Discovery Summer 2019 % Volume 5, No. 2
the newsletter from washington and lee university school of law
HONORING HISTORY:
A Tribute to W&L’s First African American Graduate “Law has been and continues to be a vehicle in which man may move toward greater freedom and individual dignity. I would be very proud of being a part of so noble a profession.” –Leslie Devan Smith Jr. ’69L
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new installation at Washington and Lee University School of Law celebrates the life and legacy of Leslie Devan Smith Jr., the first African American graduate of Washington and Lee University. Smith graduated in 1969 from the School of Law. The display, located in the lobby outside the Millhiser Moot Court Room in Lewis Hall, tells the story of Smith’s arrival in Lexington, his many accomplishments as a student, and his all-tooshort career with the U.S. Department of Justice. In the spring of 1966, the university’s student government advocated in favor of recruiting African American students. Smith matriculated to the Law School that fall, along with Dennis Haston, who became the first black student to enroll at the College. Smith’s motivation for pursuing a law degree is best expressed in his own personal statement from the application. “Law has been and continues to be a vehicle in which man may move toward greater freedom and individual dignity,” wrote Smith. “I would be very proud of being a part of so noble a profession.” While Smith’s time at W&L was not free from the racist attitudes of that time and place, by all accounts he thrived during his three years in Lexington. Les, as he was known to his fellow students, served as a member of the Washington and Lee Law Review, the Student Bar Association and the Legal Research Association. Additionally, he served as president of Delta Theta Pi, co-editor of the law school magazine The Lawyer and treasurer of the Young Democrats Association. Smith spent his summers during law school working in Washington, D.C. While on Capitol Hill, he was the first African American to clerk in a Virginia Senate office. He served as a research aide to Sen. William B. Spong, who came to regard Smith as his protégé. Spong recommended Smith for a clerkship the following summer at the law firm of Steptoe & Johnson. Smith passed the Virginia State Bar exam the winter before he graduated. At the commencement exercises in June 1969, he was inducted into the law school’s chapter of the Order of the Coif. After graduation, Smith joined the U.S. Department of Justice, working in the Civil Rights Division. Fittingly, his work involved gaining the compliance of Southern school boards with court-ordered desegregation. Tragically, Smith’s promising legal career was cut short on June 9, 1971, when he was murdered
Top: Les Smith with the staff of The Lawyer. Left: Some of Les Smith’s classmates during what would have been Smith’s 50th reunion. L. to r.: Bob Harrison, Ed Dickson, J.D. Humphries, Val McWhorter, Pete Hendricks, Dave Redmond and Jay Adams. Right: Receiving his degree.
inside his DuPont Circle apartment. He was just 26 years old. The crime remains unsolved. Smith’s remains are interred in the Oakland Cemetery in his hometown of Chuckatuck, Virginia. His headstone bears the one-word epitaph, “Attorney.” The new display closes with a remark from the entire Law School community. “We at Washington and Lee University School of Law are proud that Leslie Smith achieved this professional status in part through the legal education he received here, and we are grateful to him for leading our school through the challenging process of integration.” Val McWhorter ’66, ’69L became friends with Smith during law school. He was able to view the memorial along with other classmates during his 50th reunion, held recently in Lexington. “We both ended up in Washington and would
meet for lunch periodically, share W&L stories, professional endeavors and political gossip,” recalled McWhorter. “We laughed a lot and he seemed very happy with his career at DOJ. The tragic ending of those dreams is a tale I tell often to others from W&L. The memorial wall is a wonderful tribute to Les, and to the advances the school has made since he was ‘the first.’” Dean Brant Hellwig worked with John Jacob, who manages the Law School archives, in creating the tribute display. “Seeing the tribute recently installed in the Moot Court lobby was invigorating,” said Hellwig. “The tribute not only allows us to honor the legacy of Leslie Smith, it also makes a statement about who we are today and what we want our community at W&L Law to be in the future.”
Commencement 2019
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he School of Law celebrated its 164th commencement on May 10, awarding 110 juris doctor degrees. The Colonnade lawn again played host to the ceremony, which began with an official welcome and remarks from President Will Dudley. He recounted the history of the law school’s founding and its evolution on campus. “The tradition of excellence at Washington and Lee law school stretches back over 150 years,” said Dudley. “But it also aspires ever forward in keeping with our moto non incautus future — not unmindful of the future. You have all benefited from this tradition, and you will all contribute to this tradition throughout the course of your careers.” Brant Hellwig, dean of the Law School, congratulated the students on their achievement and also thanked them for their many contributions to the life of the school, both inside and outside the classroom. He then discussed what it means that the law school includes in its mission statement a desire to produce “honorable practitioners of law.” “Regardless of the career path you pursue, conducting yourself in an honorable manner is pivotal to having an enjoyable and meaningful career,” he said. “And while maintaining high professional standards likely will lead to a more accomplished career over the long-term, perhaps the greatest benefit from doing so is subjective — measured in the personal satisfaction you will take from practicing law in a laudable manner, even if no one actually lauds you for it.” Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) and a widely acclaimed public interest lawyer, delivered an impassioned commencement address in which he described the nation’s legacy of racial inequality, from slavery through the current failings of the criminal justice system. But rather than dwell on problems, Stevenson offered the members of the Law Class of 2019 a path to follow in order to fulfill their obligation to “do justice.”
Bryan Stevenson, commencement speaker, received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.
Proud graduates. Full story and video at go.wlu.edu/lawgrad19.
poor, the neglected and those who suffer in order to understand what justice requires. He urged them to help rewrite the narratives of fear and anger that
“I think you honor this university when you do justice, even though there may be times when it is difficult.” –Bryan Stevenson “Without lawyers who actually think about what justice requires, who take steps to achieve justice, we will not survive as a society governed by the rule of law,” said Stevenson. He asked graduates to get “proximate” with the
From l. to r.: Katie Bennett ’14, ’19L with her brothers, Andrew Bennett ’12 (far left) and David Bennett ’91. Matthew Chriss ’19L with his father, Andrew Chriss ’74, and Severn A. Miller ’19L with his father, Severn E.S. Miller ’92L.
undermine the rule of law and allow us to see some people as less than human. He told them to remain hopeful because “hopelessness is the enemy of justice.” And he cautioned them that this path requires us to “do the uncomfortable things that advance justice.”
Stevenson’s philosophy has been born out through his work with EJI, where he has won major legal challenges eliminating excessive and unfair sentencing, exonerating innocent death-row prisoners, confronting abuse of the incarcerated and the mentally ill and aiding children prosecuted as adults. He concluded, “I think you honor this university when you do justice, even though there may be times when it is difficult. You have honored me by inviting me to be a part of this celebration. I want to honor you by telling you that when you stand for justice… there is a justice quotient in the world that celebrates your very act. Thank you for doing that.” During the awards ceremony the previous day, Professor Russ Miller was named Teacher of the Year, and Trenya Mason, assistant dean for student affairs, won the Staff Member of the Year award.
AWARDS John W. Davis Prize for Law
Charles V. Laughlin Award
A. H. McLeod-Ross Malone Oral Advocacy Award
highest cumulative grade point average
outstanding contributions to the moot court program
distinction in oral advocacy
JOSEPH GREGORY DUCHANE
ALEX WEILL SHOAF
DANIELLE ALEXANDRA PHILLIPS
Academic Progress Award
Randall P. Bezanson Award
Student Bar Association President Award
most satisfactory scholastic progress in the final year
outstanding contributions to diversity in the life of the Law School community
services as the president of the Student Bar Association
MICHAEL SHANE BROWN CAROLINE EUGENIE DIEMER
Virginia Trial Lawyers Association Award effective trial advocacy STEFANI CHRISTINE EVANS
Roy L. Steinheimer Jr. Commercial Law Award excellence in commercial law JACQUELINE MARIE FITCH
Calhoun Bond University Service Award significant contributions to the university community DANIELE MARINA SAN ROMAN
Frederic L. Kirgis, Jr., International Law Award excellence in international law SALLY ELISE HARPER ALEXIS TAYLOR NARDUCCI
National Association of Women Lawyers Award
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STEFANI CHRISTINE EVANS CAITLIN VENTRY-MARIE PETERSON DANIELLE ALEXANDRA PHILLIPS
Virginia Bar Family Law Section Award
CARA LEIGH BROWN
Criminal Law Award excellence in the study of criminal law
American Bankruptcy Institute Medal
ZACHARY TATE CRAWFORD-PECHUKAS
excellence in the study of bankruptcy law
Administrative Law Award
MADISON CLAIRE FLOWERS
excellence in the study of administrative law
Barry Sullivan Constitutional Law Award
PAIGE-ELIZABETH EDITH AVERY KIERSTEN ELIZABETH HOLMS
excellence in constitutional law ROBERT LEWIS WILSON III
James W. H. Stewart Tax Law Award excellence in tax law TIMOTHY PAUL STROTHER
MADISON CLAIRE FLOWERS
excellence in the area of evidence
Discovery
excellence in clinical work
JACQUELINE MARIE KEENAN
Thomas Carl Damewood Evidence Award
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Clinical Legal Education Association Award
excellence in the area of family law
outstanding woman law student
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QUENTIN ABRAHAM STEPHEN BECKER
ZACHARY TATE CRAWFORD-PECHUKAS CADEN WILLIAM HAYES
Business Law Award excellence in the study of business law ALEXA RAE SHOCKLEY CAMPBELL
Washington and Lee School of Law Women’s Law Award DANIELLE JOAN NOVELLY
Law Students Reflect on Visit to National Memorial for Peace and Justice AFTER EXAMS ENDED THIS SEMESTER, eight law students traveled to Montgomery, Alabama, with W&L Law Dean Brant Hellwig to visit the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, a haunting memorial to slavery and the more than 4,000 lynchings that took place in 12 southern states between 1877 and 1950. The memorial and the extensive exhibits at the nearby Legacy Museum are both projects of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), a nonprofit organization committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the U.S. The EJI was founded in 1989 by Bryan Stevenson, who delivered the commencement address at this year’s graduation ceremony at W&L Law. W&L Law group outside the Legacy Museum.
“As someone heading into policy work, observing how irrationality can be spread through a population and later be enforced by government will be something I always keep in mind.” –William Jenkins ’19L
The memorial opened a year ago, and is constructed of 800 steel monuments, one for each county in the U.S. where a racial terror lynching took place, detailed through extensive research and investigation by EJI staff. The names of the lynching victims are engraved on the columns, sometimes just one name, sometimes dozens and entire families. In the six-acre park surrounding the memorial is a field of identical monuments, which the EJI hopes will be claimed for display by the counties they represent. The Legacy Museum occupies a former slave warehouse and is located between the river dock and rail lines where slaves arrived and the main auction block where they were sold. Through an array of print, visual and other media, the museum dramatizes the enslavement of African Americans, the evolution of racial terror lynchings, legalized racial segregation and the history of racial inequality and its relationship to a range of contemporary issues from mass incarceration to police violence. Several students offer their thoughts on the memorial.
“My primary take away from the memorial is that disassociation with “the others” is a highly contagious disease. The way the memorial assigns violence by county demonstrates there were more than a few perpetrators of terror lynchings in a few locations at one particular point in time, which is what I think we would all prefer to believe. In my professional life, I think I will be reminded by this experience that the law does not always provide justice and can easily be used for the opposite effect. A lawyer should not only be interested in who the law protects, but also who the law does not protect.”
—MATT BLACK ‘19L
“I stood on the green hill of the memorial square, enveloped by rows of steel monuments recognizing victims of racial terror lynchings. African Americans were often lynched in daylight, killed in front of courthouses, and at the hands of thousands. EJI turned the tables by placing the memorial square in the
A new memorial to the most recent victims of lynchings, all from the 1950s.
Each steel monument contains the names of lynching victims from each county where incidents occurred.
Memorial duplicates wait for representatives of counties where lynchings occurred to claim them.
heart of the memorial. I caught a glimpse of the Montgomery skyline, but only after confronting the steel monuments — an unspoken history of the U.S. It is a resounding message to not forget the past when trying to understand and solve current issues. As written on a memorial wall, “We will remember. With hope because hopelessness is the enemy of justice. With courage because peace requires bravery. With persistence because justice is a constant struggle. With faith because we shall overcome.” EJI encourages me to dig beyond the surface to understand the policy behind laws, to always remain inquisitive. It is a reminder to speak my opinion despite potential opposition. To follow my gut instinct. To never fall astray from my moral compass.”
—TIFFANY FELLERS ‘19L
“I found it to be an incredible experience that explores some of the issues of American history
that can be difficult to discuss. Exhibits in the museum illustrated how ideas of racial superiority by our social establishment and irrational economic fears lead to widespread injustice for many people. As someone heading into policy work, observing how irrationality can be spread through a population and later be enforced by government will be something I always keep in mind.”
—WILLIAM JENKINS ‘19L
“Visiting the memorial was an emotional event. It filled me with sadness, frustration and intense anger at the terrorism inflicted on the African American community. The memorial and the Legacy Museum helped me better understand institutional racism and its oppressive effects seen today. Our visit inspires me to take action in support of achieving peace and justice for the oppressed.”
—AUSTIN SCIESZINSKI ‘20L Summer
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ALEX SHOAF ’19L
STEFANI EVANS ’19L
DIANE GREMILLION ’19L
CAREER PATHS: WHERE ARE THEY GOING? Visit law.wlu.edu/career to learn more about recruiting law students for jobs and internships ALEX SHOAF ’19L spent six years working as a journalist in Nashville before coming to law school. He spent his summers working for the Knox County Public Defender and the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia. He has been heavily involved in the Moot Court program and chaired the Moot Court Executive Board during his 3L year. He is also a student attorney in the Criminal Justice Clinic. He lives in Lexington with his wife, Christine, and his son, Henry. I will be working as an attorney with the Colorado State Public Defender. The organization has 21 offices, so I could end up in the mountains, the desert or somewhere in between. I was doing completely different work before law school and had little interest in becoming a lawyer. My neighbor at the time was a public defender. I spent a week with him visiting clients in jail and observing proceedings in court. The experience opened my eyes to the inequities of the criminal justice system and the need for good attorneys like him. Within a few months, I was applying to law school exclusively to become a public defender. I have spent both summers in public defender’s offices and my final year in the Criminal Justice Clinic. During this time, my clients have experienced a few small victories and plenty of crushing losses due in part to me. Both have motivated me to continue improving my skills and pursuing a career in indigent defense. Working in the Criminal Justice Clinic has given me a taste of working as a public defender, but I have been handling only a few cases at a time as I have also been balancing my other law school obligations. I am looking forward to having a full caseload and beginning a career in indigent defense.
STEFANI EVANS ’19L was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a B.A. in international relations and Spanish. She worked for Wells Fargo Bank in the greater Philadelphia area. While at W&L, she represented inmates seeking parole through the Virginia Capital Case Clearinghouse Clinic (VC3). I will be clerking for Judge Steven S. Smith on the 31st Judicial Circuit Court of Virginia. After I complete my clerkship, I plan to work in criminal defense either at a Public Defender Office or at a firm. Initially I wanted to work as a public defender. But after my second year of law school, I interned at the Public Defender Office in Fairfax and spoke to several attorneys who told me about the advantages of clerking. In my first year at law school, an alumnus recommended that I apply to a one-week intensive criminal trial skills program at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia. During spring break of my first year I participated in this grueling one-week program, and I enjoyed every minute of it. I am looking forward to the variety of experiences that a trial court has to offer: attending oral arguments, hearings and trials, conducting settlement conferences and assisting the judge. Overall, I am looking forward to learning as much as I can from the experience.
DIANE GREMILLION ‘19L is a native of Lafayette, Louisiana. She graduated cum laude with a degree in leadership studies and a minor in English from the University of Richmond. She spent her 1L summer working with the Montgomery County (MD) State’s Attorney’s Office and her 2L summer working with Venable L.L.P. in Washington, D.C. I will be working with Venable L.L.P. in Washington, D.C., focusing on regulatory matters. Depending on the firm’s needs, I will practice either government contracts or political law. I came to law school wanting to practice international human rights law. As passionate as I am about that area — and helping others will always be central in my life — I am thrilled about working in the regulatory/administrative law realm. Working at Venable, I will be surrounded by extremely motivated and wildly intelligent professionals. I love that work environment — especially the mix of creative thinking with formulaic processes within administrative law. This past summer I worked on a pro bono case, defending an immigrant family after nearby construction flooded their home, which culminated in mediation at the Venable office building. Being with a large firm allowed us to defend the family with first-rate legal representation against multiple large corporations in ways that we would not have been able to otherwise. As a young attorney, I am at the ideal place to learn and to begin my career. Being surrounded by brilliant professionals is inspiring — they all want you to achieve just as much as they do. I love my firm environment. Seeing the standards that the attorneys set for themselves makes me want to strive for excellence.
The 2018 Graduate Employment Report
Employment up again. Strong law firm and clerkship placements highlight W&L Law ABA report. DATA FROM THE OFFICE OF CAREER STRATEGY (OCS) show another year of strong performance in employment. The report measures employment 10 months after graduation. According to the report, 87.6% of the Class of 2018 secured a full-time, long-term job that either requires bar passage or for which a J.D. degree is an advantage. This is almost 5% higher than the employment percentage for the class of 2017, which placed W&L as the #2 law school for the Virginia, Maryland and D.C. market. The overall employment rate for the class, including all employment types and graduate school, is 93%. “Frankly, the class of 2018 blew it out of the water,” said Cliff Jarrett ’91L, assistant dean of Career Strategy. “Their at-grad and 10-month employment numbers are post-recession highs, and their bar passage rate, especially in our core markets like Virginia, New York and D.C., was off the charts. While they excelled in law firm and clerkship positions, the class as a whole continues to show the diversity of what 4
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you can do with a W&L Law degree and where you can do it. As always, this success would not have been possible without the support of our alumni, a group that continues to go above and beyond to help our students land their desired jobs.” The report shows graduates working in a diverse range of jobs, with a significant number of graduates in larger law firms and clerkships. Almost 50% of those employed are heading to law firms, and more than 30% of those are working for Big Law firms (over 500 lawyers). More than 20% will be clerking for judges, and another almost 25% are working in government positions. One particular area of strength for W&L Law has always been placement in federal and state clerkships, and this remains the case for the class of 2018.
Twenty-two percent of those employed are clerking, including placements in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, federal district courts in Texas, Kentucky and Virginia, as well as state appellate and trial courts in Maryland, New Jersey, Kentucky, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia. These 113 graduates are employed in 22 states and one foreign country. The top geographic areas for employment are Virginia, Washington, D.C., North Carolina and New York. OCS also is reporting positive employment news for the class of 2019. Almost 70% of the class is employed in JD required or preferred jobs, with significant time remaining for more students to finalize their post-graduate plans.
The 2018 employment report is available at go.wlu.edu/2018-law-employment. It was prepared in accordance with requirements of the American Bar Association and includes summary data about the employment status of all the 2018 graduates.
Life Outside the Law There’s more to life than law school. Here’s how three law students have served the university and Lexington community. Frank Bozzi ‘19L attended NYU, where he graduated with a degree in politics and public policy. A lifelong swimmer, Bozzi competed at NYU all four years. He just wrapped up his second season as volunteer assistant swim coach for the Division I men’s and women’s swim teams at VMI.
Lauren Morina ’20L is a graduate of the University of South Florida. She served four years in the U.S. Navy as a cryptologic intelligence analyst, deploying twice to the Horn of Africa and a third time in the Baltic region. Morina volunteers with Rockbridge Area Hospice and the Rockbridge Animal Alliance.
Gabriella Passidomo ’19L is from Naples, Florida, and is a graduate of the University of Florida. She has served as a key staff member for the W&L Outing Club, one of the busiest and most popular clubs on campus.
Frank Bozzi ’19L was a volunteer assistant swim coach. Swimming has always been a love of mine, which made returning to the sport as a coach fairly easy. While I originally had the intention of coaching just a few hours a week, the team has become a proxy family of sorts, and I soon found myself spending most of my free time on VMI’s post. When I first applied to law school, I never expected to have such a rewarding experience outside of the classroom. By going to school in small-town Virginia, it has allowed me to have a direct impact on the community I’ve now called home for three years. It’s become hard to walk down Main Street without seeing someone you know, and I don’t believe that I would have had this experience at any other law school. Coaching swimming at VMI has definitely put the stress of law school in perspective. Law school is unquestionably demanding. However, after seeing how the cadets physically and mentally sacrifice so much in preparation for their service, it makes you put your own hard work into perspective.
Lauren Morina ’20L with her dog, Harley. I’ve been working the front desk shifts at Hospice as needed. I answer telephones, greet clients, send out mail and perform any other general administrative duties that they need. Rockbridge Animal Alliance conducts a once-a-month pet-food pantry that is operated in conjunction with the Rockbridge Area Relief Association’s food bank. There, I help with loading/unloading dog and cat food, distribution, helping folks to their cars, and also discuss with them their options for spaying/neutering their pets, and getting necessary vaccines and ID tags at a low cost here in Rockbridge County. The demands of law school can make the experience feel somewhat all consuming. I’ve chosen to take on this outside activity as a way to stay grounded and connected to the community. Living in a small town makes it easy to connect with people and find opportunities to give back. Lexington is such a special place. I feel very fortunate to pursue my legal education here, and it’s very rewarding to give back to the community that I’ve grown to love so much.
Gabriella Passidomo ’19L scales a wall in the Outing Club Barn. I have always preferred the outdoors (I’m solarpowered), and an opportunity to share my enthusiasm with like-minded folks and to encourage fellow law students to take advantage of the beautiful mountains encompassing our school was a no-brainer. There isn’t much interaction between the Law School and undergrad campus, so the OC introduced me to a whole group of incredible people I would likely never have met. I’m a firm believer that the key to success in life is balance. For me, that balance comes in the form of long trail runs and climbing the bouldering wall with the Outing Club. Doing these things made me a more efficient and engaged student. Likewise, studying until my brain felt like mush made me even more appreciative of those moments when I could close the book and head to a trail. Finding activities and surrounding yourself with people that will help you strike that equilibrium will make the rigors of law school much more tolerable — and dare I say, even fun?
SPEAKERS CORNER
Professor Ted DeLaney ’85 interviews the Rev. Rob Lee (right), a descendant of Robert E. Lee.
Cary Martin Shelby, who will join W&L Law this fall, speaks at the Law Review Symposium on Civil Rights and Shareholder Activism.
John Jeffries, former dean of UVA Law and a clerk to Justice Lewis Powell ’29, ’31L, speaks at the annual lecture honoring the U.S. Supreme Court justice.
The Hon. Roger Gregory, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, delivers the MLK Day address.
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NEW FACULTY
CARY MARTIN SHELBY will teach a variety of business law courses, such as Business Organizations, Securities Regulation and a seminar on Investment Funds. Her research encompasses regulatory issues related to hedge funds and other pooled investment vehicles, and it has been cited by Forbes, The Brookings Institution and an array of other publications. Shelby received her B.S. in finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and her J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law. She practiced law in the investment funds, advisers and derivatives group, at Sidley Austin L.L.P.
KAREN WOODY teaches and writes in the areas of securities law, financial regulation and white-collar crime. Prior to entering academia, she practiced law in Washington, D.C., at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft L.L.P., Bracewell L.L.P., and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom L.L.P. Woody received her LL.M. with distinction in securities and financial regulation from Georgetown University Law Center, her J.D. from American University Washington College of Law, her graduate degree in theology from Regent College (Vancouver, B.C.), and a B.A. from the University of Virginia.
BRANDON HASBROUCK ’11L has served as a visiting assistant professor at W&L Law and will join the full-time faculty as an assistant professor. His research and teaching interests focus on criminal law, criminal procedure, constitutional law, habeas corpus, identity, criminal justice policy and federal courts. Hasbrouck worked as a litigator at McGuireWoods L.L.P. in Richmond and Debevoise & Plimpton L.L.P. in New York. He also served as a judicial law clerk to the Hon. Roger L. Gregory, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and the Hon. Emmet G. Sullivan, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
WENDY GREENE will serve as the Frances Lewis Law Center Scholar-in-Residence this fall and is a visiting professor at W&L Law in between fulltime appointments to the law faculties at Samford University and Drexel University. One of the foremost experts on grooming codes discrimination, Greene is developing her first book, “#FreeTheHair: Locking Black Hair to Civil Rights Movements.” Greene received her B.A. with honors in English and a double minor in African American studies and Spanish from Xavier University, a J.D. from Tulane University Law School and an LL.M. from The George Washington University School of Law.
ALEX KLEIN ’16L will join W&L Law as a visiting assistant professor of law. Klein served as a judicial law clerk to the Hon. Sally D. Adkins, Maryland Court of Appeals, and the Hon. Danny J. Boggs, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Her research and teaching interests include criminal law, criminal procedure, the death penalty and constitutional law. Klein graduated summa cum laude from the Law School, where she served as a senior articles editor on the Law Review and received the Law Council Law Review Award, the Clinical Legal Education Association Award, the Barry W. Sullivan Constitutional Law Award and the John W. Davis Prize for Law.
IRS Renews W&L Tax Clinic Federal Grant Award for Three Years
Tax Clinic students Cole Bollman and Pierce Rigney visit the local high school to discuss the federal tax system.
THE TAX CLINIC at the Washington and Lee University School of Law has received a matching grant by the Internal Revenue Service’s Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) Program Office. This is the 12th straight year that the clinic has received federal dollars to support its efforts. Although the award is structured as a multiyear grant, the actual amount the Tax Clinic receives varies by year. Professor Michelle Drumbl, who directs the clinic, recently learned that the LITC Program Office will provide a matching grant of 6
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$87,700 to help fund the clinic for the 2019 calendar year. This brings the total federal funds awarded to the clinic since its inception to $830,710. “The grant determination follows a competitive application process that includes an evaluation by the LITC program of our clinic’s ongoing work,” said Drumbl. “I am very pleased that the LITC program continues to recognize our clinic’s work representing low-income taxpayers in Virginia. I am additionally proud of the work our students are performing in the community.”
Law students working in the Tax Clinic provide free legal representation to low-income taxpayers in resolving their controversies with the Internal Revenue Service. The clinic students assist taxpayers with audits and a wide array of collections issues. The clinic also represents taxpayers in cases before the U.S. Tax Court. Through the work of the students, most cases are resolved without the need for a trial. In addition, students in the Tax Clinic undertake outreach efforts to educate taxpayers on tax law issues. This year, clinic students led local educational outreach events that included speaking to personal finance classes at Rockbridge County High School and presenting tax tips to employees at neighboring Virginia Military Institute. The Tax Clinic serves the entire state of Virginia. At least 90% of the clients represented by the clinic are “low-income,” meaning their incomes do not exceed 250% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines published annually by the Department of Health and Human Services. For example, a family of four making less than $62,750 per year is eligible to use the Tax Clinic’s services. The IRS LITC Program Office is part of the Office of the Taxpayer Advocate, which operates independently of any other IRS office and reports directly to Congress through the National Taxpayer Advocate. Likewise, clinics funded by the grant program remain completely independent of and are not associated with the federal government. The LITC grant program was created as part of the Internal Revenue Service Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998.
FACULTY ACCOLADES of Polarization. His article “Evaluating the Reliability of Prior Conviction Evidence: The Meaning of a Misdemeanor in a Post-Ferguson World,” is forthcoming in the Georgia Law Review.
Sam Calhoun, Class of 1960 Professor of Ethics and Law
JAMES MOLITERNO published “The New-Breed, ‘Die-Hard’ Chinese Lawyer: A Comparison with American Civil Rights Cause Lawyers” in the Journal of Civil Rights and Social Justice; “Independence Without Accountability: The Harmful Consequences of EU Policy Toward Central and Eastern European Entrants” in the Fordham International Law Journal; and “Teaching Communication Skills in Transactional Simulations” in the Tennessee Journal of Business Law. He gave numerous presentations on professional ethics and judicial conduct abroad, including in the Ukraine and Slovakia.
SAM CALHOUN published an article in the Washington and Lee Law Review on the practice of opening governmental sessions with prayer, arguing that the Supreme Court, by misconstruing the Establishment Clause, has mistakenly interposed itself into the realm of legislative prayer. He participated in a podcast on Roe v. Wade produced by the W&L Law chapter of the American Constitution Society. MARK DRUMBL drafted a report for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe on child terrorists and wrote several book chapters and blog posts on international criminal law. He lectured in the Netherlands (at Leiden, Amsterdam and Groningen),
Croatia, the United Kingdom and Canada; presented his work on the Tokyo Tribunal at a conference in Copenhagen in April; and conducted workshops on his cultural property project in Miami and Binghamton. In January, he participated in a President’s Panel on restorative justice held at the AALS annual meeting in New Orleans. “The Research Handbook on Child Soldiers” he is co-editing is in the final publication stages and is to appear in September 2019. In May, he participated in a special BBC program on hate and international law and was invited to join an expert program at the U.S. Holocaust Museum on atrocity prevention. In July he travels to Cambodia to speak at a conference on genocide.
SARAH C. HAAN contributed “Profits v. Principles” to the Knight First Amendment Institute’s “Emerging Threats” online series, soon to be published as a book by Cambridge University Press. She also published “Facebook’s Alternative Facts” in the University of Virginia Law Review online’s “Digital Democracy” symposium in February. At W&L, she helped organize the Civil Rights and Shareholder Activism symposium and will publish a historical reflection on SEC v. Medical Committee for Human Rights, a case about shareholder objections to Dow Chemical Co.’s production of napalm during the Vietnam War. She published “Board Governance for the Twenty-First Century,” with
Faith Stevelman, in The Business Lawyer, and has been workshopping and presenting a new article, “Bad Actors,” about identity-based speech regulation and surveillance capitalism. She tweets at @ shaan_haan. J.D. KING’s article “Privatizing Criminal Procedure” was published in the Georgetown Law Journal. He was invited by the Federal Defenders of San Diego to speak on Ethics and Strategy in the Criminal Defense of Clients with Mental Illness at its annual training conference and gave a presentation at the AALS Clinical Conference in San Francisco entitled Friday Night Fights: Addressing Clinical Team Dynamics and Teaching Collaboration Skills in an Age
DOUG RENDLEMAN published “Rehabilitating the Nuisance Injunction to Protect the Environment” in the Washington and Lee Law Review and presented on national injunctions at the 27th Annual Ira C. Rothgerber Jr. conference. CHRIS SEAMAN presented a new work-in-progress entitled “Noncompete Agreements and Other Post-Employment Restraints on Competition: Empirical Evidence from Trade Secret Litigation” at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in Alexandria, Virginia, on April 12. His presentation was part of the Roundtable on Empirical Methods in Intellectual Property, which gives early-stage feedback to scholars engaging in empirical and experimental studies in IP.
IN THE NEWS “The U.S. is exceptionally broad in its idea of citizenship taxation.” —Professor Michelle Drumbl, NBC News, on tax consequences for the newest British royal, also an American citizen.
“I think about the impact this law is going to have on countless individuals who either have suffered discrimination or are making very critical deliberations as it relates to how to wear their hair.” —Professor Wendy Greene, Teen Vogue, on New York City’s new ban on natural hair discrimination.
“We are bringing ourselves back to a place where we have forgotten how desperate the situation of statelessness was. And having this new wave of politically motivated expatriation is really troubling.” —Professor David Baluarte, The New York Times, on the case of ISIS recruit Hoda Muthana.
“Right now, those with a felony record — whenever and wherever incurred, whatever the penalty — depend on the largesse of Virginia’s governor to award them a right for which they shouldn’t have to ask.” —Professor Nora Demleitner, The Virginia Pilot, on voting rights restoration.
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CLASS UPDATES AND SUCCESS STORIES
LIZANNE THOMAS ’82L AND NANETTE HEIDE ’90L
W&L Law Alumnae Recognized for M&A Work
Lizanne Thomas ’82L
70s 1976L T. Hal Clarke Jr. (’73) retired from Wells Fargo & Co. He lives in Charlotte, North Carolina.
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Linda Davis Frith has retired from Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore. She lives in Roanoke.
1984L Kevin R. Rardin received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Memphis Business Journal’s Best of Bar awards ceremony. He is an assistant public defender in Shelby County, Tennessee.
Nanette Heide ’90L
Cheryl Boggs Lewis works for the Office of Mike Milken as executive vice president for FBO Co. and is COO of a new business, Verrian Inc. She lives in Reno, Nevada.
1986L Peter A. Baumgaertner (’83) joined Holland & Knight in New York. William J. Vailliencourt Jr.
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NANETTE HEIDE ’90L, was named to Mergers & Acquisitions’ list of Most Influential Women in Mid-Market M&A for the second consecutive year. Heide is a partner at Duane Morris and was named as co-head of the firm’s private equity division of the corporate practice group. She is the co-founder of Exponent: Raising Women Dealmakers to a New Power. She told M&A that Exponent was created “to provide a new platform where women in the finance ecosystem could come together to exchange ideas, information and introductions.” (Read the interview at go.wlu.edu/law_heideinterview). She is also a member of the Corporate and Mergers and Acquisitions Committee of the International Bar Association.
D. Matthew Kannady joined Dinsmore & Shohl L.L.P. in Louisville, Kentucky, as a staff attorney.
was elected president of the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan for a one-year term starting in August. He is the Livingston County prosecuting attorney in Howell, Michigan.
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Nanette C. Heide, of Duane Morris L.L.P.’s New York office, was named co-chair of the private equity division of the corporate practice group.
1991L Thomas E. Evans joined XPO Logistics Inc. in Charlotte as senior vice president, North American Transportation Council. Wood W. Lay is the managing partner of O’Hagan Meyer’s Charlotte office.
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Two alumnae have been recognized for their work in the legal field of mergers and acquisitions. LIZANNE THOMAS ’82L was recognized in Deal magazine’s top 20 list of women lawyers and bankers in M&A. Thomas, a member of the University’s Board of Trustees and partner in charge for the U.S. southern region for the global law firm Jones Day, was cited for her work on Knauf Gips KG’s acquisition of USG Corp. for $7 billion, among other deals. She told the magazine that her initial interest in antitrust law, unpopular in the Reagan era, turned towards corporate law as she developed her practice. “I am never bored. The work is meaningful and fascinating.”
Michael D. Mueller has joined Williams Mullen in Richmond where he is chair of the Bankruptcy & Creditors’ Rights Practice. Robert O. Saunooke became the president of the National Native American Bar Association. He is also teaching Federal Indian Law and Policy at Emory Law School in Atlanta. He lives in Plantation, Florida.
2003L Jason A. Daigle was promoted to partner at Young Clement Rivers, L.L.P. in Charleston, South Carolina. Alums attending the 2019 Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel Meeting in Austin, Texas. Left to right: Reid Manley ’91, L. Johnson Sarber ’89, ’93L, Jeff Kelsey ’89, ’92L, William Toles ’92, ’95L and Peter Wanek ’90. Not pictured, John Klinedinst ’71, ’78L.
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Margaret Oertling Cupples received the Mississippi Children’s Museum Preston Myers Hays Award of Light for exemplary service to the museum. She lives in Jackson.
Tina Clark Beamon joined Karyopharm Therapeutics Inc. in Newton, Massachusetts, as vice president, chief compliance officer.
1995L Edward B. Lumpkin joined Spotts Fain, in Richmond, as senior counsel.
1996L Curtis R. Joseph Jr. (’93) is president of the Shreveport Bar Association. The Hon. Brynja McDivitt Booth was appointed to the Court of Appeals, First Appellate Circuit, which includes Caroline, Cecil, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico and Worcester counties in Maryland. She lives in Easton, Maryland.
1998L The Hon. Christopher Billias is a judge for the 25th Judicial District General District Court. He will be sitting in the Rockbridge, Lexington and Waynesboro courts. Joseph A. Seiner was appointed to the Oliver Ellsworth Chair of Federal Practice at the University of South Carolina School of Law.
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Duncan G. Byers joined Patten, Wornom, Hatten & Diamonstein L.C. in Newport News as a partner.
Henry C. Leventis was promoted to director of litigation at the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in Nashville, Tennessee.
2004L Frederick M. Heiser (’01) was promoted to shareholder in Klinedinst P.C.’s Los Angeles and Orange County offices and is a member of the business and commercial litigation, commercial general liability and employment practice groups. Michael T. Pidgeon (’01) was promoted to shareholder at Eastburn and Gray P.C. in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Bridget A. Blinn-Spears joined Nexsen Pruet L.L.C.’s Raleigh office as special counsel. Leah M. Garabedian joined KPMG US’s Houston office as a manager in Justice and Security Advisory Services. Joshua D. Jones was promoted to managing principal of the Birmingham office of Bressler, Amery & Ross P.C.
Influential Women of Law The Hon. Jacqueline Talevi ’83L Named to Inaugural List of Influential Women of Law Virginia Lawyers Media, the publisher of Virginia Lawyers Weekly, has announced the inaugural class of “Influential Women of Law.” The Hon. JACQUELINE TALEVI ’83L, chief judge of the Roanoke County General District Court, has been named to the list for her creation of a therapeutic docket to address the
2005L Michelle Williams Hamilton joined Alexander, Miller, Schupp & Hamilton P.L.L.C. as a partner. She lives in Durham, North Carolina.
2006L William W. Fagan III joined MagMutual Insurance Co. as vice president, senior corporate counsel. He lives in Atlanta. Judith Ndoping (’08L) joined Archer Daniels Midland Company in Chicago as compliance counsel. She has been working in Hamburg, Germany, on temporary assignment for ADM. Jason M. Reid opened The Reid Firm L.L.C. in Bradenton, Florida.
2007L Brandon D. Almond was promoted to counsel at Troutman Sanders L.L.P. He lives in Arlington, Virginia. Rebecca A. Beers was elected partner at Rumberger, Kirk & Caldwell. She lives in Birmingham. Lile Trice Benaicha joined Sugarfina Inc. as senior counsel. She lives in Richmond. Broderick C. Dunn was promoted to partner at Cook Craig & Francuzenko P.L.L.C. in Fairfax, Virginia. Amanda L. Thrash was promoted to assistant general counsel at Laredo Petroleum Inc. in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
needs of defendants with mental health issues and other similar programs. “In my view criminal defense lawyers need additional sentencing options which recognize and address substance abuse and mental health issues presented by their clients in lieu of the client serving protracted jail sentences,” Talevi told Virginia
Lawyers Weekly. “I am a strong proponent for the implementation of behavioral health dockets, drug court dockets and veteran’s dockets, which recognize and treat issues specific to that population.” Talevi was also recognized for her service on the Judicial Performance Advisory Committee established by the Supreme Court of Virginia.
2008L Benjamin D. Byrd joined Strickland, Diviney, Segura & Byrd as a partner in Roanoke. Chace W. Daley was promoted to deputy general counsel at Samson Resources in Tulsa, Oklahoma. David M. Francis joined Kirby as assistant general counsel in Houston.
2009L Russell N. Kruse is a partner with Royer, Caramanis & McDonough P.L.C. in Charlottesville. Arif S. Noorani was promoted to partner at Sidley Austin L.L.P. He works in the D.C. office.
The Hubbard family at a recent lacrosse game on Wilson Field. From l. to r.: Chris and Hadley Feiss, parents of Anna Feiss ’16; Taylor Cashman ’21; Bo Cashman, parent; Amanda Cashman, sister; Hadley Cashman ‘23; Penney and A.C. Hubbard ’59, ’62L; and Kimberly Cashman, parent.
Nerissa Neal Rouzer was appointed as assistant university counsel to James Madison University. Kathryn Hall Shurin was promoted to partner at Haynes and Boone L.L.P. in Houston.
10s 2010L Joshua B. Cannon was promoted to senior corporate counsel at DigiCert Inc. in Lehi, Utah.
Bits and Blocks BY LINDA EVANS
As a partner with Delta Strategy Group, KEVIN BATTEH ’95, ’98L brings years of expertise in financial services regulation to the table. But it was his personal interest in an emerging technology that has changed the course of his career. “In 2012, I started learning about blockchain and Bitcoin as a personal interest,” Batteh said. Two years later, as those technologies grew exponentially, “I saw a need from potential [Delta] clients for advice in those areas.” Typically, Delta Strategy Group works with such clients as asset managers, hedge funds, proprietary trading firms, regulated exchanges, as well as agricultural and energy companies that use derivative markets to hedge their business risk. “These clients want to understand and inform regulators and shape regulation.” In the same manner, blockchain companies — companies providing a form of decentralized, distributed and public digital ledgers that record transactions across many computers — needed help navigating federal regulations and legislation affecting their sector. “In 2014, we began representing new start-up companies that have now grown into multimillion- and
billion-dollar entities. We still provide services to them and help them to engage with the CFTC, SEC, other regulators and Capitol Hill,” Batteh said. This year Batteh formed Jenga Advisors and serves as its CEO. Jenga Advisors is a niche business set up to advise blockchain companies on compliance and secondary market listings on digital asset trading platforms. To be successful, he said, “these companies need wide distribution of their digital tokens.”
When a transaction takes place using a token, such as Bitcoin or Ethereum, “We don’t have to worry about foreign currency or banks. There is a lot less friction,” he explained. For smaller projects that utilize an in-app token to exchange value and exchange goods or services, users often need a place to purchase or sell the tokens — a secondary market or exchange — “and that is where we come in.” Digital asset exchanges are located in the U.S. and overseas. Clients
want their tokens listed on a trading platform, and “We make sure they comport with relevant regulations and work with the exchanges to get them listed.” Asian markets are leaders in this field, which takes Batteh to such places as Singapore and Korea to learn about foreign regulations and help clients get listed in those jurisdictions. “Some Asian jurisdictions are rolling out the red carpet. They see the value to their jurisdictions’ in hosting the exchanges, he said. “In the U.S., we have really worked hard to educate Congress and regulators about the technology. We also work with the Digital Chamber of Commerce,” an American advocacy group that promotes the emerging industry behind blockchain technology, Bitcoin and other digital assets. As the new technology continues to emerge and grow, Batteh is seeing traditional clients wanting to learn more about blockchain and, in some cases, trading in digital assets. He has seen his new client base seek to engage with traditional financial market participants, a crossover that he describes as very rewarding. “I learn something new every day,” he said. “I have expertise to lend, and I also learn from my clients.” Summer
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By Land, Sea and Air
If you’ve ever flown into a major airport and wondered what helps guide the pilot onto the runway or taken a cruise and thought about how the ship navigates in and out of port, chances are that a system from Saab North America (SNA) is working behind the scenes to keep you safe. “Ensuring people get around safely” is one of the company’s top priorities, said MARC NICHOLS ’98L, who has served as executive vice president, general counsel and company secretary since February 2018. Saab North America is also a major government contractor, developing and making systems for military aircraft, ships and ground-based defense, as well as air defense weaponry and naval surveillance radar. SNA is part of the global Swedish-based Saab group, a company often associated with its cars. No longer in the automobile business, Saab has returned to its roots as an aircraft company that supported wartime needs. In his role at SNA, Nichols oversees a team of 40 people who cover legal functions, such as contracts, merger and acquisition, labor and employment issues, and export control and an operations team that works on such managerial duties as policies, procedures, ethics and compliance. His team’s job recently got a lot bigger, when last September Saab and Boeing were awarded a $9.3 billion joint contract for the U.S. Air Force. The multi-year contract calls for the companies to develop the next generation of advanced pilot training systems and a new aircraft. “We have to develop everything from here — supply chain procurement, product development — and ensure we are meeting the obligations of the contract,” said Nichols. “Boeing will build the
PHOTO CREDIT: SCOTT HENRICHSEN
BY LINDA EVANS
planes, and Saab will develop and add the systems after the frame is built.” While Nichols has been with Saab for only a year, he has a wealth of experience in various aspects of the law. After graduating from W&L Law, he worked for a couple of firms in Denver, served as inhouse counsel for U.S. West, and then became inspector general for the U.S. Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C. He worked as general counsel for a start-up company that provided online gaming financing, before returning to work at a law firm. He also worked for Green Advantage as chief operating officer. His next stop was at Rolls Royce North America, “at the height of the recession,” where he was responsible for managing litigation, particularly product liability for their defense business, among
other duties. He later became the company’s director of compliance for North and South America. His liberal arts background and W&L legal education have helped him in many ways, not the least of which is understanding science, which he uses every day at Saab. “I also learned how to communicate to different audiences and with clients, whether they are facing criminal charges or divorce, or they are seriously injured in a plane crash.” Because of his education and having worked for multinational companies, he better understands cultural differences and that different people view things differently. These skills, along with his deductive reasoning skills, “are, in some way, rooted out of or have been further developed by my legal education at W&L.”
‘Getting Up, Showing Up and Never Giving Up’
Mimi Miller ’21 interviews Jennifer Smyrnos ’12L about practicing immigration law. BY MIMI MILLER ’21
What drew you to immigration law and advocacy? I come from a family with recent immigrant heritage. My mother was born in the capital city in El Salvador and emigrated to the U.S. in the 1960s when she was 10 years old, with my grandma and nearly all of her 12 siblings. On my dad’s side, his father was a Greek immigrant whose family passed through Ellis Island during its heyday and saw, as was custom, his heritage Americanized with a new last name. My family’s experience of life in America as immigrants and the children of immigrants has had a deep impact on the work I do now. The moment I was particularly drawn to immigration law happened when I was a 3L. My interest was piqued when I joined the Immigrant Rights Clinic, part of W&L’s invaluable and radical approach to a legal education which focused on providing its law students a real-world introduction to the practice of law. The clinic’s specific goal was to expose law students to legal experiences, such as representing a child before the immigration courts, arguing for bond on behalf of a detained immigrant, or seeking humanitarian relief for a victim of domestic violence. Through the clinic, I witnessed how powerful the law is and how it can change a person’s life so dramatically — especially when you’re working towards something as fundamental as a person’s legal status in a country. How was the process of starting your firm? What were some of the frustrations and enjoyments? I launched my private immigration firm in
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February 2015. The practice started off small — we had a single room with a desk and a few chairs opposite each other for me and the clients. Even with these humble beginnings, it was still a busy time. As a solo lawyer, you practice law but also wear several other hats to keep your business running, such as being your own accountant, IT department, office manager, marketing and outreach coordinator, etc. The first year of practice was also an uncertain time; my client base was developing, my reputation was being established and the future was unknown. But thankfully, with time, my work within the community led to the growth of the firm. I scaled up operations at first by outsourcing different areas to virtual
assistants — a bilingual receptionist to help answer calls and take messages, a paralegal who worked from home in Brooklyn and a local translator who helped with case documents. Four years later, I’ve consolidated our legal team to work in our downtown office in Roanoke. We now have two outstanding paralegals and a brilliant legal receptionist on site to help manage our firm’s caseload. I like to think we are a small but mighty team because on any given day, we have upwards of 300 immigration cases pending. As is normal for the immigration law field, our cases on average can take anywhere from several months to more than three years to complete.
Trending Upwards
BY MARK DEWYEA ’18L
If you ever needed convincing that the unique skills and experiences gained in law school can prepare you for just about any profession, look no further than MOHAMED YOUNIS ’07L, the new editor-in-chief of global consulting firm and polling giant Gallup. “Everything you learn about writing, engaging clients and managing their needs professionally, ethically and transparently, in addition to understanding how to structure an argument and tackle any challenge — just about everything I learned at W&L Law I apply almost daily in my job.” Gallup is to polls as Apple is to phones — it has become synonymous with the concept of comprehensive public opinion analysis. Gallup provides transparency and visibility concerning the most pressing political, social and economic issues of the day. As the company’s founder and namesake, George Gallup, asserted, “If democracy is supposed to be based on the will of the people, someone should find out what that will is.” That is exactly what Younis intends to do. He joined Gallup in 2009 as a senior consultant, eventually becoming managing editor and leading some of Gallup’s largest global and regional studies. “The most rewarding aspect of my career has been to play a tiny role in tracking and reporting on the voice — challenges, hopes, realities, aspirations, fears and priorities — of the world’s seven billion citizens. “There are dozens of experts at Gallup that are far more qualified and accomplished than me, that have made this possible by building the first truly global and nationally representative methodology to do this work,” he added.
Andrew J. Fadale was promoted to partner with Schulte Roth & Zabel L.L.P. He works in New York City.
Younis has been tasked with transitioning Gallup into a new era of deeper examinations into the most contentious global issues of the day, such as trust in governments and the future of work, utilizing ground-breaking technologies, such as the organization’s signature World Poll consisting of sampling frames across 160 countries and covering 99% of the world’s population. “When Mohamed and his teams find a pearl deep in the data and present it,” explained Jim Clifton, chairman and CEO at Gallup, “that pearl will be on the desk of every president and prime minister in every country in the world. It will be on the desk of the 1,000 most influential leaders in the world repre-
counsel in Washington, D.C.
Leona S. Krasner is managing partner of Krasner Law P.L.L.C. in New York City.
Guy B. Sereff II joined Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck as an associate in Denver.
Joy Y. Lee is counsel at the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on House Administration.
Ryan D. Brady serves as special assistant to the President of the United States and associate counsel in the White House counsel’s office. Lauren Snyder Corva was promoted to senior corporate counsel at Amazon in New York City. Bennett Eastham joined the Richmond office of Williams Mullen. William Larson Jr. (’08) rejoined his prior law firm MG+M in the Wilmington, Delaware, office after two years of public service as senior assistant city solicitor for the city of Wilmington. He focuses on toxic tort litigation, general litigation and local government matters. He is also vice chair of the litigation section of the Delaware State Bar Association.
Muchin Rosenman L.L.P. as an associate attorney in Dallas.
Parker D. Kasmer is regulatory counsel for Juul Labs in San Francisco.
Lindsey Brown Fetzer was promoted to partner at Bass Berry & Sims in Washington, D.C.
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senting all governments, NGOs, foundations, institutions of education, health, business and industry, as well as top media.” Part of what makes Younis an ideal candidate for this dynamic position is his diverse background that exposed to him to a wide array of nationalities, beliefs and ideologies. He was born in Egypt and moved at a young age to Los Angeles. “As a kid who grew up living between countries and cultures, languages and disparate economic realities, providing insight to all of them is something that always has had great meaning for me. Life is interdisciplinary, and a legal education is a great tool set to have as you tackle it.”
Christopher E. Miller joined Gilbert, Bird, Sharpes & Robinson as an associate attorney in Moneta, Virginia. Alexandria Lay Sears was promoted to partner at Steptoe and Johnson P.L.L.C. in Charleston, West Virginia. Elizabeth L. Zamorski joined Greenbyte AB in Sweden as a technical writer.
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Sarah Atkinson Stahling is an assistant attorney at the Office of the Attorney General of Virginia in Richmond.
2016L From l. to r.: Jacquelin Hacker ’18L (law clerk to Judge Isenhour), Devin White ’18L (law clerk to Judge Dupuis), Elizabeth A. Farrell ’15L (associate with Dughi, Hewit & Domalewski), Judge Mark P. Ciarrocca ’85L and Micaela Ownes ’19L. Farrell was Judge Ciarrocca’s law clerk in 2015, White was his intern that same year and Ownes will start her clerkship with Judge Ciarrocca following her graduation.
of New York City. He also serves as a host on “Law & Crime,” a 24/7 live trial network. Crishon A. McManus joined the Washington, D.C., office of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius L.L.P. as an associate.
Stephen M. Holland has a new position as the health policy counsel, Committee on Energy and Commerce, at the U.S. House of Representatives.
Kristin Slawter Starr is an assistant attorney at the U.S. Attorneys’ Office, Eastern District of Virginia, in Washington, D.C.
Elizabeth A. Pohm joined Florida Guardian ad Litem Program as an attorney. She lives in West Palm Beach.
Glenn D. Williams joined The Rocket Science Group L.L.C. d/b/a Mailchimp as corporate counsel. He works in Atlanta.
Carney N. Simpson joined SunTrust as senior counsel in Atlanta.
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Britteny N. Jenkins joined the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform as
Brian G. Buckmire II was promoted to homicide defense task force attorney (second seat) at The Legal Aid Society
2015L Ron B. Birnkrant joined the Los Angeles office of K&L Gates as a mergers and acquisitions attorney. Babatunde M. Cadmus joined Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. in New York City as
Jefferson D. Smythe joined Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center as a contract specialist in Lebanon, New Hampshire. Luke D. Stone joined Paramount Specialty Finance in Austin, Texas, as director of business development.
associate director, corporate counsel.
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E. Joseph Connor IV joined PwC in Washington, D.C., as senior associate.
Christian B. Addison is an assistant staff judge advocate for the U.S. Air Force. He is stationed in Abilene, Texas.
Chad M. Cormier joined Munck Wilson Mandala L.L.P. in Dallas as a corporate and securities associate.
Ashley Slisz joined the New York office of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer L.L.P. as an associate.
Cameron T. Crowther was promoted to vice president of student development at Southern Virginia University. Joshua M. Deal joined Cohen Seglias Pallas Greenhall & Furman P.C. in New York City as an associate. Donavan K. Eason is helping to open the Savannah office of his firm, Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith. Stephen Hall joined Dischley Law in Alexandria, Virginia, as an associate. Weston M. Love joined Katten
2018L 2nd Lt. Mark J. Dewyea is a judge advocate in the U.S. Marine Corps. Aubrey J. Morin joined the Wilmington, Delaware, law firm Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell L.L.P. He will practice in the corporate and business litigation group. J. Sills O’Keefe joined Mann Vita & Elrod P.L.L.C. in Lexington, Virginia, as an associate attorney.
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WEDDINGS Cheryl Boggs Walsh ’85L to John S. Lewis in November 2016. They have five kids and four grandkids.
Chi Ewusi ’17L to Colin Kavanaugh on Nov. 24, 2018, in Dallas. Members of the bridal party included Maressa Cuenca ’17L, Tacho Fernandez Sanchez ’17L and Tyler Cragg ’17L. Alums in attendance included Deborah Howe ’17L, Kja Harper-Gopaul ’17L and Will Knapp ’17L. The couple live in Houston, where Chi works at Kirkland & Ellis L.L.P., and Colin works at Sidley Austin L.L.P.
BIRTHS AND ADOPTIONS Courtenay Fisher Clark ’02, ’09L and Chris Clark ’02, a daughter, Lucy Baylor, on May 11, 2018. She joins sister Piper Lee. The family live in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Albert F. Knight ’51L, of Newark, New Jersey, died on March 26. He served in the Navy. He retired from Merck & Company as assistant general counsel. He established the A. Paul Knight Internship Program in Conservation, allowing four W&L undergraduate students and two law students to work for environmental organizations during the summer (go.wlu. edu/law/alknight).
Samuel B. Read ’42L, of Manassas, Virginia, died on Jan 25.
Magee was a member of the Law Council and also served as an adjunct professor.
Archibald Carter “Chip” Magee Jr., of Roanoke, died on Feb. 14. He bravely faced early-onset Alzheimer’s disease for nearly seven years. He was 64. Magee was born on October 13, 1954, in Wiesbaden, Germany. He graduated from North Cross School and Hampden-Sydney College. Magee was deeply involved in Moot Court and went on to become a devoted alumnus of the Law School. He was a member of the Law Council from 2003-2009, serving as president his final year. In addition, Magee served as adjunct professor, teaching his practice specialty of bankruptcy law. He was among the first faculty to offer a practice simulation, also known as a practicum, in the Law School’s innovative
Scott H. Shott ’51L, of New Harbor, Maine, died on March 31. He served in the Navy. He worked as an attorney for several family companies in West Virginia. He belonged to Phi Kappa Psi. Robert C. Louthian Jr. ’52L, of Ashburn, Virginia, died on March 5, 2017. Eugene M. Anderson Jr. ’52, ’54L, of Davidson, North Carolina, died on Jan. 16. He served in the Air Force. He retired from Barclays Bank and belonged to Pi Kappa Phi. Robert R. Kane III ’54L, of Pearisburg, Virginia, died on March 5. He served in the Navy. He owned The Virginian-Leader in Pearisburg. He was uncle to Steve Arey ’75L and belonged to Sigma Chi. Douglas I. Buck ’50, ’56L, of Flint, Michigan, died on Feb. 10. He served in the Navy. He practiced law for over 40 years, the last 14 with his son. He belonged to Kappa Alpha.
OBITS
ARCHIBALD CARTER “CHIP” MAGEE ’79L
third-year curriculum. Magee was an AV-rated attorney and founding partner of Magee Goldstein Lasky and Sayers. He was an instrument-rated private pilot and enjoyed flying his family on vacation trips. A lifelong athlete, Magee participated in sports throughout high school and college and competed in triathlons as an adult. Magee is survived by his wife of 35 years, Leslie Cochran Magee; son, John Carter Magee of Denver, Colorado; and daughters, Julia Parks Magee of Baltimore, Maryland, and Caroline Lancaster Magee of Washington, D.C.
James C. Jeter ’56, ’59L, of Ronceverte, West Virginia, died on Feb. 26. He served in the Naval Reserve. He practiced law in Charleston for 49 years. He was cousin to William Jeter Jr. ’71 and belonged to Kappa Sigma. Benjamin P. Michel ’62, ’64L, of Basking Ridge, New Jersey, died on Jan. 2. He served in the Army. He was a trial lawyer
YEAR AFTER YEAR, from GENERATION TO GENERATION, your support of the Law Annual Fund translates into student achievement and success.
and senior partner at the law firm Riker. He belonged to Delta Upsilon.
he was employed as a tax attorney with Metropolitan Life Insurance Co.
Ronald P. Hammers ’65L, of Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, died on Aug. 2, 2016. Col. Robert R. Baldwin ’66L, of Randolph, New Jersey, died on Jan. 11. He served in the Army. After his military career,
That support helps provide: • Small classes • Dedicated faculty • Extracurricular travel • A rigorous legal education in a community of trust.
You can help sustain the W&L Law experience with a gift to this year’s Law Annual Fund. We thank you for all your contributions to the School of Law.
Here’s how to make your gift today: 12
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Visit law.wlu.edu/give or call 540.458.8063
Law Alumni Weekend APRIL 12–14, 2019
Brant Hellwig, dean of the Law School (blue polo shirt) receives the Reunion gift from the class chairs.
Class of ’14L
Class of ’09L
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everal hundred Washington and Lee Law School alumni and guests returned for this year’s reunion celebration. During the awards ceremony on Saturday, Dean Brant Hellwig announced the recipients of the Outstanding Alumnus/a Award, Volunteer of the Year Award and Young Volunteer of the Year Award. The Outstanding Law Alumnus/a Greg Stillman ’74L award this year was presented with Dean Brant Hellwig. to GREG STILLMAN ’74L for exceptional achievements in his career and unselfish service to his community and his alma mater. In the 45 years since he graduated from the Law School, Stillman has served on reunion committees, including chairing the current one, hosted alumni events at his home, served as class agent and as a Law Council member. In addition, he has taught the Patent Litigation practicum at the Law School since 2011 and coached the IP moot court team. Stillman retired last year from Hunton & Williams (now Hunton Andrews Kurth), where he started practicing law in 1975. He served as practice group leader of the firm’s intellectual property group, working in both the D.C. and Norfolk offices, while also serving as the managing partner of the firm’s Norfolk office. His practice focused on federal trial and appellate litigation, with an emphasis on business torts, intellectual property, securities, and corporate governance. Stillman tried more than 100 jury trials to verdict, leading patent cases involving a wide range of technologies such as internet software, biotechnology, medical and orthopedic devices, telecommunications, business software, textiles and pharmaceuticals. In retirement, Stillman launched his own law firm, The Stillman Law Group, which focuses on mediating patent disputes. He served as the Virginia State Chair of the American College of Trial Lawyers, chair of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce and chair of the Virginia Beach
School Board. He has received numerous awards and recognition throughout his distinguished career. This Volunteer of the Year award is a way for W&L to recognize those individuals who go above and beyond assisting the Law School. This year’s award went to STU NIBLEY ’75, ’79L. Nibley is a partner in K&L Gates’ Washington, D.C., office and focuses on both counseling and dispute resolution on behalf of government Stu Nibley ’75, ’79L contractors. with Dean Brant Hellwig. Over the years, Nibley has served on several reunion committees and area campaign committees. He has served as a law firm liaison for the Annual Fund and as a law mentor. He has hosted alumni events at his firm and worked closely with the Office of Career Strategy to help place law students. Nibley recently concluded his term as chair of the American Bar Association’s Section of Public Contract Law. He serves on the U.S. Court of Federal Claims Advisory Council, the National Defense Industrial Association and the National Contract Management Association. He is on the board of advisors for Thomson Reuters West Publications, Law 360 Government Contracts Publication, the PubKlaw Publications and the BNA Publications. In addition, Nibley has volunteered as a coach with Special Olympics Montgomery County Youth Basketball, an evaluator with Pennsylvania State Special Olympics Games, a volunteer play-by-play announcer for Operation Smile and a speaker/discussion leader for Perspective and Motivation National Youth Leadership Conference. The Young Volunteer of the Year Award went to RANDALL MILLER ’14L. A member of W&L’s Young Alumni Council, Miller has worked tirelessly with the Admissions Office recruiting prospective students through phone calls, emails and face-to-face visits. Miller, who was unable to attend the awards ceremony, is an assistant attorney general in Austin, Texas. For more photos from the weekend, visit go.wlu.edu/law19gallery.
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Leslie Smith ’69L , pg. 1
Bryan Stevenson, pg. 2
Diane Gremillion ’19L, pg. 4
Mohamed Younis ’07L, p. 11
Discovery
Reunion, p. 13
THE NEWSLETTER FROM WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW LAW.WLU.EDU Non-Profit Org U. S. P o s t a g e
Washington and Lee University School of Law 204 W. Washington Street Lexington, VA 24450-2116
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Professor Lyman Johnson Retires LYMAN P.Q. JOHNSON, the Robert O. Bentley Professor of Law, arrived at W&L Law in 1985, embarking upon his scholarly career at a time now regarded as perhaps the single most extraordinary period of upheaval in the field of corporate law since the 1930s. Over the next 34 years, he became one of the most respected corporate law scholars in the country and a sought-after expert in legal disputes, serving as a witness in several high profile corporate lawsuits, including the nation’s largest stock options backdating case and a case brought by shareholders of the Walt Disney Company for the way their board of directors handled the hiring and firing of Michael Ovitz. With his feet always firmly planted in legal practice — he describes himself as a “lawyer who teaches” — Johnson became a renowned professor whose Business Planning class is cited by countless alumni as foundational to their transactional practice careers. One such alumnus is Jim Seevers ’97L, a partner at Hunton Andrews Kurth. “I took four, maybe five, classes with Professor Johnson during my time at W&L, each one more challenging and more fulfilling than the prior, and I have committed the past 22 years to pursuing the subjects he taught me,” said Seevers. “I also have actively recruited colleagues from W&L who took his courses, because I knew they would be well trained, thoughtful and inspired in corporate law. Many of those colleagues are still practicing with me today, and they also attribute their commitment to and success in corporate law to his teaching.” His friend and colleague Professor Sam Calhoun helped celebrate Johnson at his retirement gathering and will remember him as “a superb and influential scholar, with an especially engaging writing style;
Students, faculty and staff gather to applaud Professor Johnson after his last class.
a highly sought expert in major corporate disputes; an outstanding and innovative teacher; a generous mentor to a wide variety of people — students, alums, and colleagues in the legal academy both here and elsewhere; a conscientious member of this faculty, who has always been devoted to the Law School’s well-being; a person of integrity, who has been faithful to his core Christian values in both his professional and personal life; and a loyal friend.” In his retirement, if one can call it that, Johnson and his wife will split their time between Lexington and Minneapolis, as they have for several years, and
Johnson will continue to teach his Business Planning class each fall to the lucky law students at the University of St. Thomas School of Law. He will also continue his extensive consulting and expert witness work on corporate and business law issues for law firms across the country and participate as an invited speaker at conferences. Beyond that, Johnson’s plans include travel, hunting trips out West, fiction reading and greater engagement with his church. He and his wife will also sharpen their golf games, but only — as Calhoun laments — when the weather is nice.