRYANT GARTH
- Keynote Speaker, Underdog Legal Knowledge and Globalization, Australasian Law Teachers Association Annual Conference, Melbourne,
Australia
- Speaker, Dealing with Increased Mobility and Globalization in
Law,
Australian Legal Education Forum, Melbourne, Australia
- Quoted in "The Minority Partner Paradox: Law Professor Claims
Lower Hiring Standards Lead to Exodus of African-Americans at Law Firms," ABA
Journal eReport
- Quoted in "Defending Skilling May Pay Dividends for Law Firm" and "Enron
Ruling Should Prompt Settlements in Civil Suits," Los Angeles
Times (May 2006)
PROFESSOR DAVID KOHLER
- At the Intersection of Comic Books and Third World Working
Conditions: Is It Time to Re-Examine the Role of Commercial Interests
in the
Regulation of Expression? 28 HASTINGS COMMUNICATIONS AND ENTERTAINMENT
LAW JOURNAL 145 (2006)
- "Beware: Attorney-Client Privilege May Be at Risk," "Challenge
to Military Recruiters Raises Key First Amendment Issue," "Going
Postal with Free Speech," "Its Own Worst Enemy" and "'Zero
Tolerance' Restricts Free Speech: Some educators are curbing
students' First Amendment rights as if Columbine is lurking around
every corner," Commentary Series, Fulton County Daily Report (American Lawyer Media, 2005/2006)
New Faculty Appointed for Fall 2006
From
left: Professor Janine Kim, Professor Gowri Ramachandran, Professor
Alexandra D'Italia and Professor Catherine Kunkel Watson
Southwestern Welcomes New Adjunct Faculty
Experts
in subjects ranging from Law and Sexual Orientation to California Civil
Procedure have joined Southwestern's adjunct faculty for 2006-2007. More.
Professor Dorff to Serve as New Associate Dean for Research
Professor Michael B. Dorff has been appointed as Associate Dean
for Research. This new position will entail many responsibilities that
aim to support and develop the faculty's scholarly research and publications.
A
tenured member of Southwestern's full-time faculty, Professor Dorff has
taught courses in business associations, contracts, and corporate
mergers and acquisitions since he arrived in 2003. In his new
administrative role, he will also coordinate the guest speaker series
of faculty from around the country, serve as point person for junior
faculty concerns about scholarship, advise and help facilitate
submissions to scholarly journals and book publishers, and organize
educational opportunities for faculty to learn about the scholarship
process and help develop proposals for grant and fellowship
opportunities, among other efforts. More.
Southwestern Names Four Faculty Members for 2006-07 Professorships
Southwestern Law School has honored four of its highly respected faculty
members with professorships for 2006-07: Professor Michael H. Frost
as the Irwin R. Buchalter Professor; Professor Warren S. Grimes as
the Irving D. and Florence Rosenberg Professor; Professor Karen R.
Smith as the Paul E. Treusch Professor; and Professor Catherine L.
Carpenter as the Justice Marshall F. McComb Professor. Criteria for
the selection of the recipients is based on excellence in teaching,
service to the law school and its students as well as outstanding scholarship
and assistance to the legal profession and the community. More.
Mavis Appointed to Superior Court Bench
Adjunct
Professor Darrel Mavis, who teaches Trial Advocacy at Southwestern, was
named to the Los Angeles Superior Court by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge
Jacob Adajian. Professor Mavis was a Los Angeles County Deputy
District Attorney since 1992, serving with the Major Crimes Division
for four years and previously in the Hardcore Gang Unit. From 1998 to
2000, he was assigned on loan to the U.S. Department of Justice to work
on extradition and other international criminal issues. He is a
graduate of MIT and Harvard Law School.
STUDENTS
Winners of Southwestern's 2006 SCALE Moot Court Intramural Competition
Announced
Darnell accepts her award from members of the Moot Court Board of Governors
Darnell won Best Oralist as well as Best Writer in the intramural competition.
Starkey earned second place for oralist and alternate honor for writing. "We
prepared like crazy," Starkey said. "At school, at home, on the phone,
through email, even in our pajamas."
Already working at an accelerated pace to complete their J.D. degrees in Southwestern's
unique two-year program, SCALE students were required to compete in the first
two rounds of Moot Court, arguing a variety of issues including negligence
and product liability. More.
Students Participate in Summer Externships
During the summer,
more than 100 Southwestern students served in full- and part-time
externships in judicial offices, government and public interest
agencies, and companies that focus on entertainment law.
Southwestern Student Selected for 2006 Equal Justice Works Summer
Corps Program
Jose Ruvalcaba, a day student at Southwestern, was awarded a special summer internship
with the American Civil Liberties Union through the Equal Justice
Works' Summer Corps program.
In
2006, Summer Corps participants included first-year and second-year law
students from 113 law schools. They each spent at least 300 hours at
public interest internships, providing critically needed legal
assistance to low-income or underserved communities in 42 states. The
Summer Corps members also gained first-hand experience and lawyering
skills in areas such as client intake, individual representation, and
legal research and writing. Ruvalcaba worked at the ACLU of Southern
California in Orange, on a variety of civil rights projects. For more
information on opportunities from the Equal Justice Works Summer Corp
Program, click here.
Student Awarded Scholarship from Datatel Foundation
Steven DeRelian, a third-year day student, has been awarded a $1,500 Returning
Student Scholarship from the Datatel Scholars Foundation. The scholarship
is targeted to outstanding students who have returned to higher education
after an absence of five years or more. The Datatel Scholars Foundation
is an independent tax-exempt organization that has awarded 3,000 scholarships
to graduate and undergraduate students nationwide totaling nearly $4.5
million, supporting the company's longstanding
commitment to higher
education and its clients. For more information on the Datatel Scholars Foundation programs, click here.
GETTING TO KNOW YOU
"W.A.Y." - Who Are You & Why Are You here?
This Month - Steven DeRelian, Third-year Full-time Day Student
Director Robert Zemeckis needed an actor to yell at Tom Hank's character, "Forrest
Gump." He chose Steven DeRelian from a group of extras to play a fellow
wounded Vietnam vet in the VA hospital scene where Forrest watches TV and
gave him five lines of dialogue.
"When the cameras started rolling I couldn't remember any of them," DeRelian
recalled. "So I just said the first thing that came to mind - 'Gump how
could you watch that stupid (expletive)? Turn it off!'" Zemeckis loved it
and DeRelian had his first movie role.
Now a third-year day student who transferred to Southwestern last year, DeRelian
knows that life can take you in as many directions as an epic movie. A part
time stuntman in film and TV, he realized he didn't want to take physical
risks forever and entered law school with plans to be
come an entertainment attorney.
And although he relished the challenge and depth of Professor Robert Lind's
copyright class the most so far, he now wants to focus on family law, bankruptcy
and perhaps even become a political strategist one day.
DeRelian believes the best lawyers are those who bring a lot of their own life
experience to the table. And he's got plenty of that. Raised in Santa Cruz,
he began his undergraduate career at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon
to study space physics, but he said it was "very 'granola,' just like
home," and he wanted something different.
He transferred to USC and earned his business degree in 1992. During his senior
year, he became a father. Two years as a junior broker in investment banking
made him yearn for some adventure. "I decided I wasn't really going to
reach 40 without living life so I pursued a career as a stuntman. All you have
to do is look at my hook to know that I was a risk taker in the past," DeRelian
said.
His right prosthetic arm, the result of an amputation, hasn't stopped him from
pursuing a variety of jobs, including a brief stint as a "repo man," which
proved too dangerous to stick with longer than six weeks. Contrary to common
perception he did not lose his arm performing a stunt. And he hopes that Hollywood
might eventually evolve and cast a character that just happens to be an amputee,
rather than the lost limb being the basis for the character.
Law school was a bit scarier than some of his stunts - or so he once thought.
He was intimidated when he sat in on a lecture at Southwestern two years ago,
so he enrolled at Whittier Law School. But Southwestern's beautiful campus,
provocative faculty and strong connections with its Los Angeles alumni intrigued
him too much. Various note takers for each of his classes help him keep up
with his course work, so his biggest challenge is lugging around all the books.
But he loves to read them. "I like the law business. I like that it's
a 'thinking man's game.' You can be 70 and still do it."
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.
Please note: The information regarding scholarships and
essay contests on Southwestern's website provides a list for informational
purposes only. Students interested in applying for any scholarship should
contact the sponsoring organization directly for specific details and deadlines.
External sites are provided for informational purposes only and are not endorsed
by Southwestern.
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