Pitt Law Magazine | Fall 2019 by University of Pittsburgh School of Law

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UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH

A PLACE CALLED HOME P I T T S B U R G H A N D I M M I G R AT I O N S C H O O L O F L AW

BOARD OF VISITORS Nicole Aandahl (JD ’01)

Vincent J. Bartolotta Jr. (LLB ’70) Maximilian F. Beier (JD ’99) Linda Beerbower Burke (JD ’75) The Honorable Robert J. Cindrich (LLB ’68) Carrie Collins (JD ’99) Senator Jay Costa Jr. Q. Todd Dickinson (JD ’77) The Honorable D. Michael Fisher Elke Flores-Suber (JD ’96) Brad A. Funari (JD ’02) James M. Gockley (JD ’80) Vincent J. Grogan (LLB ’60) Jo Ann Haller (JD ’80) Gerald T. Hathaway (JD ’79) Dawne S. Hickton (JD ’83), chair Frederick Wells Hill (JD ’78)

MAGAZINE

DEAN AND PROFESSOR OF LAW Amy J. Wildermuth EDITOR Cori Parise CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Cindy Gill Kat Procyk Margo Shear

Elizabeth L. Hughes (JD ’04) President-Elect Jill M. Weimer (JD ’07) Vice President Tony J. Thompson (JD ’06) Secretary Stuart W. Benson III (JD ’75) Assistant Secretary Patrick Sorek (JD ’84) Immediate Past President Joseph J. Bosick (LLB ’73) Preceding Immediate Past President Maximilian F. Beier (JD ’99) Thomas M. Beline (JD ’07)

Tremelle I. Howard (JD ’97)

The Honorable Mary Jane Bowes (JD ’79)

Joseph A. Katarincic (LLB ’60)

Shannon O. Braden (JD ’07)

Richard B. Kelson (LLB ’72)

Dorothy A. Davis (JD ’81)

James E. Kopelman (LLB ’66)

The Honorable Kim D. Eaton (JD ’81)

The Honorable Lisa Pupo Lenihan (JD ’83)

Ilene H. Fingeret (JD ’86)

Marvin S. Lieber (LLB ’58)

Bruce C. Fox (JD ’84)

The Honorable Frank J. Lucchino (LLB ’64)

The Honorable Alan D. Hertzberg (JD ’83)

The Honorable David J. Mayernik

The Honorable Marilyn J. Horan (JD ’79)

Martha H. Munsch Jack H. Olender (LLB ’60) Timothy D. Pecsenye (JD ’87) Diane W. Perer (JD ’76) Robert J. Rogalski (JD ’92) Pamela Samuelson The Honorable Doris A. SmithRibner (LLB ’72) Jeffrey P. Taft (JD ’92)

DESIGN Office of University Communications

UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH SCHOOL OF LAW ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD OF GOVERNORS LIST Michael S. Nelson (JD ’96) President

Janice Hartman West (JD ’75)

The Honorable Philip A. Ignelzi (JD ’81) The Honorable Lisa Pupo Lenihan (JD ’83) Bethany E. Miller (JD ’08) Kevin W. Tucker (JD ’11) The Honorable Christine A. Ward (JD ’82) Kristin L. Wells (JD ’96)

Scott E. Westwood (JD ’91)

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS University of Pittsburgh Visual Services Kat Procyk Terry Clark

PRODUCTION Chuck Dinsmore ALUMNI NOTES law.pitt.edu/alumni/note

Pitt Law magazine is published by the University of Pittsburgh School of Law Office of the Dean and the Office of University Communications. The University of Pittsburgh is an affirmative action, equal opportunity institution. 111928-1219 UNIVERSIT Y OF PITTSBURGH

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I N S I D E P I T T L AW

6 A PLACE CALLED HOME

Pitt Law’s Immigration Law Clinic helps to navigate the complicated and ever-changing U.S. legal system.

12 THE MAN BEHIND THE BILL

In honor of the 75th anniversary of the GI Bill, we look into the life of the Pitt Law graduate who drafted it.

16 MOTION FOR GOOD

Pitt Legal Income Sharing Foundation has helped students to obtain careers in public interest for the past 33 years. Now, there is an opportunity for everyone to help.

20 OPINION:

REMOVING SEX STEREOTYPES FROM CONTRACEPTION

22 PROFILE:

REAL COURTROOMS, REAL TRIAL ATTORNEYS, REAL COURT CASES

24 PROFILE:

THE UNSINKABLE CRAIG DIETZ

2 NEWS & EVENTS 26 FACULTY 28 ALUMNI 37 PARTING SHOT

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ON CAMPUS

NEWS & EVENTS

JANET BELL SPEAKS ON LIGHTING THE FIRES OF FREEDOM

Janet Bell is committed to helping us all to learn the names of prominent African American women who often are forgotten in conversations about the civil rights movement. In her presentation at Pitt Law, Bell referenced her book, Lighting the Fires of Freedom: African American Women in the Civil Rights Movement, which shares the previously untold stories of nine women and their extraordinary struggles for justice and equal rights. Bell, a social justice activist with a doctorate in leadership and change from Antioch University, is the widow of Derrick A. Bell (LLB ’57). She helped to fund the school’s Derrick A. Bell Fund for Excellence. Pitt Law also has established the Derrick A. Bell Constitutional Law Commons in Barco Law Library.

Left: Janet Bell signs a copy of her book, Lighting the Fires of Freedom: African American Women in the Civil Rights Movement.

THEMIS BAR REVIEW PARTNERSHIP

THE PENNSYLVANIA BAR EXAM RESULTS ARE

Passing the bar just became a little more affordable. An innovative partnership between Pitt Law and Themis Bar Review LLC will accelerate students’ first steps into their legal careers. The December 2019 graduating class will be the first to benefit from the discounted program, which provides a comprehensive suite of resources to every law student. In the past two years, 100 percent of graduates who completed at least 75 percent of the Themis prep course passed the Pennsylvania bar exam on their first try. “Pitt Law is known for providing a world-class legal education and for our investment in preparing our students for the legal profession. We wanted a partner who would work closely with us so that we are able to ensure our students’ success in law school and on the bar exam, and we found that, and more, in Themis,” says Dean Amy J. Wildermuth.

IN AND, WITH A

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91.36% PASSAGE RATE, THE

UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH SCHOOL OF LAW IS #1 IN FIRST-TIME BAR PASSAGE IN THE STATE. CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS OF 2019 ON THIS INCREDIBLE ACHIEVEMENT !

Pitt Law’s bar prep resources are available to alumni regardless of graduation year. For some graduates, the bar exam was not an important focus, as their career path didn’t warrant it. For others, bar passage has been just out of reach. Pitt Law graduates of any year—in Pennsylvania or elsewhere—are encouraged to connect with the director of academic success and bar exam services for everything from on-demand bar prep resources to one-on-one assistance with exam-taking strategies. To learn more, contact Rob Wible, director of academic success and bar exam services, at rwible@pitt.edu.

CONSTITUTION DAY PANEL EXAMINES THE 14TH AMENDMENT

The bitterly contested 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was adopted in 1868 to address citizenship rights for former slaves. 150 years later, it may not have lived up to its promise. In honor of Constitution Day, Pitt Law hosted a panel discussion about the intent of limits to, and ongoing challenges in realizing the rights guaranteed by the 14th Amendment. Approximately 50 students, staff, faculty, and community members attended the event, which featured topic discussions led by Associate Professor Jasmine Gonzales Rose, Professor David Harris, and Professor and Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development Deborah Brake. “The 14th Amendment has been such a tremendous source of individual rights. There are a lot of other places in the Constitution that grant individual rights … the Bill of Rights only runs against the federal government,” Brake said. “So without the 14th Amendment, it just would be a very different country in terms of an individual’s ability to assert rights against government power.”

ONE-DAY LAW SCHOOL FOR JOURNALISTS

eporting on the legal system without a law degree can be daunting. Pitt Law partnered with Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts to host One-Day Law School for Journalists™, a oneday intensive program on the court system to support journalists and others in the media who have little experience covering the courts or who want to be sure they are on top of all current issues. More than 50 members of the media attended the event and participated in discussions led by Judge Mike Fisher, Judge Marilyn J. Horan (JD ’79), Dean Amy J. Wildermuth, Pitt Law adjunct professor Julie Colton (JD ’05), and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette court reporter Paula Ward, among others.

2019 LAW FELLOWS AND DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI HONORED

The Law Fellows and Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner, hosted by the Honorable Philip A. Ignelzi (JD ’81) with special guest speaker Pitt Chancellor Emeritus Mark A. Nordenberg, honored Pitt

Law grads Robert E. Eberly Jr. (JD ’69), the Honorable Marilyn J. Horan (JD ’79), the Honorable Frank J. Lucchino (LLB ’64), and Lawrence E. Gurrera II (JD ’09) as well as the 2018–19 Law Fellows, Pitt Law’s leading donors of $1,000 or more.

Left to right: Lawrence Gurrera II (JD ’09), Carol Gurrera, Susan Gurrera, and Larry Gurrera S C H O O L O F L AW

UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH SCHOOL OF LAW COMMENCEMENT

2019

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Craig Dietz (JD â&#x20AC;&#x2122;99) spoke to graduates during the 2019 commencement ceremony, held on May 10 at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum. The class of 2019 comprised 120 JD graduates, 14 LLM graduates, four MSL graduates, and one SJD graduate. Thirty students graduated with honors. Professor William M. Carter Jr. received the 2019 Robert T. Harper Excellence in Teaching Award from the graduating class.

SECURITIES ARBITRATION CLINIC TEAM WINS NATIONAL ARBITRATION COMPETITION

Pitt Law’s Securities Arbitration Clinic team secured a first-place overall win, with the highest combined scores in all three areas of the competition, at the 10th Annual Securities Dispute Resolution Triathlon at St. John’s University School of Law in New York, N.Y. Under the direction of Visiting Clinical Associate Professor Alice L. Stewart, Adjunct Professor Rachael Shaw, and Michael Nagy, Esq., the clinic provides students with an opportunity to develop fundamental investigatory and advocacy skills in the context of the substantive laws governing securities.

The triathlon is a competition of dispute resolution competence. For two days, 20 three-person student teams from law schools across the country met to test their advocacy skills in three categories: negotiation, mediation, and arbitration of a securities dispute. Students play the roles of attorneys and clients, with some teams assigned the role of investor and others the role of broker-dealer. This one-ofa-kind competition provides an opportunity to develop their skills in a realistic and comprehensive securities dispute resolution experience.

Pictured from left to right are 3L student Christopher Yon; Michael Nagy, Esq.; Isabella Bergstein (Duquesne University JD ’19); Professor Alice Stewart; Henna Begga (JD ’19); and 3L student David Zwier.

PITT LAW OFFERS NEW ONLINE HUMAN RESOURCES LAW CERTIFICATE PROGRAM

pplications are being accepted for enrollment in Human Resources Law Online, a new online graduate certificate program from the School of Law that tackles the legal issues that arise in the human resources industry. The courses, which began in fall 2019, are taught over 40 weeks by Pitt Law faculty and employment law practitioners, and explore the practical applications of the law within the field of human resources. Students learn key negotiating skills to help them improve their ability to manage difficult workplace situations, such as employee contract negotiations, workplace accommodation requests, and employee terminations. Alan Meisel, emeritus professor of law and director of online legal programs, said that the curriculum is aimed at nonlawyers. “We’re trying to provide a legal education for people already working in the industry. Legal problems can arise, but people don’t realize it’s a legal problem until they need a lawyer. With the knowledge gained through these courses, one can head off serious legal problems.” Human resources, like many areas of business, has become more complicated, adds Joseph Hornack, director of the online program in human resources law. “Artificial intelligence has been playing a larger role in hiring, work evaluation, and termination decisions at some of the larger companies,” Hornack says. “The algorithms are established in ways that may contain biases.”

MSL ONLINE COMBINED PROGRAMS Students who successfully complete a Pitt Law online certificate—Health Care Compliance Online or Human Resources Law Online—may now apply the 15 credits they earn in the online program to a Master of Studies in Law (MSL) degree. This option allows students to earn both a certificate and an MSL in 30 credit hours, at an accelerated rate, and with reduced tuition costs. Pitt Law offers a multitude of advanced degrees and certifications for nonlawyers who are seeking an alternative to the traditional threeyear Juris Doctor. These programs are designed for graduates and working professionals seeking to broaden their knowledge and understanding of legal systems and how they interact with their studies or professional field.

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THE UNITED STATES IS STILL SEEN AS A BEACON OF HOPE FOR PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD IN SEARCH OF SAFE HAVEN. IN THE IMMIGRATION LAW CLINIC, STUDENTS AND THEIR MENTORATTORNEYS HELP FELLOW HUMANS-IN-NEED NAVIGATE THE COMPLEX AND SHIFTING U.S. LEGAL SYSTEM.

A PL AC E C A L L E D

Home Written by Cindy Gill

Several years ago, “Anisha” fled Angola in fear for her life. With a history of civil war, the West African country is known for its troubling human rights record and regular instances of violence against women and children. Anisha’s family was on the wrong side of a political power struggle. Her husband was killed during pro-independence political demonstrations. Her daughter was sexually abused by a security force officer. Anisha knew there was no way to get justice for either of them. So she fled, in fear of persecution and seeking safety. Her journey stretched from West Africa to Cuba. She walked through jungles and along dusty roads, crossed water in crowded boats, and hitched rides with strangers in lands where she didn’t speak the language. Eventually, she arrived in Mexico and traveled farther north.

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In 2017, about 25.4 million people were refugees worldwide, and an additional 3 million were asylum seekers. This number doesn’t include another 40 million who were displaced from their homes within their own countries because of war and strife globally.

NAVIGATING BUREAUCRACY

When Pitt Law’s Sheila Vélez Martínez first met Anisha during a clinic session, the law professor wasn’t surprised by what this woman had endured to arrive, finally, in a new home. She had heard many stories of harrowing journeys. She also knew that Anisha still faced barriers to freedom. Anisha was facing U.S. removal proceedings because she hadn’t presented herself at the border to seek asylum. Vélez Martínez was there to help, which she does regularly in her role as director of the Immigration Law Clinic. But the Angolan woman arrived at the clinic without identification documents or any other paperwork needed to start working on her case. She had left them behind in her room, not realizing that the papers were critical to her future in the United States. Vélez Martínez—the Jack and Lovell Olender Professor of Refugee, Asylum, and Immigration Law—says that this incident illuminates the importance of the Immigration Law Clinic’s services. “Bureaucracy is an invisible oppressor,” she says, “because you can’t ‘see’ bureaucracy or the law or regulations. It’s not like the jungle or the boat or the border that is physical for you—that with all of your might and tenacity, you can overcome. It’s an oppression that’s invisible to the naked eye.” The clinic’s lawyers and law students are ready to help. They serve as guides and advocates for their clients, who must navigate the complexities and 8

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nuances of the U.S. legal system just to gain even the possibility of being granted resident status. Perhaps surprisingly, the Pittsburgh region is home to a diverse community of immigrants from more than 25 countries. Latinos from Ecuador, Peru, Honduras, Mexico, and elsewhere. People from Bhutan, Nepal, South Korea, and Vietnam. Congolese, Angolans, Somalis, and other Africans. Russians, Chinese, Iraquis, and Syrians also coexist within the city. CHANGING THE LANDSCAPE OF ACCESS

While many people come to this region from other countries seeking to work or study here, these individuals are typically not seeking permanent U.S. residency. Instead, the Immigration Law Clinic helps those who don’t have the financial resources to pursue permanent U.S. residency. Most often, they are refugees and others who are requesting asylum, facing removal from the country, or seeking special protection under the federal Violence Against Women Act. The clinic not only educates students about immigration law but also enables them, through supervising attorneys, to represent actual clients. Pitt Law offers a two-term course on immigration law, and the clinic provides hands-on experience in a community setting. “The clinic has changed the landscape of access to immigration-related services and information in Pittsburgh and the region,” says Vélez Martínez,

noting the contributions of Pitt Law students, faculty, and graduates as well as community partners. Collaboration with local organizations has been a cornerstone of the clinic’s operation since its founding by Vélez Martínez in 2010. Key partners include Vibrant Pittsburgh, which promotes diversity and inclusion; Jewish Family and Community Services, a longtime provider of refugee and immigrant-related aid; Justice at Work, which offers free legal services in housing, employment, and farmworker issues; and the Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition. The clinic also routinely engages in networking with places such as the Latino Community Center; the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh; and Acculturation for Justice, Access and Peace Outreach, a group that supports African refugees resettling in and adapting to the region. All of these community partners work together—sometimes supported by Pittsburgh foundations and donors—to ensure effective action and avoid overlap of expertise and mission. Pitt Law students are vital within this framework. “We have produced many students who are capable of engaging in immigration representation,” says Vélez Martínez. “They not only have the competency but also the empathy and the commitment to do this work with the community.” WORK THAT REQUIRES EMPATHY

In fact, the clinic’s work is seeding expertise in immigration law across the nation. More than 100

Pitt Law students have served in the clinic since 2010, and many of them have gone into careers as asylum officers, immigration court clerks and judges, government and nonprofit attorney advocates, and corporate and private practice attorneys dealing with immigration issues. Among the clinic’s alumni is Rob Tisdale (JD ’12), who was considering studying criminal law. Then, in a first-year writing course, he got an assignment on the topic of immigration law. “I just fell into it; kept reading about it; and thought, ‘This is really interesting,’” he recalls. That led to a summer internship at a small immigration law firm, Goldstein & Associates, in Pittsburgh. And that internship led to his student service in the Immigration Law Clinic. “It’s just a different feeling when you’re speaking with someone who is seeking protection,” says Tisdale about working in the community through the clinic. These experiences and his law degree gave him a better understanding of the entire system of immigration. And it launched his career as an asylum officer with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He later served as an immigration officer with the Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate, and he currently is a supervisory immigration services officer at the Boston, Mass., field office, where he leads a team that interviews applicants for green cards and citizenship. S C H O O L O F L AW

The path to safety can be winding and dangerous, especially for women and children. Through jungles and along dusty roads, across rivers and oceans, strangers arrive in Pittsburgh seeking help—and many find it here. This past summer, he volunteered for a detail at an immigration detention center in Otay Mesa, Calif., to help screen cases of “credible fear.” The purpose of this screening is to determine whether applicants have a significant possibility of establishing asylum in a hearing with an immigration judge. Contrary to a widely held misconception that’s been prominent in the news recently, Tisdale emphasizes that, even near the southern U.S. border, about half of his caseload consists of non-Hispanic immigrants from around the world. People from all around the world routinely seek refuge in the United States. In 2017, about 25.4 million people were refugees worldwide, and an additional 3 million were asylum seekers. (This number doesn’t include another 40 million who were displaced from their homes within their own countries because of war and strife globally.) ADVANCING THE IMPACT

It can be tough, says Tisdale, to talk with people face to face and hear their harrowing stories. But, for him and others, the rewards are worth it. “Partly, it’s seeing the relief on a person’s face because someone’s finally listening to them—someone is hearing their story and will do their best to help.” Even when an applicant doesn’t qualify for asylum, Tisdale takes satisfaction in knowing that his role enables applicants to share their stories fully and to be genuinely heard. Two other Pitt Law alumni are working with Vélez Martínez to advance the clinic’s mission and impact. Linda Hamilton (JD ’18) was appointed this past spring to serve as a Heinz Asylum fellow. She is

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recruiting and training a corps of local lawyers to serve as pro bono attorneys— without pay “for the good of the cause”— for immigrant clients in need. Hamilton is a mentor, trainer, and resource for these volunteer lawyers, who typically don’t have immigration law experience. Within her first three months, she had already recruited nine local lawyers. They’ll be working on asylum cases, which often take years to resolve. Hamilton’s work, supported by the Heinz Endowments, will expand the clinic’s capacity to serve the regional immigrant community. In another positive development, Nahla Kamaluddin (LLM ’13, JD ’16) is extending her original work with the clinic through a fellowship supported by Jack and Lovell Olender—generous benefactors of the Immigration Law Clinic, whose endowment also supports the role of the clinic’s director. Kamaluddin is mentoring and supervising additional Pitt Law students to expand the clinic’s capacity to serve more clients. She brings her own personal experience to her work: A native of Bahrain, she left that country and sought a career as a human rights attorney in the United States. “Knowing what it feels like to be persecuted, to be in a country where you cannot express your political opinion or you’re persecuted because you don’t conform to social norms,” says Kamaluddin, “I have a personal connection with that, and I feel like I’m in a position to help others and give them the best possible representation.” Both of these clinic attorneys readily cite cases in which their clients would have faced retribution and, likely, death if they hadn’t prepared legal arguments that were successful in obtaining their clients’ asylum. Recent events have made that work even more challenging. During the past three years, aspects of U.S. immigration law and legal procedures have changed, and they may continue to shift based on the current administration’s priorities. Pitt Law students must stay abreast of new procedures and

legalities to ensure the best outcomes for their clients—and, of course, so must the clinic’s supervising attorneys. PIECES IN THE PUZZLE

“It changes the way we have to approach certain cases,” says Hamilton, pointing out that, even under prior legal regulations, different rules apply to different immigrant populations. Nationals from some countries, such as Yemen, El Salvador, and Haiti, have temporary protective status. Cubans benefit from the Cuban Adjustment Act. “We have so many clients from so many different countries that we have to be researching all the time,” she says. Adds Kamaluddin: “Every case is like a puzzle. You have to put all the pieces together.” Vélez Martínez, too, relishes a challenge. She began her career as a lawyer in solo practice in Puerto Rico, where she became involved in the plight of immigrants from the Dominican Republic and in protecting vulnerable women from abuse and violence. Today, she’s still working directly with clients, and since arriving at Pitt, she also has published and presented widely on topics related to immigration law and domestic violence, been active in federal court filings and national conversations that inform these issues, been quoted in local and national media, and had speaking engagements across the country and abroad. As usual, she’s looking ahead, despite the clinic’s burgeoning workload. Ideally, she’d like the clinic to provide more help during appeals cases in federal circuit courts, where immigrants are often without legal representation. “It’s an elite practice,” she notes. “You need a level of competency to do it.” Another possibility is getting involved in federal litigation to address issues that delay decisions and put immigrants in limbo for years. No matter what, says Vélez Martínez, a lot of work remains ahead. “We want our students to be professionally competent but also competent human beings.” The path to safety can be winding and dangerous, especially for women and children. Through jungles and along dusty roads, across rivers and oceans, strangers arrive in Pittsburgh seeking help—and many find it here. “Most of the time they say, ‘Thank you for saving my life,’” says Kamaluddin. “There’s no feeling in the world that compares to that.”

“The Immigration Law Clinic is part of the school’s broader commitment to access to justice. Doing clinics in general is important for students’ full development. The clinics make students better attorneys and better people.” — Sheila Vélez Martínez

Pitt Law Clinics:

CELEBRATING 30 YEARS ELDER LAW, ENVIRONMENTAL LAW, FAMILY LAW, HEALTH LAW, IMMIGRATION LAW, SECURITIES ARBITRATION, AND TAXPAYER CLINICS In 2020, the Immigration Law Clinic will celebrate its 10th anniversary. Sheila Vélez Martínez, who also is director of clinics at Pitt Law, says that this will be an opportunity to celebrate all seven of the school’s clinics, the first of which was established 30 years ago. The upcoming occasion will honor the school’s long and enduring commitment to clinical legal education.

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THE

MAN BEHIND THE

BILL Written by Margo Shear

Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the GI Bill, Drafted by a Pitt Law Graduate

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In late 1943, Colmery handwrote the first draft of the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944—the original GI Bill of Rights—on stationery from the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.

ore than 8 million World War II veterans obtained an education thanks to the GI Bill, and they were followed by millions more who served in subsequent wars. And it was made possible through the vision of Harry Colmery, a Pittsburgh native and 1916 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Colmery (1890–1979), was born in Braddock, Pa., and served in World War I as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Service after graduating from Pitt Law. In 1936, after marrying his college sweetheart and settling in Kansas, Colmery served as national commander of the American Legion, advocating for a better future for service members upon their return home from war. In late 1943, Colmery handwrote the first draft of the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944—the original GI Bill of Rights—on stationery from the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. Colmery’s niece, Jean Colmery Roberts, remembers it well. Then in her mid-20s, she hosted her Uncle Harry in her apartment outside D.C. just hours after he finished writing the legislation. “Harry called me after he had written all night for the GI Bill. He told me he used seven pens, I think,” says Roberts, age 99, who lives in Charleroi, Pa. “He was tired. He was supposed to go on a fox hunt and didn’t want to go because he was too tired. He didn’t want anyone to know where he was, so he stayed with my sister and me.” According to Roberts, it was Colmery’s character to work hard for the betterment of others, especially those who served their country. She recalled her Uncle Harry as an unsung hero. “He cared so much for his fellow man,” says Roberts. “He was a bright boy. He was dedicated, a hard worker, a deep thinker, and a humble person in many respects.”

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General Dwight D. Eiesenhower and Harry Colmery march in the American Legion parade in New York City.

MILLIONS OF LIVES CHANGED

resident Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the GI Bill into law on June 22, 1944. The bill, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, provides education benefits to veterans and helps to ease their transition into civilian life. Since then, the bill has undergone several updates to become what it is today, incorporating subsequent programs to provide additional benefits in education, vocational rehabilitation and employment, home loans, and health care. Aryanna Berringer, director of Pitt’s Office of Veterans Services, is one of the millions of veterans whose lives have been impacted by the GI Bill.

In the past 10 years, almost 1,000 Pitt graduates have received a degree under the GI Bill. And there are currently about 500 degree-earning student veterans enrolled at Pitt, many of whom use GI Bill benefits. According to Berringer, about $8 million in education benefits come from the GI Bill per academic year at Pitt.

Aryanna Berringer (right), director of Pitt’s Office of Veterans Services, joins Amy J. Wildermuth (center), dean of the School of Law, on a visit to the niece of Harry Colmery, the 1916 graduate of Pitt Law who drafted the original GI Bill. Jean Colmery Roberts (left) shares photos and memories of her Uncle Harry as the bill celebrates its 75th anniversary. (Photos by Aimee Obidzinski/ University of Pittsburgh)

AN INSPIRATION TO PITT

hen Colmery returned home from World War I, he used his degree from Pitt Law to launch his successful career as an attorney—even arguing two cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. To Amy J. Wildermuth, professor of law and dean of Pitt Law, Colmery’s work represents the possibilities a Pitt Law graduate has to support the community and the world at large. “To know that a Pitt Law graduate could impact the nation and change the world in this momentous way is an inspiration to our graduates and to all

Pitt students,” says Wildermuth. On June 19, she and Berringer visited Roberts at her home to present her with a military challenge coin and honor Colmery on the occasion of the GI Bill’s milestone anniversary. Challenge coins are collected by many veterans and displayed with honor and pride. If he were alive today, Roberts says, Colmery wouldn’t want any recognition. “He would be pleased, but he wouldn’t want all of this. No, no,” says Roberts. “He was humble. He did everything in a very quiet way and accomplished so much. You never knew what was going on in the background.”

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MOTION FOR

Good Written by Cindy Gill

layna Bartko (JD ’19) remembers the day she “found her people.” She was attending the University of Pittsburgh School of Law new student orientation and was strolling through the school’s lobby, browsing assorted student organization and activities tables. She had known she wanted to become a lawyer since the age of 10, influenced by the positive impact of attorneys in her extended family. Now she was here at orientation, considering a career in criminal law. One of Bartko’s last stops was at a table with a poster displaying the names of Pitt Law students working in areas like human rights, child advocacy, neighborhood legal aid, prisoners’ issues, immigration, and criminal law. The common thread was legal work that served the community and helped those who were among society’s most vulnerable. “Want to know more about public interest work?” asked Robbie Cimmino (JD ’19), one of the second-year students manning the table. That was the first time Bartko realized that her professional aspirations were summed up by the term public interest law. She stayed to learn about the student organization with the odd name—Pitt Legal Income Sharing Foundation, or PLISF. She left thinking, These are my people—and not just because of the career possibilities. “They care, and they’re proud about it,” says Bartko. “They want to do positive things and to get things done.”

A student organization with an odd name has been helping Pitt Law students obtain careers in public interest law for 33 years. That work serves communities and ensures access to justice for all. Now the entire Pitt Law community can share in this greater good.

A CAREER THAT MEANS SOMETHING

any applicants say that “doing good” is an aspect of their motivation to attend law school, but careers in public interest law—the classic “doing good” jobs—typically don’t pay well. In fact, attorneys at the bigger law firms, in corporate law, or in private practice can make more money in a month or two than some public interest lawyers make in a year. So why would law students, many already burdened with school loans, choose a career that is not as financially lucrative? “The reality is that people who do other types of law work are going to make more money,” says Bartko. “But those of us who choose public interest law don’t care about that aspect. Our jobs would be meaningless if it wasn’t for the people we get to help.” PLISF is a vehicle that, through financial support, enables more Pitt Law students to enter public interest careers. Faculty advisor Rhonda Wasserman explains that PLISF is a student-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded by the law school in 1986 to raise funds so that students pursuing public interest law careers can afford to take nonpaying jobs over the summer. “Every year, a number of students arrive at Pitt Law wanting to change the world for the better,” says Wasserman, a professor of law. “They want to take summer public interest jobs because it’s their dream to do this

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kind of work, and it also dramatically increases their chances of landing a public interest job after law school.” Virtually all Pitt Law students seek summer employment because they all need practical, hands-on experience. These jobs help students to develop skills attractive to future employers. But, says Wasserman, students in public interest law have a tougher challenge than their peers in corporate or tax law, where paid summer jobs are common. Public interest jobs are rarely paid positions. Nonprofits, advocacy groups, and government agencies are typically juggling limited budgets and resources. To have an advantage in the postgraduation job search, students must demonstrate a strong commitment to public interest law through work or volunteer experiences during their time in law school. This situation puts students in a bind: Accept the job and not get paid, or decline the job and potentially limit their career opportunities. Every summer, a portion of Pitt’s public interest law students have to decline their jobs of choice. Without some income, it is nearly impossible for them to pay rent, buy food, and cover other essentials like medical insurance and cell phone bills. FOCUS ON THE WORK

hat’s exactly why PLISF was founded: to raise money for those law students who have found public interest work during the summer but need financial assistance to cover their basic living costs. With PLISF’s support, Bartko says, she was able to focus on her work and not worry about how to survive financially. She was able to commit herself fully to her internship in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania in a unit that seeks justice for exploited children. That work led her to KidsVoice, a child advocacy nonprofit in Pittsburgh, where she served as a certified legal intern, working directly with children in the family court system dealing with cases of child abuse, neglect, and displacement. Bartko, who served as PLISF’s vice president and then president, knows the significance of this support. “I want to encourage people to do this kind of work because I, through experience, have seen how important it is in the lives of others. In PLISF, we all had to work really hard to make sure we raised as much money as possible.” 18

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For the past three decades, PLISF students have volunteered to work hundreds of hours each year to raise money for their fellow students in need. They staff a PLISF snack table at the law school; organize career panels to raise awareness about public interest opportunities; set up a game night in the fall; solicit funding from local businesses; and sponsor a rousing auction in the spring, with donated prize packages that include dinners in the homes of faculty, special event excursions, and even a popular Iraqi feast—complete with after-dinner cigars—hosted by Professor and Pitt Law Vice Dean Haider Ala Hamoudi and his wife Sara. THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

early everyone at the law school gets involved, and this remarkable collective commitment raises a total of about $25,000 annually, which historically has funded about eight PLISF summer scholarships each year. What’s not to love? “The elephant in the room is that PLISF needs 10 times more money than it raises each year to adequately support students,” says Cimmino, who first introduced Bartko to the arena of public interest law. In 2018, PLISF received 45 scholarship applications and was able to fund only 13, even with additional funding contributed by the law school. Three super-motivated PLISF students brought new energy and ideas to the issue. In 2017, Cimmino teamed up with Alli Hall (JD ’18), who unofficially became “motivator in chief.” Bartko joined their efforts a year later. All three served as officers in the organization, with their roles overlapping. Each brought a different perspective, but all were passionate about public interest law and its positive impact on society at large. And all were determined to figure out how PLISF could help to send more public interest lawyers out into the world. They gathered data on fundraising at peer institutions, conducted student surveys at the law school, and examined the organizational structure and effectiveness of their organization. The trio also consulted with an ad hoc committee of key allies, including Wasserman; Rochelle McCain, executive director, professional development office, and codirector, externship program at Pitt Law; Meme Jeffries, Pitt Law’s director of financial aid; and several others drawn from diverse areas of the school. The survey data revealed that less than one-third of students who need summer funding receive it,

and the maximum amount of funding per scholarship, which was recently increased to $4,000, still isn’t adequate for the amount and nature of the legal work. The challenge quickly became obvious: Additional sources of funding were essential, as was a new, more sustainable plan for the future. “It’s a fine line between appreciating all the help we’ve gotten and understanding that the work is just getting started,” says Bartko. “PLISF alone isn’t enough to help these students. How do you say, ‘Thank you, but we need more help’?”

says Bartko. “That comes back to the income sharing principle. It’s recognizing the importance of public interest law work—even though you might not want to pursue it yourself—and making sure that others are able to do it for the benefit of our society and our communities.” Bartko, who studied psychology and philosophy as a Pitt undergraduate, likes this quote from Mahatma Gandhi: “The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members.” For her, this creed aligns with the nature of LENDING A HAND FOR STUDENTS public interest law and with her own career motivahe wheels of progress were set in motion. Top tions. This past May, she graduated from Pitt Law administrators from the law school and the and was awarded a 2019 fellowship by Equal Justice University were sought out to engage in the Works, a top national supporter of opportunities creative problem-solving effort. that enable public service The school added $20,000 leaders, in partnership with in institutional funds to the legal services organizations, To learn more traditional PLISF fundraising to build sustainable solutions about supporting activities, and Dean Amy J. in the communities they serve. Wildermuth, who arrived at Pitt Law students For the next two years, Pitt Law in 2018, is continuBartko will use her fellowpursuing public ing that support, along with ship at KidsVoice to establish interest law, alumni like Vincent C. Deluzio a model advocacy program please visit pi.tt/ (LLB ’72) and his wife, Rita. of specialized legal support The Deluzios were eager to give for children whose parents lawpublicinterest. back to Pitt Law students. It struggle with opioid addiction was, after all, a scholarship that and are involved in the court made it possible for Vincent to system. The work is supported attend law school. by the PNC Financial Services More recently, the goodwill of the school’s Group, Inc., and Reed Smith LLP. students, faculty, and staff was confirmed by a Meanwhile, Cimmino is preparing to move to schoolwide vote, approving a $25 per term student Vienna, Austria, for a temporary assignment related fee that will support PLISF’s summer scholarships, to his dual degrees in law and public and internawith matching gifts from the faculty. tional affairs from Pitt Law and Pitt’s Graduate The school’s ad hoc committee also pursued aveSchool of Public and International Affairs, which he nues to diversify sources of funding to PLISF, such received in May. His specialty is international law as the possibility of postgraduate scholarships, loan with a focus on contract law, which he applies, for repayment assistance, and new avenues to generate instance, to ease the growing pains of development summer funding. in war-torn or emerging nations, nudging them These are progressive, significant steps toward toward democratic systems and values. the future, when PLISF hopes to be able to raise Hall graduated summa cum laude with dual the estimated $250,000 needed each year to enable degrees in law and social work from Pitt. She is more Pitt Law public interest students to serve comclerking for a federal judge in Ann Arbor, Mich., a munities and ensure access to justice for all. prestigious career move for any law student and one Surprisingly, that goal resonates fully with that advances the cause of justice nationally. PLISF’s odd name—the Pitt Legal Income Sharing At Pitt Law, Bartko truly found her people, and Foundation. they’re changing the world for the better. “As attorneys, we all have a responsibility to help, whether we’re in public interest law or not,”

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OPINION

Removing Sex Stereotypes from Contraception By Greer Donley, Assistant Professor of Law

he fight for birth control access has always been championed by women. Women led the movements that successfully challenged the constitutionality of state birth control bans and then lobbied for legislation that guaranteed cost-free insurance coverage of female contraception. Women were the natural leaders of these fights because they had the most at stake: Only women could become pregnant, so their need for birth control was central to their bodily autonomy. But one negative consequence of the female focus of birth control rights is that contraception was branded a woman’s responsibility—that women should bear the burdens and risks of birth control even though men are equally capable of preventing pregnancy. This sex stereotype is both false and harmful to women. It also is enshrined in law: The Affordable Care Act’s contraceptive mandate requires that health insurers cover birth control for women but not for men. In a recent article for The Atlantic and my forthcoming article in the Alabama Law Review, I argue that this sex

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classification constitutes illegal sex discrimination and hurts women. Though it may sound counterintuitive, access to male birth control is a women’s rights issue; contraceptive equity cannot exist until we remove the sex stereotypes that pervade contraceptive use. The codified sex stereotype that birth control is a woman’s problem is harmful in many ways. Perhaps the most practical harm is that women are incentivized to endure the risks, side effects, and inconveniences of birth control over men. This is true despite the fact that male birth control is frequently the safer contraceptive option. Take the examples of vasectomy for men and tubal ligation for women. Both methods offer a permanent surgical form of birth control. However, vasectomy is much safer, more effective, and less invasive than tubal ligation. By excluding men, the contraceptive mandate financially encourages women to endure a riskier, less-effective procedure, when a safer, more-effective procedure exists for men. While tubal ligation must be covered by health plans without cost sharing, a quarter of insurers still do not cover vasectomy, and those that do typically require copays and deductibles. Similarly, condoms are one of the safest nonpermanent methods of birth control on the market—much safer than the hormonal methods women typically use. The government simply should not place its finger on the scale to encourage women to endure contraceptive risks when safer options exist for men. The sex stereotypes surrounding contraception also can cause indirect harms. For instance, they send the message that women are to blame when accidental pregnancies occur. After all, if the woman was supposed to be in charge of birth control, then it is her fault if it fails. The reality, of course, is that men can just as easily use contraception and are therefore equally responsible for mistakes. It is time to start to viewing contraception as it is: a shared responsibility. Finally, the sex stereotype that women should be responsible for birth control has limited contraceptive innovation. In 1972, the journal Contraception published the first study suggesting the efficacy of hormone-based male birth control. Scientists predicted that there would be a pharmaceutical male contraceptive option on the market by 1984. Nearly 50 years after that article was published, we are still waiting for a hormonal male contraceptive. The history surrounding this lack of male contraceptive innovation reveals that sex stereotypes dramatically

impeded the product’s development. For decades, pharmaceutical companies were skeptical of the market for male birth control. They believed that men would never be willing to use hormonal contraception and that women would never trust their male partners to do so. In their minds, the demand would be tiny and thus efforts to create new male contraceptives would not yield a return on investment. Social scientists, however, have since proved both assumptions wrong. In one study, only two percent of women reported that they would not trust their monogamous male partners to use a birth control pill; in other studies, half to three-quarters of men are willing to try hormonal contraception. This is not surprising once you consider that a quarter to a third of women already rely on male contraception to prevent pregnancy, largely because of the side effects associated with female methods. The irony is that by investing exclusively in female methods of birth control, the industry created a self-fulfilling prophecy. The relative lack of male options is another reason why people view birth control as a woman’s problem. Additional methods of male birth control would be good for everyone. They would provide men with more alternatives to prevent pregnancy and, by so doing, help to ease the contraceptive burdens that unfairly fall on women. The fight for birth control is not over. The next battle is for equal access to and investment in male options. Expanding the contraceptive mandate to include men is the first step. It would ensure that birth control is covered without cost for everyone— sending the message that all people are responsible for birth control—and provide a carrot to encourage industry to invest in new male and female options. After all, if insurers must cover all U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved birth control, then the investment carries less risk.

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PROFILE

REAL

COURTROOMS, REAL

TRIAL ATTORNEYS, REAL

COURT CASES WHEN STUDENTS DREAM OF BECOMING TRIAL ATTORNEYS, IT’S THE COURTROOM THAT COMES TO MIND. THE JOHN P. GISMONDI CIVIL LITIGATION CERTIFICATE PROGRAM PUTS THEM THERE.

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ome students are drawn to the reallife drama of the courtroom before they even set foot into law school. John P. Gismondi (JD ’78) was one such student. After becoming one of Pennsylvania’s best-known trial attorneys, he developed the John P. Gismondi Civil Litigation Certificate Program at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law more than 15 years ago to help educate and train future generations of law students who aspire to become trial attorneys. Gismondi has had a distinguished career as a trial lawyer since graduating from Pitt Law, where he was a member of the University of Pittsburgh Law Review. Concurrently with running his

private practice specializing in plaintiff personal injury litigation, he served as president of the Allegheny County Bar Association and the Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County, and he has been an active adjunct professor at Pitt Law, teaching the Trial Advocacy course for the past 35 years. In 2008, the law school named Gismondi a recipient of its Distinguished Alumnus Award, and in 2012, the University named him a Legacy Laureate, a select honor reserved for only its most prominent graduates. As his career grew, and he met more students with a passion for trial advocacy, he recognized the need for a curriculum designed for students who had an interest in courtroom litigation. The John P. Gismondi Civil Litigation Certificate Program was established in 2003 to offer that specialized training to law students planning to become courtroom attorneys. “If I was going to put the time and effort into creating a program like this, there was only going to be one school that I would do it for, and that would be Pitt,” Gismondi says. PREPARING STUDENTS INSIDE THE CLASSROOM FOR THE COURTROOM

tudents enrolled in the program take certain required foundational courses, a clinic or practicum, and specialized courses taught by practicing courtroom attorneys. These courses touch on critical areas of civil litigation, including trial advocacy, expert witnesses, advanced trial evidence, and litigation planning and strategy. “These are not lecture courses,” Gismondi says. “Each class is designed to put the students in real-world litigation scenarios so that they are functioning like new associates in a trial practice firm.” Martha Mannix, clinical associate professor of law and current director of the certificate program,

ensures that students have complete access to the program and closely coordinates efforts with the Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County to enable students to experience the inner workings of a trial. “We’re trying to give them an idea of what it means to be a trial attorney,” Mannix says. Ashley Majorsky (JD ’18) says that the program was an invaluable learning experience. Now an associate at Pollock Begg Komar Glasser and Vertz LLC, Majorsky enrolled to learn how to “practice law.” She wanted courtroom experience and to be able to familiarize herself with the inner workings of a trial prior to graduation—even down to the basics like where to sit. Majorsky also participated in the Pitt Law Family Law Clinic, noting that its specialized curriculum allowed her to sharpen her drafting and litigation skills in real time and critically examine cases from every angle. “We presented motions while in the Family Law Clinic,” Majorsky says. “There are still associates out of school who haven’t presented a motion or even been in front of a judge.” In order to provide students with a balanced perspective on civil litigation, the program is designed so that each course is cotaught by one plaintiff lawyer instructor and one defense attorney instructor. “It gives students the broad perspective that they need to understand litigation from both sides,” Gismondi says. LEARNING FROM BOTH SIDES

annix says that these adjunct professors are the heart and soul of the program. “These are experienced, knowledgeable attorneys who are passionate about sharing their expertise with our students.” Courses are not just in lecture format. Rather, students are assigned to role-play in a variety of real litigation formats. “The students in those classes have to be very engaged learners because the classes are built around active learning, role-playing, simulation,” Mannix says. “That fits well with the main purpose of the program,” Gismondi says. “The ultimate goal is to provide Pitt students with a practical head start in trial work and therefore make them more attractive to prospective employers.” Gismondi notes how rewarding it is to watch former students evolve in the professional world because of the program. “I have often had former students remark about how useful the litigation program was and how well it prepared them to be a practicing trial attorney. That is very gratifying.” S C H O O L O F L AW

PROFILE

The Unsinkable Craig Dietz Craig Dietz isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t an ordinary guy. Born without limbs, he lives an active life overcoming obstacles far more challenging than the bar exam. His May 2019 commencement speech was met with thunderous applause, underscoring the 1999 Pitt Law graduateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s message: Nothing can hold him back.

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ollowing Dean Amy J. Wildermuth’s request that he serve as the University of Pittsburgh School of Law 2019 commencement speaker, Craig Dietz (JD ’99) spent weeks trying to come up with a subject for his speech. Even with years of experience as a professional public speaker, he was admittedly still nervous to present his first-ever commencement speech at his alma mater. When Dietz took the stage and faced Pitt Law’s graduating class, memories of his time in law school came flooding back. Dietz didn’t originally plan to attend Pitt Law. After earning a bachelor’s degree in political science at Duquesne University, he felt ready to move on from Pittsburgh and was committed to the University of Maryland School of Law. But in the spring of his senior year in college, an accident left his van totaled, and left without transportation, he made the decision to go to Pitt Law. “It’s funny how things work out sometimes, because I really feel like Pitt Law and Pittsburgh was where I was meant to be during that period of my life,” he says. As the years passed, he realized that the same auto accident that took away some of his independence also taught him humility, and that humility served Dietz well throughout law school and into his legal career. “That experience taught me that the lessons to be learned through life’s failures are not always immediately apparent but often require a great deal of patience and self-awareness to realize.” Despite being born without limbs due to a rare genetic condition, Dietz had a very active childhood: bowling in a league, hunting, fishing, playing percussion in the high school band, and graduating from high school as a member of the honor society. In hindsight, he says that he experienced some challenges that his peers didn’t, but overall he lived a seemingly normal life without any special accommodations throughout school. That changed when he came to Pitt Law. FINDING THE RIGHT WORDS

hen Dietz discovered that law school finals were three hours long and all essay questions, he panicked. “I wasn’t sure I could endure those exams because my body is in a very uncomfortable position and my eyes are very close to the paper when I write,” he says. When he decided to attend Pitt Law, he met with an admissions counselor who offered to extend his exam times. For the first time in his life, he put pride aside and accepted the accommodation.

As he thought about what memories to include in his speech, one thing about law school that stood out enough to still jar Dietz from a deep sleep was the bar exam. “I literally woke up in the middle of the night saying to myself, ‘You need to talk about the bar exam!’ I remembered that I and most of my classmates were obsessed with prepping for the bar exam when we graduated, so I thought that most of the current grads would be feeling that same pressure.” Once he found his opening statement, everything else fell into place. He encouraged graduates to define their own potential while embracing their failures. “I refuse to be defined by the challenges in my life,” he told them. “I take control of the situations around me, and I set my life goals without consideration of the challenges that may be presented by those goals.” His speech was met with a standing ovation. Dietz didn’t really have any expectations for how the speech was going to be received. He learned early on in his career of public speaking that people rarely act the way he expects them to. “I will often get very little response to what I thought was my best joke or get huge laughs from a joke that I put in as an afterthought or ad-libbed. I truly had no idea what to expect. The standing ovation was definitely unexpected but greatly appreciated,” he says.

ietz practiced law for more than a decade before becoming a public speaker full time. He likes to say that being a lawyer was the career he chose but being a motivational speaker was the career that chose him. He never saw his own story as an inspirational one until he competed in his first triathlon in 2008. The more he participated in triathlon events, the more people began to approach him to say how inspired they were by his swim. “It was in these moments that I began to really realize that the life that I had taken for granted all these years was really quite remarkable to other people,” Dietz says. After a news piece about his swim captivated the internet, requests for Dietz to share his story publicly began to roll in. Among the many people he has spoken to, one admirer has always stood out: At his very first speaking engagement, in Colorado Springs, Colo., a young boy with the same condition as Dietz was in the audience. After speaking with him and others in attendance personally, Dietz realized how powerful storytelling could be. “If hearing my story can inspire people to take ownership of their own lives and stop allowing their own challenges to control them, then I feel an obligation to continue sharing my story.”

Plaque on table in Barco Law Building engraved in Craig Deitz’ honor

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FAC U LT Y

FAC ULT Y T HE F OLLOW I NG I S A S A M PLI NG OF PROFESSIONA L ACTIVITIES C ONDU CT E D B Y PI T T L AW FACULT Y OVER THE PAST YEA R .

“This is norm-breaking across the lines—deeply problematic and definitely not best practices. If all of these allegations are true, you’re talking about nonprofit governance gone bad, with choices resulting in possible theft, which is not in PHILIP HACKNEY quoted in anyone’s interest.” Professor The New Yorker, “An Internal Memo Raises New Questions About Self-Dealing at the N.R.A.”

Foreign, International, and Comparative Law Librarian LINDA TASHBOOK spoke about her new book, Family Guide to Mental Illness and the Law: A Practical Handbook, as part of the Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures series at the Carnegie Library Lecture Hall. Her book demonstrates ways that friends and family members can help to avoid and alleviate injustices that face adults who live with mental illness. Additionally, she describes the process of researching, writing, and editing her book, which explains dozens of legal topics in plain English and helps readers to figure out what to do when legal issues arise in connection with family members who experience mental illness. Tashbook has been a law librarian at the School of Law for more than 20 years. She chairs the University Senate Committee on Benefits and Welfare, and she established and also chairs the Mental Wellness Task Force.

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Christopher C. Walthour Sr. Professor of Law ANTHONY C. INFANTI published an article on U.S. tax law discrimination that was republished by HuffPost. “Instead of reflecting a society constantly striving to better itself, U.S. tax laws are mired in the past. They reinforce the social and economic marginalization of women, racial and ethnic minorities, the poor, members of the LGBTQ community, immigrants and people with disabilities,” Infanti wrote. “So when politicians talk about ‘tax reform,’ much more is at stake than retaining political power or doling out tax cuts. True tax reform takes time and should entail discussions among the electorate and with politicians regarding the role that the tax laws play in exacerbating social and economic inequality. That way, Americans can build a tax system that helps create a more just society rather than one that just rewards privilege,” Infanti concluded in his article. Distinguished Professor of Law VIVIAN CURRAN spoke on a panel at the Pitt provost’s third annual Celebration of Newly Promoted Women Faculty. Curran recalled that as she began to practice law, she saw that she wasn’t happy. “Teaching is what always made me happy. I’d been a teaching assistant all the time I’d been a graduate student,” she explained, and she used that experience to begin teaching law as a profession. Curran also spoke about her involvement with the American Society of Comparative Law, of which she is now honorary president, through which she has been able to gain access to a global network of colleagues. “They were so kind, so generous, and many of them gave me great help.” A speaker of five languages, Curran has dual citizenship in the United States and Germany. The decorated faculty member has been sharing her wisdom and inspiring Pitt Law students since 2002. Professor of Legal Writing ANN SINSHEIMER and Visiting Professor of Legal Writing LEIGH COOGAN were awarded a Provost’s Personalized Education Grant for their proposal, “Persistence, Performance, and Law School: Implementing Interventions to Encourage Growth Mindset, Maximize Education, and Ensure Practice Ready Professionals.” Grants are awarded for projects that enhance the personalized education of Pitt students. Personalized education also is a defining element of the Plan for Pitt, which states, “We aspire to be a university that prepares students to lead lives of impact through a supportive environment focused on a holistic and individualized approach to learning inside and outside the classroom.”

Assistant Professor of Law MATIANGAI SIRLEAF was awarded a Chancellor’s Distinguished Research Award for 2019. This award recognizes outstanding scholarly accomplishments by members of Pitt’s faculty. Awardees are faculty members who, by virtue of the exceptional quality of their early contributions, have demonstrated great potential as scholars and have achieved some international standing. Sirleaf was also awarded a Pitt Social Science Research Initiative grant for her proposal, “Understanding the Development and Impact of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs): 1950 to Present.” The grants are awarded by the provost’s office to support new research collaborations at the University that cross schools and departments. Additionally, Sirleaf was one of four junior health law scholars selected to participate in the 2019 Health Law Scholars Workshop. Announced at the American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics (ASLME) 2018 Health Law Professors Conference, the selected scholars presented and workshoped their research in progress and received in-depth advice from experienced health law academics. Scholars were selected after a competitive process based upon abstract submissions. Sirleaf presented “Disposable Bodies and Experimental Trials” at the annual workshop jointly sponsored by the Saint Louis University School of Law and ASLME.

AFTER 30 YEARS AT PITT LAW, PROFESSOR GEORGE TAYLOR RETIRES

aylor’s research and writing have concentrated on evaluating the methods by which judges and lawyers interpret statutory and constitutional law. His articles proposing alternatives to current interpretive approaches have been praised by many legal scholars. In his legal scholarship, he brought to bear his graduate training in hermeneutics, which studies interpretive methodology more generally. A special interest in his research was the nature of legal creativity, and his courses provided students with a broad background in these subjects. In retirement, Professor Taylor has had even more time to devote to his lifelong scholarly passion: studying and writing on the work of philosopher Paul Ricouer. In addition to his influential role in Ricouer Studies, Taylor will always be a student favorite, beloved for his gentle demeanor, good humor, and wise advice and counsel.

Professor of Law DAVID HARRIS delivered a Provost’s Inaugural Lecture, “Police Body Cameras: From Accountability to Betrayal,” in celebration of his appointment as the Sally Ann Semenko Endowed Chair. This appointment recognizes his extensive research and scholarly activities over the course of his career, which have made him one of the nation’s 20 most-cited criminal law faculty members. Harris has spoken about racial profiling, police-community relations, and police accountability at the White House and has testified multiple times before Congress. Harris’ podcast, Criminal Injustice, kicks off its seventh season this fall. The show continues to attract listeners. In June 2019, Criminal Injustice went over two million downloads since its first episode on March 31, 2016. S C H O O L O F L AW

ALUMNI

P I T T L AW A L U M N A E

Lead by Example Despite law firms’ increased attention to advancing women attorneys, the number of female partners industrywide remains flat. More women are graduating from law school and entering the field than ever before, but they are underrepresented among the legal elite. Lori McMaster, Elizabeth Hughes, and Jennifer Andrade seek to change that.

ori McMaster (JD ’86) begins each day by walking past the building where her father, James Albert Wilson, worked throughout his long career as a faculty member in the University of Pittsburgh Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business. McMaster comes from a family of educators, a family that believes in the transformative power of education. Following a 20-year career as a trial attorney, she continued that family tradition by serving for eight years as executive director of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law’s career services office, and was recently promoted to oversee the law school’s external relations. McMaster says. “It was tremendously rewarding to serve as a career development resource to law students, and I’m excited to broaden my outreach to alumni, external stakeholders, and legal employers nationally.” This past July, McMaster combined her legal and higher education experience when she was elected president of the Allegheny County Bar Association (ACBA), a professional organization with nearly 6,000 members, including lawyers, judges, magisterial district judges, legal administrators, and paralegals. McMaster brings a unique perspective to ACBA initiatives to encourage collaboration between the organization and faculty and law students at Pitt and Duquesne Universities. McMaster is joined in the ACBA leadership by two other Pitt Law graduates: Elizabeth Hughes (JD ’04), associate counsel at UPMC and president-elect of the Pitt Law Alumni Association, who serves as the ACBA’s president-elect and Jennifer Andrade (JD ’03), assistant U.S. attorney and chief of the Civil Division for the Western District of Pennsylvania, who serves as president of the Allegheny County Bar Foundation (ACBF). Established as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 1980 by ACBA, ACBF provides a broad range of pro bono legal services

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to low-income clients; provides grants to legal aid organizations; supports funding for law student loans, scholarships, and summer fellowships; provides educational programming; and supports other charitable activities related to the law. THE NAVIGATING LIGHT

hile the three have never shared a workplace, their paths cross often. As Pitt Law students, Hughes and Andrade became fast friends and were even bar exam study partners. As they graduated and advanced in their careers, they met and admired McMaster. “Lori has always been the flashlight lighting the path for young attorneys in the region,” says Andrade. The trio has plans to move ACBA and ACBF forward through inclusivity, public service, and community outreach. “The Allegheny County Bar Association has shined a spotlight on diversity, and now it’s time to take that a step further to inclusion,” Hughes says. “You can’t have inclusion from afar.” Hughes says that it isn’t enough to only have diverse individuals at the table: “You have to dig deeper and invite others to share diverse ideas and viewpoints. You can’t do this without having real and personal interactions with those of different viewpoints.” Andrade was initially drawn to the ACBF because of its dedication to community service, something she’s always been passionate about. McMaster says that Andrade is “brilliant,” and her devotion to public service is unparalleled. Andrade will focus her tenure on the ACBF’s endowment campaign through fundraising. By creating sustainable funds, Andrade plans to expand upon on the foundation’s charitable work. “There is a need and a desire—not only a community need but also a very strong desire within the foundation—to make more robust the grants and scholarships that we give,” Andrade says.

Jennifer Andrade (left), chief of the Civil Division for the Western District of Pennsylvania and president of the Allegheny County Bar Foundation; Lori McMaster (center), executive director of external relations at Pitt Law, and president of the Allegheny County Bar Association; and Elizabeth Hughes (right), associate counsel at UPMC, president-elect of the Pitt Law Alumni Association, and president-elect of the Allegheny County Bar Association, meet to strategize the upcoming year for the ACBA and ACBF. (Photos by Kat Procyk/University of Pittsburgh)

A LEADER IN THE REGION

s the ACBA looks forward to its 150th anniversary in 2020, McMaster is declaring the year a “year of impact.” She is joining forces with ACBF, its Pro Bono Center, and other charitable organizations to create high-impact community and pro bono service opportunities. As the three women assume their new roles, they hope this representation of women—particularly of women of color—in leadership positions inspires more diversity in legal hiring and provides law students with strong female role models. Hughes says that increasing diversity and inclusion in the region’s legal market requires participation in the forward progression. “The ACBA is one of those entities that can be the leader,” Hughes says. “We can’t force anybody to embrace these ideals or hire who they’re not going to hire, but the ACBA can set the example of what it looks like when you do [embrace these ideals]. You move forward. You get things done.” Taking their yearslong relationship one step further, McMaster, Hughes, and Andrade hope to advance ACBA and ACBF as a team. “There’s an inherent joy about approaching a project with people who you already know, love, and respect,” McMaster says.

S C H O O L O F L AW

ALUMNI

N OT E S 1952 FRANKLIN BLACKSTONE JR.

(LLB ’52) received the 2018 ROC Spirit Award from the Pitt Alumni Association.

1957 (LLB ’57) was honored as a 60-year practitioner by the Allegheny County Bar Association. SAMUEL McKENNEY III

THE HONORABLE DICK

(LLB ’57) was honored as a 60-year practitioner by the Allegheny County Bar Association. THORNBURGH

(LLB ’57) was honored as a 60-year practitioner by the Allegheny County Bar Association. BYRON XIDES

1958 WILLIAM McVAY SR .

(LLB ’58) was honored as a 60-year practitioner by the Allegheny County Bar Association.

(LLB ’68) was honored as a 50-year practitioner by the Allegheny County Bar Association. ROBERT TATE

1973

1977 (JD ’77) was included in the 2019 Best Lawyers in America list for tax law. PAUL JACKSON

(LLB ’73) authored a new book titled Asia Ascending: Insider Strategies for Competing with the Global Colossus. In it, Unkovic takes a deep dive into the rise of one of the world’s most powerful economies over the past four decades. He then explains the significant impact it will have on the global economy in the future.

1978

1974

(JD ’79) was confirmed to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Her confirmation came on a unanimous voice vote in the senate. She had served on the Butler County Court of Common Pleas since 1996.

DENNIS UNKOVIC

(JD ’74) received the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Turnaround Management Association. STANLEY LEVINE

(JD ’78) was selected, along with the Gismondi Family Foundation, to receive the 2019 Change through Service award at the Catholic Charities annual Bishop’s Gala, Champions for Change. JOHN GISMONDI

1979 THE HONORABLE MARILYN HORAN

1967 (LLB ’67) was honored as a 50-year practitioner by the Allegheny County Bar Association. LOUIS KUSHNER

THE HONORABLE ROBERT MITCHELL

(JD ’67) was honored as a 50-year practitioner by the Allegheny County Bar Association.

1968 (LLB ’68) was honored as a 50-year practitioner by the Allegheny County Bar Association. JOSEPH BONISTALLI

(LLB ’68) was honored as a 50-year practitioner by the Allegheny County Bar Association. ROBERT CINDRICH

(LLB ’68) was honored as a 50-year practitioner by the Allegheny County Bar Association. PAUL SINGER

UNIVERSIT Y OF PITTSBURGH

GRAD INSTALLED AS PRESIDENT OF AILA The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) installed MARKETA LINDT (JD ’94), an immigration lawyer from Chicago, Ill., as the association’s president for 2019–20. Lindt is a partner at the Chicago office of Sidley Austin LLP, where she works with U.S. and multinational corporations to manage their business immigration visa programs to best attract and retain foreign national talent. She also leads her firm’s I-9 compliance practice. Lindt has authored numerous articles for leading immigration texts, including AILA’s Guide to Worksite Enforcement and Corporate Compliance, AILA’s Guide to PERM Labor Certification, and numerous annual editions of the Immigration and Nationality Law Handbook. Beyond her service to her clients and the immigration bar, Lindt is committed to pro bono work and to provide underserved immigrants with access to counsel. For a number of years, she has served as a member of the Leadership Board of the National Immigrant Justice Center in Chicago. She also serves in an advisory capacity to several Chicagoarea cultural institutions and organizations that provide assistance to underserved immigrant communities.

1980 THE HONORABLE LAWRENCE

(JD ’80) has returned to private practice after a nearly 30-year judicial career, joining Saxton & Stump, LLC, as a shareholder. He will lead the firm’s internal investigations practice and serve clients in commercial, employment, and intellectual property litigation and appeals. Additionally, Stengel will serve as a member of the independent oversight committee for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s Independent Reconciliation and Reparations Program, established to provide compensation to survivors of clergy sexual abuse independent of church influence. STENGEL

(JD ’80) was honored with the Milton D. Rosenberg Award by the Pennsylvania Association for Justice. This recognition is given annually to a trial lawyer whose devotion to injured victims, qualities of leadership, and service to the organization best represent the life of the late Milton D. Rosenberg. LAWRENCE CHABAN

1981 (JD ’81), comanaging shareholder of Fitzpatrick Lentz & Bubba in Allentown, Pa., was named to the board of Lafayette Ambassador Bank. JOSEPH BUBBA

(JD ’81) joined Tucker Arensberg, P.C., as a shareholder. For more than 30 years, he has focused his practice on commercial litigation and product liability. Eck is a member of the American Arbitration Association and has served as a mediator/arbitrator in alternative dispute resolution matters. MARK ECK

(JD ’81), a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates since 2006, was recently elevated in rank to the level of Diplomate, which requires proof of at least 100 jury trials to verdict. Markle also is the author of the Texas Liquor Liability Practice Manual. SPENCER MARKLE

(JD ’81) was recognized in the Delaware Today Top Lawyers 2018 list for employment-labor Law, for the employee. BARBARA STRATTON

1982 (JD ’82) was honored with the 2018 Edward G. O’Connor Fellows Award by the Allegheny County Bar Foundation in recognition of his public service work. DANIEL FITZSIMMONS

THE HONORABLE CHRISTINE WARD

(JD ’82) received the Judicial Pro Bono Award at the Allegheny County Bar Foundation’s 2018 Pro Bono Achievement Awards reception.

1984 (JD ’84) was installed as president of the National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel during its annual conference in Chicago, Ill. DAVID DAMICO

(JD ’84) has authored the revision of Volume 1 of the landmark treatise Corbin on Contracts. He also writes the bi-annual supplements for Corbin on Contracts. TIMOTHY MURRAY

(JD ’84) was included in the 2019 Best Lawyers in America list for employment law: management and labor law: management. ANDREW SMITH

1987 (JD ’87) was appointed to serve as a magistrate judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. He will fill the position in Erie, Pa. Lanzillo is a shareholder at Knox McLaughlin Gornall & Sennett, P.C., and also serves as its vice president. RICHARD LANZILLO

(JD ’87) authored the book Holding the Line on the River of Death: Union Mounted Forces at Chickamauga, September 18, 1863, which was published by Savas Beatie. ERIC WITTENBERG

1988 (JD ’88) was included in the 2019 Best Lawyers in America list for banking and finance law and financial services regulation law. MARTIN GATES

Lori McMaster, Executive Director, External Relations, Patty Love Anouchi, and Dean Amy J. Wildermuth

LOVE’S LEGACY LIVES ON (JD ’76) didn’t just work with MURRAY S. LOVE (JD ’54)—he loved Murray S. Love. Because of Love, Rosen says, that, “I am where I am today.” Although Love passed away far too young, he remains an inspiration. Rosen, a well-known trial attorney and a long-time donor to Pitt and many other charitable causes, decided last spring to generously add endowed funds to those of the Love family to substantially increase the monetary awards for those who win the Murray Love Mock Trial Competition. The awards are now the largest prizes at Pitt Law. NEIL ROSEN

Dean Amy J. Wildermuth is amazed by the incredible and bighearted spirit of these gifts, “We are so fortunate to have both the tireless support of Mr. Love’s family— PATTY LOVE ANOUCHI (AS ’55 and EDUC ’74), and his nephew, PAUL SUPOWITZ (JD ’89)— combined with the generosity of their dear friend Neil Rosen. The Murray S. Love competition is exactly the kind of experience we want all Pitt Law students to have and it makes it even that much more special that we are able to recognize the winners with awards that will make a real difference to them financially. I am incredibly grateful to Neil, Patty, and Paul and thank them for their tremendous dedication to and support of the law school.”

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ALUMNI

(JD ’95) is running for Pennsylvania Superior Court. As deputy district attorney and supervisor of the child and elder abuse units in Chester and Lancaster counties, she has sought justice for the most vulnerable. She clerked for Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Thomas Saylor. MEGAN McCARTHY KING

ALUKO MAKES HISTORY IN TENNESSEE For the first time in the 102-year history of the Shelby County, Tenn., Public Defender’s Office, an African American woman will lead it. Pitt Law graduate PHYLLIS ALUKO (JD ’92) will lead one of the oldest and largest public defense systems in the country. The office represents 25,000 adults and children each year at every level of the justice system.

(JD ’88) rejoined Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC as of counsel in the litigation section following nearly two years at a national firm. WILLIAM MOORHEAD JR.

(JD ’88) published his first novel, Legal Reserves. The book is a legal thriller inspired by the courtroom stories his father and grandfather told him when he was a child and his own experience as a lawyer. The book can be purchased on Amazon. JAMES ROSENBERG

(JD ’88) was certified by the North Carolina Board of Legal Specialization as a certified specialist in social security disability law. SCOTT SCURFIELD

1990 (JD ’90) retired as executive vice president and regional managing director after 24 years with PNC Wealth Management in Pittsburgh. H. SCOTT CUNNINGHAM

TAMMY SINGLETON-ENGLISH

(JD ’90) was elected treasurer of the Community Foundation of Upper St. Clair and to the South Hills Morning Networking Subcommittee of the Sole and Small Firm Practitioners Section of the Allegheny County Bar Association and was re-elected by the Estate Planning Council of Pittsburgh to serve as a board member. She is an estate planning attorney, certified public accountant, and owner of Singleton-English Law Offices.

1991 (JD ’91), a partner at Pollock Begg Komar Glasser & Vertz LLC, has been appointed to the Pennsylvania Joint State Government Commission Advisory Committee on Domestic Relations Laws. BRIAN VERTZ

1992 (JD ’92) joined the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Southern District of West Virginia as an assistant U.S. attorney. He will work in the civil division in Charleston and will focus on health care fraud. (JD ’92) serves as vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary of METTLER-TOLEDO, a NYSElisted company in the S&P 500. MICHELLE PROIA ROE

1993 (JD ’93) was named 2019 Child Advocate of the Year by the Pennsylvania Bar Association Children’s Rights Committee. The award recognizes the accomplishments of lawyers and judges who are advocates for children within the commonwealth or are involved in child advocacy. VIRGINIA SHARP

1994 (JD ’94) joined Fox Rothschild LLP’s Pittsburgh office as a partner in the litigation department. JOHN HANSBERRY

(JD ’95) was named coleader of Dechert LLP’s finance and real estate practice group. DAVID FORTI

UNIVERSIT Y OF PITTSBURGH

(JD ’97), a partner in the Pittsburgh office of Fox Rothschild LLP, was named a 2019 Legal Eagle by the Franchise Times. The list highlights attorneys who have made significant strides in franchise law and were nominated by their clients and peers. JOHN GOTASKIE JR.

(JD ’97) was named president of the Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association (WPTLA). A member of WPTLA’s board of governors for more than a decade, he has served as its treasurer, secretary, vice president, and president-elect. BRYAN NEIDERHISER

ALAN McGONIGAL

1995

1997

1998 (JD ’98) was recognized in the Delaware Today Top Lawyers 2018 list in the area of intellectual property law. KENNETH DORSNEY

(JD ’98), CEO of HarbisonWalker International, was named a 2019 Fox Rothschild Outstanding CEO winner and Top Executive award. CAROL JACKSON

(JD ’98), managing member of Dykema Gossett PLLC’s Lansing, Mich., office and member of its government policy and practice group, will serve as general counsel to Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s transition team. STEVEN LIEDEL

1999 JONATHAN “TRE” DIXON III

(JD ’99) joined Carlton Fields, P.A., as a member of the firm’s health care practice. He brings nearly 20 years of experience as in-house counsel for health care systems. Most recently, Dixon served as senior vice president of compliance, legal, and risk management at Tampa General Hospital.

ALUM STRIKES DEAL ON ABC’S SHARK TANK Pitt Law alumnus BRIAN RATNER (JD ’99) and his wife, Jamie, appeared on a 2019 episode of Shark Tank seeking an investment in their company, CertifiKID, a website for parents that provides savings on kids’ activities and family entertainment. The couple struck a deal with shark Kevin O’Leary (“Mr. Wonderful”). Later that week, O’Leary invited the Ratners to appear with him on ABC’s The View, where each of the sharks featured their favorite Shark Tank business of the season.

(JD ’99) is expanding her immigration law practice with the opening of Ellen Freeman Immigration Law Group PLLC. She has more than 19 years of experience in all facets of employment-based immigration. Her practice will focus on business, academia, emerging technology, health care, hospitality, and the arts.

Reliability Corporation. Since 2010, he had served as vice president and general counsel of ReliabilityFirst.

of corporate litigation, class actions, and claims under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

CHRISTINE BORONYAK BOWERS

CYNTHIA GILKEY

2004

(JD ’99) joined Saxton & Stump, LLC, as a shareholder.

(JD ’02) joined Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC’s Pittsburgh office as a member. She has a broad tax practice covering domestic and international tax planning for businesses and individuals, employee benefit plan counseling, and nonprofit organizations.

2000

CHRISTOPHER JACOBS

ELLEN FREEMAN

ERIK HUME

(JD ’00) joined the Clark Hill PLC Pittsburgh office as a member of its real estate practice. HAL COFFEY

(JD ’00) serves as the supervising attorney for Maiello Brungo & Maiello’s litigation practice group. She has nearly two decades of experience, and her practice focuses on commercial matters, including litigation and business counseling. SHARON MENCHYK

(JD ’00) accepted a position as senior counsel at Nissan North America in Franklin, Tenn., after 18 years of representing clients. GLENN PLOSA

2001 (JD ’01) was featured in the DS News article “The Challenges in Financial Services.” He discussed the challenges facing the industry, how law firms can best work with servicers, and more. JOHN ANSELL III

2002 (JD ’02) was appointed to serve as president and chief executive officer of SERC L. JASON BLAKE

(JD ’02) joined Houston Harbaugh, P.C., as a director in its insurance coverage and bad faith law and commercial litigation practices. (JD ’02) was selected to receive a Fulbright Scholar Award. He will spend the spring 2020 term in the Department of Constitutional Law at Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia. DOUGLAS McKECHNIE

2003 (JD ’03) received the Government Attorney Award at the 2018 AL DIA Lawyers Forum and Reception. Andrade is an assistant U.S. attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania in its Civil Division, where she has worked since 2008. In 2018, she was named chief of the Civil Division. JENNIFER ANDRADE

(JD ’03) joined Blank Rome LLP’s Pittsburgh office as partner in the commercial litigation group and cochair of the national class action defense team. He focuses his practice on the defense ROY ARNOLD

(JD ’03) joined Neighborhood Legal Services Association as a staff attorney in August 2018.

(JD ’04), of Block & Associates, was selected by the Pittsburgh Business Times as one of its 2019 Women of Influence. This award honors professional women in Western Pennsylvania for outstanding performance and influence on the region and their industry. BEVERLY BLOCK

(JD ’04) was named a partner in Barnes & Thornburg LLP’s finance, insolvency and restructuring department in Washington, D.C. JAMES VAN HORN

2005 (JD ’05) was named general counsel at Industrial Scientific. He will lead the legal team and be responsible for all compliance activities at the provider of gas detection products and services. CLAY HUGHES

2006 (JD ’06) was named associate dean for bar success at Texas Tech University School of Law. CATHERINE CHRISTOPHER

(JD ’06) was promoted to member at Burns White LLC. LISA PERRACHE

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2007 (JD ’07) joined Cross, Gunter, Witherspoon & Galchus, P.C., of Little Rock, Ark. Ernst’s practice focuses on advising clients in the employment of foreign nationals. GEORGE ERNST

(JD ’07) was named member at Frost Brown Todd. Koch has a broad business litigation practice that spans two states and several industries. NICHOLAS KOCH

(JD ’07) was elevated to member in Jackson Kelly PLLC’s Pittsburgh office. Her practice focuses on mineral leasing, mineral acquisition transactions, due diligence, and property and title issues related primarily to oil and gas. LEAH LaFRAMBOISE

(JD ’07) has been elected by Meyer, Unkovic & Scott LLP to the firm’s management committee. She is a member of the business litigation, insurance coverage litigation, employment law, and intellectual property groups and also serves as cochair of the firm’s associate committee. Oliver was honored recently as the recipient of the Kathryn M. Kenyon Leadership Award at the Allegheny County Bar Foundation’s 2018 Pro Bono Achievement Awards reception. ANTOINETTE OLIVER

(JD ’07) joined Babst, Calland, Clements and Zomnir, P.C., as a staff attorney in the energy and natural resources group. Oven counsels various energy, oil, gas, and mineral-related clients on transaction matters, including title examination, title curative, oil and gas title opinions, division order title opinions, and due diligence. AMY T. OVEN

(JD ’07) joined Bousquet Holstein PLLC as senior counsel in the litigation practice group. He is a commercial lawyer helping clients to resolve commercial disputes and defend product liability lawsuits. JOSEPH PORCELLO

(JD ’07) joined the Cozen O’Connor Pittsburgh office as a member of the labor and employment department and will focus on legal issues ranging from employment contracts to agency investigations. BETHANY SALVATORE

UNIVERSIT Y OF PITTSBURGH

(JD ’07) was elected partner at Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP. Vaughn is in the commercial and intellectual property litigation practices in Atlanta, Ga. He represents businesses in commercial and IP disputes. STEPHEN VAUGHN

2008 (JD ’08) was elected principal at Post & Schell, P.C., where his practice focuses on representing both individual and commercial clients in casualty litigation. JOHN CROUMER

(JD ’08) joined Galligan & Manning in Houston, Texas, as an associate attorney practicing estate planning, estate administration, and elder law. KEVIN HORNER

(JD ’08) joined the Chartwell Law Offices as an associate in the Deerfield Beach, Fla., office. His practice is focused exclusively on insurance defense. He represents insurance carriers and their insureds, corporate entities, and individuals on matters involving first- and third-party insurance litigation. ANTHONY RENALDO

(JD ’08) joined Tucker Arensberg, P.C., as an associate in the firm’s insolvency and creditors’ rights group. She concentrates her practice in the areas of corporate and commercial business transactions, corporate governance and represents debtors, trustees, and creditors in Chapter 7, 11, and 13 cases. MARIBETH THOMAS

2009 (JD ’09) received the 2019 Outstanding Allegheny County Bar Association Young Lawyer Award at the Young Lawyers Division annual meeting. This award is presented to an individual who is recognized for distinguished service to the bar association, involvement in the community, and excellence in the profession. LAURA BUNTING

(JD ’09) was named shareholder at Babst, Calland, Clements and Zomnir, P.C. MEREDITH CALFE

(JD ’09) was promoted to partner at Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC. DEREK ILLAR

(JD ’09) was named a shareholder at Babst, Calland, Clements and Zomnir, P.C. RACHEL JAMES

(JD ’09) was elected partner at McGuireWoods LLP. Based in the Pittsburgh office, she focuses her practice on highstakes financial services and class action litigation. KARLA JOHNSON

(JD ’09) was promoted to partner in Reed Smith LLP’s Pittsburgh office. He was previously an associate. Roach is a member of the financial industry group and his practice focuses on commercial restructuring and bankruptcy. JARED ROACH

(JD ’09) graduated from the Center for Excellence in County Leadership, a premier professional development program of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania. J. CHADWICK SCHNEE

2010 (JD ’10) joined the Philadelphia law firm of Willig, Williams & Davidson as an associate. Caggiano practices labor and employment law, advocating for union and worker rights. JESSICA CAGGIANO

(JD ’10) joined Gawthrop Greenwood, PC, as an associate. A former assistant district attorney, Jefferson spent six years on the Chester County Pa., district attorney’s office prosecuting 19 jury trials and more than 20 bench trials for criminal cases ranging from felonies to misdemeanors. ROBERT JEFFERSON IV

(JD ’10) joined Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC, as an associate. LINDSEY KENNEDY

(JD ’10) was promoted to member at Stites & Harbison, PLLC. He is a registered patent attorney based in Nashville, Tenn., focusing on all aspects of patent and trademark protection. SEAN RITCHIE

(JD ’10) joined Blank Rome LLP as an associate in the Philadelphia, Pa., office. He concentrates his practice on corporate and general business matters. GEORGEE THEVERVELIL

(JD ’10) joined Rothman Gordon, PC where she represents employees in employment law claims, including discrimination, wage and hour, unemployment compensation, whistleblower, and breach of contract claims. EMILY TOWN

(JD ’10) joined Laddey, Clark & Ryan LLP as a senior associate. She focuses her practice in commercial litigation matters involving breach of contract, restrictive covenants, shareholder disputes and oppression, trade secret protection, and insurance coverage disputes. NICOLE TRACY

LAW SCHOOL TEAMS EXCEL IN THE CLASSROOM AND ON THE FIELD

MEGAN COLLELO

Get a kick out of this: assistant professor GERALD DICKINSON and adjunct professor CHARLES DeMONACO, alongside University of Pittsburgh Law Alumni Association board member KEVIN TUCKER (JD ’11) and several other Pitt Law grads, defeated their alma mater 1–0 to win the 2019 Spring Allegheny County Bar Association (ACBA) Soccer Championship for Fox Rothschild LLP.

(JD ’11) was promoted to partner at the Webb Law Firm, P.C. He is an intellectual property attorney with a background in software development and computer science. His practice includes patent, copyright and trademark matters, including prosecution, litigation, and consultation.

Meet your 2018 ACBA softball championship team: Pitt Law. The Pitt Law heavy hitters defeated the Iron City Barmen (18–17) to bring the championship back home to Barco Law Building.

2011 (JD ’11), an associate at the firm Bond, Schoeneck & King PLLC, was recognized in the 2018 Upstate New York Super Lawyers Rising Stars list in the field of employment and labor. CHRISTIAN EHRET

(JD ’11) was appointed chief compliance officer for the Galveston County Health District in Galveston, Texas. He previously served as director of compliance for Clinical Pathology Laboratories, the third-largest laboratory operation in the United States. ROCKY MOSQUERA

(JD ’11) was named partner at Smith Butz, LLC, where she concentrates her practice in the areas of commercial litigation, energy law, and corporate consultation. JENNIFER SCHIAVONI

(JD ’11) joined Babst, Calland, Clements and Zomnir. P.C., as an associate in the environmental group. MATTHEW WOOD

2012 (JD ’12) kicked off 2018 with a book deal, hiking in Patagonia, and the development of a podcast series. CHRIS GASSMAN

BETH BOROUMAND HACKNEY

(JD ’12) was elected to the Allegheny County Bar Association Family Law Section Council. She also will serve on the board of directors of Allegheny City Central Association, where she will help to guide public space improvements, development programs, and historic preservation efforts in the central Northside area of Pittsburgh. (JD ’12) was appointed to serve as executive director of Pitt Law’s JURIST. She is a member of the New York State Bar and comes from the PhD program at the University of Maryland, where she taught classes in the history department. MEGAN McKEE

(JD ’12) joined Creenan & Baczkowski PC as an associate. JAKE ORESICK

2013 FRANK KIMMEL JR. (JD

’13) joined Cohen & Grigsby, P.C., as an associate in the business transaction services group. He has extensive experience representing clients in the pharmaceutical, manufacturing, education, retail, private equity, and energy sectors.

2014 (JD ’14) joined Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel LLP as an associate in the firm’s Philadelphia, Pa., office, where he will concentrate his practice in the area of zoning and land use. JAMES CRAIG

(JD ’14) was appointed to serve a three-year term on the Allegheny County Bar Foundation’s board of trustees. SUNU PILLAI

S C H O O L O F L AW

2015 (JD ’15) founded BCJ Law LLC, which represents consumers and employees. KEVIN ABRAMOWICZ

2016 (JD ’16), an associate attorney at Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC, was included in the Pittsburgh Business Times 30 Under 30 list for 2018. STEPHENIE SCIALABBA

2017 BLUM HONORED WITH 2019 ART ROONEY AWARD (JD ’73), the first woman to be elected to chair of the University of Pittsburgh Board of Trustees, was named a 2019 Art Rooney Award recipient. EVA TANSKY BLUM

The Art Rooney Award Dinner and Auction was founded 46 years ago by “The Chief,” Arthur J. Rooney, to honor Pittsburgh’s finest community leaders and raise money for the Catholic Youth Association of Pittsburgh. This year’s event took place on April 29 at the Westin Convention Center Hotel. Blum joined Pitt’s board in 2004 and played a lead role in the selection of a new chancellor and in the University’s recordsetting $2 billion capital campaign. In addition to her volunteer work on behalf of the University of Pittsburgh, the Jewish Healthcare Foundation, the Carnegie Science Center, and other civic organizations, Blum has held a succession of highlevel executive positions at PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.

(JD ’17) was named a senior government relations associate by Jackson National Life Insurance Company. He acts as a lead for the government relations team, working collaboratively with other departments to advance Jackson’s business interests in matters related to public policy. JOSEPH A. CARUSO III

(JD ’17) joined Babst, Calland, Clements and Zomnir, P.C., as an associate in the litigation and employment and labor groups. Farone has a broad range of litigation experience in several practice areas, including complex commercial litigation, premises liability, employment, construction, and oil and gas law. ALEXANDRA G. FARONE

THOMAS KUBAN JR. (JD

’17) joined Babst, Calland, Clements and Zomnir, P.C.as an associate in the energy and natural resources group, where he counsels various energy, oil, gas, and mineral-related clients on transaction matters as they relate to title issues and opinions. (JD ’17) joined Peacock Keller, LLP as an associate attorney and will focus his practice on civil litigation as a member of the firm’s litigation department. He previously worked for a boutique civil litigation law firm specializing in insurance defense. MICHAEL ROCHE

(JD ’17) joined Frank, Gale, Bails, Murcko & Pocrass, P.C., as an associate attorney. JOHN SCIALABBA

2018 (JD ’18) joined Thomas, Thomas & Hafer LLP as an associate in the Pittsburgh office, where he will focus his practice in the area of general liability. SAMUEL DUNLOP

UNIVERSIT Y OF PITTSBURGH

(JD ’18) joined Dinsmore & Shohl LLP’s Pittsburgh office as an associate in the corporate department. MELISSA FANN

(JD ’18) joined Pollock Begg Komar Glasser & Vertz LLC as an associate attorney. ASHLEY MAJORSKY

(JD ’18) joined Babst, Calland, Clements and Zomnir, P.C., as an associate in the environmental group, where she assists clients with matters encompassing a broad range of environmental issues, including those related to state and federal permitting, regulatory compliance, and environmental litigation. ALEXANDRA MARINUCCI

(JD ’18) joined Barley Snyder as an associate. Mayer is a new member of the employment and practice group and will be based at the firm’s Lancaster, Pa., office. KAREEMAH MAYER

(JD ’18) joined Robert Peirce & Associates, P.C., as an associate attorney. ADAM MURDOCK

(JD ’18) published an article “Law, Cultural Heritage, and Climate Change in the United States,” in Volume 36, Issue 1, of the Pace Environmental Law Review. He is an associate in Babst, Calland, Clements and Zomnir, P.C.’s environmental practice group, where his research focus is cultural heritage and historic preservation law. CASEY J. SNYDER

(JD ’18) joined Babst, Calland, Clements and Zomnir, P.C. as an associate in the firm’s corporate and commercial group. Her practice focuses primarily on corporate and transactional matters, including real estate transactions, mergers and acquisitions, and commercial contracts. MEGAN SKIBA

(JD ’18) joined Strassburger McKenna Gutnick & Gefsky as an associate in the Pittsburgh office, where her primary areas of focus are public/ nonprofit and litigation. ALEXIS WHEELER

PARTING

SHOT Professor Gerald Dickinson walked his constitutional law class through the highly technical and complicated Presidential impeachment procedures after the House of Representatives announced an impeachment inquiry.

S C H O O L O F L AW

School of Law Barco Law Building 3900 Forbes Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15260 law.pitt.edu

S AV E T H E DAT E

34th ANNUAL PLISF AUCTION T H U R S DAY, F E B RUA RY 6 , 2 0 2 0 7: 3 0 P. M . B A RC O L AW B U I L D I N G

Mark your calendars for the Pitt Legal Income Sharing Foundation’s (PLISF) 34th Annual Auction! PLISF’s biggest fundraiser, the auction raises money to directly support students with summer public interest internships.