Discovery Winter 2018 % Volume 4, No. 1
the newsletter from washington and lee university school of law
Brian C. Murchison Named Next Director of the Roger Mudd Center for Ethics of the key ethical challenges and questions of our professional and civic lives.” Murchison credits Smith with establishing the Mudd Center as a thriving program on the W&L campus. “Thanks to the leadership of Angie Smith and her advisory board, the Mudd Center has done great things in a short period of time,” he
across the curriculum, and sponsors programming that fosters serious and sophisticated conversation about public and professional ethics at the university. Past themes have included Race and Justice in America (2014-15), The Ethics of Citizenship (201516), Markets and Morals (2016-17), and Equality and Difference (2017-18). The center also publish-
“He is one of the most respected teacher-scholars on our campus, and has been for decades. I’m delighted that he has agreed to take on the leadership of one of our signature programs.” –Marc Conner, Provost
BRIAN C. MURCHISON, THE CHARLES S. ROWE PROFESSOR OF LAW, will be the new Roger Mudd Professor of Ethics and director of the Mudd Center for Ethics, beginning July 1. He succeeds Angela Smith, who was named the Mudd Center’s inaugural director in 2013 and is returning to her full-time faculty role as professor of philosophy. “All of Brian’s work has been in the overlapping areas of justice, speech, liberty and constitutional ethics,” said Provost Marc Conner. “He is one of the most respected teacher-scholars on our campus, and has been for decades. I’m delighted that he has agreed to take on the leadership of one of our signature programs. Brian is ideally suited for leading a program devoted to the exploration
said. “I am excited about this opportunity to build on their accomplishments and to continue the center’s active role in the intellectual life of the university.” “It’s difficult to overstate the achievement of Angie Smith, who as the inaugural director of the Mudd Center did so much to establish the center as a major site of inquiry and discussion of key ethical issues on our campus and in the nation,” said Conner. “When Angie announced in June that she was ready to return to the faculty, we sought a faculty leader who could build upon the foundation she established and pursue ethics with the same intelligence and passion that she has done. Brian agreed in early August to take on this role, and we are excited to see him assume this university-wide leadership position.” Under Smith’s leadership, the Mudd Center has become a major resource for students and faculty on campus and at all three schools — the College, the School of Law, and the Williams School of Commerce, Economics, and Politics. The center supports faculty who teach courses in ethics
es The Mudd Journal of Ethics, a peer-reviewed academic journal showcasing undergraduate work on a wide range of topics in ethics. Each spring the Mudd Center sponsors the Undergraduate Conference in Ethics, featuring papers that will be published in that year’s journal. Murchison joined the faculty at W&L in 1982. He focuses on First Amendment issues, administrative law, mass media law, jurisprudence, torts, civil liberties and contemporary problems in law and journalism. His articles have appeared in a variety of law and scholarly publications, including the Columbia Journal of Law & the Arts, the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review, the North Carolina Law Review, the Georgia Law Review, and the Emory Law Journal. The Mudd Center was established through a gift to the university from award-winning journalist Roger Mudd ’50. When he made his gift, Mudd said that “given the state of ethics in our current culture, this seems a fitting time to endow a center for the study of ethics, and my university is its fitting home.”
SCENE AT W&L LAW
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1. Kendall Manning ’18L introduces JCRSJ symposium speaker Zachary Shapiro. 2. Annual Chili Cook-off.
3. Alumni return for a public defender panel discussion. 4. Chris Hurley ‘18L presents his article at the annual Law Review Notes Colloquia.
5. Law students and faculty compete in a local trail race at Brushy Hills. 6. Robert Grey Negotiations Competition.
7. Legal Historian Al Brophy speaks on Debating Slavery at Washington College in the moot courtroom. 8. Service projects during orientation.
NEWS BRIEFS
IMMIGRANTS’ RIGHTS
JONATHAN SHAPIRO, visiting professor at W&L Law, received the Impacting Justice Award from the Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights (CAIR) Coalition for his pro bono work in the immigration field.
INTERNATIONAL DIALOGUE This past spring and summer, Shapiro filed and litigated two state habeas petitions to overturn criminal convictions being used to deport his client from the country. The client, now in her 20s, has lived in the U.S. since the age of eight and has two children who are U.S. citizens. Her entire family lives in the U.S., and she has not returned to her native country. “Since coming to W&L and limiting my active practice of law, I have been looking for a way to continue to use my skills for the public good,” said Shapiro. “Working with W&L students like Katie Sheild ’18L on cases like this has enabled me to continue working for social justice and involve the school as well.”
TAXATION INFO
THE USAID NEW JUSTICE PROGRAM, in support of positive changes in the Ukrainian legal education system, sponsored a visit of Ukrainian policymakers and legal educators to the U.S. W&L was one of three law schools the delegation visited. Professor Speedy Rice, who helped organize the visit, says the delegation heard from a variety of faculty, students and administrators about the operation of the law school, with a strong emphasis on the internal and external mechanisms
for quality assurance of the program of legal education. The group also discussed trends and innovation in legal education, including W&L’s own national leadership in experiential and practice-based training. In addition, the delegation learned how the University’s honor system impacts legal education at W&L and contributes to the formation of professional identify and ethical law practice. Another key topic included the school’s efforts to prepare students for a global legal economy.
STUDENT DELEGATE
From l. to r.: Javier Puga ’18L, Roland Hartung ’18L and Gabrielle Ongies ’18L
GABRIELLE ONGIES, ROLAND HARTUNG AND JAVIER PUGA, all 3L student attorneys in the W&L Law Tax Clinic, presented on a panel at the Annual Statewide Legal Aid Conference in Charlottesville. The event was a three-day training and CLE hosted by the Virginia Poverty Law Center. The students participated on the panel “Your Client Gets an Earned Income Tax Credit Refund or Personal Injury Settlement: What You Need to Know.” They chose a topic related to a client matter they worked on in
the Tax Clinic. Hartung spoke on the taxation of settlement awards, with specific tips for drafting complaints and settlement agreements. Ongies spoke about the taxation of cancellation of debt income and gave practical tips for taxpayers who receive a Form 1099-C, while Puga described the process for making injured spouse allocation requests, which protects part of a joint refund from being applied entirely to a past-due obligation of only one spouse.
CAITLIN PETERSON ’19L is serving as a national delegate for the American Bar Association Law Student Division. Specifically, she will serve as ABA Delegate of Diversity and Inclu-
sion for the 2017-18 academic year. As one of three student delegates, she will occupy one of the most important and prestigious positions a law student can hold in the ABA. Peterson, who attended the ABA Annual Meeting in August, is already drafting a resolution to encourage diversity in the legal profession to present for voting by the ABA and is also advocating on behalf of the Law Student Division for the creation of a Mental Health Day. In addition, she plans to become involved with the Law Student Podcast, which addresses legal issues important to law students across the nation through interviews with prominent attorneys and experts.
MOOT COURT
EMPOWERING VETERANS DAVID THOMPSON (l.) and MICHAEL STINNETT-KASSOFF (r), both 2Ls, have been named co-directors for law admissions for Service to School, a non-profit that provides educational guidance and networking opportunities for U.S. military service members and veterans. They will lead the law admissions division, helping veterans navigate the admissions process for law schools. They served previously as volunteer ambassadors for the organization, reviewing individual applications to law schools across the country. “The wars of Iraq and Afghanistan created a number of entrepreneurial young adults — service members that the U.S. government entrusted with significant responsibility,” said Thompson. “Service 2 School helps empower these veterans to continue serving after they last lace up their combat boots.” 2
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Both Thompson and Stinnett-Kassoff served in the U.S. military. Thompson was on active duty with the Army for more than eight years, first as a military police officer and then as an officer with Special Operations Civil Affairs. He was deployed to Afghanistan and Jordan and is currently in the Army Reserves. Stinnett-Kassoff served in the Navy for eight years, with deployments in the Persian Gulf and off the coasts of Russia and China. He completed his service with a three-year tour training helicopter squadrons in the Pacific Fleet in weapons systems proficiency.
Danielle Phillips ’19L
Chase Cobb ’19L
Judges gave competitors little time for prepared remarks before peppering them with questions during the 2017 John W. Davis Appellate Advocacy Competition at W&L Law. The problem for this year’s competition focused on a stop-and-search by the police of an individual openly carrying a firearm. The search, which the defendant claimed was conducted illegally, revealed pill bottles and counterfeit-prescription pads that led to the defendant’s arrest and conviction. After two rounds of arguments and a lengthy deliberation, the judges awarded first place to CHASE COBB ’19L. Second place went to PATRICK
HANLON ’19L. Also competing in the final round were DANIELLE PHILLIPS ’19L and DIANE GREMILLION ’19L. In the brief-writing portion of the competition, judged by W&L Law faculty members, Brett Lawrence ’18L took first place and Hanlon took second. The judges were the Hon. Rhesa Hawkins Barksdale, senior judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit; the Hon D. Arthur Kelsey, justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia in Richmond; and Elbert Lin, a partner at Hunton & Williams and former solicitor general of West Virginia.
WHY W&L?
1Ls Talk About Their Law School Search
JOE BARTON ’19L
RASHANNA BUTLER ’19L
MATT DARE ’19L
EMILY KENDALL ’19L
DAMI LAWAL ’19L
I went to U.C., Irvine, and was in ROTC for the Air Force. Looking into law schools my senior year, I had never heard of W&L. What caught my eye was the idea of the Honor System and the ethics and support of the community in terms of how they prepare their lawyers as ethical practitioners instead of just lawyers. I really value honor and integrity, and I wanted a place that did as well. At my desk in Lewis Hall we have a little section we can lock. But if you walk around, you’ll see that people will leave their computers, electronics, books and notes out. You can do that in the library — anywhere in the building, anywhere on campus. People won’t steal it; they won’t touch it. I can trust people in this building to uphold honor and integrity.
What struck me the most about W&L were definitely the people — the alumni who reached out to me and the students that were already here. It just seemed really genuine, and I didn’t feel like I was being sold a gimmick. The alumni who come back want to talk to the current students, and I think that says a lot about the school. When people who are no longer here give back, they do it because they want to. That shows what kind of school you’re going to. The benefits of choosing a smaller school are knowing everyone’s face when I am in town. I can’t help but see people from W&L, whether it is professors or other students. I don’t feel like I am in a new place; I feel like it’s familiar even though this is my first time being in the South.
The one way I can describe W&L is that it plays big when it needs to, and it plays small when it needs to. What I mean by that is that you get the impact of a strong school with the quality of instruction and the quality of your peers. That is balanced with the ability to walk into a professor’s office at the drop of a hat and say, “Hey can you explain this to me?” and they will say, “Yes.” The diversity of restaurants and the diversity of organized opportunities for children and family activities is spectacular here. For a student with a family, one might find yourself concerned with the family being pushed to the side, and that hasn’t been the case. My family is part of the community here at the Law School.
Because I had been living in Lynchburg the last few years, I decided I wanted to go to a school in a bigger city and in a totally new environment. I was actually very seriously considering going to a school in California. When I visted campus and talked to students and heard about their experiences, there was just no doubt that it would be a fantastic opportunity. Law school is an investment; it is three years of really hard wark. But we make really good connections, because these three years are the foundation of a legal career. When I thought of law school as an investment, that is what made Washington and Lee stand out over and over again. It had the type of community, the academic standards, the reputation and a really high-caliber faculty.
Two of the top priorities I had when looking for law school were networking and opportunity after graduation. To me networking is who you are able to meet while you’re a student and how open they are to talking with you. Opportunity is basically what is available to you after you graduate. Those two priorities were satisfied by W&L. Also, look at the student-to-teacher ratio — when talking about institutions and how available faculty are to you, that goes a long way to helping you get an education. There is always something to do — on campus or in town. I’ve played basketball with a lot of the upper classmen and have started hiking with my dog because of all the trails in the area.
Roland Hartung ’18L is a student attorney in the Tax Clinic at W&L Law. This semester, he had the unique experience of taking a case to trial, something that has only happened once before in the clinic’s 10-year history. What is a typical experience for a student attorney in the Tax Clinic? How has your experience been different? Much of the work we do in
ROLAND HARTUNG ’18L
Argues Case Before U.S. Tax Court
the Tax Clinic focuses on helping our clients respond to the IRS or the Virginia Department of Taxation. Our clients may receive a notice of deficiency or other inquiries, and we help them resolve any disputes they may have with those agencies. Dealing with these agencies is daunting for many of our clients, and we help them navigate the often-complicated tax landscape. We also assist our clients with tax court cases, but almost all of them settle at some point before trial. My experience differed significantly. My main client for the semester was a married couple from Virginia disputing the IRS’s determination that a settlement they received for physical injury should be considered gross income. Unlike most of our other cases, the IRS refused to settle, resulting in the Clinic’s second trial in 10 years.
Describe your preparation for trial. I had a little less than a month to prepare for trial. This required me to become familiar with the specific facts of the case and the law in a very short period of time. I began closely studying the evidence we had, including the settlement document, prior complaints, medical history and other documents. The time constraints also required me to conduct extensive legal research on a topic I had only
briefly dealt with during my Federal Income Tax class a year before. All this research culminated in our pre-trial brief, which combined a summary of the facts and the applicable law from our point of view. Once we submitted the pre-trial brief, I began my preparation for the actual trial. This included meeting with the clients, preparing exhibits, direct examination questions, and opening and closing statements.
Talk about the trial itself. The trial was an incredible experience. The U.S. Tax Court was travelling for this trial, which meant that the case was heard in Roanoke instead of Washington, D.C., where the court normally sits. The majority of the clinic traveled to Roanoke to watch and support me during the trial. After Professor Drumbl introduced me, I began to argue our case. This included everything from laying the foundation for and introducing evidence, direct examinations of our two witnesses, as well as answering questions from the court. All in all, the case went very smoothly. This was in part due to the skills I acquired during the Third-Year Litigation Immersion. Being able to conduct all aspects of a trial was an exhilarating experience and I am thankful that Professor Drumbl gave me the opportunity to do so. Winter
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CAREER PATHS Mark Zhuang ’18L is a lead articles editor for the Journal of Civil Rights and Social Justice. After his 1L year, Zhuang served as a judicial intern to the Hon. Eileen Bransten in the New York Supreme Court, Commercial Division.
Daniele San Román ’19L is a junior editor for the German Law Journal, a hearing advisor, a law ambassador, a Westlaw student representative, the treasurer for SEIPLS, and a chair for the WLSO Symposium.
Chris Henry ’19L is involved in the Real Estate Development and Investment Society and Moot Court competitions.
At the U.S. Attorney’s Office this summer, I worked on criminal and civil matters that our office litigated in federal court. My work involved researching legal issues, drafting motions, appearing in magistrate’s court to prosecute petty offenses, and accompanying the assistant U.S. attorneys to court for criminal and civil hearings. In my parttime job, I drafted LLC operating agreements, researched legal issues we faced in litigation, interviewed witnesses, and assisted in trial preparation. My researching skills improved this summer, partly because I was doing it almost every single day. Second, I got the chance to tackle writing assignments on my own and to take the lead on substantive motions. The attorneys I worked with threw me into the deep end, giving me the chance to figure things out on my own, but were always available to answer questions and point me in the right direction. Third, my attention to detail greatly improved. I realized that the little things can make or break a case, and they are vital to being a great attorney. I think this summer and last summer really gave me the chance to see how legal issues play out in court. I can’t imagine spending years and years of my life on a single case that gets appealed up and down the courts, which is why I would want to go into a faster-paced area of law where all parties have an interest in coming together and finding common ground for a solution. I am still interested in exploring transactional work, but this summer also showed me that white collar crime and internal investigations are a great area of law to explore.
This summer I worked at the Delaware courts, and I split my summer between two of the courts. For the first four weeks, I worked for the Hon. Vice Chancellor Joseph Slights at the Court of Chancery, and the latter four weeks for The Hon. John Parkins at the Superior Court. In both courts, I attended proceedings almost daily and was exposed to a variety of areas of law across numerous cases. The Delaware Court of Chancery determines a substantial amount of corporate litigation, and I saw incredibly talented lawyers in oral argument representing a variety of high-profile clients, from pharmaceutical companies to Food Network stars. The issues often seemed insignificant at face value, but there was always a considerable sum of money involved in the verdict. Vice Chancellor Slights typically asked for my thoughts before and after argument and never hesitated to fully explain and discuss the proceedings. The Delaware Superior Court is a trial court, and I worked for Judge Parkins when he was on a criminal rotation. I saw first-hand the considerable discretion judges have and how difficult some of the choices they have to make can be. I was fortunate to work during a criminal trial and see voir dire, witness examinations and opening arguments. I helped edit numerous opinions, researched a variety of legal issues, and wrote recommendations for Judge Parkins on defendants’ motions for modification of sentence. My favorite aspect was sitting in on oral arguments. Reading briefs in preparation and watching the arguments unfold through the argument seemed very analogous to preparing for class, which was a welcome exercise. I enjoyed watching the attorneys think on their feet and hearing their (mostly) intelligent and eloquent answers as the judges poked holes in their arguments.
I spent six weeks clerking for Jones Walker’s Atlanta office, which primarily practices construction law and handles disputes concerning projects located throughout the world. I researched various legal issues dealing with complex civil litigation and international arbitration. I would write legal memorandums and briefly describe a legal conclusion. For potential new clients, I would go through project correspondence (typically between the contractors and owners) and construction contracts and create an outline that featured a timeline of the project and a brief synopsis of the potential legal issues. I would then pitch my findings to partners so they would know how they should further pursue the issue. I also did a little bit of transaction work. I researched the relevant changes to certain laws in a state. I then revised a standard form contract to address potential issues caused by the changes in the law. I spent the second half of the summer at Sullivan Wickley, a real estate developer. This experience was particularly good for me because I had many years of experience working for contractors, but had never had the opportunity to work for an owner-developer. I primarily helped prepare and review new lease agreements. I drafted multiple exhibits to be used in a new ground lease between Sullivan Wickley and a national tenant. After my first few research projects this summer, I quickly realized just how useful secondary sources can be, especially if you’re researching a new area of law in a state you’re not familiar with. I also improved my ability to efficiently read contracts. At first, a 300-page engineering, procurement and construction contract can seem imposing, but with practice, they become easier to digest. You quickly realize which sections are relevant.
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FACULTY BOOKS
Todd Peppers’ Book Chronicles Life of Famed Death Penalty Opponent
TODD PEPPERS ’90 A VISITING professor of law, has published a book out chronicling the life of Marie Deans, a well-known death penalty abolitionist and activist who worked for prisoner rights in South Carolina and Virginia. The book, titled “A Courageous Fool: Marie Deans and Her Struggle against the Death Penalty,” is based on the manuscript of a memoir that Deans began before her death from lung cancer in 2011. Working with former student and research assistant Margaret Anderson, Peppers devoted six years to complete the book, which includes archival photography of Deans, death row convicts, prison officials and the prisons where she spent countless hours of her life.
A native of South Carolina, Deans became involved in death penalty work after the murder of her mother-in-law. She soon founded Victims’ Families for Alternatives to the Death Penalty and after moving to Richmond in 1983, she started the Virginia Coalition on Jails and Prisons. She ran the organization for 10 years, becoming one of the most vocal advocates for Virginia’s death row inmates. Her work included finding lawyers, improving prison conditions and working on appeals as a mitigation specialist. Deans also became the friend and confidant to many death row inmates, and she stood watch for more than 30 men as they were put to death. “Marie is one of the unsung heroes in the fight to bring justice and humanity to the condemned men of Virginia’s death row,” said Peppers. “My goal in writing the book was not only to shine a spotlight on her sacrifices, but to introduce new readers to the “machinery of death” which continues to grind across our country.” As a mitigation specialist, Deans’ hard work helped spare over 250 inmates from a sentence of death. Leading scholars and death penalty advocates have praised Peppers’ book as “a riveting story” and “a compelling account” of her life and work.
Peppers is a professor of political science in the Department of Public Affairs at Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia, as well as a visiting professor of law at W&L law. He writes about judicial institutions, legal history and capital punishment. He is also the author of “Anatomy of an Execution: The Life and Death of Douglas Christopher Thomas.” In addition, Peppers has written extensively on the influence of law clerks on the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, including the book “Courtiers of the Marble Palace: The Rise and Influence of the Supreme Court Law Clerk” and two collections of stories of Supreme Court law clerks and their justices titled “In Chambers.”
Marie Deans (top photo) became involved in death penalty work after the murder of her mother-in-law. Todd Pepper ’90 calls her an unsung hero in his book.
Professor Bill Geimer Still Working for Peace Thanks to Professor Sam Calhoun for providing this update on Bill Geimer, a member of the faculty at W&L Law from 1980 until 2001.
DAYS AFTER PROFESSOR Emeritus Bill Geimer’s retirement celebration dinner in 2002, he found himself sitting in a Victoria, British Columbia, classroom as an adminis-
trative law student. A lawyer for whom Geimer had served as consultant in a murder case had signed him up, insisting that he qualify to practice law in the province. He did so, including taking exams and completing a 10-week Practical Legal Training Course (PLTC) required for law graduates. He referred to himself as “Canada’s oldest living articled student.” (In Canada, law graduates must “article” for a year under the supervision of a lawyer; articled students are permitted to represent clients and appear in court on lesser matters.) Geimer subsequently practiced law in British Columbia for eight years and eventually taught the PLTC course for four years. Earlier in his career, Geimer spent 18 months writing “15 Steps to Life,” a basic online guide for capital
defense attorneys (which has been updated by our VC3 students). He returned to W&L to teach Evidence and Civil Procedure in 2007-2008, taught Ethical Problems in Criminal Law and Poverty Law at the University of Alabama four times, and taught Evidence online to international students seeking to take bar exams in the U.S. Canada got out of the death penalty business in 1976, about the time the U.S. got back into it. Free of that burden, Geimer returned to activities in support of peace and nonviolent conflict resolution. He is traveling the country to promote his first book outside the field of law — “Canada: The Case for Staying Out of Other People’s Wars.” The book is a fascinating read. Not only does it offer much interesting history, but it provides fair,
thoughtful guidance on any nation’s responsibility to determine whether a war’s objectives are worth its many costs (presented in sobering detail). Geimer will use the book as the text in teaching a course at the University of Victoria. He also now serves as advisor on military matters to Elizabeth May, member of Parliament and leader of the Green Party of Canada. At present, Geimer is not considering retirement. Geimer and his wife, Elizabeth Bennett ’90L, have been Canadian citizens for more than 10 years. Over the 17 years they have lived in Canada, they have particularly enjoyed visits from former colleagues and former W&L and Alabama students. They hope that readers of this update will plan now to come to beautiful British Columbia in the near future.
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NEW FACULTY AND PROFESSORSHIPS
Four Law Faculty Members Named to Chaired Professorships
Johanna Bond
JOHANNA E. BOND has been named the Sydney and Frances Lewis Professor of Law. Her 2001 Fulbright led to the publication of “Voices of African Women” (2005). She spent her second Fulbright researching access to legal aid in Tanzania in 2015. She serves as associate dean for academic affairs at the Law School. Bond’s recent publications include “Gender and Non-Normative Sex in Sub-Saharan Africa” in the Michigan Journal of Gender and Law and “Zika, Feminism, and the Failures of Health Policy” forthcoming with the Washington and Lee University Law Review’s online journal. In the last year, she has contributed book chapters to two edited volumes: “Gender and Post-Colonial Constitutions in Sub-Saharan Africa,” in “Constitutions and Gender” (forthcoming, 2017); and “The Challenges of Parity: Increasing Women’s Participation in Informal Justice Systems within Sub-Saharan Africa,” in “Gender Parity and Multicultural Feminism: Towards a New Synthesis” (under review by Oxford University Press).
Robert Danforth
Joshua Fairfield
ROBERT T. DANFORTH has been named the John Lucian Smith Jr. Memorial Term Professor of Law. He has co-authored a casebook, “Estate and Gift Taxation,” the second edition of which was published by LexisNexis in 2013. He also serves as a co-author of a casebook, “Federal Income Taxation of Estates and Trusts,” the third edition of which was published in 2008. Danforth has a consistent record of selfless service to W&L Law and the broader university. Most notably, he served as associate dean for academic affairs during the period in which the Law School considered, adopted and implemented an ambitious change to the curriculum to emphasize experiential education.
has earned many notable awards. In 2012-2013, he received a Fulbright to conduct research related to trans-Atlantic privacy law at the Max Planck Institute in Germany. In 2013, he was elected to the American Law Institute, and he received the W&L Law Lewis Prize for Excellence in Legal Scholarship. In 2014-2015, he was recognized as the Ethan Allen Faculty Fellow for Scholarship. In 2012, Fairfield earned the Jessine Monaghan Faculty Fellowship for Teaching, and in 2010, he was recognized as the Huss Faculty Fellow for Law and Technology. In addition to numerous important publications over the years, Fairfield published “Owned: Property, Privacy and the New Digital Serfdom ” (Cambridge University Press) which has garnered considerable praise from privacy law experts around the country. RUSSELL A. MILLER has been named the J.B. Stombock Professor of Law. He is a leading contributor in his fields of research, including
JOSHUA A.T. FAIRFIELD has been named the William Donald Bain Family Professor of Law. Fairfield is a nationally recognized scholar on privacy, electronic commerce, online economics, virtual worlds, electronic payments and cryptocurrencies. During his time at W&L, Fairfield
Russ Miller
the foreign study of German law and legal culture, as well as the study of comparative law methods and theory. He has been called upon to offer expert testimony and to serve as a consultant, including testimony before the German parliamentary committee investigating the NSA spying scandal and the Council of Europe Committee debating reform of the European Convention on Human Rights. Miller is a highly productive scholar and served as editor and principal contributing author of the Cambridge University Press book entitled “Privacy and Power: A Transatlantic Dialogue in the Shadow of the NSA-Affair,” which undertakes an interdisciplinary examination of the dramatic differences over issues of privacy and intelligence-gathering between the U.S. and Europe. He is editor in chief of the German Law Journal, a peer-reviewed, open-access forum for scholarship and commentary on developments in German, European and international jurisprudence.
W&L Law Welcomes New Faculty Members
Sarah Haan
Kristin Johnson
Hernandez Stroud ’15L
SARAH HAAN joins W&L as a tenured member of the faculty. She writes about corporate political speech and disclosure and will teach Close Business Arrangements, Publicly Held Businesses and Professional Responsibility. Haan received a B.A. in history from Yale University and a law degree from Columbia Law School, where
she was an articles editor of the Columbia Law Review. Prior to joining legal academia, Haan worked in the litigation department at Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York and as a Teach for America teacher in Compton, California. KRISTIN JOHNSON visited W&L for the fall semester as the Lewis Law Cen-
ter Scholar in Residence. In addition to pursuing her research interests, Johnson taught Securities Regulation. Johnson specializes in financial markets regulation and has presented her research on systemic risk, risk management, cyber risk regulation, and financial markets regulation throughout the U.S. and abroad.
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HERNANDEZ STROUD ’15L returned to Lexington for a one-year appointment as a visiting assistant professor to teach a seminar on civil rights, an advanced legal writing seminar, and a practicum course on statutory interpretation. After graduating from W&L, Stroud served as a fellow at the Information Society Project at Yale Law School and as acting director of development and policy for the city of New Haven. He then clerked for a U.S. district judge in the Northern District of Alabama. Following his term at W&L, Stroud will take a clerkship position with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Stroud received his B.A. from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a M.Sc. in education policy from the University of Pennsylvania. Before attending law school, he taught history and government in Philadelphia for Teach for America.
FACULTY PRESENTATIONS, PUBLICATIONS AND APPOINTMENTS DAVID BALUARTE served as an expert at U.N. Refugee Agency consultations on statelessness in the United States and the Dominican Republic. He submitted an expert affidavit on statelessness in federal litigation in South Africa and contributed to an influential amicus brief from Scholars on Statelessness filed with the U.S. Supreme Court in Lynch v. Morales Santana (2017). He published “Perpetuation of Childhood Statelessness in the Dominican Republic” in The World’s Stateless (2017). As director of the Law School’s Immigration Rights Clinic, he and his students are working with the New Bridges Immigration Resource Center to provide legal advice to DACA beneficiaries. NORA DEMLEITNER published “How the government can steal your stuff: 6 questions about civil asset forfeiture answered,” on the The Conversation website. Her book chapter “Collateral Sanctions and American Exceptionalism: A Comparative Perspective” was published as part of the Oxford University Press volume “American Exceptionalism in Crime and Punishment.” Demleitner was elected chair of the board of the Prison Policy Initiative. She also joined the Renaissance School Board, a school for high-ability children in Charlottesville. The Albemarle County Executive appointed her to the board of Region Ten Community Services, which provides services to adults and children with intellectual and development disabilities, addiction, serious mental illness, and
other emotional, psychological and psychiatric needs. MARK DRUMBL published several articles on international law. The U.N. retained him as a consultant on a project involving child terrorists. He gave lectures in Brisbane, Australia; Birmingham and Cardiff, U.K.; Vancouver, Canada; and Hamburg, Germany. He served as an external reviewer on a Ph.D. thesis at the University of Toronto, was a speaker at a book launch at the University of Illinois, and presented at the American Branch of the International Law Association at Fordham Law School. He delivered a public lecture in The Hague, Netherlands, on how the law should approach victims who perpetrate acts of atrocity. He served as a visiting professor at the University of Warwick Law School, U.K., lecturing on the interplay of film and international criminal justice. Closer to home, he spoke at the Annual Supreme Court Review at W&L. JOSHUA FAIRFIELD received the W&L Frances Lewis Law Center Prize for Excellence in Legal Scholarship, which recognizes his scholarship on the intersection of law and technology. Fairfield’s book has been praised by law and technology scholars as advancing “a powerful theoretical vision and a set of practical reforms that could help us restore control of our digital futures” and as “an essential guide to how not get owned by the things you think you own.”
JILL FRALEY received the W&L Frances Lewis Law Center Prize for Excellence in Legal Scholarship, which recognizes her scholarship regarding numerous aspects of property law, including land use, environmental harms, law and geography, water rights, and theories of property and property rights. Fraley’s scholarship frequently draws on her training as a legal historian to shed new light on the evolution and current status of various doctrines in property law. RUSS MILLER published “A Pantomime of Privacy: Terrorism and Investigative Powers in German Constitutional Law” in the Boston College Law Review. He is also a columnist for a German newspaper, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. His forthcoming projects include an article on the legal fate of ad-blocking technology and a book on introducing German law and legal culture to non-German law students. JAMES MOLITERNO continued his active role in rule of law and legal education reform. He taught a two-week lawyer ethics course at Yaroslav Mudryi National Law faculty in Kharkiv, Ukraine. He returned to Ukraine in October to engage several law faculties in an effort to establish lawyer ethics courses in the country, as well as address an international forum on judicial independence reform. In Prague, he performed a demonstration class for professors of Charles University and at the international law firm Havel and Holasek, attended
the celebration launch of the Czech translation of his book, “Global Issues in Legal Ethics,” the first book on lawyer or judicial ethics in the Czech language. In Bratislava, he worked with the U.S. Embassy, meeting with the ambassador and leading lawyers and judges, who continue under his consultancy to reform the codes of conduct for judges and prosecutors. BRIAN MURCHISON reviewed highlights of the 2016-17 Supreme Court term, as guest of the Federal Bar Association’s Roanoke Chapter, along with Professors Joan Shaughnessy and Tim MacDonnell. He also keynoted the annual law and literature alumni college, focusing on themes of justice and freedom in Dickens’s “Great Expectations.” DOUG RENDLEMAN published the ninth edition of his casebook, “Remedies: Cases and Materials,” along with W&L Law alumna and law professor Caprice Roberts ’97L of Savannah Law School. CHRIS SEAMAN presented his forthcoming article, “The DTSA at One: An Empirical Study of the First Year of Litigation Under the Defend Trade Secrets Act” (with co-author David S. Levine) (Wake Forest Law Review, spring 2018) at several conferences, including the Intellectual Property Scholars Conference at Cardozo Law School, the Patent Scholars Roundtable at American University, and the IP Statistics for Decision Makers 2017 conference in Mexico City.
Professor Christopher Seaman Named Director of the Lewis Law Center “The Frances Lewis Law Center plays an integral role in supporting the innovative, rigorous scholarship of our outstanding faculty.” –Christopher Seaman
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR CHRISTOPHER SEAMAN will oversee the Lewis Law Center’s agenda, which includes funding summer research projects and research assistants for faculty, sponsoring and supporting conferences and symposia organized at the Law School, and hosting visiting scholars for workshop presentations or more extended visits. “Chris has really made a mark on W&L Law in his first few years on the faculty,” said Dean Brant Hellwig. “He has been highly productive in his research, he is favorite of students in the classroom, and as chair of our
clerkship committee, he has helped numerous students obtain competitive judicial clerkships. In short, Chris does it all. We are fortunate to have him leading the Frances Lewis Law Center in the years ahead.” Seaman joined the W&L Law in 2012. His research and teaching interests include intellectual property, property, and civil procedure, with a particular focus on intellectual property litigation and remedies for the violation of intellectual property rights. Seaman’s intellectual propertyrelated scholarship has appeared or is forthcoming in a variety of law reviews and journals, including the Virginia Law Review, the Iowa Law Review, the Washington Law Review, the BYU Law Review, the Harvard Journal of Law and Technology, the Yale Journal of
Law and Technology, and the Berkeley Technology Law Review. His empirical study of willful patent infringement and enhanced damages was selected as a winner of the Samsung-Stanford Patent Prize competition for outstanding new scholarship related to patent remedies, and his co-authored article on patent injunctions at the Federal Circuit was chosen as a winner of the Federalist Society’s Young Legal Scholars Paper Competition. In addition, Seaman has an interest in voting rights and election law, having written several works on the history, constitutionality and potential future of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. “The Frances Lewis Law Center plays an integral role in supporting the innovative, rigorous scholarship of our outstanding faculty,” said
Seaman. “I’m deeply honored to serve as the Law Center’s new director, and I look forward to working with my colleagues, the administration and our students to help continue our tradition of excellence and to further enrich the intellectual life of the Law School community.” Seaman was selected by the Student Bar Association as Faculty Member of the Year for 2013-2014. He received the John W. Elrod Law Alumni Faculty Fellowship for Teaching in 2014 and was named an Ethan Allen Faculty Fellow for scholarship in 2015. Established in 1978 with a generous gift from Frances and Sydney Lewis, the Law Center’s mandate is to support faculty research and scholarship that advances legal reform. Winter
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CLASS UPDATES AND SUCCESS STORIES
CRYSTAL DOYLE ’09L ISN’T SHY to say she loves her job. That’s because, in her role as pro bono counsel at DLA Piper, she works with the lawyers and resources of one of the largest corporate law firms in the world to promote access to justice through pro bono work. Doyle develops national and international pro bono projects focused on assisting immigrants, promoting women’s rights and combating domestic violence and human trafficking. Based in Chicago, she also maintains her own small caseload of humanitarian immigration matters and oversees all aspects of the firm’s pro bono work in Austin, Baltimore, Dallas, Houston and Minneapolis. It’s a big job, which Doyle admits is “a bit all over the place,” but she couldn’t be happier. Her work inspires her because she is able to spend her days in ways that matter. “I get paid to help people — amazing.” She said her colleagues form a really good team. “I deeply respect them. They are friendly, smart and mission-focused.” It is one of the largest full-time pro bono teams at any law firm in the world, with support for the program coming from “the highest levels of the firm,” said Doyle. “All of our lawyers in the U.S. are expected to do pro bono work, and I get to help them find matters that connect with their values, while helping to bridge the access to justice gap in our country and around the world.” The issues that resonate most with Doyle have always revolved around serving marginalized communities, especially immigrants. She began this work in her role as pro bono specialist at Shearman
CRYSTAL DOYLE ’09L
Promotes Access to Justice with Global Firm DLA Piper
40s 1949 Robert T. Goldenberg (’45), a practicing attorney for 67 years, received the 2017 Fred H. Caplan Lifetime Achievement Award from the West Virginia Association of Justice, of which he is the last surviving founding member.
60s 1961L
George R. Triplett received the Lifetime Achievement Award from America’s Top 100 Attorneys. He works in Elkins, West Virginia.
70s
1976L Hunton & Williams LLP established the Hunton & Williams ABA Legal Opportunity Scholarship in honor of Robert Grey. It will help address the diversity gap in the legal profession by supporting and encouraging 8
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more diverse students to obtain a legal degree.
1978L John D. Klinedinst (’71), founder and CEO of Klinedinst PC, was named one of the 2017 Most Admired CEOs by the San Diego Business Journal. This marks the sixth time in the award’s 10-year history that Klinedinst has been a finalist, and the second time he has been a winner in the privately held medium-size company category. Douglas V. McNeel (’74) retired from Barton, East & Caldwell PLLC. to focus full time on his music business, Doug McNeel and The Sons of Maverick. He lives in Helotes, Texas.
80s 1980L
Barbara Ridley Monroe, a reference librarian at Georgetown Law Library, retired in August 2017.
1981L John File was named a West Virginia Bar Foundation Fellow for service to his community and the legal profession.
Samuel P. Price Jr. merged his firm into a new one named Lundberg Price. He wors with small businesses and nonprofits and handles real-estate transactions and estates and trusts. He lives in Jamestown, New York.
1983L The Veterans Consortium chose Linda Klein to serve as honorary co-counsel on Milestone Case. She was invited to join the team because of her work as the president of the ABA and her efforts to improve access to justice and provide legal assistance to the nation’s veterans. Klein is a senior managing shareholder at Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz and the first woman to serve as president of the State Bar of Georgia.
1985L Peter Rosenwald is a 2017 Leadership in Law honoree. He works for Gordon, Feinblatt, Rothman, Hoffberger & Hollender in Baltimore, Maryland.
1986L Paul Savidge joined Spark Therapeutics Inc., in Philadelphia, as general counsel.
& Sterling LLP’s New York office before law school, where she assisted lawyers working with immigrant clients on family and immigration matters. “I loved the work,” she said. “It’s what convinced me to take the plunge and go to law school.” Doyle’s W&L experiences prepared her for a public interest legal career, including participation in the Shepherd Poverty Program; a summer fellowship that exposed her to the work of public defenders in London, Kentucky; and a yearlong externship with an immigrant rights organization in Charlottesville that Professor Mary Natkin arranged. Doyle was involved in Moot Court as a 2L and 3L and credits the program with preparing her for her first trial as a junior associate at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP, where she started her career as part of the firm’s pro bono fellowship program. In addition to practical experiences, Doyle also developed her knowledge of international law while at W&L. She worked under the supervision of Professor Mark Drumbl to draft a comparative analysis of gender-based asylum for her student note for the Civil Rights and Social Justice Journal, where she served on the board as a 3L. Outside of practicing law, Doyle enjoys playing piano and guitar, and met her husband, a software engineer, when both played in country cover bands in New York City. The two now make their home in Chicago when she is not traveling the globe for work. “I never thought I would spend so much time at airports, but it’s absolutely worth it.”
1988L
1995L
Heather King Mallard is COO and general counsel at Emco Wheaton Retail Corp., headquartered in Wilson, North Carolina.
John A. Boone was appointed to the Dean’s Council on Advancement for the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine.
90s 1993L
Greg Garbacz was inducted into the American Board of Trial Advocates. He works for Klinedinst PC in Santa Ana, California. Bob Howie completed a merger of his firm, Riddell Williams, with Fox Rothschild, a firm based in Philadelphia, with 22 offices around the country. He is in the Seattle area. Johnny Sarber III (’89) joined Carr Allison in Jacksonville, Florida, as a shareholder, focusing on civil trial defense in the area of commercial motor vehicle transportation law. He also represents clients in premises liability, municipal liability, bad faith and products liability. Sandy Thomas was re-elected global managing partner of Reed Smith LLP in Falls Church, Virginia.
Jeff J. Chapuran joined ResCare, in Louisville, Kentucky, as associate general counsel.
1996L Ondray Harris is senior advisor with the U.S. Department of Labor. He lives in Arlington, Virginia.
1997L Michael R. Barre joined Trop Pruner & Hu, in Austin, Texas, as senior counsel. The Hon. Joshua T. Burgess is a Texas district court judge for Tarrant County.
1998L Robbie Westermann was included in the 2018 Best Lawyers in America. He works for Hirschler Fleischer in Richmond.
1997 Robby Aliff (’91), group leader for the health care and
finance practice group and a member of the commercial law practice group at Jackson Kelly, was inducted into the West Virginia Bar Foundation as a Fellow. He volunteers for several legal and health-based organizations, including the Foundation for Thomas Health System and the West Virginia Lawyer Disciplinary Board.
1999L J. Chandler Bailey II was recognized as a Litigation Star in the 2018 Edition of Benchmark Litigation. He works for Lightfoot, Franklin & White LLC in Birmingham, Alabama. Steven N. Gosney earned an M.S. in criminal justice from the University of Central Florida. He also published “Applying the Deterrence Rationale of the Exclusionary Rule to the Good Faith Exception: A Way Forward” in the American Journal of Trial Advocacy, Fall 2016, Volume 40, Number 2. Andrew J. Gottman is vice president of Total Rewards at Chico’s FAS Inc. in Fort Myers, Florida. Carla Villar is a U.S. immigration lawyer with EY Law LLP in Canada.
00s 2001L
Jay R. McCurdy joined Farah & Farah in Brunswick, Georgia. Toby E. Smith was appointed president of Ironshore Environmental in New York City.
RYAN DECKER ’09L
2002L
Insurance Group in Plymouth, Minnesota.
R. Cameron Garrison is managing partner of Lathrop Gage in Kansas City, Missouri. Stephanie Pestorich Manson is head of commercial institutions, U.K.-financial lines, at AIG. She lives in London, U.K.
2003L Lawrence L. Muir Jr. joined the Office of National Drug Control Policy as general counsel. Emily Belcher Reynolds (’00) joined K&L Gates as a partner in Charlotte, North Carolina. Job Seese joined Hall Estill as special counsel in Denver. Debbie Tang joined Bridge Partners as a partner and executive recruiter. She is in the Washington, D.C., area.
2004L Fred M. Heiser (’01) joined Klinedinst PC in its Los Angeles and Orange County offices in the firm’s business and commercial litigation, commercial general liability, and employment practice groups. Josh Jones completed his three-year term as co-chair of the Securities Litigation Committee of the American Bar Association’s Section of Litigation. He remains active in section leadership as a member of the Marketing and Membership Committee. He is a principal at Bressler, Amery & Ross P.C. in Birmingham, Alabama. Dan Payne is coverage counsel at OneBeacon
Empowers Entrepreneurs with Airbnb’s Legal Team
2005L Luder F. Milton joined Foundation Finance Company LLC, in Richmond, as general counsel. Luis E. Rivera II earned national certification as a consumer bankruptcy specialist from the American Board of Certification. In 2016, he earned certification as a business bankruptcy specialist and now is one of only 11 attorneys in Florida who hold these dual certifications. Meghan Morgan Ruel joined Pilot Flying J, in Knoxville, Tennessee, as associate general counsel.
2006L Allison Jetton Bender joined ZwillGen, in Washington D.C., as counsel. Katherine Tritschler Boone joined Map Large Inc., in Atlanta, as senior in-house counsel. Hans P. Dyke became a partner at Bracewell LLP in Washington, D.C. Jeremy D. Engle joined Marcus and Shapira, in Pittsburgh, as an associate. Sandra M. Workman, former deputy commonwealth attorney for the city of Salem, Virginia, joined Poarch Law, a full-service boutique immigration and adoption law firm.
2007L
companies throughout their life cycle, with a particular focus on venture capital financings, strategic corporate relationships, securities regulation and complex mergers and acquisitions.
10s 2011L
Jessica Thorne Jones joined YMCA of Greater Richmond as director of grants.
Jesse M. Eshkol is an assistant district attorney with Cayuga County, New York.
Sarah Davis Sparling joined The Lindell Foundation and Encircle, in Dallas, as vice president of legal affairs.
Anthony J. Glover opened his own law firm, Glover Law, specializing in complex corporate and government affairs issues. He lives in Tallahasse, Florida.
2008L April A. Alongi joined Penetrader, in Niagra Falls, New York, as vice president. Michael P. Gaetani joined Creenan & Baczkowski PC as an associate attorney. He lives in Wexford, Pennsylvania. Todd B. Holvick joined Augmedix, in San Francisco, as head of legal affairs.
Bill Larson (’08) is assistant city solicitor for Wilmington, Delaware, appointed by Mayor Michael Purzycki. He advises the mayor and city departments on legal strategy and policy matters. He also serves as a prosecutor and chair of the city’s zoning board of adjustment. Christina Montrois Moye joined Mansfield Oil Co. in Atlanta.
David I. Klass is an attorney with Fisher Phillips in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Chad M. Ayers is an attorney with the Division of Legislative Services in Richmond.
2009L Vincent A. Dongarra, a health care attorney, launched Tred Avon Legal LLC in September 2017. The virtual law firm offers focused legal solutions for health care professionals in Virginia and Maryland. Nainesh Ramjee joined Consumer Credit Counseling Foundation Inc., in San Francisco, as general counsel. Jonathan P. Rosamond joined Wick Phillips, in Fort Worth, Texas, as an associate.
Adam C. Hull is a shareholder with Polsinelli PC in Dallas. He represents emerging
WHETHER YOU WANT TO EXPERIENCE the local flare of London, spend a few nights in a castle in Ireland, find a room in Nashville, or take a cooking class in your hometown, Airbnb can accommodate your wish. The 11-year-old company has experienced phenomenal growth by connecting hosts and guests with its four million online listings. Paying for your stay or experience is also easy using the company’s website. “Payments are a key part of the Airbnb platform,” said Ryan Decker ’09L, who serves as payments counsel at the San Francisco-based company. “We have a large payment infrastructure” that keeps up with transactions in 190 countries. Decker has been with the company since July 2015 and also provides strategic counsel on commercial partnerships, such as with PayPal, and with payment processors and banks, as well as product development and legal compliance. In order to move money in and out of Airbnb’s platform, Decker has to understand financial rules and regulations around the world. He provides product counsel to Airbnb regarding legal implications of consumer-facing elements throughout every step of the payment process. He calls this the “fun stuff” because he gets to dive deeply into the product teams to push out new and interesting features. His path to Airbnb included work as an associate with the firm Paul Hastings in Washington, D.C., where he was part of the antitrust group, specializing in litigation and merger control matters. After he transferred to the firm’s San Francisco office, he began working with clients on payments issues.
2012L
Alexandra Price Doggett joined J+O Firm, in Austin, Texas, as counsel. Leona S. Krasner joined Kaplan Bar Review as a senior regional director. She lives in New York City. Suzanne Peters joined WeWork, in New York City, as an employment attorney. Anthony Watson Jr. joined Charles Schwab as an estate services relationship specialist.
His first stop after law school, however, was not the traditional clerkship or junior role in a large firm. As a third-year student, he had been part of the school’s Liberia practicum. For the fall semester after graduation, he became a law fellow for the program, serving four months in the African nation. “I was drawn to the unique challenges of the legal system in Liberia,” he recalls. “It was a once-in-alifetime chance to be a scrappy recent law graduate trying to make a difference.” “I helped start and build the program and managed the U.N. funds,” said Decker. With the assistance of 12 Liberian law students, the program identified the detained individuals, set up the dockets, and assisted the prosecutors, defense attorneys and judges. “It really helped me learn how to get things done and to work creatively,” said Decker. He also had to work with other U.N. agencies that shared common goals but often could be challenging to work with. After the fellowship and almost six years at Paul Hastings, Decker now finds himself working in a job that allows him to delve deeper into a topic he truly enjoys. The opportunity with Airbnb was there because of the growth of the company. “They developed a large payment infrastructure. Every transaction has a payment component. That is core to Airbnb’s product.” Decker is motivated by Airbnb’s mission of allowing anyone to belong anywhere. “Through our platform, we facilitate going deep in the culture and truly living in a city.”
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JOELLE PHILLIPS ’95L:
From Acting to Law to the Head of AT&T Tennessee
2013L Joseph D. Antel joined Jones Day, in Dallas, as an associate. David M. Barnes is an associate at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough in Washington, D.C. Ernest B. Hammond joined Stanford University School of Medicine as a clinical trial contract officer. David L. Miller joined Bryan Cave LLP as an associate in Denver.
2014L Amy V. Bianchini joined Ogletree Deakins as an employment attorney. She lives in San Diego. Maigreade B. Burrus is a judicial law clerk to the Hon. Joseph R. Goodwin at the U.S. District Court, Southern District of West Virginia. Darby E. Gooding joined Shaw Industries, in Dalton, Georgia, as a corporate attorney. Karissa Thomas Kaseorg joined McCandlish Holton Morris as an associate. Elizabeth Loflen joined Advance Auto Parts as a staff attorney in Roanoke. Christopher J. McDonald joined Virginia Association of Counties, in Richmond, as director of government relations. George G. Robertson joined Holland & Knight LLP as an attorney in the Houston office. 10
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UNCAS MCTHENIA ’58, ’63L LOOKED OVER the collection of students on their first day of class — his Contracts class. He posed a question, glanced at the roster students for a name and settled on Joelle James ’95L (now Phillips). It was the first question, and adrenaline-fueled students turned toward their classmate. She was nervous, but Phillips steadied the butterflies in her stomach. Before deciding to go to law school, Phillips, planned on a career in acting and spent a year touring with a children’s theater. Law school was new, but managing stage fright wasn’t. The similarities between acting, practicing law and her current position as president of AT&T Tennessee are not lost on her. “I was surprised by how much of my theater training was useful as a law student,” Phillips recalled. “I was accustomed to memorizing lines, and reading cases reminded me of reading plays and looking for the underlying theme.” Best of all, free from the paralyzing stage fright some students felt as they faced the Socratic method, Phillips could relax and listen — not just to professors but also to other students. “My classmates were smart. I learned so much from their perspectives.” Her progression from actress to bankruptcy lawyer to corporate attorney led her to the top position at AT&T Tennessee. President since 2013, she joined the company — then BellSouth — as a general attorney in 2001. Under her leadership, the company undertook a multi-year campaign to reform state telecom laws. Success enabled the company to enter new lines of business and set the stage for big investment in infrastructure to support new technologies in the state. Phillips’ focus on regulatory reform began before she arrived in the C-suite. She describes it as a product of her experience as the company’s attorney and her training at W&L. “As a regulatory lawyer, it seemed absurd to apply rules fashioned for old
Shahnam Yazdani joined Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer P.A., in Miami, as an associate attorney.
2015L Zach Agee joined Woods Rogers PLC, in Roanoke, as an associate. Krista Consiglio is an assistant U.S. attorney in the civil division at the U.S. Attorneys’ Office in Roanoke. Georgia G. Crinnin joined Bousquet Holstein PLLC, in Syracuse, New York, as an associate in the trusts and estates practice group. Donavan K. Eason joined Lewis Brisbois, in Atlanta, as an associate. Michael E. Evans is an associate in Maynard Cooper’s corporate section and a member of several practice groups, including securities regulation and corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, and private equity and venture capital. He lives in Birmingham. Jenna L. Fierstein is an associate with Catalano Gallardo & Petropoulos LLP in Jericho, New York. Thomas Frith IV (’10) joined Frith and Ellerman Law Firm P.C. as an associate. He resides in Roanoke. Brandon T. Hicks joined National Action Network, in New York City, as a civil rights organizer. Risa S. Katz is an assistant commonwealth attorney at
Campbell County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office. Mingyang Liu joined JD Finance in Beijing, China, as a senior legal counsel. Weston M. Love joined McGuireWoods LLP as corporate associate in Dallas. Oscar R. Molina joined Nelson Mullins Riley and Scarborough, in Huntington, West Virginia, as an associate. Madeline T. Morcelle is a public health law research scholar at Arizona State University. Katherine L. Moss is a staff attorney for the Southern Center for Human Rights, a non-profit organization providing legal representation to poor people facing the death penalty in the South. She lives in Atlanta. James F. Parker joined Hodges, Doughty & Carson, in Knoxville, Tennessee, as associate. James K. Pickle (’12) joined Maynard Cooper & Gale P.C. as an associate and a member of the firm’s corporate securities and tax practice group. He lives in Birmingham, Alabama. Wesley M. Smith joined Greenberg Traurig LLP, in Dallas, as an associate. Kyle P. Virtue joined Gallagher Evelius & Jones LLP, in Baltimore, Maryland, as an associate. Caitlin Weston is assistant city attorney with the city of Richmond.
technology to new and different technology. Rules designed for monopolies did not align with today’s competitive ecosystem of players,” she says. “Sometimes the best thing a lawyer can do is recognize that the law needs a change.” Lately much of her time is spent on state education policy (she is chair of the Business Alliance for the Drive to 55), with a focus on the talent pipeline. Jobs with AT&T used to be mechanical. “We trained technicians to make physical connections using manual tools,” she said. Today, those same technicians need digital skills, installing and repairing service with software, and coding skills. The need to keep building skills and expertise extends to Phillips personally as well. “To be strategic, I need to be informed on what’s next,” she said. To that end, she reads a lot to keep up with technology that is continually advancing. With nearly 6,000 AT&T Tennessee employees, Phillips has adopted a management philosophy that draws on what she admires most about the famed research and development arm of the former AT&T monopoly — the former Bell Labs. “It was an amazing place that produced 12 Nobel Prizes,” she said. Phillips focuses on two of the labs’ rules: mix up the specialties (creating teams of people who have different skills) and leave your door open (accepting assignments from other teams beyond one particular silo). “As I think about harnessing talent and driving innovation today, I try to remember the magic that Bell Labs made by encouraging diverse teams to collaborate and help one another.” Outside of work, Phillips finds time to serve on the board of the Nashville Repertory Theater. Does her work with Nashville Rep make her wonder about the road less traveled? She laughs as she considers her unlikely career path, but she sees a consistent theme. “My work places me in the center of a very creative enterprise. It’s about innovation, communication and surprising changes.”
2016L J. Zachary Balasko joined Steptoe & Johnson PLLC, in Charleston, West Virginia, as a litigation associate. Brittany A. Dunn-Pirio is an assistant attorney general with the Virginia’s Office of the Attorney General. Spencer L. Feldman joined Reitler Kailas & Rosenblatt, in New York City, as an associate. Robinson J. Hubbard joined MartinWren P.C. as a civil litigation attorney. He lives in Charlottesville, Virginia. William Lok joined Centauri Hotel Group, in San Francisco, as in-house associate counsel. Loren Peck is an attorney with Peck Hadfield Baxter & Moore in Logan, Utah. Kristin A. Tisdelle is an associate at Smith Pachter McWhorter PLC in Vienna, Virginia. She co-authored an article that appeared on the front page of The Procurement Lawyer, published by the ABA, Section of Public Contract Law.
2017L Gabriella E. Alonso joined Lightfoot, Franklin & White LLC as an associate in its Birmingham, Alabama, office. Mikail O. Clark joined Spilman Thomas & Battle PLLC as a corporate associate attorney. He lives in Chalreston, West Virginia. Raymond E. Escobar became assistant district attorney at
Buncombe County District Attorney’s Office. Chi Ewusi is an associate at Kirkland & Ellis in Houston. Soloman J. Gonzalez joined Kelly P. Joseph and Assoc. in Houston. Zachary D. Imboden joined Troutman Sanders LLP, in Richmond, as an associate. Stacey J. LaRiviere joined the Virginia Court of Appeals as a judicial law clerk to the Hon. Rossie D. Alston Jr. Lauren A. Michnick (’14) joined Seward & Kissel LLP, in Washington, D.C., as a law clerk. Darnell J. Morrow Jr. joined Weber Law Group as an associate. He lives in the Bronx. D. McNair Nichols Jr. joined K&L Gates, in Washington, D.C., as a law clerk.
WEDDINGS Neil M. Millhiser ’11L to Emily Lowry on May 13, 2017. Alumni
in attendance included Alex Von Fricken ’11L, Fadil Bayyari ’11L, Peter Luccareli ’11L, Pakapon Phinyowattanachip’10L, Brittany Phinyowattanachip ’05, Bill Larson ’08, ’11L, Tony Glover ’11L (groomsman), Emily Lowry Millhiser, Neil Millhiser, Kyle Hosmer ’13L, Caitlin Hosmer ’14L, Brandon Hasbrouck ’11L, Brittani Cushman ’10L, Travis Cushman ’09L, Eli Gottlieb ’10L, Tom Millhiser ’81L (best man), Annalisa Feinman ’14L, Evan Feinman ’10L(groomsman), Chris Colby ’05, ’08L, Brandt Stitzer ’13L (groomsman) and Virginia Lane Stitzer ’14L. A.J. Frey ’12L to Brenna L. Trout on April 15, 2017, at Pond View Farm in White Hall, Maryland. The wedding party included Bobby Martin ’09, ’12L. Also in attendance: Steve Harper ’12L, Hanna Jamar ’12L and Katie Kenerson ’09. The couple live in Washington, D.C. Brenna is an attorney with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. A.J. is an attorney with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP.
BIRTHS & ADOPTIONS Jane Ledlie Batcheller ’03 ’08L and Brooks Batcheller ’04, a daughter, Elizabeth “Liza” Churchill, on July 3, 2017. Liza joins brother William, 2. The family reside in Atlanta, Georgia where Jane is senior counsel at WestRock Company, and Brooks is the associate dean of students at The Westminster Schools. Adam Packer ’03L and wife, Caryn Glawe, a son, Charles McMurray, on Jan. 21, 2017. Adam is general counsel at IGT Indiana LLC in Indianapolis. William W. Fagan III ’06L and his wife, Jessica, a daughter, Elizabeth Wyatt, on
July 27, 2017. They reside in Atlanta. Colin V.M. Ram ’08L and his wife, Lindsay, a son, Riggs William, on Aug. 30, 2017. Riggs joins sister Addy. Jonathan P. Rosamond ’09L and Jane Du ’09L, a son, Remington. He joins brother Finnegan. The family live in Dallas. Ariel H. Brio ’12L and his wife, Karen, a daughter, Eliana, on June 9, 2017. The family reside in Foster City, California.
OBITS 1940s Walter D. Harrod ’41, ’47L, of Valley Stream, New York, died on Aug. 5, 2017. He served during World War II. He belonged to Pi Kappa Phi. J. Willard Greer ’49L, of South Boston, Virginia, died on Sept. 3, 2017. He served in the Army. He had his own law firm and served as the commonwealth’s attorney for Halifax County. He belonged to Phi Alpha Delta.
1950s The Hon. John S. Lane II ’50L, of Long Beach, California, died on Dec. 21, 2016. He served in the Navy during World War II, Korea and Vietnam. He belonged to Phi Delta Theta. The Hon. Kermit L. Racey ’49, ’51L, of Woodstock, Virginia, died on May 13, 2017. He served in the Army and received the Bronze Star. He served as commonwealth’s attorney and as a judge for Shenandoah County General District Court.
S. Maynard Turk ’52L, of Greenville, South Carolina, died on July 29, 2017. He served in the Army during World War II and the Korean War. He worked for Hercules Inc. and served on the W&L Alumni Board of Directors. He was brother to Jim Turk ’52L and father to Dr. Tom Turk ’84. He belonged to Pi Kappa Phi. Joseph B. Yanity Jr. ’52L, of Bradenton, Florida, died on July 5, 2017. He served in the Army during World War II. Besides various partnerships and private practice, he served as Athens County prosecuting attorney. He belonged to Sigma Nu. F. Eric Nelson ’54L, of Charleston, West Virginia, died on April 16, 2017. He served in the Army during the Korean War. He and his brother founded Nelson & Co., one of the first private investment counseling companies in West Virginia. He was father to Fredrik Nelson Jr. ’83 and belonged to Phi Kappa Psi. Walter J. McGraw ’55L, of Richmond, died on Sept. 13, 2017. He served in the Navy. He retired from Williams Mullen. J. Edward Moyler Jr. ’51, ’55L, of Franklin, Virginia, died on June 3, 2017. He served in the Coast Guard. He practiced law in Franklin. He was father to James Moyler III ’79 and belonged to Phi Kappa Sigma. The Hon. William H. Hodges ’56L, of Norfolk, Virginia, died on Sept. 14, 2017. He served in the Coast Guard and practiced in Norfolk and Chesapeake with the firm Kellam & Kellam. He served in the Virginia House of Delegates and the Virginia State Senate. He was elected a judge of the First Judicial Circuit of Virginia, serving the city of Chesapeake, and retired as a senior judge of
the Appellate Court. He belonged to Phi Kappa Sigma.
life and estate planning. He belonged to Sigma Nu.
Lewis S. Minter Jr. ’57L, of Richmond, died on Aug. 1, 2017. He was an assistant professor of law at W&L before joining Woodrum & Gregory in Roanoke. He served 19 years as solicitor general with the Virginia State Corporation Commission.
Charles E. Hubbard ’66L, of Roxboro, North Carolina, died on Nov. 24, 2017. He served in the Navy. He worked for Hubbard & Cates. He belonged to Pi Kappa Alpha.
John S. Stump III ’57L, of Ashburn, Virginia, died on Aug. 11, 2017. He served in the Navy. He was an attorney with McGuireWoods. He was father to John Stump IV ’91. The Hon. Ellis B. Drew Jr. ’56, ’58L, of Anderson, South Carolina, died on Oct. 21, 2017. He served in the Army. He was retired master-in-equity judge for the 10th Judicial District. He was father to Ellis Drew III ’84L and belonged to Kappa Sigma. Thomas D. Wilkerson ’58L, of Charleston, West Virginia, died on May 2, 2017. He worked for Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. He belonged to Lambda Chi Alpha. Charles F. Davis Jr. ’57, ’59L, of Pittsboro, North Carolina, died on Aug. 10, 2017. He worked in international banking in the Asia Pacific region. He belonged to Phi Kappa Sigma.
1960s Harry G. Farrow Jr. ’62L, of Harrington, Delaware died on Nov. 2, 2017. He served in the Army during the Koreran War. He was the fifth editor and former owner of the Harrington Journal and founder of the newspaper Raceweek. Peter T. Straub ’61, ’64L, of Springfield, Virginia, died on July 27, 2017. He specialized in
Robert A. Bolen ’67L, of Blairsville, Georgia, died on April 1, 2016. He was brother to Richard Bolen ’65.
1970s Donald E. Earls ’71L, of Norton, Virginia, died on June 20, 2017. He served in the Air Force. He was an attorney with Earls, Wolfe, and Farmer before going into solo practice. Sean P. M. Gilronan ’74L, of Portland, Oregon, died on March 20, 2016. Killis T. Howard ’76L, of Lynchburg, Virginia, died on Nov. 15, 2017. He was an attorney in Lynchburg.
1980s Robert M. Nash Jr. ’83L, of North Chesterfield, Virginia, died on Oct. 17, 2017. He practiced law in Virginia. Lamont Carr ’86L, of Hawthorne, California, died on July 5. He was the first African American member of the University of Virginia’s basketball team to graduate. Carr worked briefly at the William Morris Agency and then was an independent sports promoter in Los Angeles and Boca Raton, Florida. He was the inspiration for a Disney Channel movie, “Full Court Miracle,” based on Lamont’s successful basketball coaching at a Jewish parochial school. Lamont subsequently coached in the American Basketball Association.
Law Firm Giving Competition Alumni (undergraduate and law) continue to support Washington and Lee at impressive rates. Below is the list of firms that reached 75 percent or greater participation in the Annual Fund (undergraduate or law). We thank the law firm liaisons who solicited gifts from their colleagues and thank all alumni for their generous support. Firm
%
Crenshaw Ware & Martin 100% Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick LLP 100% Jackson Walker LLP 95% Lightfoot, Franklin & White LLC 95% McGuireWoods LLP 95% Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, LLP 95% Norton Rose Fulbright LLP 95% Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor LLP 95% Klinedinst PC 90% LeClair Ryan 90% Dechert LLP 90% Littler Mendelson PC 90% Maynard, Cooper & Gale PC 90% Moore & Van Allen PLLC 90% Morris, Manning & Martin 90% Richards, Layton & Finger 90% Whiteford, Taylor & Preston 90% Burr & Forman 85% Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP 85% Kaufman & Canoles PC 85% King & Spalding LLP 85% Miles & Stockbridge 85% Nelson Mullin Riley & Scarborough 85% Vorys Sater Seymour & Pease LLP 85%
Law Firm Liaison
Firm
Donald C. Schultz ’89L
Wiley Rein LLP 85% Williams Mullen 85% Bracewell, LLP 80% Dinsmore & Shohl 80% Holland & Knight 80% Hunton & Williams LLP 80% JonesDay 80% Kattie Muchin Rosenman 80% Kirkland & Ellis LLP 80% Ogletree Deakins 80% Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson PA 80% Sidley Austin LLP 80% Vinson & Elkins LLP 80% Goodwin Procter LLP 75% Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd PA 75% Alston & Bird LLP 75% Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz 75% Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher 75% K & L Gates LLP 75% Pepper Hamilton 75% Troutman Sanders LLP 75% Womble, Carlyle, Sandridge & Rice LLP 75%
Jeffrey M. Sone ’78 Lee M. Hollis ’86 William C. Mayberry ’91L
John D. Klinedinst ’71, ’78L Tracy T. Hague ’97L John T. Jessee ’79L Dana S. Connell ’82L Kathryn R. Eldridge ’03L Thomas L. Mitchell ’93L Samuel A. Nolen ’79L Bradford Englander ’85L John C. Morrow ’85L Anne Yuengert ’89L James K. Vines ’81, ’88L Timothy A. Hodge ’90L
%
Law Firm Liaison Bennett L. Ross ’83 Elizabeth M. Horsley ’94L Alexander B. Hock ’83L
Greg Digel ’70, ’73L James S. Seevers ’97L
Lauren T. Lebioda ’06L Susan Molony ’00L John A. Wolf ’69, ’72L Stuart B. Nibley ’75, ’79L Stephen D. Rosenthal ’71, ’76L Heather K. Mallard ’88L
Winter
2018
law.wlu.edu
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Brian Murchison, pg. 1
Rashanna Butler ’19L, pg. 3
New header to come, pg. 2 Bill Geimer, pg. 5
Christopher Seaman, p. 7
Discovery
Joelle Phillips ’95L, p. 10
the newsletter from washington and lee university school of law law.wlu.edu
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ALUMNI WEEKEND a p r i l 1 3 – 1 5 , 2 0 1 8 • # w l l aw 2 0 1 8
Coming home
You will have a chance to renew friendships with classmates and professors and to create some new ones. Whether I am talking to current students returning from a school break or to the many alumni I have met traveling this year, they all share this feeling of what it means to come to Lexington. Even our newest students, when reflecting on their law school search, will share that one of the big reasons they chose W&L Law is that it felt like home.
During Alumni Weekend
You will have a chance to enjoy that community again, to renew friendships with classmates and professors, and to create some new ones. I hope you will join us.
Registration is now open
Visit go.wlu.edu/lawalumni18 for the full schedule. Questions? Please contact Suzanne Wade at swade@wlu.edu or 540-458-8996.