Discovery
Summer 2017 % Volume 3, No. 2
the newsletter from washington and lee university school of law
Commencement 2017 T
he School of Law celebrated its 162nd commencement on Sat., May 6, awarding 99 juris doctor degrees. The deluge on Thursday that caused the Maury River to overflow its banks was gone, but showers lingered Saturday morning to pester the beginning of the ceremony, which began with an official welcome and remarks from President Will Dudley. He encouraged the graduating law students to savor their final moments on campus. “Take Washington and Lee with you into the world, and you and the world will be better for it,” said Dudley.
“When you step off this lawn, you will step off as W&L lawyers, well-trained to intelligently and thoughtfully exercise power and, without flinching, shoulder the accompanying responsibility.”
Dean Brant Hellwig receives the 3L Class pledge from Gabriella Alonso ’17L.
Commencement speaker Bill Hill ’74, ’77L receives his walking stick.
—william hill ’74, ’77L Brant Hellwig, dean of the Law School, congratulated the students on their achievement and thanked them for their many contributions to the life of the school, both inside and outside the classroom. “Have high expectations of yourself,” said Hellwig. “In the level of expertise you bring to the table. In the manner in which you interact with your client, whom you have the privilege to serve. In the manner in which you communicate with opposing counsel, who at times will undoubtedly test your limits. “Endeavor to provide expert advocacy and counsel to your client. But don’t stop there. Treat others whom you encounter in the course of your work with decency and respect,” he added. “Doing so will not only help you establish and burnish your reputation, it will dramatically increase your own level of satisfaction with your work.” William Hill ’74, ’77L, trustee emeritus and a partner with Polsinelli in Atlanta, delivered the W&L commencement address. Hill told the graduates that there only four major decisions in life, the first being the education they chose. “The trajectory of your lives changed about 20 minutes ago. You have been entrusted with the ability to accomplish feats that the average citizen cannot,” said Hill. “When you step off this lawn, you will step off as W&L lawyers, well-trained to intelligently and thoughtfully exercise power and, without flinching, shoulder the accompanying responsibility.” Hill offered graduates several pieces of advice on
(from l. to r.) Lauren Michnick ’17L with brother Simon Michnick ’17; Max Gottlieb ’17L with father Richard Gottlieb ’77L; Olivia Broderick ’17L with brother Philip Broderick ’07; Elizabeth Cox ’97 with father Elbert Cox ’67, ’72L and Ann Cox Tripp ’17L; Glenn Williams ’13L with sister Adrienne Williams ’17L; Robert Humphreys ’72 with son Rob Humphreys ’14, ’17L; and Elizabeth Krausnick Malmo ’10 with brother Carl Krausnick ’17L.
legal practice, much of it inspired from guidance handed down to him by his father. “Things are never as simple as they seem, and there are always moving parts that you cannot see,” said Hill. “The practice of law is chess on three boards at the same time. It is not checkers.” Three students graduated summa cum laude, 11 magna cum laude and 18 cum laude. Ten students were named to Order of the Coif, an honorary scholastic society that encourages excellence in legal education. A list of
Watch the Commencement proceedings online at law.wlu.edu.
John W. Davis Prize for Law
National Association of Women Lawyers Award
James W. H. Stewart Tax Law Award
ALEXANDRA KLEIN
LIZZY WILLIAMS
ZACHARY IMBODEN
(highest cumulative grade point average)
Academic Progress Award
Awards
honors and awards appears below. During the awards ceremony the day before, The Student Bar Association Teacher of the Year and Staff Member of the Year award, were presented. Professor Al Carr ’71L was named Teacher of the Year, and Cliff Jarrett ’91L, head of the Career Strategy office, won the staff award.
(outstanding woman law student)
Charles V. Laughlin Award
(most satisfactory scholastic progress in final year)
(outstanding contribution to Moot Court Program)
Virginia Trial Lawyers Association Award
Randall P. Bezanson Award
STACEY LARIVIERE
JENNA LORENCE
(excellence in tax law)
Thomas Carl Damewood Evidence Award
(excellence in the area of evidence) RAY HINGSON
(outstanding contribution to diversity in the life of the Law School community)
A. H. McLeod-Ross Malone Advocacy Award
Roy L. Steinheimer Jr. Commercial Law Award
Virginia Bar Family Law Section Award
MARESSA CUENCA
TYLER CRAGG
RAY HINGSON LEANNA MINIX
(effective trial advocacy) ANNE ANDERSON JAMES SIMON
(excellence in commercial law)
Calhoun Bond University Service Award
(significant contribution to the university community) JESS WINN
Frederic L. Kirgis Jr. International Law Award (excellence in international law) ANDREA MARSHALL
ROSSANA BAEZA
(excellence in the area of family law)
American Bankruptcy Institute Medal (excellence in the study of bankruptcy law) LUCAS BARTA ARTHUR VORBRODT
Barry Sullivan Constitutional Law Award (excellence in constitutional law) ALEXANDRA KLEIN
(distinction in oral advocacy)
Student Bar Association President Award
(recognition for services as president of the Student Bar Association) OLIVIA BRODERICK
Clinical Legal Education Association Award
(outstanding clinical student Award) KIMBERLY NEEL
Tamra Harris, Rosy Baeza and Maressa Cuenca, far right.
Law Students Win National Uvaldo Herrera Moot Court Competition The W&L Law team of Rosy Baeza, Tamra Harris and Maressa Cuenca was named national champions at the Uvaldo Herrera National Moot Court Competition, conducted by the Hispanic National Bar Association. This is the first time W&L has sent a team to this competition. The team, all third-year law students and members of the school’s Latin American Law Students Association, competed against teams from 30 other law schools. In addition to their overall victory, Tamra Harris was named first-place oralist in the preliminary rounds.
The law firm of Gibson, Dunn, & Crutcher wrote the competition problem, which focused on whether the ruling in Johnson v. United States invalidating the Armed Career Criminal Act’s residual clause as unconstitutionally vague also applied to the identically worded residual clause in the United States Sentencing Guidelines with retroactive effect. Professors Tim MacDonnell and Dan Evans coached the students, and professors J.D. King and Jon Shapiro provided guidance on the sentencing issue that served as the competition’s focus. The competition took place at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in Miami. The judges of the final round included Albert Diaz of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, Eva Guzman of the Supreme Court of Texas, and Adalberto Jordan of the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. In winning the competition, the students brought home a $14,000 scholarship award for the school.
The 2016 Graduate Employment Report
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CLASS OF 2016 — WHERE THEY ARE includes summary data about the employment ata from the Office of Career status of the 95 graduates in the class of 2016. Strategy show another year of strong The class is employed in 22 states and one foreign country. Top destinations are Virginia, Washington, DC, New York and California. The report shows graduates working performance in employment over in a diverse range of jobs. Forty-two percent are previous years. The report measures employment heading to law firms, and nearly a quarter of 10 months after graduation. those will be working for Big Law, typically firms According to the report, 84 percent of the with over 500 lawyers. Eight percent are working Class of 2016 has secured a full-time job that in government, 8 percent in business or industry, either requires bar passage or for which a J.D. and 8 percent in public interest jobs, such as legal degree is an advantage. The overall employment aid offices. rate for the class including all employment types One particular area of strength for and graduate school is over 90 percent. W&L Law has always been placement in federal “We are really proud of and happy for the and state clerkships, and this remains the case for members of the class of 2016,” said Cliff Jarrett the Class of 2016. Twenty-one percent of those ’91L, assistant dean for career strategy. “They 2016 BAR PASSAGE employed are clerking, including placements in significantly outperformed the national average Virginia New York Nationwide the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, in passing their bar exams and did a great job of W&L 91.5% 93% 90% and federal district courts in Alabama, Tennessee, utilizing the W&L network and resources to find National Avg. 76% 70% 72% Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, meaningful, interesting and fulfilling work. Our D.C., as well as state courts in Delaware, Florida, alumni were an invaluable asset to this class and New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia. I appreciate their continued support to our students and recent graduates on the career These 95 graduates are employed in 22 states and one foreign country, Nigeria. The front.” top geographic areas for employment are Virginia, the District of Columbia and New The employment report, available online (go.wlu.2016lawemployment), was York, followed by Florida, North Carolina and Alabama. prepared in accordance with requirements of the American Bar Association and
We Can Use Your Help! Almost 80 percent of the Class of 2016L have already found jobs or are enrolled in full-time LLM or other graduate programs. For those graduates who are still seeking, you can help. Keep an eye out for an email from Elizabeth Branner. We will be sending out profiles of these recent graduates to alumni in the cities where 2
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these graduates are looking to start their careers. If your firm, company or organization has an opening, please consider hiring one of these recent graduates. Otherwise, if you know of openings elsewhere or can help a recent graduate make a connection that would further his or her job search, please contact the recent graduate, or Cliff Jarrett at jarrettc@wlu.edu.
Career Paths Andrea Marshall ’17 was a law ambassador, a managing online editor for the Washington and Lee Law Review, and a senior articles editor for the German Law Journal. Andrea is interested in environmental and international law and will be working for the Sierra Club as a legal fellow in Washington, D.C., most likely focusing on climate change. My interest in environmental law and public interest started during my 1L summer. I worked for an international environmental non-profit in New York City called Pure Earth. They worked on small pollution-remediation projects all over the world, and I was impressed by the positive impact this small non-profit could have on major pollution problems. I was also struck by the diversity of issues within environmental law. There is always something new to learn. My 1L summer sent me down the environmental law path, but a subsequent externship with the Environmental Protection Agency through the W&L Law D.C. Program solidified my interest and desire to be a part of this field. I worked in the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, specifically in the Pesticides and Tanks Branch. That branch dealt with the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act. I was able to do research, write memos, help edit and draft briefs, and attend meetings with senior attorneys in the agency. I also interacted with water lawyers and air lawyers working on other statutes, and was constantly impressed by the depth of knowledge in the agency and the attorneys’ dedication. Although not in the environmental field, my 2L summer as an intern for the Peace Corps General Counsel in D.C. helped me develop litigation skills, as I was tasked with drafting document production requests, interrogatories, and a memorandum in support of a summary judgment motion. Christian Addison ’17L has entered the JAG Corps for the United States Air Force. After his service in the military, he hopes to pursue his dream of becoming a sports agent throughout the National Football League. I have known that I wanted to join the military since I was a child. This interest is what led me to follow in the footsteps of my great-grandfather ’24, grandfather ’54, father ’82 and brother ’11 to attend VMI for my undergraduate degree. Throughout my time and training at VMI, I felt that I could best serve my country by representing fellow service members in a legal capacity. There are several routes by which someone can pursue a career as a JAG. I pursued JAG through the military’s educational delay program. Essentially, this means that the Air Force allowed me to defer my active-duty commitment for three years in order to attain my legal degree. I will find out where I will be stationed once I receive a passing score on any state bar exam. In relation to the work I will be doing, I will pursue the litigation route in the JAG Corps, which will primarily focus around military justice issues. I benefited most from the third-year curriculum during my time here at Washington and Lee. The various clinics and practicums I took this past year enabled me to feel comfortable in the courtroom. In particular, the Global Corruption Practicum has afforded me, along with a few others, the opportunity to travel to Fiji at the end of April to meet with the UN to discuss the impact that corruption has throughout the world. The experience I gained by dealing with other countries will serve me well in my career with the military. Tamra Harris ’17 competed in mock trial and moot court competitions. She has joined the litigation department of Miller & Martin’s Chattanooga, Tennessee, office, and plans on specializing in business litigation, as well as general litigation including telecommunications, construction and product liability cases. I knew before law school that I wanted to work in private practice. I began working in law firms when I was in high school and continued throughout college and until I began law school in 2014. I love the team structure — working through different aspects of the litigation process. Law firms are mini-communities, and it’s even better when you truly enjoy spending time with your colleagues. Even though I knew I would end up in a firm, I split both of my summers. I spent half of my first summer with a judge in Washington, D.C., and half of my second summer volunteering at the Human Rights Commission in Nicaragua. I would encourage all students to take this opportunity to observe different legal careers, even if you know where you want to land. Diverse experiences will provide perspective in whatever career you eventually choose. Location was one of the biggest factors in my career search. I love being outdoors, and I love being part of a strong community. Chattanooga fulfills both with its breathtaking scenery and tight-knit community. Miller & Martin has about 150 lawyers throughout its three offices. For me, this size is small enough that I will know most of my colleagues, and large enough that I will continually have challenging and interesting work. While I will likely begin my career in general litigation, I would like to eventually specialize in business litigation. To that end, I spent much of my second and third year of law school focusing on corporate classes and practicums, such as securities regulation, taxation, closely held businesses, publicly held businesses, international business trans-
visit law.wlu.edu/career to learn more about recruiting law students for jobs and internships
actions, the mergers and acquisitions practicum and the business planning practicum. For me, these classes and practicums were necessary to give me a basic understanding of corporate law. To pick up the litigation end, I competed in as many mock trial and moot court competitions as possible and worked in the advanced administrative litigation black lung clinic. These combined have given me the foundation I need to follow my practice goals. Mikail Clark ’17L was a Burks fellow and the advancement editor of the Journal of Civil Rights and Social Justice. In addition to practicing law in West Virginia, Mikail would like to start his own tax and accounting business, and one day, delve into real-estate investing. After graduation, I will join the Charleston, West Virginia office of Spilman, Thomas, and Battle PLLC. My practice will be evenly split between corporate transactional and litigation defense work. Although I was not certain that I wanted to work in a law firm, I had a strong inclination that I would do so, particularly at the beginning of my career. During my job search, I knew that if possible, I wanted to land at a mid-size firm, because I believed that they generally strike the appropriate balance between giving attorneys a diverse workload and permitting them to have sufficient time for family life and civic activities. As I was open to living anywhere, I really did not care about the location of the firms to which I applied. I recommend that students determine the bar exam(s) for which they will likely sit and to take classes that cover the subjects that will be tested on the bar exam(s). Further, I recommend that students take Close Business Arrangements, so that they can obtain at least a cursory understanding of how business organizations operate, and Sales, so that they can have at least a foundational understanding of the Uniform Commercial Code, negotiable instruments and commercial paper. Otherwise, the classes that students should take totally depend on their preferred practice area. Chi Ewusi ’17L was a writer and a dancer for several years before attending W&L Law. She served as the executive editor of the German Law Journal and the Law News. After graduation, I will be working for Kirkland and Ellis, in its Houston office. I’ll be doing primarily private equity and capital markets work. I knew that I wanted to spend at least a few years at a firm and get that experience. Going into law school, I knew that I would aim to pursue employment at a large law firm. My biggest fears were whether I could handle it and whether taking that path would prevent me from pursuing my other legal interests. Talking with my professors helped confirmed my career choice, as well as taking on interesting assignments that combined my love of corporate and international law. To prepare for a law firm position, I think some corporate and business classes would be useful. Classes like Close Business Arrangements and Federal Income Tax provide a good foundation. Because I’m specifically doing securities and private equity work, I’ve found Securities Regulation, Secured Transactions and Cross Borders Transactions to be particularly helpful as well. I was fortunate to receive an offer from Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman (where I spent my 2L summer), but I knew I did not want to start my career in D.C. Through talking to alums in Texas and following business journals/blogs, I found out that Kirkland & Ellis was expanding in that region. Jessica Winn ’17 was involved in Law Review, German Law Journal, Law Ambassadors, WLSO, ACS and PILSA. During the 2017–2018 term, I will be clerking for U.S. District Judge Rosanna Peterson in the Eastern District of Washington. We’ll review, and the judge will decide a large number of procedural motions. I will research and prepare memos for her upcoming cases. I will also help to draft sections of opinions for the court. I’m particularly looking forward to this clerkship because I will get the chance to work with a woman who also followed a non-traditional path to the law and who, in her legal career, has demonstrated excellence in practice and as a professor. Judge Peterson worked for a number of years before attending law school, she practiced in Spokane for 17 years before taking the bench, and she taught for 10 of those years at Gonzaga University School of Law. I’m also excited to serve as a judicial term clerk, because I know that the work will expose me to a wide variety of legal issues and refine my research and writing skills. I’m looking forward to looking at cases not from one side or the other, but from the middle. Seeing different issues and arguments, becoming a more confident writer and researcher, and reflecting upon my clerkship will help make me a better attorney in the future. After this clerkship, I hope to clerk with a federal circuit court judge or perhaps with a state supreme court justice. Ultimately, I’m interested in doing some kind of public interest law, being involved in policy-making, and — maybe one day — teaching. If you’re interested in clerking for a federal judge, my advice is to take Federal Jurisdiction and Procedure (and be dedicated about it), to jump with both feet into the application process, to double- and triple-check your résumé and cover letter for errors, and to talk with friends, family and faculty about your clerkship search.
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Retiring Faculty 2017 “When I think of Sally, the picture my mind depicts is that of a highly accomplished woman who excels at everything she does. She is a woman of many talents possessing knowledge on a vast array of topics, from copyright to admiralty to opera. She is intellectually curious. By anyone’s definition, she is a renaissance woman.” —caroline osborne, assistant dean for legal information services and professor of legal research
Professor Sally Wiant joined W&L Law as an assistant law librarian in 1972. At the same time, she became a member of the first class of women and completed her degree in 1978. After finishing her J.D., she became the director of the law library and an assistant professor of law. She was promoted to associate professor of law in 1984, while maintaining her role as director of the library. She has been a full professor of law since 1993. Since stepping down as library director in 2010, Wiant has continued to teach full-time, including first-year small sections of Torts, where she is one of the first faculty members whom students encounter.
“During her career, Professor Wiant oversaw the move of the library from Tucker Hall to Lewis Hall, and over the years deftly guided the expansion of our library collection that today includes well over 400,000 volumes and online access to many more resources,” said Brant Hellwig, dean of the Law School. Wiant’s scholarship focuses on copyright law, intellectual property, trademarks, unfair competition, and admiralty maritime law. She has published extensively on copyright law, including two books: “Libraries and Copyright: A Guide to Copyright Law in the 1990s” and “Copyright Handbook.” Her numerous book chapters can be found in the series of Specialized Legal Research, as well as in Developments in Copyright Law and the Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science. In recognition of her work at W&L and with numerous professional organizations, Wiant received the Marian Gould Gallagher Distinguished Service Award from the American Association of Law Libraries, the
AALL’s highest award. “When I think of Sally, the picture my mind depicts is that of a highly accomplished woman who excels at everything she does,” said Caroline Osborne, assistant dean for legal information services and professor of legal research. “She is a blur, perhaps a colorful blur, someone in constant motion — be it teaching, doing committee work, singing in the choir, walking the Chessie Trail, babysitting Chatham, cooking a fabulous dinner, offering advice and support to students and colleagues, advising on note topics, and the list goes on ad infinitum. She is a woman of many talents possessing knowledge on a vast array of topics, from copyright to admiralty to opera. She is intellectually curious. By anyone’s definition, she is a renaissance woman.” Osborne added, “To call her a trailblazer is to recognize the contribution she made to the women faculty and administrators at Washington and Lee. It was her inner Renaissance woman that provided her with the innate ability to pave the way for women here at W&L.”
“He has taught at every level of the school’s curriculum, from small section Contracts to upper-level business law classes and in the transactional practice simulations in the third year. He served as the School’s Law Center director, associate dean for academic affairs and on every committee imaginable. He has been a tireless ambassador for the school on behalf of our admissions office and an enthusiastic participant at alumni events in Lexington and abroad.” —brant hellwig, dean of the law school
Professor David Millon, the J.B. Stombock Professor of Law, holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from Ohio State, a Ph.D. in history from Cornell University, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. “A scholar of corporate law and legal history, Millon joined W&L in 1986 and has spent his entire 30year academic career at W&L,” noted Brant Hellwig, dean of the Law School. “His contributions to this place 4
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are too many to number. He has taught at every level of the school’s curriculum, from small section Contracts to upper-level business law classes and in the transactional practice simulations in the third year. He served as the School’s Law Center director, associate dean for academic affairs and on every committee imaginable. He has been a tireless ambassador for the school on behalf of our admissions office and an enthusiastic participant at alumni events in Lexington and abroad.” A highly respected scholar in the areas of corporate law and legal history, Millon has written about some of the most pressing issues of the day, from corporate social responsibility to the Enron collapse to the law and politics of hostile takeover regulation. He has also published “Select Ecclesiastical Cases from the
King’s Courts 1272–1307,” which explores the relationship between the Catholic Church’s court system and the king’s common law courts during the reign of Edward I. The book was published by the Selden Society as part of its distinguished series on British legal history. “David’s retirement means a profound loss for the world of corporate law scholarship,” said Lyman Johnson, the Robert O. Bentley Professor of Law. “His work appeared in numerous high-profile journals and made enduring contributions to both theory and doctrinal understanding. David’s unwavering insistence that corporations, and those who direct their affairs, must always attend to a broad social responsibility, and not just money matters, reminds us all that the conduct of business can and must be humane.”
facult y accomp l i s hm e n ts DAVID BALUARTE spent the spring semester completing comparative immigration research in Argentina as part of the Fulbright Scholars program. As a practical complement to his research, he worked closely with the immigration clinic of the University of Buenos Aires Law School, which is coordinated by the Argentine Commission on Refugees and Migrants. His forthcoming article, “The Risk of Statelessness: Reasserting a Rule for the Protection of the Right to Nationality” will be published this summer in the Yale Human Rights and Development Law Journal. CHRISTOPHER BRUNER delivered the keynote address at International Financial Services and Small States conference in London, hosted by the global law firm Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP and co-sponsored by the Centre for Small States at Queen Mary University of London, the Caribbean Export Development Agency and Fran Hendy Attorneys. He also gave presentations at the University of Cambridge Faculty of Law and the University of Colorado Law School on his new article examining the politics of corporate governance, forthcoming in the BYU Law Review. BOB DANFORTH published the second edition of his Tax Management Portfolio on grantor trusts (co-authored with Howard Zaritsky). He also served as an expert witness regarding the fiduciary duties of executors and trustees in several litigation matters. NORA DEMLEITNER was named Senior Fellow in Interdisciplinary Legal Studies for 2017-18 at the Baldy Center for Law & Social Policy, State University of New York, Buffalo and received a research grant from the Max Planck Society for comparative criminal justice research. She published “Judicial Challenges to the Collateral Impact of Criminal Convictions: Is True Change in the Offing?” in the New York University Law Review Online and “Higher Education Under Pressure: What Will the Future Hold?” in the Syracuse Law
governance at the annual AALS meeting in San Francisco, on Delaware’s long silence on corporate officers, at UCLA Law School; on managerial duties in social enterprise, at Notre Dame Law School; and on 30 years of corporate law scholarship, at a law alumni event in Atlanta. His book chapter on agape and corporate law was published in “Agape, Justice, and Law” (Cambridge University Press).
Review. She became a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of the Prison Policy Initiative, a not-for-profit organization that researches mass imprisonment. MARK DRUMBL published a number of articles on prosecutions ongoing at the International Criminal Court. He taught intensive courses in Canada and the Czech Republic; gave public lectures in Poland, the Netherlands and Croatia; presented his work at events organized at Columbia University, University of Ottawa, University of Nevada at Las Vegas and the University of British Columbia; served as an external reviewer at a dissertation defense at the Free University of Amsterdam; and participated in a conference in Sarajevo (Bosnia) to commemorate the closing of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. MICHELLE DRUMBL published “Joint Winners, Separate Losers: Proposals to Ease the Sting for Married Taxpayers Filing Separately” in the Florida Tax Review, and presented her work-in-progress on refundable tax credits at the University of Exeter Business School during the Tax Administration Research Centre’s fifth annual workshop. MARGARET HU published “Biometric Cyberintelligence and the Posse Comitatus Act” in the Emory Law Journal and “The Regulation of Commercial Profiling — A Comparative Analysis” in the European Data Protection Law Review. She also contributed a chapter, titled “Metadeath: How Does Metadata Surveillance Inform Lethal Consequences?” in “Privacy and Power: A Transatlantic Dialogue in the Shadow of the NSA-Affair.” Her paper on biometric cyberintelligence received honorable mention at the 2017 Privacy Papers for Policymakers award ceremony. She appeared on NPR to discuss President Trump’s travel ban executive order and on PRI to discuss the U.S. Supreme Court case Hernandez v. Mesa. LYMAN JOHNSON spoke on the future of corporate
J.D. KING’s article, “The Public Defender as International Transplant,” is forthcoming in the University of Pennsylvania Journal of International Law. He presented at the 2017 American Association of Law Schools Conference on Clinical Legal Education on “A Pedagogy of Intervention: Student Autonomy and Zealous Advocacy.” JAMES MOLITERNO served as a Fulbright Specialist Scholar at Yaroslav Mudryi National Law Faculty in Ukraine. He published “Experiencing Civil Procedure” (2nd ed.) and the second edition of “Global Issues in Legal Ethics” (2nd ed.). KISH PARELLA presented her scholarship at the Stanford/Harvard/Yale Junior Faculty Forum at Stanford Law School and at the annual meeting of the Society of Environmental Law & Economics at the University of Oxford. She placed her article, “Reputational Regulation,” with Duke Law Journal (forthcoming 2018) and published “Treaty Penumbras” in the University of Pennsylvania Journal of International Law, and “The Stewardship of Trust in the Global Value Chain” in the Virginia Journal of International Law. DOUG RENDLEMAN published “Commercial Bribery: Choice and Measurement Within a Remedies Smorgasbord” in the Washington and Lee Law Review, and a new supplement for his casebook “Enforcement of Judgments and Liens in Virginia.” He also authored a preview of Goodyear Tire v. Haeger for the ABA Division of Public Education on the upcoming U.S. Supreme Court case.
James Moliterno Receives Rakes Award education. He played a leadership role in developing W&L’s innovative practice-based curriculum and, prior to joining W&L, he was the architect of William and Mary law school’s award-winning ethics, skills and professionalism program.
JAMES E. MOLITERNO received the William R. Rakes Leadership in Education Award from the Virginia State Bar Section on the Education of Lawyers in Virginia. Moliterno has spent his career as a legal educator seeking ways to infuse experiential learning into legal
Russell Miller Publishes Book on Privacy and Power PROFESSOR RUSSELL MILLER has published “Privacy and Power: A Transatlantic Dialogue in the Shadow of the NSA-Affair” (Cambridge Press). The book documents and engages with the dramatic differences that opened up between Americans and Europeans around issues such as privacy and intel-
ligence-gathering in the wake of Edward Snowden’s disclosures of NSA surveillance programs. The volume includes contributions from undergraduate professors Roger Crockett (German/Russian), Sarah Horowitz (history) and W&L Law professors Joshua Fairfield and Margaret Hu.
Joshua Fairfield Publishes Book on Digital Property companies. In two years we will not own our smart televisions, which will also be used by advertisers to listen into our living rooms. In 10 years, if we do not take back our ownership rights, the same will be said of our self-driving cars and software-enabled homes. We risk becoming digital peasants, owned by software and advertising companies, not to mention overreaching governments.
PROFESSOR JOSHUA FAIRFIELD has published “Owned: Property, Privacy and the New Digital Serfdom.” In this compelling examination of the intersection of smart technology and the law, Fairfield explains the crisis of digital ownership — how and why we no longer control our smartphones or software-enabled devices, which are effectively owned by software and content
See columns.wlu.edu/law for more details
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Dean Brant Hellwig receives the 2017 Reunion Classes gift of $4. 8 million.
Law Alumni Week
Outgoing Law Council President Jim Seevers ’97L relinquishes the gavel to incoming president Moira Roberts ’93L.
L. to r. : Moira Roberts ’93L, Hal Clarke ’73, ’76L, Nan Robertson Clarke ’76L and Chong Kim ’92L.
Class Notes 1963L
Ken Beall Jr. (’61) retired from Gunster PA after 52-plus years. He lives in Palm Beach, Florida.
1968L
Vance A. Funk III retired from his Main Street law firm in Newark, New Jersey. After a career of over 40 years, he has passed the firm on to his son.
1976L
Stephan Bachelder joined Preti Flaherty in Portland, Maine. Stephen McGraw, a member of Kerr, Russell and Weber’s
executive committee, co-authored an article that appeared in the January 2017 issue of Detroit Lawyer titled, “The Difficult Choice Facing Individual Defendants.”
1977L
William Wallace Jr. (’74) was inducted as a fellow into the American College of Trial Attorneys. He lives in Roanoke.
1980L
David Brandley Jr. retired from Hunton & Williams. He is
pursuing a second career in the wine industry. He lives in New York City.
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Robert M. Couch ’78, ’82L received the Outstanding Law Alumnus award for exceptional achievements in his career and for unselfish service to his community and his alma mater. Couch practices with Bradley Arant in Birmingham, Alabama. He focuses on mortgage lenders and investors; affordable housing; regulatory matters involving HUD, Ginnie Mae, FHA and other government–sponsored enterprise matters; and governmental affairs. Couch served as a commissioner on the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Housing Commission until September 2014. He previously served as general counsel of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
(HUD), was president of the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae), and served as a member of President George W. Bush’s Task Force on the Status of Puerto Rico in 2008. Prior to his government service, Couch was president and CEO of New South Federal Savings Bank in Birmingham and general counsel and CFO of First Commercial Bancshares. At W&L, Couch has served as president of the Law Council, as chapter law liaison, on the Law School campaign committee, on several reunion committees, and as a host for law alumni events. His commitment to public service and to his community is apparent from the many
Volunteer of the Year Amy King Condaras ’02L tries out her new chair.
L. to r.: John Griffith ’72L, John Parkins ’72L Richard Boyer ’72 and Jonathon Hance ’08L fit in a game of golf over the weekend.
1984L
Lt. Col. Kevin Rardin retired from the district attorney’s
office in Memphis, Tennessee. He was an assistant district attorney, with 32 years of service. On Dec. 1, 2016, he began working as a full-time assistant public defender in the Shelby County Juvenile Court in Memphis. He continues to serve in the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and became a division vice commander.
1986L
Bill Vailliencourt Jr. was re-elected in November 2016 to serve a second term as prosecuting attorney for Livingston County, Michigan.
1987L
Rodney Moore, co-managing partner of Weil, Gotshal &
Manges LLP, in Dallas, is listed in the American City Business Journal’s Who’s Who in Energy 2016-2017 for the Houston market. Moore, who splits his time between the firm’s Dallas and Houston offices, has been recognized four years in a row by the publication.
1991L
Paul Driscoll (’85) joined Zemanian Law Group in Norfolk, Virginia. He will be working with fellow classmates Pete Zemanian and Rosemary Kearns Zemanian. Catherine Hobart Thompson joined Audible Inc. as senior corporate counsel. She lives in Summit, New Jersey.
1995L
D. Cameron Beck Jr. became the director of McCandlish Holton Morris in December 2016. He lives and works in Richmond.
1997L
Rob Aliff (’91) was a West Virginia Bar Foundation Fellow for his “outstanding dedication to the welfare of their communities and honorable service to the legal profession.” He practices with Jackson Kelly in Charleston, West Virginia. Tina Clark Beamon joinsed Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc. as senior director, ethics and compliance-R&D. She lives in Meriden, Connecticut.
Maria A. Feeley joined the University of Hartford as vice president, general counsel and secretary.
Christopher C.S. Manning founded a legal recruiting firm
in Washington, D.C., after 15 years of successful law practice and years of legal recruiting experience inside and outside major law firms. The Manning Group places partners and associates in law firms across the country, particularly in the D.C./ mid-Atlantic region.
Kevin Webb (’88) joined the U.S. Commodity Futures
Trading Commission as special counsel to the acting chairman in Washington, D.C.
Class of 2012L
kend 2017 • April 7–9 volunteer leadership positions he has held. Amy King Condaras ’02L received the 2017 Volunteer of the Year Award, which recognizes those individuals who go above and beyond assisting the Law School. In the 15 years since she graduated, Condaras has served W&L as law class agent, a law firm liaison, and a reunion committee member. A native of Charleston, West Virginia, Condaras practices with Spilman Thomas & Battle in her hometown, where she is vice chair of the corporate department, co-chair of the banking and finance practice group, and co-chair of the public finance practice group. Among her national recognition Condaras has been
listed in WV Super Lawyers Rising Stars for Bonds/ Government Finance, recognized by WV Executive as a Young Gun, and was named a Next 40 under 40 winner by The State Journal. Prior to attending W&L Law, she worked as an auditor for PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, in Richmond. While at W&L, Condaras was a member of the Law Review, Women’s Law Student Organization and Phi Delta Phi. She practiced with Moore & Van Allen in Charlotte before returning to West Virginia. In 2009 she served as the official spokesperson and goodwill ambassador for the state of West Virginia after winning that state’s Come Home to West Virginia contest.
Class of 2007L
Front row, l. to r.: Joe Logan ’67L, Eddie Russell ’67L, Conway Sheild ’64, ’67L, Larry Small ’59, ’62L, Bing Van Nuys ’59, ’62L and Dean Brant Hellwig. Back Row, l. to r.: Kevin Concagh ’67L, Jim Douthat ’67L, Roscoe Reynolds ’67L, Charlie Bowie ’67L and Ron Jacobs ’67L.
1998L
Matthew T. Gomes, of Weinberg, Wheeler, Hudgins, Gunn & Dial, was named to Georgia Trend’s 2016 Legal Elite, labor and employment law. He lives and works in Atlanta.
1999L
Christine Miller Clarke joined Council for Children’s Rights as staff attorney in Charlotte, North Carolina.
W. Calvin Smith is senior counsel at Dunlap Bennett & Ludwig PLLC, in Leesburg, Virginia. He started the new position in January.
2000L
Andrea Short is vice president and deputy general counsel
for Verizon’s business markets organization. She and her team provide legal advice and counsel to the firm to help it achieve its mission of being the market leader in communications and IT solutions for local business, state and local government, and education customers throughout the U.S.
2002L
Misty Leon Bernknopf became partner at Wilkins Finston
Friedman Law Group LLP. She provides legal counsel to both public and private employers regarding various employee benefits and compensation matters.
Stacy Smith Gray became general counsel for Belk in Charlotte, North Carolina, in January 2017.
Outstanding Alumnus Rob Couch ’78, ’82L receives his award from Dean Brant Hellwig.
Lindsay Peed Thompson joined TriNet as corporate counsel in Charlotte, North Carolina.
2003L
Brett E. Morgan opened The Black Cloud, a beer bar in
Asheville, North Carolina, in addition to his normal gigs of tour managing The Bacon Brothers and stage managing for Aimee Mann.
Marie E. Washington was named a Top 40 Under 40 family lawyer in Virginia by the American Society of Legal Associates.
2004L
Michael T. Pidgeon (’01) joined the business and corporate law, the trusts and estates law and the litigation practice groups at Eastburn and Gray P.C in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.
Nathan Chaney is an associate general counsel for research
contracts at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. His wife, Hilary Chaney ’98, ’04L, is a staff attorney at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas. They reside in Little Rock.
Paul Pittman joined White & Case LLP as a data, privacy and cybersecurity attorney. He lives in Washington, D.C. Evan M. Sauda is partner at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarbor-
ough in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Dan Wolf joined Virginia Information Technologies Agency, in Richmond, as a legal and legislative services manager.
2005L
Joseph R. Dunn, a member of the bankruptcy and restructuring practice of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo P.C., has been named a Top 40 Under 40 business professional by the San Diego Daily Transcript.
Ling-Ling Nie became chief compliance officer and assistant general counsel for Panasonic Corp. of North America. She lives in Peachtree City, Georgia.
C. Adam Nunziato is senior counsel, loans and platform, at LendUp, in San Francisco.
2006L
Ryan J. Dunlavey joined Erie Insurance Group in November 2016 as in-house legal counsel. He lives and works in Philadelphia.
Tala Shahlavi Gardner joined Northrop Grumman in Falls Church, Virginia, as corporate counsel.
2007L
Andrew M. Howard is a partner with Shore Chan DePumpo LLP, in Dallas. His practice includes patent litigation, complex commercial litigation and catastrophic injury or death litigation. Summer
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Matthew J. Morrison opened Morrison Law Office in
Orem, Utah. He focuses on franchising, litigation, estate planning, corporate law and acts as outside corporate counsel and general counsel.
2008L
Jane Ledlie Batcheller (’03) joined WestRock Co., in Atlanta.
Marie Trimble Holvick (’05) became assistant managing partner of the San Francisco and Oakland offices of Gordon & Rees. Tyler R.T. Wolf (’05) is a partner at Morris, Manning & Mar-
tin LLP. He represents lending institutions in a variety of finance transactions, including agented credit facilities, acquisition financings and note offerings. He lives and works in Atlanta.
2009L
G. Calvin Awkward III (’06) joined Franklin & Prokopik as a senior associate. He lives and works in Baltimore, Maryland.
Celebrating Pete Wimbrow’s (’73L) 70th birthday on April 11, in Ocean City, Maryland, were, l-r: William E. Esham III ’87, Raymond D. Coates Jr. ’71, Richard V. Grimes Jr. ’73L, Pete ’73L, Larry W. Fifer ’73L, the Hon. Thomas C. Groton III ’70, Robert C. Westerman ’73L and Harold B. Gordy Jr. ’67.
Noah C. Lauricella is a partner at Goldenberg Law PLLC. He lives and works in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Ketan V. Patel joined Sidley Austin LLP, in New York City, as
Tyler S. Laughinghouse is an associate attorney with
Kathryn Hall Shurin joined Haynes and Boone LLP as an associate in its Houston office.
Ashley Bowen MacNamara became an associate attorney
an associate.
Sarah Shyr joined Under Armour as associate counsel. She lives and works in Washington, D.C.
2010L
The Hon. Christopher R. Riano was appointed general
counsel to the New York State Liquor Authority. He lives in New York City.
2011L
Fadil Mamoun Bayyari joined Frost Brown Todd as a senior associate in the international services group of the firm’s corporate department in Cincinnati, Ohio. He focuses on advising multi-national companies on a wide variety of cross-border corporate and commercial transactions. Fadil has also advised procurers, sponsors and lenders on energy and infrastructure projects, particularly in the power, LNG, oil and gas and water sectors in Europe and the Middle East. Stacey Valentine Fielding joined Day Pitney LLP as a trust and estates attorney.
David J. Gundlach is an associate with Sands Anderson PC, in Richmond, Virginia.
Brandon Hasbrouck joined McGuireWoods LLP, in Rich-
mond.
Daniel J. Newton became a partner at Gaines, Gault, Hen-
drix P.C. in December 2016. He lives and works in Birmingham, Alabama.
2012L
S. Ferrell Alman Jr. is the president and founder of Roanline
LLC, in Asheville, North Carolina. His company offers outdoors clothing and gear for men and women.
Amanda Rice Dufraine joined the Social Security Administration Office of Disability Adjudication and Review as an attorney advisor.
Edward S. Hillenbrand is a litigation associate in the Los Angeles office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. He focuses on commercial litigation, securities litigation, environmental litigation, securities investigations, and OFAC and FCPA investigations, as well as pro bono matters.
Hunton & Williams LLP, in Richmond.
with Adkerson, Hauder & Bezney PC. in November 2016. She lives in Richardson, Texas, and works in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. She focuses on insurance defense, including personal injury defense, premises liability defense, and commercial trucking defense.
Elizabeth Petty Summers joined Fredrikson & Byron PA
Stephen D. Hall joined Walsh, Colucci, Lubeley & Walsh,
PC, in Alexandria, Virginia, as a land use and zoning associate.
Anne Vesoulis Wilkes (’12) works for The Harper Firm
PLLC, in Shreveport, Louisiana.
2016L
Claire L. Leonard is a law clerk with White & Case LLP.
She started the job in September 2016 and lives and works in Washington, D.C.
in June 2016. She is working as a trusts and estates associate in Minneapolis.
Markus X. Murden joined American Senior Benefits in
Alisa S. Abbott is an associate at Banner & Witcoff Ltd. in
Cornelia I. Woodley joined Byler & Sampson PC as an associate attorney in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
2013L Washington, D.C.
Michael P. Bombace joined Abaxx Associates, advising government clients on virtual currencies, distributed ledgers and financial technology. He lives in Arlington, Virginia. Brandy R. Cannon is a managing attorney at the House of Ruth Maryland. She started in November 2016 and lives in Salisbury, Maryland.
Minjae Lee joined the office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights as an associate human rights officer in Geneva, Switzerland.
J. Scott Thomas is a judicial clerk for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Monica K. Tulchinsky is a human rights officer for human rights and protection service, United Nations Mission, in Liberia.
2014L
Jan Duhamel M. Fox joined Blue Ridge Legal Services Inc. as immigration and family law representation for victims of domestic violence in the Shenandoah Valley.
2015L
Ron B. Birnkrant joined Baker and Hostetler LLP, in Costa
Mesa, California, as a corporate associate.
Jordan E. Cherry joined Gaines Gault Hendrix as an associate in Birmingham, Alabama.
Chad M. Cormier joined Blue River Partners LLC, in Dallas, in November 2016. It is a consulting firm for hedge funds, private equity firms and other alternative-investment firms.
Orlando, Florida, as a senior insurance agent.
Births and Adoptions
Elinor Hindsley Clendenin ’05, ’08L and her husband, Ken, a son, Carson Payne, on July 29, 2016. The family live in Richmond. Kate Houren Geder ’05, ’09L and her husband, Jason, a
daughter, Abigail, in November 2016. They live in Arlington, Virginia. Kate is assistant general counsel for the Overseas Private Investment Corp.
Lauren Troxclair Lebioda ’06L and Nathan Lebioda ’06L, a daughter, Marie Elizabeth, on March 2. She joins broth-
ers Peter and Henry.
Katharine Lester Mowery ’06, ’11L and her husband,
Adam, a son, Crawford Theodore, on Oct. 13, 2016. The family live in Wilmington, Delaware.
Obituaries
Robert G. Isgrigg ’42L died on June 17, 2015. He was an attorney in Pontiac, Michigan. He belonged to Phi Delta Theta. J. Maurice Miller Jr. ’45, ’49L, of Richmond, died on Feb.
4, 2016. He served in the Army Air Corps. He had a long law career with Troutman Saunders. He belonged to Phi Kappa Sigma.
Sam Silverstein Jr. ’49L, of Charleston, West Virginia, died on March 26. He served in the Air Force during World War II. After briefly practicing law, he joined the family business that he built into a Fortune 500 company. He was cousin to Mark Schaul Jr. ’53 and Charles Schaul ’55. He belonged to Zeta Beta Tau. Frederick H. Smith ’49L died on Aug. 27, 2016. He retired
Phil Hanrahan ’76, ’86L completed a bicycle ride across the U.S. in 52 days, from San Diego to Saint Augustine, Florida.
from the FBI after 28 years of service. He then spent 10 years with the state of Alaska as the public administrator and coroner for Fairbanks. He belonged to Phi Kappa Sigma.
Barton P. Quaintance ’46, ’50L, of Wilmington, Delaware, died on April 15. He served in the Army. He was with the DuPont Company for 29 years.
Frank Love Jr. ’50, ’51L, of Atlanta, died on Jan. 24. He served in the Navy during World War II. He worked for Powell, Goldstein, Frazer and Murphy until he retired in 1998. He belonged to Pi Kappa Alpha. Dean B. Stewart Jr. ’51L, of Williamsburg, Virginia, died on Oct. 5, 2016. He belonged to Pi Kappa Phi.
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Alexander S. MacNabb ’59L, of Oakton, Virginia, died on Nov. 25, 2016. He served in the Navy during the Korean War with the Naval Security Group. He dedicated his life to working for and with Native Americans and Pacific Islanders. He served on the National Catholic Council of the Boy Scouts for over 25 years. Edward Cohen ’55, ’61L, of Naples, Florida, died on Feb. 1. He belonged to Zeta Beta Tau. He was father to Jeffrey A. Cohen ’87 and David L. Cohen ’95.
Howard J. Beck Jr. ’67L, of Roanoke, died on Jan. 23. He worked for Gentry Locke Rakes and Moore.
Albert T. Mitchell ’67L, of Palmyra, Virginia, died on Nov. 20, 2016. He served as the commonwealth attorney and in private practice throughout his career. He was brother to Robert T. Mitchell ’65L and uncle to Thomas J. Mitchell ’90L.
Brittani Cushman ’10L at the bell-ringing ceremony for her company’s IPO at the New York Stock Exchange on May 11, 2016. Cushman is the vice president of external affairs and is a member of the senior management team at Turning Point Brands Inc. (NYSE:TPB).
Benjamin M. Richardson ’52L, of Roanoke, died on Dec.
20, 2016. He served as senior vice president and general counsel to Kirsch Hotels. He belonged to Kappa Sigma.
Barkley J. Sturgill ’52L, of Prestonsburg, Kentucky, died
farm and ranch properties. He served in the New Mexico senate from 1960 to 1966 and was state chair of the Democratic Party of New Mexico from 1968 to 1970. He belonged to Phi Gamma Delta.
on Jan. 9. He had a private law practice in Prestonsburg for almost 60 years. In 1960, he served on the statewide leadership committee instrumental to the election of John F. Kennedy as president. He was father to B.J. Sturgill Jr. ’87 and uncle to Ballard F. Combs ’03L. He belonged to Sigma Chi.
Aldo A. Modena ’54L, of Midlothian, Virginia, died on March 8. He served in the Army during the Korean War. He joined the staff of the Flat Top Bank in Bluefield, West Virginia, and retired as president in 1994. He belonged to Phi Kappa Sigma.
J. Penrod Toles ’52L, of Roswell, New Mexico, died on Jan.
Phillips M. Dowding ’52, ’57L, of Newport News, Virginia, died on Feb. 28. He practiced in Newport News. He belonged to Pi Kappa Alpha.
13. He served in the Army Reserve. He practiced law in Roswell for several years before forming The Toles Co., a family business involving oil and gas production, commercial real estate, and
John M. Mason ’73L of Siler City, North Carolina, died on Feb. 14. He practiced mass tort, class action and complex litigation, most recently with James F. Humphreys & Assoc. Thomas B. Shuttleworth II ’73L, of Virginia Beach, Virginia, died on Dec. 20, 2016. He practiced in Virginia Beach for over 40 years. He was father to Molly Shuttleworth Evans ’00L. Richard F. Biribauer ’75L, of Bradenton, Florida, died on Aug. 18, 2016. He worked for Johnson & Johnson.
Scott T. Vaughn ’76L, of North Little Rock, Arkansas, died on Feb. 22, 2017. He practiced law for over 40 years, primarily at the Hilburn Law Firm in North Little Rock.
John Charles Reid ’95L, of Arlington, Virginia, died on March 6. He worked for Deloitte and Touche. Kevin E. Miller ’03L, of Cleveland, Tennessee, died on Nov. 9, 2016. He was an assistant public defender for Bradley County. Matthew D. Kilgus ’15L, of Charlotte, North Carolina, died on Dec. 4, 2016.
Life’s path is marked by the opportunities you chose to pursue and the people you met along the way. Your gift to the
Law Annual Fund
has the power to set the path for the next generation of W&L Law Alums.
Shenandoah Valley photo by Abdur Khan ’17
THINK ONE GIFT IS TOO SMALL TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE? Think Again: ~~
50% of gifts to the Law Annual Fund last year were $200 or less.
~~ If 50% of all W&L Law Alums donate $200 this year, that would mean $500,000 in support of everything from scholarships to technology. ~~ Small can show up in a big way. At any amount, it all adds up
to opportunity. ~~ There is no such thing as a small gift, every dollar makes a difference . ~~ To support the fund that makes it all happen, visit law.wlu.edu/ waystogive or scan the QR code.
Thank you!
Summer
2017 l aw.wlu.e du
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Bill Hill ’74, ’77L, pg. 1 Moot Court Winners, pg. 2
New header to come, pg. 2 Professors Millon and Wiant Retire, pg. 4
Law Alumni Weekend Recap, pg. 6
Discovery Washington and Lee University School of Law 204 W. Washington Street Lexington, VA 24450-2116
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Washington and Lee University
Powell Archives at W&L Law Turns 25
T
wenty-five years ago, on April 2-4, 1992, ceremonies, dinners and an academic symposium marked the dedication of the Lewis F. Powell Jr. ’29, ’31L Archives and of the addition to the law building known as the Powell Wing. In the intervening quarter century, the Law School has hosted countless researchers visiting the archives. The Powell Papers have formed the basis of many books and articles and contributed to hundreds more. Several documentary films have also used these materials. John Jacob has served as archivist since its establishment. In 35 years of practice at the Richmond firm of
Hunton & Williams, Powell became both its chief rainmaker and leader in pro bono work. One of seven W&L Law graduates to lead the American Bar Association, Powell’s legacy as ABA president is most evident in the creation of the Legal Services Program and the constitutional amendment on presidential succession. Appointed by President Richard Nixon, Powell served as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1972–1987. Most closely associated with the Bakke decision, Justice Powell had an ability as a consensus builder made him a powerful swing vote on the Court. In December 1989, Justice Powell announced his
intention to leave his personal and professional papers to W&L Law. Construction on a new wing began in 1990 and included areas to house his papers and facilitate their use by researchers. Justice Powell and dozens of his family members, personal friends and professional associates attended the dedication. Distinguished speakers included Chief Justice William Rehnquist, Judges J. Harvie Wilkinson and Robert Merhige, Powell clerk and biographer John C. Jeffries, former Virginia Gov. Linwood Holton and civil rights legend Oliver Hill. Academics presenting at the symposium included Scot Powe, Jean Love, Judith Resnik, Sanford Levinson and Catharine Wells.