ing Wash The
ton and Lee School of Law Mag W i n t e r 2 014
azine
What Did They Learn?
Educational experiences for law students
Patrick Darby ’89L
Thoughtful Justice
Tackling municipal bankruptcy in Jefferson County, Ala.
Solving problems one defendant at a time
Dejure This page: During orientation, Virginia Supreme Court Justice Donald Lemons (at podium) administers an oath to 1Ls to adhere to the highest standards of ethics and professionalism in their lives. Photo by Peter Jetton Cover: Illustration by Bart Morris
Departments
FEATURES
2 In Brief
14 Navigating
3 Law Alumni
Patrick Darby ’89L tackles Jackson County’s municipal bankruptcy case. —> By J a c o b G e i g e r ’ 1 0
By the numbers
President’s Message
What I Learned at Law School
4 Discovery
Why W&L Law?, Roe at 40, D.C. externship pilot program and faculty books and accomplishments
26 Class Notes
Alumni news and profiles
Unchartered Waters
16 Personal Journeys
Teach for America puts education in perspective for W&L law students. —> By St e ph a n i e Wi l k i n s o n
22 Interventions
The Hon. Jacqueline Talevi ’83L provides a better option for mentally ill defendants. —> By A n d r e w S o e r g e l ’ 1 4
In Brief
by the
Numbers
14 85.7 75 W&L Law’s pilot D.C. externship program sent 14 students to the capital to work in a variety of federal agencies and courts. Twenty-four will be selected for the program next year. At the end of the two-year pilot phase the faculty will assess the program and consider expanding to other metro locations, such as New York or Charlotte. See the story about the program on p. 12.
The Law School’s endowment currently stands at $85.7 million. The Honor Our Past, Build Our Future: The Campaign for Washington and Lee aims to add $24M to increase student financial aid, faculty support and resources for curricular initiatives. Learn more about how you can contribute at law.wlu.edu/campaign.
To see how much power W&L’s solar panels are generating, visit go.wlu.edu/solar. The panels on the roof of Lewis Hall generate approximately 75 percent of the total production (the other panels are located on the parking deck). The dashboard also provides environmental benefits for the day, week, month, year and life of the system. The system can produce approximately 3 percent of the University’s electricity.
© Washington and Lee University
Volume 14 No. 1 Winter 2014
Louise Uffelman Ed ito r
Jennifer Mero Cl a s s N ote s Ed ito r
Patrick Hinely ’73, Kevin Remington U ni ver s it y Ph oto g r aph er s
Mary Woodson G r aph ic De s i g ner
Bart Morris, Morris Design Art Di r ec to r
Published by Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Va. 24450. All communications and POD Forms 3579 should be sent to Washington and Lee, Law Alumni Magazine, 7 Courthouse Square, Lexington Va. 24450-2519. Periodicals postage paid at Norfolk, Va.
University Advancement Dennis W. Cross
vice president for university advancement
Brian Eckert Executive Director of Communications and Public Affairs
Elizabeth Outland Branner Director of Law School Advancement
Peter Jetton Director of Communications for the School of Law
Julie A. Campbell Associate Director of Communications and Public Affairs
L aw Al u m ni A s s o ciati o n
Eric A. Anderson ’82L President (New York City) William M. Toles ’92, ’95L Vice President (Dallas) T. Hal Clarke Jr. ’73, ’76L Immediate Past President (Charlotte, N.C.) Darlene Moore Executive Secretary (Lexington)
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SCHOOL OF LAW Lexington, Virginia
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L aw Co unci l E m er iti Blas P. Arroyo ’81L (Charlotte, N.C.) Katherine Tritschler Boone ’06L (London) Thomas E. Evans ’91L (Bentonville, Ark.) James J. Ferguson Jr. ’88L (Dallas) Thomas J. Gearen ’82L (Park Ridge, Ill.) Betsy Callicott Goodell ’80L (Bronxville, New York) Rakesh Gopalan ’06L (Charlotte) M. Peebles Harrison ’92L (Kill Devil Hills, N.C.) Christina E. Hassan ’98L (New York City) Nathan V. Hendricks III ’66, ’69L (Atlanta) John Huss ’65L (St. Paul, Minn.) Wyndall Ivey ’99L (Vestavia Hills, Ala.) The Hon. Mary Miller Johnston ’84L (Wilmington, Del.) Chong J. Kim ’92L (Atlanta) Carter Magee Jr. ’79L (Roanoke) The Hon. Everett A. Martin Jr. ’74, ’77L (Norfolk) Andrew J. Olmem ’96, ’01L (Washington) Diana Grimes Palmer ’07L (Des Moines, Iowa) Lesley Brown Schless ’80L (Greenwich, Conn.) W. Hildebrandt Surgner, Jr. ’87, ’94L (Richmond) Stacy Gould Van Goor ’95L (San Diego) Andrea K. Wahlquist ’95L (New York City)
Write By Mail:
Now!
Elizabeth Outland Branner Director of Law School Advancement Sydney Lewis Hall Washington and Lee University School of Law Lexington, VA 24450-2116
By E-Mail:
brannere@wlu.edu
By Phone:
(540) 458-8191 All letters should be signed and include the author’s name, address and daytime phone number. Letters selected for publication may be edited for length, content and style. Signed articles reflect the views of their authors and not necessarily those of the editors or the University.
I
What I Learned at Law School
Nora V. Demleitner, Dean
I was one of those people who went to law school because they didn’t have a concrete plan for life after college. As an English major, my choices were graduate school or a life of genteel poverty as a teacher at a private school. Going to law school was a good, honorable idea to which my parents had no objection. I was sold on W&L Law by a W&L undergrad who sat next to me at my Stanley Kaplan LSAT review class—he was a good salesman. The first time I saw W&L was the day I arrived in Lexington in August 1979. Seeing the Colonnade as I entered town and then Eric Anderson ’82L Lewis Hall, I realized that I would be spending eric.anderson@credit-suisse.com the next three years at a genuinely unique place. The first few days proved to be quite an adjustment. The rigors of daily writing assignments were a shock after the pleasures (i.e., engaging in as little academic work as possible) of my senior year at college. The path to my becoming a better, more analytical thinker was made clear in my first few weeks. As we all know, part of the larger learning experience at W&L is understanding the importance of the Honor System. At first, I thought it was unrealistic and could not be universally and, hence, fairly enforced. I was wrong. Coming from a much larger, urban undergraduate campus, not worrying about leaving your car unlocked or your books unattended, much less being truthful in all things, took a little getting used to. But as each day passed, I was more and more liberated by embracing the W&L core beliefs of honesty, chivalry and good manners. Saying hello to everyone you passed on campus and in town also took a bit of practice! My time at W&L afforded me the opportunity to acquire or hone many of the deeply held beliefs that I have aspired to live by since graduation. In banking (which turned out to be my career after law school), as it is in law, a principal goal is to become a client’s trusted advisor. As a trusted advisor in banking, you are a client’s first or second call when they need advice. It takes time, requires that you always tell the truth, deliver bad news early and always recommend what is in the best interests of the client—even if it is sometimes contrary to the absolute best interests of your own firm. All of the elements of becoming a trusted advisor are direct corollaries of the Honor System. Law schools are currently under siege on many fronts. “Return on investment” has become a common expression when reading about declining law school applications. Pursuing a law degree has lost favor as the focus has shifted to debt burdens and jobs upon graduation. Although W&L has not seen the level of decline in qualified applicants that most other law schools have, the need to attract the best students regardless of ability to pay and to have the best teaching environment remains paramount—and is arguably more critical today than it has ever been. This, of course, requires adequate funding. W&L Law is an extraordinary fiduciary of the contributions it receives—please make it a resolution for 2014 to give to the Law Annual Fund and the ongoing capital campaign Honor Our Past, Build Our Future. Your money will be well spent. In closing, I’m reminded of the seventh-century Anglo-Saxon story that compares the span of a human life to a startled sparrow flying from darkness into the bright light of a banqueting hall—where the sparrow is witness to a great feast in a beautiful room warmed by a blazing fire. All too soon, however, the sparrow flies out again into darkness. Similarly, our time at W&L passes very quickly. While at W&L, we are also guests at a great feast—offered a breadth of intellectual sustenance in an environment of tolerance and trust. But like the sparrow, we are then thrust back into the real world of comparative darkness. Each of us is far better off for our time in Lexington. And upon graduation, although no longer at the banquet that is W&L, we are in a position to shed bright light in a sometimes dark world—by leading exemplary lives in the way with which we grew accustomed in Lexington.
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Law Alumni President’s Message
L aw Co unci l Stacy D. Blank ’88L (Tampa, Fla.) J. Alexander Boone ’95L (Roanoke) Benjamin C. Brown ’94, ’03L (Washington) John A. Cocklereece Jr. ’76, ’79L (Winston-Salem, N.C.) Malinda E. Dunn ’81L (Alexandria, Va.) Sally Pruett Falck ’80L (Phoenix, Ariz.) David K. Friedfeld ’83L (Dix Hills, N.Y.) Fred K. Granade ’75L (Bay Minette, Ala.) Nanette C. Heide ’90L (New York City) Herman J.F. Hoying ’03L (San Francisco) Bruce H. Jackson ’65, ’68L (San Francisco) W. Henry Jernigan Jr. ’72, ’75L (Charleston, W.Va.) Lauren Troxclair Lebioda ’06L (Charlotte) Susan Appel McMillan ’89L (Boise, Idaho) Samuel A. Nolen ’79L (Wilmington, Del.) Douglas A. Pettit ’92L (San Diego) W. Brantley Phillips Jr. ’97L (Nashville, Tenn.) Colin V. Ram ’08L (Washington) Moira T. Roberts ’93L (Washington) J. Andrew Robison ’02L (Birmingham, Ala.) Thomas L. Sansonetti ’76L (Greenwood Village, Colo.) James S. Seevers ’97L (Richmond) Richard T. Woulfe ’76L (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
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Christina Tacoronti
Maggie Long
Eric Santos
Ben Charlton
Why I Chose W&L Law We asked seven of our current first-year students to discuss their decision to attend W&L Law. Here are excerpts from their responses. Read all seven responses in their entirety at wlulaw.wordpress.com/category/why-i-chose-wl-law.
Maggie Long (Bowling Green State University)
I ultimately decided to attend W&L Law, because I found a place that would allow me to pursue improved career options, and would also allow me to be me at the same time. This is the only university I visited that allowed such flexibility in the course work, so I did not feel pressured into working towards a job in a big law firm. On one of my visits to the school, I met the individual who organizes the third-year program. I told her of my interests, and instead of explaining the available choices that would be applicable to that type of field, she sat down with me and we discussed how she and the office could tailor an experience that would place me directly in the advancement field. She acknowledged there was no set program for that area, and she was willing and excited to help me find an experience to fit my needs. You may not know what kind of law you want to practice or where you want to end up. However, you can determine what kind of lawyer you want to be. I chose 4
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W&L because it will, and has already begun, to change me as a person and a professional and has allowed me to pursue the things that are most important to me.
Eric Santos (University of Tampa) Many of us choose a law school with one specific criterion in mind—a job—and I noticed W&L’s placement on the ranking was pretty strong. But after meeting W&L alumni, I understand that rankings can tell you only so much. The alumni I have met so far have already displayed an interest in getting me an interview, and I can sleep a little easier knowing that I have actual options. Since W&L is such a tight-knit group, it is also not uncommon to see professors bending over backwards to make sure their students have summer jobs. The W&L community is supportive, sincere and downright honest. During my first tour at the law school, there was a $10 bill right in the middle of the courtyard—a fresh and crisp bill too. The only thing holding that prized president down was a rock. I asked my
law ambassador for answers. He replied, “Oh that? That’s been there for a week or two.” It was at that point I understood how seriously the Honor System is taken at Washington and Lee. Each student is sworn in, proud of the code and treats it with respect.
Christina Tacoronti (University of West Georgia) W&L outshone its competition with its third-year curriculum, the accessibility of the professors and its vast alumni network. The school has set up a program that will prepare you for life as a lawyer. W&L Law also maintains an impressive alumni network, and the number of alumni genuinely interested in speaking with students and spending the time to help students find fulfilling work is impressive. When I visited Washington and Lee, I distinctly remember visiting the reading room and seeing several laptops left on the tables. I thought to myself, “Is this for real?” The answer is yes. Students administer the University’s Honor System, and it is taken seriously. The benefit is that I know I don’t
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have to constantly lock up my belongings, I can trust that my peers are acting honestly, and I know that grades are a reflection of our effort and understanding.
Ben Charlton (University of North Carolina— Chapel Hill) I attended an Admitted Students Weekend, and the congeniality that emanated from the students, professors and local residents made this place feel like home. What stood out most was a handwritten letter I received from the dean of admissions. In it, he wished me well, but more important, he mentioned something we had talked about for less than three minutes. That he would put such care into remembering me made it clear, if it was not already, that Washington and Lee is a special place. The dean of admissions put me in contact with a New York City lawyer who works at one of the most premier firms in the world, yet took the time to answer all of my questions regarding the Law School, practicing in New York and lawyerly life in general. He did not have to do that, but he wanted to. He knew where I was headed, wanted to help ease my transition and give me perspective. I welcomed his advice wholeheartedly.
Loren Peck (Utah State University) Although I, like many pre-law students, got caught up in U.S.
News law school rankings, my approach changed when I talked to some partners in law firms who told me that it didn’t matter where their new associates went to law school. Instead, the partners were concerned that their new associates had practical skills and were personable and reliable. Then I saw an article about W&L Law’s revolutionary Third-Year Program in the Washington Post, and I was impressed. When I started comparing W&L’s program against other, similarly ranked schools, I was surprised. W&L will give me the right tools and environment to become the lawyer I want to be. It’s a great place to lead a balanced life during law school.
Angela Kerins (The College of New Jersey) As a proud Jersey girl, going to a New Jersey state school for my undergraduate education was a no-brainer. I spent four years close to home, my family and friends, and I thoroughly enjoyed my life in the Northeast. I never expected to abandon my northern roots and head south of the Mason Dixon Line for school, but now that I’m here, I can’t imagine being anywhere else. During the application process, members of the admissions staff promptly answered every single question I had. Many efforts were made to put me in touch with alumni, current students and faculty in order for me to get a good
feel for the school. This legitimate concern for prospective students became all the more apparent at the Admitted Students Weekend. It didn’t take very long for me to see that W&L was a special place. Recently, I had to miss a class, and many of my classmates offered me their notes. I was pleasantly surprised to find a collaborative environment that fostered teamwork and communication. Professors’ hands-on approach only furthers this sense of community. Not only are their doors always open for students to drop in, but also half of my professors have already required one-on-one meetings to track our progress and go over class material.
Rob Hubbard (University of Virginia) My father graduated from W&L in 1974, part of the second integrated undergraduate class in the school’s history. I spent the last 12 years teaching world history, government and sociology outside of Charlottesville. As an experienced educator, I was impressed by the forethought involved in W&L’s approach to its curriculum, which seemed to be shaped with practice in mind. The legal field is changing rapidly, and I felt it was important to attend a school that is innovative and making efforts to adapt to a constantly evolving profession. Ultimately, I chose W&L because this school wants me to be a great attorney, but realizes that all of that means nothing if I am not a good person. Winter
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Sam Calhoun Named Academic Dean Dean Nora V. Demleitner announced the appointment of Samuel Calhoun to the position of associate dean for academic affairs. Calhoun’s appointment took effect on Aug. 15. “I could not be more delighted to have Sam as our academic dean and am deeply grateful to him for having accepted this challenging and institutionally crucial position,” said Demleitner. “His excellent judgment, organizational talent, steady hand and deep understanding of the institution will serve us well in what remain challenging times for all of higher education, but especially for legal education.” Calhoun joined the W&L Law faculty in 1978, following teaching stints at the University of Wyoming and the University of Puget Sound. A highly regarded teacher, Calhoun has twice received fellowships recognizing excellence in the classroom.
As academic dean, Calhoun will spearhead curricular initiatives, oversee the staffing and scheduling of all law classes, coordinate student advising on academic resources and course selection, and serve as the primary liaison between the faculty and dean of the Law School. “The Law School has been a wonderful place to work for 35 years. I’m honored to serve as the associate dean for academic affairs and look forward to the challenges of this new job,” said Calhoun. In addition to teaching contracts, sales and legal writing, Calhoun teaches and researches on the legal and religious issues related to the controversy over abortion. His recent articles in this area have addressed the case of Philadelphia abortion provider Kermit Gosnell, as well as partial-birth abortion. He spearheaded this year’s W&L Law Review symposium commemorating the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Calhoun has also written about the role religion played in the beliefs and actions of Abraham Lincoln. Prior to entering the legal academy, Calhoun was an associate with King & Spalding in Atlanta. He received his J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law and his B.A. from Harvard.
Professor Margaret Howard to Lead Major ABI Research Project Margaret Howard, Law Alumni Association Professor of Law, has been tapped to lead a major empirical study for the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI). The project will focus on individual filers for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The ABI is the country’s largest multi-disciplinary, nonpartisan organization dedicated to research and education on matters related to insolvency. Howard was the ABI Scholarin-Residence in 2002 and was named to the ABI’s board of directors in 2006. In 2009, she began a three-year term as vice president, executive committee member and chair of the Research Grants Committee. Part of the ABI’s mission is to explore how the bankruptcy system works. The Research Grants Committee serves that mission by funding projects that will explain the operation of the system and how it affects people. Howard’s new project is an empirical study examining, among other issues, how and why individuals decide between Chapter 11 or Chapter 13 when filing for bankruptcy. “One of the things we want to explore is why an individual would file for Chapter 11 in the first place,” says Howard, noting that filing for bankruptcy under Chapter 11 is more expensive and more complicated than a filing under Chapter 13. 6
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As reporter for the project, Howard will have overall responsibility for the general research, including examining the jurisdictional and legal differences at play in these bankruptcy cases. She will also be the chief author of the report. Ted Eisenberg, of Cornell Law School, one of the foremost authorities on the use of empirical analysis in legal scholarship, will lead data collection and analysis for the study. The project will also rely on an advisory group of practitioners, judges and professors to help frame the questions and other research parameters of the project. Howard says the ultimate goal is to make the Chapter 11 filing process better for both debtors and creditors. “One key issue we will explore is how we can make a statute written for corporations work better for the increasing number of individuals choosing to file bankruptcy under Chapter 11,” says Howard. Margaret Howard received her undergraduate degree from Duke University and her J.D. from Washington University. She also received an LL.M degree from Yale University. From 1981 to 2001, Howard was a member of the faculty at Vanderbilt University School of Law.
Christopher Bruner’s article, “Is the Corporate Director’s Duty of Care a ‘Fiduciary’ Duty? Does It Matter?,” was published in the Wake Forest Law Review. The article examines divergent conceptualizations of the duty of care in U.S. and U.K. corporate law—the former styling the duty of care a “fiduciary” duty while the latter does not—and explores the varying doctrinal impacts of their respective approaches. The article was written for the inaugural Fiduciary Law Workshop hosted by Notre Dame Law School, where Bruner presented the work. Nora Demleitner published the
third edition of her book, “Sentencing Law and Policy,” and a book chapter titled “Unique Disadvantages, Unique Needs: Native American Sex Offenders” in “The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Legal and Ethical Aspects of Sex Offender Treatment and Management.” She attended the Global Law Deans forum in Singapore hosted by the International Association of Law Schools and participated in a hiring partner roundtable, where she detailed W&L’s curricular innovations for representatives from several law firms, including Ropes & Gray, WilmerHale and Sidley Austin.
Mark Drumbl published an article
on the International Criminal Court’s conviction of a rebel leader on charges of child soldiering in the “Yearbook of International Humanitarian Law” and completed a book chapter on women perpetrators and the Rwandan genocide. He spoke at a conference on the Legacy of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Johannesburg, South Africa, and lectured on developments this past year in the decisions of the international criminal tribunals at the annual conference of the chief prosecutors of those tribunals, held in New York. He continued his work as a member of the Global Engagement Committee advising the Executive Committee of the Association of American Law Schools.
Michelle Drumbl’s article, “Those Who Know, Those Who Don’t and Those Who Know Better: Balancing Complexity, Sophistication and Accuracy on Tax Returns,” is forthcoming in the Pittsburgh Tax Review. The article examines the application of the accuracy-related penalty to unsophisticated and/or low-income taxpayers. She participated in a panel on return preparers and the Loving case at the Villanova Law Review Norman J. Shachoy Symposium and presented a new project, “When Helpers Hurt: Protecting Taxpayers from their Return Preparers,” at the University of Washington Tax Program symposium.
Joshua Fairfield published “Do-NotTrack as Default” in the Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property. The article covers this developing online legal and technological standard that permits consumers to express their desire not to be tracked by online advertisers. He presented on this topic at the Conference on Empirical Legal Studies at the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
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facult y accomplishments
Jill Fraley published the introduction
and an article on colonial property, private dams and climate change in the special symposium issue of the Sea Grant Law and Policy Journal. She presented her work at Boston College Law Schools, Northwestern Law School and the annual meeting of
Third-Party Funding Roundtable On Nov. 7 and 8, the Frances Lewis Law Center hosted the first-ever Worksin-Progress Roundtable for Third-Party Funding Scholars. Third-party funding is a phenomenon by which an outside entity financially supports the legal representation of a party’s claim in exchange for the promise of a share of the proceeds if the party recovers any money. On the defense side, the funding arrangement typically involves the defendant making payments (similar to an insurance premium) to the funder in exchange for the funder paying the defendant’s legal expenses in the case. Eight eminent scholars presented works-in-progress and shared feedback on wide-ranging and cutting-edge topics. In addition to W&L Law professors Ben Spencer and Victoria Shannon, scholars in attendance were Nora Freeman Engstrom (Stanford), Anthony J. Sebok (Cardozo), Brian T. Fitzpatrick (Vanderbilt), Manuel A. Gómez (Florida International), Selvyn Seidel (Fulbrook Capital Management) and Maya Steinitz (University of Iowa).
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the Southeastern Association of Law Schools.
American Bankruptcy Institute (see p. 6). The project will be an empirical study examining, among other issues, how and why individuals decide between Chapter 11 or Chapter 13 when filing for bankruptcy. Howard has served on the board of directors for the ABI since 2006.
Susan Franck published a book chapter titled “Managing Expectations: Beyond Formal Adjudication, in Prospect” in International Investment Law and Policy: World Trade Forum. She gave numerous presentations and led workshops on her empirical research on investment treaty disputes, arbitration and resolution. Highlights include her presentation at the AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Seoul, South Korea; the Fifth International Conference on Law and Economics of International Arbitration at St. Gallen, Switzerland; and at the Arbitration Academy in Paris. In addition, she was invited to serve as an external reviewer for the American Political Science Review and joined the editorial board of a new series on international investment law from Martinus Nijhoff Publishers.
Lyman Johnson published two articles, “Unsettledness in Delaware Corporate Law: Business Judgment Rule, Corporate Purpose,” in the Delaware Journal of Corporate Law, and “Rethinking How Business Purpose is Taught in Catholic Business Education,” in the Journal of Catholic Higher Education. He spoke on a new paper on “The Dwindling of Revlon” at Minnesota, Georgia State, North Dakota and the Conference on Corporate and Securities Litigation in Chicago. He continues to serve as a consultant and expert witness for law firms handling major corporate litigation.
Margaret Howard is serving as reporter for a major project for the
West Publishing Company published the seventh edition of the “Health
Scholarship Celebration On Nov. 14, the W&L Law Library hosted its first Scholarship Celebration, a comprehensive presentation of scholarship generated by the W&L Law community in 2012 and 2013, including books, chapters, scholarly articles and commentary, and presentations by W&L’s permanent faculty, administrators, librarians and students. The event highlighted the work of 33 different authors. The publications included 22 books, 14 book chapters and 64 articles appearing in 53 different academic journals. The Law Library maintains a digital repository of much of the scholarship generated by the W&L Law community, including hundreds of articles in PDF format available for download. The website address for this resource, known as the Scholarly Commons, is scholarlycommons.law.wlu.edu. There is also a repository of student scholarship at scholarlycommons.law.wlu.edu/ studentscholar, which includes materials for the John W. Davis Moot Court Competition, the Roy L. Steinheimer Law Review Award and the W&L Law Council Law Review Award. 8
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Law” casebook that Timothy Jost co-authored, as well as the seventh edition of the “Health Care Organization” and “Finance; Bioethics; and Quality, Patient Safety and Liability,” spinoffs of the main book. West also published the second abridged edition of the Health Law Book. Jost continues to post often at the Health Affairs Blog, analyzing the Affordable Care Act implementation.
Russell Miller was invited to serve
as a KoRSE fellow in the University of Freiburg’s “Network for the Law of Civil Security in Europe.” The fellowship will allow him to research and collaborate with leading scholars on the issues of security and liberty who are based at the University of Freiburg’s Center for Civil Security. He presented at the Geothe Institute in Chicago ahead of the German elections on the constitutional issues at stake in the election and the politics and policies at the center of the political season.
James Moliterno published the sec-
ond edition of his book “Global Issues In Legal Ethics” and a fourth edition of his book “Professional Responsibility.” His articles include “The Trouble With Lawyer Regulation,” published in the Emory Law Journal, and “The Future of Legal Education Reform,” published in the Pepperdine Law Review. He continued his global training in legal ethics with presentations in Slovakia, the Republic of Georgia, China and Indonesia. He presented on legal education reform at Seton Hall and the Midwest conference of the Association of American Law Schools. He was invited to present at an Aspen Institute Law & Justice Symposium on mass atrocities, situating his work on legal institution building within the context of prevention and remedy for atrocities.
Brian Murchison lectured at W&L’s Law and Literature seminar on “First Amendment Issues of Speech and Press Suggested by author David Guterson’s ‘Snow Falling on Cedars.’” He lectured on leading cases of the U.S Supreme Court’s 2012 term to the Roanoke Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. He discussed the recess
Chris Seaman published “Standards of Proof in Civil Litigation: An Experiment from Patent Law” in the Harvard Journal of Law and Technology, and presented a new paper, “Federalizing Trade Secrecy: A Critique,” to audiences at William & Mary Law School, University of Richmond Law School, Cardozo Law School and American University Washington College of Law. Victoria Shannon published “Recent
Developments in Third-Party Funding” in the Journal of International Arbitration. She also presented on third-
party funding of investment treaty arbitration at the Investment Treaty Forum hosted by the British Institute of International and Comparative Law in London. She was appointed a member of the newly formed Task Force on Third-Party Funding, jointly organized by the International Council for Commercial Arbitration and Queen Mary University of London. The mission of the task force is to develop global guidelines and norms for third-party funding.
Benjamin Spencer published “Pleading and Access to Justice: A Response to Twiqbal Apologists” in the U.C.L.A. Law Review and “Class Actions, Heightened Commonality and Declining Access to Justice” in the Boston University Law Review. He was a panelist at the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund Civil Rights Training Institute, discussing
the impact of recent civil procedure cases and proposed federal rules changes on civil rights practice. He served as a senior commentator at the Sixth Annual Junior Faculty Federal Courts Workshop at Brooklyn Law School and as a distinguished visiting senior scholar at the New Voices in Civil Justice Workshop at Vanderbilt Law School.
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appointments case NLRB v. Noel Canning at W&L’s Supreme Court Preview. He completed a five-year stint as editor in chief of the Journal of Civil Litigation, the quarterly review of the Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys.
Kish Vinayagamoorthy presented research exploring ways to improve corporate social responsibility in global value chains as part of the W&L and Virginia Military Institute Economics Seminar, a series of discussions featuring experts and guests from both campuses. She also presented her scholarship at the American Society of International Law International Economic Law Interest Group Junior Scholars Research Forum hosted by the University of Pennsylvania School of Law and the Wharton School.
Top Honors for The Law News
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he Law News, the student newspaper at W&L School of Law, was honored at the ABA annual meeting in August with the Law School Newspaper Award. The Law News, which celebrated its 40th anniversary last year, was one of 10 student-run law school newspapers that competed for the award. While The Law News has received awards from the ABA in the past, this is only the second time it earned the honor of finest overall newspaper in the nation. In 1985, the paper received top honors, as well as several individual awards. The ABA stated that The Law News received the prize “for its long-term commitment to providing law students well-written and engaging content relevant to their studies, their future careers, and the legal profession in a thoughtfully designed newspaper.” According to editor in chief Howard Wellons ’14L, the editorial board began the 2012–2013 year with two primary goals: expanding readership and enhancing prestige. The staff found a new publisher, rewrote the organization’s constitution, and advertised each release to the student body in order to maximize distribution. “We have a really dedicated board,” said Wellons. “We have a strong student base at Washington and Lee Law, and there is a lot to write about.” The staff enhanced the paper’s content with new recurring columns, including “10 Things You Didn’t Know About W&L Professors,” “Alumni Spotlight,” “Community Features” and “News at Other Law Schools.” In addition, The
The 2012–2013 Law News editorial board includes, from l. to r.: Rachele Reis ’15L, executive editor; Kyle Dolinsky ’14L, managing editor; Prachi Gupta ’14L, assistant editor; Will Bush ’14L, managing editor; Howard Wellons ’14L, editor in chief; Brad Cochran ’15L, assistant editor; and Diana Defino ’14L, publicity editor. Law News successfully produced a special 40th-anniversary legacy edition, which featured submissions from prior editors in chief. For the current school year, Wellons said The Law News plans to expand its reach to capture both alumni and current student readership. This will include enhancing the paper’s web presence and implementing a new guest-speaker program focusing on the intersection of law and journalism.
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Discovery
International Law, Immigration Experts Join W&L Law Faculty
David Baluarte
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our new law professors have joined the permanent faculty. “We are so pleased to welcome this group of diverse, energetic, and innovative teachers and scholars to our faculty,” said Dean Nora V. Demleitner. “Each of them brings unique expertise and perspective to our educational program, but all share a commitment to cross-disciplinary work that is so crucial to an increasingly interdependent world.”
David Baluarte joins W&L from American University Washington College of Law, where he was practitioner in residence and Arbenz fellow in the International Human Rights Law Clinic. Baluarte directs the Immigrant Rights Clinic, a practical lawyering experience available to 3L students as part of the third-year curriculum. Baluarte’s past experience includes managing projects and consulting for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees and the Open Society Justice Initiative. Before beginning his teaching career, Baluarte served as a staff attorney in the Immigration Unit of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and as a staff attorney at the Center for Justice and International Law. He received his J.D. from the American University Washington College of Law. Margaret Hu joins W&L from Duke University, where she was visiting assistant professor of law. Hu’s research interests include the intersection of immigration policy, national security, cyber surveillance and civil rights. Previously, she served as senior policy 10
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Margaret Hu
Victoria Shannon
advisor for the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Hu also served as special policy counsel in the Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices, Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice, in Washington. As special policy counsel, she managed a team of attorneys and investigators in the enforcement of the anti-discrimination provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act, and was responsible for federal immigration policy review and coordination for OSC. She received her J.D. from Duke Law School.
Victoria Shannon’s areas of teaching
and scholarship include international arbitration, investment treaty arbitration, alternative dispute resolution (ADR), third-party funding of litigation and arbitration, ethics, civil procedure and real estate transactions. She served for five years as deputy director of arbitration and ADR in North America for the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). Shannon previously served as an adjunct professor at Fordham Law School. Prior to joining the ICC, Shannon served as an associate with Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman L.L.P., where she specialized in complex tax credit and municipal bond financing arrangements for affordable housing and community development real estate transactions, as well as matters involving American Indian
Kish Vinayagamoorthy
tribes. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, she traveled to New Orleans in January 2006 to assist the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Fair Housing Project with two housing discrimination claims. She received her J.D. from Harvard Law School.
Kish Vinayagamoorthy teaches international business transactions, trans-national law and corporate social responsibility. Her research interests relate to cross-border issues confronted by international companies, including global production networks, business ethics, dispute resolution and transnational regulation. Her current research explores ways to transmit costs and benefits of corporate social responsibility along transnational supply chains. She is also exploring the ways that small firms rely upon relational values to manage risks when they exchange with foreign parties. Before joining W&L, Vinayagamoorthy was a visiting assistant professor at Villanova University School of Law, where she taught contracts and international arbitration. Prior to entering the legal academy, she served as an associate with Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton L.L.P., where she practiced investment treaty arbitration and litigation. Vinayagamoorthy specialized in international law with a M. Phil. in international relations from the University of Cambridge, England, and an LL.M. in international and comparative law from Duke Law School. She received her J.D. from Duke Law School.
The Controversy Continues
Discovery
Roe at 40 — by H oward W ellons ’ 1 4 L —
Reprinted, with permission, from The Law News
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n the fall semester of 2012, then-professor Samuel Calhoun approached the W&L Law Review with a proposition. Calhoun and his colleagues in the University Faculty for Life, a multidisciplinary association of scholars supporting the right-to-life movement, would assist the Law Review in hosting a symposium focused on the landmark 1973 Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision, which struck down many state laws restricting abortion. The Law Review accepted the offer on a single, critical condition: the symposium’s defining characteristic would be balance. One year and countless labor-intensive hours later, it is obvious that participants honored the symposium’s defining principle. Roe at 40: The Controversy Continues took place on Nov. 7-8 in the Milhiser Moot Court Room of Sydney Lewis Hall. The event featured four panels, each including presentations from both pro-choice and pro-life perspectives. Instead of a single keynote speaker, there were two, each championing one side of the issue. The event’s commitment to balance was further reflected in its sponsors, which included not only the University Faculty for Life, but also the ACLU of Virginia and Virginia NOW, a feminist advocacy organization. While balance was the watchword of the symposium, the program made clear that it did not “suggest that advocates should give up their principled stances.” The two keynote speakers at the event captured both the vitality of the ongoing debate and the intensity of the differing views. Caitlin Borgmann, professor of law at CUNY School of Law, advocating for the pro-choice stance, spoke first. She argued that despite the vehement arguments on both sides of the abortion issue, many Americans do not see the problem of abortion in black and white terms. Instead, she insisted the abortion debate is driven by politicians and activists who find it politically advantageous to paint the issue black or white. “We see public policy being unmoored by the inevitably more-nuanced facts,” said Borgmann. She concluded by asking the nation to look forward to other issues, saying; “This country is not at war over [the Roe] decision. This country is ready to move on.” Michael Paulson, distinguished university chair and
professor of law at St. Thomas School of Law, advocated for the pro-life position by comparing the issue of abortion to one of the most shameful aspects of American history: slavery, as enabled by the 1857 Dred Scott Supreme Court decision. Paulson advocated caution in taking his parallel too far, stating, “It is always perilous, and sometimes trite, to compare to the lessons of history.” However, he was adamant that, “in each case, slavery and abortion, the argument . . . depends on some form of the proposition that the individual is not fully human or not part of the human family, which permits you to dominate it or control it.” The 16 panelists at the conference offered fresh perspectives on the Roe decision. They included social activists, law professors and a philosopher, as well as Ryan Hrobak ’14L who appeared on Friday afternoon’s panel, alongside former W&L Law Professor Robin Wilson. During Thursday’s first session, Calhoun analyzed and discussed Supreme Court Justice Lewis F. Powell’s vote in Roe v. Wade (Powell was W&L Class of ’29 and ’31L). In his remarks, Calhoun stated, “It should give us all pause to think that such a decent, intelligent man—and such a careful, conscientious judge—could be complicit in an outcome so tragically wrong.” Washington and Lee was not the only school of law to recognize the 40th anniversary of the Roe decision. UCLA, Stanford and Rutgers each chose to host symposiums, with Stanford holding two independent conferences dedicated to the issue. Of the many that took place, W&L Law’s symposium and the event organized by Stanford’s Constitutional Law Center were the only two that conducted their events with the guiding principle of balance. Washington and Lee Law Review editor in chief Thomas Short ’14L was pleased with how the symposium turned out, commenting that “the tireless efforts of Lara Gass ’14L, the W&L Law Review’s symposium editor, and Dean Calhoun laid the groundwork for a phenomenal event: the panelists and keynote speakers delivered beyond our wildest expectations.”
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Discovery
Kristin Slawter ’14L (left) and Chrishon McManus ’14L break for lunch.
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Counsel’s Office, the Department of Defense Office of the his fall, a dozen Washington and Lee law students General Counsel and the U.S. Commodity Futures Tradgot the chance to see what it’s like to work and live ing Commission. In addition, one student worked for the full-time as a lawyer in the nation’s capital. language-learning software giant Rosetta Stone, and another The third-year students are participating in W&L’s for the sport marketing agency Octagon. pilot D.C. Externship Program, a semester-long residency. While students have held externships in Washington Students have placements at a variety of federal agencies in past years, the School decided that a residence program and courts, as well as in general counsel’s offices at major would give students a complete and consistent experience corporations. working in government. “Our D.C. program Charles Martel ’85L, who allows us to leverage “Our D.C. program allows us to leverage our innovative, worked in employment our innovative, bridgebridge-to-the-profession, Third-Year Program with federal law and litigation before to-the-profession, government agencies, enabling our students to demonturning to a career in pubThird-Year Program lic service in and around with federal government strate their skills and knowledge in new settings and gain the district, oversees the agencies, enabling our valuable government experience.” interns in Washington. students to demonstrate —Dean Nora Demleitner “By being based in their skills and knowlWashington, the students edge in new settings and are able to put in more hours at work and build their netgain valuable government experience,” said Dean Nora work of connections with other lawyers,” said Martel. “They Demleitner. are able to appreciate fully what it means to be a lawyer The fall extern placements included the Securities and working in the district.” Exchange Commission, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigra Kristin Slawter ’14L from Wayne, Pa., was a judicial extion Service, the U.S. Department of Transportation General 12
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a practicum course on International Business Negotiations taught by attorneys from DLA Piper, Chrishon McManus ’14L used his time in D.C to build on the knowledge he gained in his second-year classes on corporate law and securities regulation. “I hope to work as a transactional or regulatory lawyer in Washington or in my home state of North Carolina,” said McManus. “I chose to attend W&L Law in part because of the Third-Year Program. The expansion of the program to D.C. has given me even more opportunities and experience than I anticipated.” Fourteen students participated in the program this fall, and another 24 will attend next year. At the end of the two-year pilot phase, the faculty will assess the program and consider potential expansion to other metro locations, such as New York or Charlotte. “Taking our program and our students out of our campus setting provides the perfect transition from academia into high-level supervised practice,” said Demleitner.
Discovery
tern for Judge Royce C. Lamberth of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Slawter worked four full days each week at her clerkship and was in charge of several of her own cases, including monitoring the docket, communicating with counsel and drafting all opinions for the cases. “I learned early on that Judge Lamberth was not going to review my opinion drafts by re-researching the legal arguments,” said Slawter. “He trusted my legal analysis and my judgment. Having this responsibility was invigorating and motivating in a way I had not yet experienced in my early legal career.” In addition to their externships, where students were on site anywhere from 20 to 40 hours per week, the students in the D.C. program also completed the required coursework for W&L’s third-year curriculum. This included taking a practice-based simulation class (a practicum) held in the D.C. offices of the law firms DLA Piper and BakerHostetler. With an externship in the Division of Investment Management at the Securities and Exchange Commission and
Government Shutdown Affects 3Ls
— b y K a ti e D i c ki n s o n ’ 1 5 L —
Reprinted, with permission, from The Law News
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he last time the U.S. government closed for business, Bill Clinton was president, the Summer Olympics were set to take place in Atlanta and Pokémon was soon to be released for the first time in Japan. The world looks very different 17 years later, as the clash of a Democratic administration and a Republican-led House of Representatives once again brought the federal government to a standstill. For most of us at Washington and Lee, this latest government shutdown was interesting only in the abstract. Some news outlets reported that as much as 98 percent of the government was continuing to function despite the supposed shutdown. It seemed at worst an international embarrassment or an easy punch line for late-night television. To some law students, though, the shutdown was not a laughing matter. For Randall Miller ’14L, who suddenly found himself without an externship, the situation could hardly have been worse. “I was interning with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Division of Enforcement, when the shutdown began,” he said. “I received the same e-mails as the attorneys that were furloughed, which stated that I would not be allowed to check any CFTC e-mails or perform any work for the commission during the shutdown.” Miller made the most of his time in the capital: “I attended a Supreme Court hearing, met with attorneys, spoke with a former U.S. senator and pursued other opportunities unique to Washington.” In the meantime, W&L Law was encouraging furloughed externs to pursue other opportunities as negotiations in Congress dragged on. Ultimately, Miller switched internships, completing his semester (and the
externship hours requirement) with the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies. Despite a stressful situation, he said, “Overall, I am very thankful to have had two different and unique internship experiences in a single semester.” Law students working with clients and courts also felt the impact of the shutdown. Many courts, while not completely shuttered, were so stripped of staff and resources that they were effectively crippled. David Hurst ’14L worked in the Immigration Rights Clinic and described the state of the immigration court during the shutdown. He noted, “The court was immediately reduced to a single judge and only heard the cases of immigrants who were detained. If non-detainees had hearing dates on the calendar, the hearings were cancelled with no indication of when they might be rescheduled.” This left non-detainees, as Hurst put it, “in limbo.” Detained cases, though heard, were chaotic and disorganized. On the date of the detained client’s hearing, the detention facility had no idea which hearings were being held. Likewise, “no one at the court knew what was going on either, just because there was basically no staff there,” he added. Fortunately, the judge recognized the disorder and tried to be flexible by agreeing to postpone cases until things returned to normal. Hurst acknowledged that for some immigration clients, there was a silver lining. “To the extent that anyone just wanted to hang out [in the United States], they’re off the calendar.” In the end, Congress agreed to a temporary measure that stopped the shutdown, at least for now. The same budget issues will return in January, which means students in spring term externships and clinics may see similar challenges.
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P hoto by B utch D ill
Discovery
Navigating Unchartered Waters B y J acob G eiger ’ 1 0
A bankruptcy class in his third year at W&L Law set Patrick Darby ’89L on the path toward one of the largest and most complicated municipal bankruptcies in U.S. history.
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n November 2011, Jefferson County, Ala., home to 650,000 residents as well as the state’s largest city, Birmingham, filed a rare Chapter 9 municipal bankruptcy after elected officials and investors failed to reach agreement on how to refinance $3.1 billion in sewer warrants. It’s a case that has garnered national attention, because, at the time, Jefferson County was the largest municipality to file for bankruptcy in American history— until Detroit followed suit soon after. 14
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The county turned to Patrick Darby ’89L, who has worked on the case since 2008. An attorney who joined Bradley Arant Boult Cummings L.L.P. after completing a clerkship with the Hon. E.A. Van Graafeiland on the Second Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals, Darby said the case has challenged him and his colleagues. “Before 2008, Chapter 9 municipal bankruptcies were rare. Our office had handled one case prior to that time, and that meant we had done one more than most people had,” he said. “Historically, Chapter 9 cases tended to be relatively small and involve municipal bodies like an irrigation district or a toll road agency. Entire cities and counties filing bankruptcy was outside the range of general experience.” Because of the rarity of these cases, and the size of Jefferson County’s bankruptcy, this case is being watched carefully in courtrooms, city halls and banks around the country. Darby cautioned against drawing conclusions from Jefferson County’s case, however, and using them to set expectations for other bankruptcies, such as Detroit’s. “It’s a novel case, and it deals with questions nobody has a definitive answer to,” Darby said. “The stakes are very high. It is not just a matter of money, but also legal and public policy issues that are very important. There is always something new.” Darby, who grew up outside Florence, Ala., did his undergraduate work at Dartmouth College. Though he enjoyed his time there, he was eager to return to the South for law school. In Lexington, he settled into a converted church on the north end of town, just down the hill from Virginia Military Institute, which he shared with three classmates. Lexington is also where met his wife of 22 years, Caroline Roberts Darby ’90L. As well as enjoying his time in Lexington, Darby appreciated the emphasis on teaching. His two favorite professors were Brian Murchison and the late Roger Groot, and he said the level of instruction at W&L was superior to what he would have found anywhere else. “Professors were very good at measuring the quality of what you said against external standards,” Darby said. “Some answers are better than others based on the authority you marshal, your strength of reasoning and your quality of expression. Mr. Groot was a remarkable teacher. Anyone you interview from my generation will tell you that.”
When he returned to W&L for his third year, Darby was pretty sure he would accept a position at what was then Bradley, Arant, Rose & White, but he wasn’t sure what practice group he wanted to join at the firm. While pondering his options, he signed up for Joseph Ulrich’s bankruptcy law class. “Professor Ulrich was a real scholar. He piqued my academic interest in the subject, which is a sort of alternative universe for most lawyers.” Like many large corporate law firms in the late 1980s and early ’90s, Bradley Arant was building a corporate bankruptcy practice, and that’s where Darby landed. “For
“The stakes are very high. It is not just a matter of money, but also legal and public policy issues that are very important.” —Patrick Darby ’89L
me, bankruptcy law was a good mix of litigation and transactional work and allowed me to avoid the decision—courtroom or corporate—that faces many students as they leave law school,” he explained. “Bankruptcy is a business practice, so there is plenty of time spent crafting deals and doing traditional corporate work,” he added. “But we go to court as much as anybody, and actually more than a lot of pure litigators these days. So much other litigation is so high stakes that nobody can afford the risk of going to trial. You spend lots of time in discovery and pre-trial practice. But in bankruptcy you still go in, tee it up and try cases.” The mechanics of bankruptcy cases also offer low-risk ways for young lawyers to learn the ropes in a courtroom. Though experienced partners will handle the overall case, there are often smaller, discrete proceedings that require time in court but won’t dictate the overall outcome of the case. That turned out to be the scenario for Darby, who found himself in the courtroom very quickly, conducting his first trial early in his second year of practice. In his
third year, he worked alongside a partner on a Chapter 11 case that involved the sale of a radio station. After the main portion of the case had concluded, a dispute arose over a broker’s fee from the sale of the station. The partner turned the rest of the proceedings over to the young lawyer. “I won it. It was a great experience and a lot of fun,” Darby said. In his 23-year career with Bradley Arant, Darby’s debtor work has included significant Chapter 11 cases in Delaware, California, Florida, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Wisconsin and other states. Major debtor clients included Birmingham Steel Corp., J.A. Jones Construction and Carraway Methodist Hospital. Jefferson County’s municipal bankruptcy, however, has some significant differences from those earlier cases. As Darby noted, a corporation going through a bankruptcy doesn’t need to open its board meetings to the public. But a municipality, such as Jefferson County, is run by elected officials, who are subject to open-meeting laws. While a corporate board of directors has duties to shareholders and creditors, elected officials, such as the five commissioners of Jefferson County, also have a duty to residents, voters and taxpayers. “A government can’t be liquidated if a bankruptcy process bogs down. Essential services must still be delivered,” Darby said. “If a corporation ceases to exist, that has ramifications for employees, owners and maybe even the community in which it is situated, but the assets may be deployed more efficiently elsewhere. That doesn’t add up to the significance of the whole county being in bankruptcy. It has a direct effect on everyone in the county and the surrounding area. It is important to the whole state of Alabama. Given the issues and the size of the problems, it has national significance for the credit markets. That is a different level of concern.” Two years and two weeks after filing for Chapter 9, Jefferson County obtained confirmation of its Chapter 9 plan on Nov. 22, 2013. The plan “went effective” on Dec. 3, meaning that the county consummated the restructuring transactions and implemented the adjustment of its debts. To emerge successfully from Chapter 9, the county had to navigate uncharted waters. In trying to resolve a case without any cut-and-dried answers, Darby often found himself remembering Groot’s famous catch phrase: “You’ve got to read the statute.” It’s advice that has served him, and ultimately Jefferson County, well. Winter
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Teach for America Puts Education in Perspective for W&L Law Students B y S tephanie W ilkinson
the following three years will be the most challenging classroom experience of their lives. For a small cohort among them, however, the rigors of law school will seem like a piece of cake.
For the select group of
W&L law students who’ve participated in the highly regarded Teach for America program, those two years of service give them an exposure to real life that puts the pressures of law school into serious perspective.
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I llustration by B art M orris ; P hotos by Patrick H inely ’ 7 3
For some students entering the doors of Lewis Hall for the first time,
“After TFA, law school felt pretty easy,” admitted Elizabeth Flachsbart ’15L, who spent two years in the Mississippi Delta teaching math. The daily exertions required to keep classrooms full of disadvantaged kids engaged, the stress of dealing with a system full of problems and the perseverance needed to keep focused far from home, friends and family contribute to an attitude that has served Flachsbart and other TFA alums in their legal studies. Though their TFA years don’t come up much in class, they say, the benefits of those years will stay with them forever. Teach for America, founded in 1990
by a young Princeton University graduate named Wendy Kopp, is dedicated to expanding educational opportunity for children in low-income communities. Beginning with a corps of 500 teachers in six regions, it has grown to encompass 48 regions in 35 states and the District of Columbia. According to Kaitlin Gastrock, a TFA spokesperson, the program has reached more than four million students in its first 20-plus years. In the 2013-14 school year, 11,200 young teachers are serving more than 750,000 students around the nation. It’s also a prestigious program that
selects its corps from an accomplished pool of applicants who have attended the nation’s finest colleges. It accepts just 14 percent of applicants. After a rigorous screening process, TFA members attend a five-week boot camp designed to instill the TFA-approved teaching philosophy—heavily data-driven with a strong emphasis on disciplined classroom management—and provides immediate hands-on practice teaching in summerschool classrooms. It’s a trial-by-fire environment, no question. And it’s not for the faint of heart.
Physically, Mentally and Emotionally Draining
“I came out of college way too focused on studies, and I was kind of burned out. Working with those kids in North Carolina gave me a new attitude toward stress and toward the future. It put things in serious perspective.” —Noelle Quam ’15L
Noelle Quam ’15L has a direct gaze and a
serious, no-nonsense demeanor. She spent her two years in TFA as a math teacher in a high school in rural North Carolina, about 35 minutes north of Durham. Her classes were large—25 to 30 students—and the students’ ages ranged from 14 to 20 years old. Many were bigger than she was. To cope, Quam decided from the outset she’d need to hold a strict line. “I went into the classroom with the notion that I would be a total witch from day one,” she said. “I was hard. And it worked.”
Quam comes from a two-teacher household, with both her parents working in the public school system in Mendham, N.J. She hadn’t considered teaching until she took a sociology course during her undergraduate years at the University of Virginia focused on the successes and failures of the educational system—“a real eye-opener,” she said. Quam, like other TFA alums, describes her first year as physically, mentally and emotionally draining. Up nights creating tests, confronted every day with
deficits in the school system and in the home lives of students. Isolated from their family, far away from friends. It’s not uncommon for corps members to dig into their own pockets to provide some basic educational supplies, such as books and paper. It can be so draining that some don’t make it back for the second year. Which would be a shame, Quam said. The second year was when relationships with the students really started to pay off. She made a point to call the homes of every student and to speak with a parent or guardian, a move that made an enormous difference in their performance and attitude. Still, at the end of her second year, Quam began turning her attention to law school, which had been on her mind during her undergraduate days. “I didn’t like teaching, especially the act of getting up in front of the class and trying to get kids excited about Algebra I,” she said bluntly. “The minute my lesson was over and I was able to walk around the classroom and work one-on-one, I loved it.” But if teaching wasn’t for her, those two years gave Quam a valuable gift going into the next phase of her life. “I came out of college way too focused on studies, and I was kind of burned out,” she said. “Working with those kids in North Carolina gave me a new attitude toward stress and toward the future. It put things in serious perspective.”
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Surprises
“I am much more civic-minded now. I understand a lot more of the debate about education than I ever did before.” —Devin Catlin ’15L
If nothing else, Teach for America is firstclass training in rolling with the punches. Devin Catlin ’15L got his first taste of the importance of flexibility even before his TFA experience got underway. Having requested placement as an elementary school teacher in D.C., Nashville or New Jersey, he found himself assigned instead to teach high school math in the Mississippi
Delta. After graduating from Kenyon College in 2009, he had one week to prepare before arriving in Houston for his TFA training. That wasn’t his last surprise. Once he reached the town he’d been assigned to—Indianola, Miss., population 12,000, with 80 percent below the poverty line— Catlin was introduced to the school and prepared his first class for his first day. He had his hour’s worth of material locked down and ready to go, only to find that the school’s administration had decided to have students spend the whole day with their first-period teachers. Without notice, Catlin faced eight hours to fill. “Classroom management is a huge focus in the TFA philosophy,” Catlin said. “The first year is really rough for everyone. Your students know that you don’t know anything.” Finding innovative ways to overcome the deficits of impoverished children tested Catlin’s imagination. He was assigned to teach 10th- to 12th-grade geometry to students who, on average, had fourthand fifth-grade reading skills. “I couldn’t really give word problems, for instance,” he said. “It took me about three months to calibrate how to reach them effectively.” Giving up the dream of being Mr. Chips, Catlin learned to understand students as they were. Some had college
aspirations; others just attended school because they needed to get out of the house. Some had no family; others had learning disablities. A lot of kids would not graduate because they couldn’t pass the state-mandated standardized tests. Catlin learned not to be surprised that it was up to him, oftentimes, to purchase the paper required for the math worksheets he handed out. “I knew I was leaving after two years,” Catlin said. “I always knew I was headed to law school. It wasn’t about the money, actually. You can always make a living as a teacher in the Delta, though you won’t see the income growth you do in other professions. “But there seemed to be something wrong, for me, when I was named teacher of the year at age 23. I wasn’t going to be able to grow much from there.” Though Catlin doesn’t see himself becoming directly involved in education following law school, his years in the Delta ignited an interest in the politics of education reform. “I am much more civicminded now. I understand a lot more of the debate about education than I ever did before.” He also knows firsthand that listing TFA on a résumé doesn’t hurt. “I’ve been in interviews where that part of his experience comes up. ‘I see you’ve done TFA,’ they’ll say. ‘I see you can handle stress.’ ”
Organization, Stamina, Resilience The jump to law school can be a shift in life focus for a TFA alum— or it can mark a deepening commitment to improving education in the U.S. Elizabeth and Alex Flachsbart are second-year students at the Law School, and 2010 and 2009 graduates, respectively, of the University of Alabama. They met as undergraduates at the University of Alabama on Elizabeth’s second day of school. Elizabeth, who describes herself as “obsessed with education reform,” created an after-school debate program for middle schoolers as part of an honors class at Alabama and also mentored local elementary school students. In the summer of her junior year, she interned at the Urban Education Leadership Program in Washington. Alex, whose grandfather was a parochial school teacher in a one-room schoolhouse in Illinois, went into TFA looking for a taste 18
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of his grandfather’s experience. “I was never sure I wanted to be a teacher forever, but I thought I’d see how it goes,” he said. Together, they trade off speaking passionately about their two years in Lowdnes County, Alabama—part of the Black Belt, named originally for its rich topsoil and now also for its predominantly African-American population. The Flachsbarts worked in different high schools teaching math. Though they had each other to fall back on (a great luxury, given that their region was brand-new for TFA and didn’t then have a fully fleshed teacher support network), they were struck by how difficult the job was, right from the start. “We’d wake up at 4:45 a.m. and talk teaching until we left for work,” Elizabeth recalled. “Those schools were the biggest parts of our lives. We didn’t know other people, really, and the area is intensely rural with not much to do. We coached softball, and
“We’d wake up at 4:45 a.m. and talk teaching until we left for work. Those schools were the biggest parts of our lives….We coached softball, and we went to sporting events. We spent a lot of our time at those schools.” —Elizabeth Flachsbart ’15L
we went to sporting events. We spent a lot of our time at those schools.” Fixing education in the Black Belt isn’t predominantly a matter of money, the Flachsbarts discovered. Though it may be difficult to find qualified teachers willing to live in such a rural area, the pay is respectable. TFA teachers are paid at the school’s prevailing scale— Elizabeth’s salary was $36,000 a year, Alex’s $41,000—and thanks to a $13 million educational grant, every student in Elizabeth’s school had an iPad. Trading Lowndes County for law school in Lexington was bittersweet, Alex said. “We considered staying another year. We would have liked to see some of our students through their senior year, but we know we’ll be committed to education forever.” Alex plans to practice in Birmingham upon graduation. Wherever he lands, he said, he’ll encourage his firm to take an interest in TFA and education reform. Elizabeth maintains a “Mrs. Flachsbart” Facebook page, where she keeps in touch with her former students. Though she’s not certain where her next move will be, education reform is still top of mind for her.
The pair rattle off a list of skills they honed in those two years that directly impacted their ability to cope with the pressures of law school. Good habits. Organization. Stamina. Resilience. “Teaching isn’t the kind of skill that you practice and after a certain number of hours, boom, you’ve got it. You have to keep doing it, keep improving, all the time,” said Alex. “If I can have even limited success at teaching, I believe I can have success in other areas, too. If you can do TFA, you can do a lot.”
For the Next TFA Generation
P hoto by K evin R emington
From l. to r.: Chris Wagner ’14L, Ellen Johnston ’15L and Lindy Stevens ’15L.
W&L is among the top producers of graduates participating in the Teach For America program, and this year it placed among the top 20 small schools (2,999 or fewer students) for participants. For W&L undergraduates interested in pursuing this career, they have an unusually rich on-campus resource to answer questions about the program— currently, nine law students are TFA alums. This past fall, in a TFA panel discussion, Ellen Johnston ’15L, Lindy Stevens ’15L and Chris Wagner ’14L described their experiences in the field and offered advice about how to prepare for the application process. Wagner, who taught reading, writing and math to middle-school students with learning disabilities in Phoenix, depicted the Winter
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“This experience will make you a completely different person. It will teach you humility and the ability to work with people from a different world from yours.” —Ellen Johnston ’15L
successful TFA recruits as “go-getters, the type who are not programmed to accept failure.” He noted that his first day at school sent him reeling. “At the end of the day, while driving home, I said to myself, ‘tomorrow will be better.’ ” Wagner stayed with TFA for four years, and the key to success, he said, “was to just own it. Be as resourceful and self-sufficient as you can. Seek out advice from the veteran teachers around you, and fix the problem.” Stevens was a third-grade teacher in Baton Rouge, La., and had never worked with children before. “You can never be fully prepared,” she noted. “There are a lot of factors that will cause you to make excuses, to place the blame on issues around you. My biggest lesson was in realizing that I was in charge and that I had to figure out what I could and couldn’t control.” She described her role as “half social worker, half mother and half teacher.” Many of her students’
only meal of the day came from the school cafeteria. Some had no shoes. “You end up being their advocate to get them what they need.” For her, law school was the next logical step so she could continue to address the inequalities she saw. “I plan on staying connected to these issues.” “This experience will make you a completely different person,” said Ellen Johnston, who spent two years in Dallas teaching sixthgrade math and coaching cross country. “It will teach you humility and the ability to work with people from a different world from yours.” Like her fellow TFA alums, she found the experience tested her in many ways, but ultimately was incredibly rewarding. “You become so emotionally invested, and when you get a Facebook message from one that says, ‘I got into Algebra I,’ you know that kid now has the opportunity to get into college. It’s the small victories that make it worthwhile.”
Meeting José
“I entered teaching with a lot of optimism. And I believe I did have a great impact on students’ lives. But if I, the school and the kids do everything right, the law can still stand in their way. I want to see that change.” —Hernandez Stroud ’15L
When Hernandez Stroud ’15L was in the thick of teaching 10th-grade civics in an inner-city Philadelphia charter school, he wasn’t so sure of the value of law school for himself. Then he met José. Stroud ’15L thought he knew all the ways that a system could fail a kid like José, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico who had faced unimagi 20
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nable hardships, including a murdered dad and a deported mother. Despite all that, José was bright and ambitious, and with Stroud’s mentoring, applied to and completed a prestigious summer course at the University of Pennsylvania. By the time he was a senior, José’s GPA was high, and he had set his sight on college. Stroud proudly coached José through the applica-
tion process of his own alma mater, the University of Alabama. And then the hammer fell. In the spring of 2012, the Alabama legislature passed the most restrictive anti-immigrant bill in the country, a provision of which stipulated that no public university in the state could admit any undocumented student. José’s application was trashed. He was devastated. Stroud, also deeply disturbed by the turn of events, began speaking out. “José’s school didn’t fail him. His background didn’t even fail him. And he didn’t fail himself. It was the law that failed,” said Stroud, who wrote an editorial in The Birmingham News to protest the passage of the bill (go.wlu.edu/law/stroudoped). “To watch a kid not be able to reach his full potential because of a failing of the law—that’s why I’m in law school now.” Stroud, who also holds an M.S. in urban education from Penn, plans to return to Alabama to work in a private firm, with an eye on educational policy. “I entered teaching with a lot of optimism,” Stroud said. “And I believe I did have a great impact on students’ lives. But if I, the school and the kids do everything right, the law can still stand in their way. I want to see that change.”
TFA Under Scrutiny hard by the shuttering of its main factory, an International Paper mill, he was among the first in his family to attend college, graduating from the University of Virginia in 2010. When he joined TFA and was assigned to teach sixth-grade math in Warren County, N.C., he found himself nearly in his own backyard, in a community that seemed familiar. “I had less culture shock than my friends in the program,” Caulder said. “TFA definitely targets elite kids who have no training in education. “TFA does a great job in increasing student test scores quickly,” Caulder continued. “But I don’t believe it’s a great long-term solution. The schools where we teach have long histories of poverty. We have kids in giant coats every day in The existence of TFA allows schools the winter because there’s no heat. They to fire veteran teachers and replace have no medicine at home so they go to them with lower-cost, less-experienced the nurse’s office. These ‘race to the top’ TFA teachers. Urban areas, like Boston incentives [promoted by TFA] focused and Chicago, have seen some high-profile —Jon Caulder ’15L on student grades in middle and high turnover in teaching staff involving the school often come too late.” firing of teachers deemed ineffective and Caulder said he left TFA with more the hiring of TFA corps members. Some questions about public education than he came in with. “I’m just not observers hail that as a step in the right direction, a positive blow sure TFA is always the right answer. One thing I do know: I’ll never against entrenched sub-standard education for children in failing vote for school funding to be cut, no matter where I live.” schools. Detractors say it robs local teachers of their livelihood and Caulder’s classmate Hernandez Stroud ’15L agrees with the disrupts the lives of students. criticism that the TFA training program should be longer than five That criticism doesn’t make much sense to TFA alums outside weeks, to give teachers a chance to be more effective in their first metropolitan areas. In places like the one where the Flachsbarts year. He also believes that the program’s emphasis on recruiting at were assigned, a county in Alabama with a total population of less elite schools deserves rethinking. “I think TFA would be better off than 12,000 people in 725 square miles, the option of trading out trying to find more people who have a cultural connection to the bad teachers for good is a chimera. In rural areas, it’s not unheard of schools where they teach,” Stroud said. for schools to have a severe teacher shortage. When that happens, (According to Kaitlin Gastrock, TFA is highly conscious of the students are babysat by substitute teachers throughout the year or, value of matching schools with students from similar backgrounds. in the worst cases, find themselves warehoused in gymnasiums, Fifty-three percent of the current corps identify themselves as a marking time and losing ground. minority person of color or as someone who grew up in a low “In these areas, finding any teachers is hard, even when the income community. Twenty-five percent are the first in their family money is good,” Alex Flachsbart pointed out. “The truth is, some of to attend college.) the teachers they get are good, some are less good—in TFA or out. Is Overall, however, Stroud believes that Teach for America has it better for those schools to have no teacher at all?” fulfilled one worthy goal: bringing awareness of the state of education to the forefront of national debate. And even if most TFA corps TFA’s five weeks of teacher training isn’t nearly enough to members end up being short-timers, that could be a good thing, produce good teachers, and the program is hampered by the looked at the right way. “The truth is, a lot of TFA graduates go cultural gap between teachers and students. This criticism on to have important roles in life, roles where they can influence resonates with Jon Caulder ’15L. Unlike the majority of his TFA educational policies one way or another,” Stroud said. “They don’t peers, Caulder came from a background that wasn’t so different from all have to do that from inside the classroom.” the students he taught. Growing up in Franklin, Va., a small city hit Teach for America, the highly regarded program designed to provide underserved areas with a workforce of motivated young teachers from some of the best colleges in the country, has come under fire in recent years. Detractors assert that rather than helping impoverished students and weak school districts, TFA displaces experienced teachers and creates an unstable environment for students. Some former TFA teachers have joined the ranks of naysayers. Among the W&L law students who are TFA alums, however, opinions run mostly in favor of the program, with some caveats. Below, some of the recent charges and W&L Law student/TFA alum responses:
“TFA does a great job in increasing student test scores quickly. But I don’t believe it’s a great long-term solution.”
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Interventions The Hon. Jacqueline Talevi ’83L has spearheaded a program in Roanoke to help mentally ill defendants receive treatment. —By Andy Soergel ’14—
Photo by Kevin Remington
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A Korean War veteran, well into his 70s, stood before the Hon. Jacqueline Talevi ’83L in Roanoke County’s General District Court. The former soldier was honorably discharged from service decades ago. He had gone on to earn a Ph.D. Yet he found himself in Talevi’s courtroom facing jail time after repeatedly shoplifting from a local Walmart. nity Corrections, Carilion centers and munity Corrections. Factors consid “The law doesn’t really care why. a number of private therapists and ered include a defendant’s mental The law needs to know if you compsychiatrists in the Roanoke Valley. health history, employment status, mitted the act and if you had criminal She says her docket relies on outside prior record and other factors that, as intent,” said Talevi. “If you left two or assistance from partner programs. Talevi puts it, “would suggest stability three times without paying for items, “A lot of this comes from the or lack thereof.” it’s sure as heck pretty convincing that community being willing to collabo This background check takes you had criminal intent.” rate and pitch in, stretching resources about 30 days to process. Talevi then The law may not care about that are already stretched to provide reviews the results. If she approves a underlying causes of criminal behavthis service,” she said. “I could not do defendant for participation, he or she ior, but Talevi does. She operates an any of this alone. The counselors and will begin a customized treatment innovative, problem-solving judicial treatment providers, the probation plan that may include drug testing, program in the Roanoke Valley to adstaff—they all form the working pieces psychiatric evaluations and probationdress the often complex needs of the that make this happen.” ary measures. mentally unwell. Talevi has been an active player in Talevi meets with participants “When I worked as a public deRoanoke County’s judiciary system for in court at least twice each month fender for 13 years, and I had a defenthree decades, working first as a public to evaluate progress. The program’s dant that I knew was mentally ill, my defender before option was to plead taking the judge’s insanity. I had to show bench in 1996. She that my defendant “When I worked as a public defender for 13 years, and I had a is disturbed by the was operating with defendant that I knew was mentally ill, my option was to plead number of war vetera disease or defect insanity. I had to show that my defendant was operating with a ans she has encounof mind,” she said. disease or defect of mind. That’s like pushing a 50-pound stone tered in court during “That’s like pushing a her tenure. 50-pound stone up a up a 90-degree incline. It’s just not going to happen in most cases.” Talevi said some 90-degree incline. It’s —The Hon. Jacqueline Talevi ’83L veterans exhibit just not going to hap“explosive behavior” pen in most cases.” soon after returning Talevi launched home from active her initiative in July duty. She attributes this aggression to leniency concerned commonwealth’s 2011 to handle these special cases. an insufficient emotional transitioning attorneys at its inception. However, Dubbed a “mental health therapeutic period. Talevi reserves the right to revoke docket,” the system offers a series of “In wars past, our veterans came a participant’s benefits and enforce rehabilitation programs as an alterhome slowly. They had time to kind of judiciary penalties. native to incarceration. The docket debrief themselves, take deep breaths, “I think there was fear that this was has been a boon for armed services relive those horrific stories that they going to be kind of a cuddly, feel-good veterans in the Valley suffering from have with their comrades, and go program without any punishment. That post-traumatic stress disorder. through that process of putting distance is not the case at all,” Talevi said. “If a “Putting someone in jail incapacibetween themselves and the war,” she person’s behavior doesn’t measure up, tates them and removes them from the said. “Now, we expect them to be on then their mental illness is not an excommunity in the short term, but it high alert in Afghanistan on Monday, cuse. You will be treated like everyone does not protect the community long where they are in fear for their lives 24/7. else, and your suspended sentence may term,” she said. “It does not address the And then, because of our technology be revoked, and you may be convicted recidivism rate, and it does not address and our [air] transportation, next week and go to jail.” the person’s mental illness.” they could be back in Salem. It’s hard to Talevi coordinates her program’s A potential program candidate turn a switch on and off like that.” rehabilitation efforts with Blue Ridge must first submit to a background Talevi said she sees young and Behavioral Services, Court Commuevaluation with Roanoke’s Court Com
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“Putting someone in jail incapacitates them and removes them from the community in the short term, but it does not protect the community long term. It does not address the recidivism rate, and it does not address the person’s mental illness.” —The Hon. Jacqueline Talevi ’83L
old veterans alike in the court system. Post-traumatic stress symptoms can go undiagnosed or lie dormant for years. A typical example is her story about the shoplifting Korean War veteran. After performing a background evaluation on him, Talevi discovered that the man’s wife had recently died. He was living by himself for the first time in decades, and he was taking a combination of medicines that were contributing to memory lapses. “We cleared him off that medication, got new doctors, got different medication. He’s still grieving for his wife, but he’s not undone,” she said. “There are bad people, but the people that I am seeing are often veterans or people that have
mental illnesses that are undiagnosed, untreated or mistreated. Once you address the mental health issues, you often address the driver of the criminal behavior. And that’s why I think the success rate is so high.” Talevi is pleased with the docket’s 74 percent completion rate. Of the program’s 45 “graduates,” as she fondly refers to them, seven are veterans. She receives evidence of her program’s success every holiday season. The Korean War veteran sends her Christmas cards every year. “He writes, ‘Thank you for taking the time to care about me,’ ” she said. “When I see people like that, I tell them: ‘People still love you. They just don’t understand.’ ”
Bre aking
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Cyc le
“We cannot lock up people who have mental health disorders that ultimately bring them before the court. It is not only inefficient but cruel [for them] to languish in prison just because we don’t understand all the things they need to intervene in their cycle of criminality.” —The Hon. Jerrauld C. Jones ’80L The Hon. Jerrauld C. Jones ’80L chairs
the Virginia Supreme Court’s advisory committee on drug treatment courts. Like Talevi, Jones balances punishment and rehabilitation in an attempt to break criminal behavioral cycles. “Experience tells us that we cannot lock up our way out of the drug problem,” Jones said. “We cannot lock up people who have mental health disorders that ultimately bring them before the court. It is not only inefficient but cruel [for them] to languish in prison just because we don’t understand all the things they need to intervene in their cycle of criminality.” Jones noted that veterans pose a unique set of issues. “Many of them are exposed to things that we will never ever see: War, pain, death, destruc 24
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tion,” he explained. “And many of them come home, get quickly in trouble and find themselves in the criminal justice system. Is the proper and appropriate response 30 days in jail? Sixty days in jail? Three years? The bigger picture is that it’s not enough. Sometimes incarceration may be appropriate. But it’s not the only thing we need to understand and recognize.” Jones contacted Virginia Chief Justice Cynthia Kinser, who then established what Jones describes as a “free-standing, problem-solving courts committee” and asked Jones to chair it. After hearing about Roanoke Valley’s therapeutic docket success, Jones recommended the Hon. Jacqueline Talevi ’83L to the new 17-person committee. The group of Virginia judges will
meet several times before the summer of 2014, when they will make recommendations to Chief Justice Kinser and the Virginia Supreme Court about how best to implement problem-solving courts throughout the commonwealth. “We need a coordinated, comprehensive, ordered way of doing this so that we do the right thing. We need everybody on the same page,” said Jones. “I’m not saying doing the exact same thing in every city and county in Virginia, but everyone needs to be on the same page about how we organize, how we establish, how we implement. We can say that this is a good thing to do all day long, but unless we know what really works in terms of evidence-based practice, then we’re not necessarily serving the public.”
A Per sonal Strug gle with Mental Illne ss
Now that she has begun working with the family law firm, she has discovthe Open Door: A Bipolar Attorney ered “a groundswell of support.” The Talks Mania, Recovery and Heaven on firm, she writes, “gave me the outlet to Earth,” recounts her personal struggle practice in a way that accommodates with and victory over bipolar disorder, my illness and lets my talent shine. I including the challenges she faced am proof that with proper treatment, during her studies at Washington and and accommodation from an employLee’s School of Law. er, an attorney with mental illness can Chaney ’98, ’04L is currently hanshine brightly.” dling Social Security disability claims As well as her part-time practice, at Chaney Law Firm in Arkadelphia, she volunteers as a mental health advoArk., after spending four years as a cate for Arkansas Judges and Lawyers civil litigator in Fayetteville. Assistance Program, which provides In a recent post on the blog free and confidential treatment for PsychCentral and in an article for the lawyers and judges Arkansas Bar magain Arkansas suffering zine, Chaney writes from mental illness or about her experiences, addiction. including her first Chaney noted manic break, which that the lawyers ascame after she had sistance programs graduated from W&L in all 50 states can and was working at provide treatment Capital One in Richto law students as mond. well. “Our profession “[T]hings started prides itself on solvto speed up. I found ing others’ problems I couldn’t eat and and taking on other couldn’t sleep. My people’s burdens,” she mind raced and I besaid. “The result is gan having delusions a clinical syndrome that I was God and Hilary Chaney’s book recounts called ‘compassion could save the world. her personal struggle with and fatigue,’ which means I walked in Heaven victory over bipolar disorder, we as lawyers have on Earth and believed including the challenges nowhere to turn for she faced as a student I saw the way to take at Washington and Lee our own problems. us all there. I felt an School of Law. These assistance proenormous empathy grams offer a lifeline.” for those around me. She urges any attorney who needs It felt like a knife to the heart anytime help or know someone who need help anyone else hurt, and the converse to contact the organization. “It could was true, too. Others’ joy was multibe a lifesaving call. ” plied a hundredfold in my heart. This Last year, Chaney spoke about overwhelming love can be unbearable her experiences with bipolar disorder in its power.” at both the University of Arkansas Chaney describes the ups and Law Schools in Fayetteville and Little downs, and she notes that the stresses Rock for CLE credit. “I believe these of both law school and then practictalks are vitally important, ” she said. ing law exacerbated the problems. In “Ten percent of first-years suffer from 2009, she and her husband, Nathan mental illness or addiction. For 3Ls, Chaney ’04L, and their son moved to that number jumps to 40 percent.” Nathan’s hometown of Arkadelphia.
Hilary Chaney’s new book, “Through
“I am proof that with proper treatment, and accommodation from an employer, an attorney with mental illness can shine brightly.” —Hilary Chaney ’98, ’04L
Her speaking roster remains full. She was the keynote speaker at the National Alliance on Mental Illness Arkansas annual conference and will present another CLE at the Tennessee Bar’s annual Lawyers Assistance Program Retreat in March. Chaney is giving a talk at W&L’s Law Reunion weekend on April 11 and will be signing copies of her book.
You can follow Chaney on Twitter (@hilchaney), Facebook and on her blog at www.graduatingfromgod.com.
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Class Notes
Support the Annual Fund As vice president of the Law Council and chair of the Law Annual Fund, I have the honor of confirming to you that among the ever-changing legal and economic climates, Washington and Lee University School of Law is committed to serving our current students and alumni. We have much to celebrate this year and everyone is a part of that achievement. Last year, the Law School received over $1 million for the Law Annual Fund from alumni, parents, friends, faculty and staff. This amount allows the Law School to continue to provide one of the most innovative law school educations in the country. You will also be proud to know Washington and Lee University School of Law has the second highest participation rate in the country for all law schools. This is something we should all be proud of. We trail the University of Virginia by 13 points (53 percent to 40 percent). That brings me to an interesting point. If everyone who has given over the last five years gives to the Law Annual Fund this year, we will be at 53 percent. In order to continue to provide a top-notch legal education, the Law School needs the continued support of our alumni community. I am grateful and encouraged by the strength of our alumni, but I encourage each of you to do more. It is important that we bridge the gap between tuition revenue and the actual cost of operating the Law School. It would be hypocritical for me to ask you to do something I would not do. I have increased my giving to the Law School the last four years and hope that you will consider increasing yours as well. Our goal for the 2013-14 Law Annual Fund is $1.075 million. Please join me in showing your support of the Law School by increasing your gift to the Law Annual Fund this year. If you have not visited the Law School recently, I encourage you to return to Lewis Hall. I was on campus in September, and W&L is still a truly special place. When you visit the classrooms and talk to students and professors, it is easy to see the importance of giving to the Law Annual Fund. Despite the challenges of the economy, the students are energetic, outgoing and determined. They will make you proud of our alma mater. Thank you for your time and continued support. With warmest regards, William Toles (’92, ’95L) Vice President, Law Council Chair, Law Annual Fund
1973L
Lawrence M. Croft, of Richmond,
was elected president-general of the Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, a patriotic organization founded in 1907. Its mission is “to strengthen in American life the principles set forth in the Declaration of Independence, and to perpetuate the memory of those
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litigation-real estate and product liability litigation. He was also included in SuperLawyers for his work in energy and natural resources law. He resides in Okemos, Mich.
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men who, in signing that Declaration, mutually pledged their Lives, their Fortunes, and the Sacred Honor in the cause of Liberty.”
1979L
Scott A. Storey, of Foster Swift
Collins & Smith P.C. was included in The Best Lawyers in America 2014 in the field of commercial litigation,
Peter G. Strasser retired after 30 years with the Department of Justice. He joined Chaffe McCall L.L.P. in its New Orleans office as a partner in the government investigations and whitecollar criminal defense section and the international law section.
1981L
Robert W. Hyde Jr. joined Momentive Performance Materials, located in the Albany/Saratoga Springs, N.Y., area.
1982L
James L. Chapman, of Virginia
Beach, was appointed by Gov. Bob McDonnell to Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University’s board of visitors. Chapman is a partner at Crenshaw, Ware & Martin P.L.C., in Norfolk, Va.
1983L
Leslie A. Goller was named
Jacksonville Women’s Lawyers Association Woman Lawyer of the Year. She is a trial attorney at Terrell Hogan Ellis Yegelwel P.A. in Jacksonville, Fla.
1984L
G. Michael Pace Jr., of Salem, Va.,
was named a 2014 Roanoke Lawyer of the Year for banking and finance law by Best Lawyers.
Lt. Col. Kevin R. Rardin retired
from the Army Reserve, JAG Corps, in June 2010 at the rank of lieutenant colonel, with 21 years of service, including deployment in Afghanistan. In January 2013, Rardin returned to duty as a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary. He is an assistant district attorney in Memphis, Tenn. This past August marked his 29th year as a prosecutor.
1985L
Paul E. Fletcher III has been the publisher and editor in chief of Virginia Lawyers Weekly since 1989. He was elected national secretary-
Marie E. Washington resides in
Warrenton, Va., where her firm was once again voted Best Law Firm in the Warrenton Lifestyle Magazine.
2005L
Robert W. Ray joined Fox Rothschild L.L.P. as partner in its New York City office.
1991L
Douglas J. Glenn is president and CEO of Hampton Roads Bankshares Inc., a multi-bank holding company based in Virginia Beach, with operations in four states. He joined the company in 2007 as its general counsel and held a succession of roles before becoming CEO in February of 2012.
1993L
Luis E. Rivera was included in the
Bruce H. Jackson ’65, ’68L, of San Francisco, and Charles M. Berger ’68L, from Charlotte, N.C.,
celebrated their 45th reunion from law school and their 70th birthdays in Provence, France. The weather, the food, the wine and the good company all contributed to a fabulous week. Planning for their 50th/75th will begin soon.
Nancy E. Hannah opened Hannah
Sheridan Loughridge & Cochran L.L.P. in Raleigh, N.C. The firm concentrates on business and construction litigation throughout North Carolina.
Alexander Y. Thomas was promoted to global managing partner at Reed Smith L.L.P., in Washington.
1996L
Michael H. Spencer was pro-
moted to vice president and chief ethics officer of Walmart Asia. He will lead the ethics program across Walmart’s retail markets throughout the Asia region.
Joelle James Phillips ’95L is the
2013 Florida SuperLawyers magazine. He works for Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt P.A. in Fort Myers, Fla., where he focuses on commercial litigation.
Katherine Suttle Weiner works for Littler Employment & Labor Law Solutions Worldwide, in Birmingham, Ala.
2006L
William W. Fagan III joined Duane Morris L.L.P. in its Atlanta office. He practices business, financial services and securities litigation.
1997L
Christopher C.S. Manning
Tamara L. Graham is a death
transitioned into recruiting law firm partners and practice groups with Garrison & Sisson, in Washington. He was recognized as a 2012 D.C. SuperLawyer for business litigation.
Jillian DiLaura McGuire joined
2003L
Journet N. Shaw is an associate
counsel at the board of veterans’ appeals at the Department of Veterans Affairs, in Washington.
new president of AT&T Tennessee. A 12-year veteran of AT&T and its predecessor companies, Phillips was most recently general attorney for AT&T Tennessee. As president, she’ll work closely with community and business leaders and with elected officials throughout the state. In a news release announcing the appointment, Phillips said: “I am honored for this opportunity and look forward to leading our great AT&T team in Tennessee. We are off to a great start on Project VIP, an initiative to significantly expand and enhance our wireless and wired broadband services to more Tennesseans in order to deliver the advanced services con-
Class Notes
treasurer of the Society of Professional Journalists. He and his wife, Jane Allen Fletcher ’84L, live in Richmond.
penalty law clerk at the U.S District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina. She lives in Durham, N.C.
Mackenzie Hughes L.L.P., in Syracuse, N.Y.
2007L
Rebecca Hagan was elected to the American Cancer Society’s board of directors in Pittsburgh. She is an estates and trust attorney with Fox Rothschild.
sumers and businesses demand. Our company and our employees have been a part of local communities in Tennessee since 1879, and I look forward to continuing our legacy of investment, job creation, innovation and community engagement.” Phillips started in the company’s legal department and moved through positions of increasing responsibility at the state and regional level. The Nashville Business Journal recently gave her the peer-selected “Best of the Bar” award for corporate counsel. She’s married to fellow Law School alum Brant Phillips ’97L, a partner with Nashville-based Bass, Berry and Sims Law Firm.
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Class Notes
Jill Coffindaffer McCook is a law clerk for The Hon. Thomas A. Varlan. She teaches legal writing at the University of Tennessee College of Law in Knoxville, Tenn.
2008L
Christopher J. Brady received the
Distinguished Legal Writing Award from the 2013 Burton Awards for Legal Achievement. Brady is an associate at Husch Blackwell L.L.P., in Denver.
Bassel Z. Khalaf is an assistant public defender with the Virginia Beach Public Defender’s Office.
Stephen M. Lesser accepted a position as counsel at Bayer CropScience in Raleigh, N.C.
2009L
Katherine Houren Geder (’05) is an associate at Chadbourne & Parke L.L.P. in its Washington office.
Michael P. Duffy is a senior associate, state and local tax, at KPMG L.L.P., in Stamford, Conn. Thomas H. McElroy is an associate in the New York law firm of Katten Muchin Rosenman L.L.P. in its financial services group.
2010L
Elizabeth E. Clarke (’05) is an attorney at Meynardie & Nanney P.L.L.C., in Raleigh, N.C. Joshua J. Coleman has joined Kean Miller L.L.P. as an associate attorney in its Baton Rouge office.
2011L
Sheri A Hiter is living in Bristol, Va., where she is an associate with Elliott Lawson & Minor P.C., practicing Virginia local government law.
2012L
S. Ferrell Alman Jr. joined Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, in Los Angeles, as an IP litigation associate. Meghan Hobbs Hill lives in New-
nan, Ga., and works as an assistant attorney general in the post-conviction section, department of law, in the Georgia attorney general’s office.
Helena L. Jedziniak completed a
one-year judicial clerkship with Judge Edward W. Miller, in Greenville, S.C., and is an assistant solicitor in the Office of the 13th Circuit Solicitor. She will be prosecuting cases on behalf of the state and the county in Greenville, S.C.
Spencer Cox ’01L (right) was selected by Utah Gov. Gary Herbert to serve as the state’s new lieutenant governor and was unanimously confirmed by the Utah state senate. He was sworn in Oct. 16, 2013, during a special ceremony at the state capitol. A Utah native who came to W&L after graduating from Utah State University, Cox was elected last year to the Utah House of Representatives. Previously, he served as mayor of Fairview, the rural Utah town where he was born and raised. He had also been a member of the Sanpete County Commission and is co-chair, with the former lieutenant governor Greg Bell, of the Governor’s Rural Partnership Board. After graduating from W&L, Cox clerked for U.S. 28
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Britteny N. Jenkins is an associate at Spilman Thomas & Battle P.L.L.C., in Roanoke. J. Charles Nixon is an associate with
Bracewell & Giuliani in its environmental and natural resources group, in Austin, Texas.
2013L
Elizabeth A. Pohm is an assistant public defender in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Weddings
Thomas W. Budd ’61, ’64L to Judy
Diane Zimmerman, on Sept. 12, 2013, in Venice, Italy. They live in Wilmington, N.C.
Andrew J. Olmem ’96, ’01L to Gabrielle Kornely, on Jan. 5, 2013, in Scottsville, Va. He joined Venable L.L.P. as a partner in its financial services and legislative affairs groups. Previously, he was the Republican chief counsel for the Senate Banking Committee. His wife was, until recently, an associate at The Rock Creek Group. The couple reside in Washington. Jane Ledlie ’03, ’08L to Brooks Batcheller ’04, on June 8, 2013, in
Atlanta. Members of the wedding party included Lindsey Duran Sberna ’03, ’06L, Jenny Thomas Sandbulte ’03, Susan Woodward ’03, Kristina Longo ’08L, Devin Brown ’03, Brad
District Judge Ted Stewart and then joined the Salt Lake City law firm of Fabian and Clendenin. He eventually returned to Fairview and is vice president of CentraCom, a rural telecommunications company. According to various media reports, Spencer’s selection came as a surprise to many. But Utah House Speaker Becky Lockhart called the choice a pleasant surprise, telling the Salt Lake City Tribune: “He’s only been in the House for a little while, but he’s very well respected, and he has a great mind when it comes to policy and issues.” At a press conference to announce the nomination, Cox said: “My goal is to just serve to the best of my capacity. My sincere hope is you won’t notice a difference.”
Jeremy M. Kimball ’04, ’09L to
Danijela Gazibara, on May 11, 2013, in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. The couple live in New York City, where he is a corporate associate with Latham & Watkins, and she works as a corporate counsel for Ketchum, a public relations firm.
Courtney B. Gahm ’10L to JT Oldham, in Houston, on April 27, 2013. The couple live in Bellaire, Texas, and both practice commercial litigation. Several W&L friends attended the joyous celebration.
Births and Adoptions Maria A. Feeley ’97L and Peter Bishop ’97L, a son, Blaise, on Sep. 6,
2012. He joins brother Bennett. They live in Philadelphia, where Maria is a partner at Pepper Hamilton L.L.P., and Pete is the owner and associate broker of Independent Custom Realty L.L.P.
Joseph A. Kaufman ’03L and his wife, Kelly, a daughter, Adeline Laite, on May 10, 2013. She joins sister
Amelia and brother Sam. They live in Pasadena, Calif.
Caitlin Mitchel-Markley ’05L
and her husband, Kyle, a daughter, Corwyn Merry, on July 30, 2013. Caitlin has opened her own practice in Washington County, Ore. She was elected to the board of governors of the Oregon State Bar.
Class Notes
Haugen, Reed Evans ’06, Logan Young ’04, Shana Levine ’01, Sarah Yakots Warren ’04, Charlie Yates ’06, ’10L and Alex Wilkins ’02. She is a corporate attorney specializing in mergers and acquisitions at Arnall Golden Gregory L.L.P. in Atlanta, and he is pursuing a master’s in private school leadership at the Klingenstein Institute at Columbia University before returning to his job as a teacher, coach and administrator at the Westminster Schools in the fall of 2014.
Jonathan A. Neal ’05L and his wife, Christina, a daughter, Violet Grace, on March 8, 2013. The family live in Greenville, S.C.
Susan Saba Roinick ’06L, and her husband, Mark, a daughter, Clara Louise, on July 3, 2013. They live in Laporte, Pa.
Wedding Scrapbook
▼
John E. Kelly III ’66, ’69L to Rufus “Randy” Sutphin, on Sept. 21, 2013, in Rehoboth Beach, Del. They live in Philadelphia. From l. to r.: Bruce Lee ’71, Dave Christovich ’71, Randy Sutphin, John Kelly, Steve Haughney ’71, Joe Bates ’69 and Mac Bogert ’70. ▼
Mary Katherine Vigness ’12L to J. Robertson Clarke ’06, ’11L, on Aug. 3, 2013, in Fort Worth, Texas.
Members of the wedding party included brother Charlie Clarke ’05 (best man), the groom’s cousin Clarke Morrison ’12, Tom Borda ’06 and Peter Stanton ’06. Also in attendance were the groom’s parents, Nan Robertson Clarke ’76L and Hal Clarke ’73, ’76L, as well as a host of W&L friends. The couple live in Washington, where Mary Katherine is with the concert touring and management company Classical Movements Inc., and Robbie is an associate with McGuireWoods L.L.P.
Megan Weinlein’11L to Ryan Au ’11L, on June 1, 2013, in Dallas. They reside in New York City. Megan is the assistant director of compliance at Columbia University Athletics, and Ryan is a tax associate at Sidley Austin L.L.P. Alumni in attendence included Ryan Brady ’11L, Katherine Brockmeyer ’11L, Richard Bruno ’06, ’11L, Travis Bustamante ’11L, Moore Capito ’11L, Katherine Brings Capito ’11L, Massie Payne Cooper ’11L, Matthew Corva ’11L, Christopher Hartsfield ’11L, Sarah Hess ’09L, Charles Holder ’11L, Christina Hud ’11L , Ning Lu ’11L, David Mackenzie ’06, ’11L, Anna Katherine Moody ’11L, Jill Morris ’09, ’12L, Lauren Snyder ’11L, Kent Watson ’11L, Brittany Yates ’11L. Not pictured: Neil Millhiser ’11L, T.J. Moran ’11L.
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Class Notes Reggie Aggarwal ’94L (holding his daughter, Anya, 7) rang
the opening bell on the New York Stock Exchange on Aug. 9, 2013, to celebrate the IPO of Cvent, the company he founded 14 years ago. Cvent is a cloud-based, event-management platform with headquarters in McLean, Va., and Aggarwal is chairman and chief executive officer. In its initial public offering, Cvent priced 5.6 million shares at $21 per share and raised $117.6 million. Aggarwal told the Washington Post that the money will help the company’s expansion into international markets, particularly Europe and Asia. Cvent has opened an office in London and has operations in India. In addition, Cvent will
Obituaries Charles E. Bowles Jr., ’39, ’41L, of Colorado Springs, Colo., died on Dec. 5, 2012. He belonged to Delta Tau Delta.
Joseph E. Blackburn ’48L, of Richmond, died on May 10, 2013. He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II. He represented the city of Lynchburg in the Virginia House of Delegates in the mid-1950s. He was general counsel for Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Co. and served on the State Council of Higher Education, including seven years as chair. He was vice president of the four C&P Companies and CEO of Bell Atlantic in Virginia and practiced law at White, Blackburn & Conte. He belonged to Kappa Alpha. 30
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continue to invest in mobile. “This is a great day to be excited, to smell the roses,” Aggarwal said in the Post interview, adding: “But on Monday we’re going to get back to building meeting technology tools and serving our customers.” In an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Aggarwal said that the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (JOBS Act) helped the company’s growth: “I think it gives an opportunity for smaller companies that don’t have to go through all that regulatory bureaucracy, frankly, so they can focus on building their business.” Watch Reggie’s interview on “Squawk Box” at the CNBC website.
The Rev. Ben Haden ’49L, of Chatanooga, Tenn, died Oct. 24, 2013. He served with the CIA during the Korean War. He was owner and president of Long Oil Co. and vice president and general manager of the Kingsport Times-News before graduating from Columbia Theological Seminary. He served as pastor of Key Biscayne Presbyterian Church and founded Changed Lives. His sermons were broadcast on the radio, television and Internet. The sermon he preached following the Kent State massacre won a Freedoms Foundation Award, and the message was inserted in the Congressional Record. Among the honors he received were the Love of Chattanooga Award and the Sertomans’ National Heritage Award. Haden was the author of four books: “Pray! Don’t Settle for a Two-
Bit Prayer Life,” “Rebel to Rebel,” “I See Their Faces” and “Kingsport—An American City.”
Derwood H. Rusher ’51L, of Salem, Va., died on Aug. 19, 2013. He served in the Navy during World War II. He had a law practice in Salem for more than 50 years. He taught business law at Roanoke College and was a member of the Salem Sports Foundation. Howard Bratches ’51, ’53L, of Rye, N.Y., died May 19, 2013. He worked at Shell Oil, General Foods and Thorndike Deland Associates. He belonged to Phi Kappa Sigma. John R. Glenn ’53L, of Kanawha
City, W.Va., died on March 14, 2013. He served in the Army. He was an
Patrick Henry Scholarship Foundation.
Joseph H. Chumbley ’55L, of St. Petersburg, Fla., died on Sept. 5, 2013. He served on the W&L Law Review. He practiced law for more than 50 years in St. Petersburg. He was a former marine, former city manager and judge in Pinellas Park. He served on the Governor’s Commission, working on handicapped issues. He was uncle to The Hon. Douglas J. Chumbley ’82L.
G. Dewey Oxner Jr. ’56, ’58L, of
Douglas K. Frith ’57L, of Martins-
ville, Va., died Oct. 6, 2013. He served as an order of battle specialist in the Army, doing military intelligence work during the Korean War. He served as president of the Martinsville-Henry County Bar Association, as state director of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association and as a substitute judge for the General District and Juvenile and Domestic Relations Courts of the 21st Judicial District. Active in the local community, he served as attorney for the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corp., as a volunteer for the Central Business District’s uptown renewal, as a board member of Virginia National Bank (now Bank of America), and as a board member and president of the
Books
Markham Shaw Pyle ’84, ’88L published “Benevolent
Designs: The Countess and the General: George Washington, Selina Countess of Huntingdon, Their Correspondence, & the Evangelizing of America” (CreateSpace Independent
Greenville, S.C., died July 7, 2013. He practiced with Haynsworth, Sinkler, Boyd P.A., where he specialized in medical malpractice and health law, products liability and consumer litigation. He was president of the S.C. Defense Trial Attorneys Association, secretary and treasurer of the Defense Research Institute, president of the Greenville County Bar Association, president of the S.C. Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocacy, and president of the South Carolina Bar Foundation. He belonged to Phi Delta Theta.
John J. Dickinson ’59L, of Richmond, died on July 21, 2013. Anthony F. Gerike ’55, ’62L, of
Medford, N.J., died on Sept. 9, 2013. He began his career with Ross and Gladden, which later became Powers and Gerike. He later owned a title search/real estate transaction company, Mohawk Abstract, and practiced law with his son Paul ’86 at Gerike and Gerike, in Medford.
Mark R. Ferdinand ’67L, of
Bull Valley, Ill., died on July 1, 2013.
Publishing Platform), and “ ’37: The Year of Portent” (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform). All are available on Amazon; as a Kindle; as a Nook; and in iTunes, Diesel, Smashwords, Kobo and Blio ebook editions.
After working as an attorney at The Heartland Institute, Ferdinand opened a store, which sold storage and steel goods as a part of his family-owned Hirsh Industries.
The Hon. A. Alling Jones ’68L, of Milledgeville, Ga., died on May 26, 2013. He served as magistrate judge for Baldwin County. He belonged to Phi Delta Theta.
Class Notes
attorney in private practice, in Logan, W.Va., for 48 years.
Kearons J. Whalen III ’68L, of Pittsfield, Mass., died on March 2, 2013. He was founding partner of the firm Reder and Whalen, where he practiced for 45 years. C. Lanier Kinder Jr. ’69L, of Roa-
noke, died on Sept. 9, 2012.
Benjamin G. Philpott ’75, ’78L,
of Lexington, N.C., died on June 26, 2013. He served as editor of the Washington and Lee Law Review and was a member of Phi Kappa Sigma. He worked for Klauss and Klass and The Law Office of H.W. Zimmerman Jr. He also served as president of the Davidson County Museum of Art. He was brother to James A. Philpott Jr. ’69, 72L.
Edward L. Weilbacher ’79L, of Pocomoke City, Md., died on Sept. 6,
Jim Gabler ’53, ’55L wrote “The Secret Formula” (Bacchus Press Limited), a novel about stealing Coca Cola’s secret formula, which leads to murder, blackmail, vengeance, sex and intrigue.
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Class Notes
2013. He served in the Coast Guard, attended Officer Candidate School in Yorktown, Va., and rose to the position of lieutenant commander. During his flying career, he flew the T-34, T-28, T-29, TS-2A, C-54, HU-16E, HC 130B and EC 130B aircraft and received many Coast Guard medals. After his military career, he served as head of the Legal Aid office in Lexington, was an adjunct professor of law at W&L and then joined John E. “Sonny” Bloxom in law practice. He was the city attorney for Pocomoke for 14 years.
C. Drew Demaray ’83L, of Bir-
mingham, Ala., died on Feb. 18, 2013.
He began his career in Birmingham at Haskell Slaughter, but later became a solo practitioner. He also taught classes on firearm safety and instruction.
Richard D. Thompson ’80, ’83L,
of Shell Lake, Wis., died on June 19, 2013. He practiced in Lynchburg, Va., for several years before moving to Wisconsin in the early 1990s.
Joshua L. Harmon ’99L, of Las Ve-
gas, died on Aug. 2, 2013. He practiced labor and employment law and then opened his own office specializing in personal injury. He was brother to Jason C. Harmon ’96L.
Law Alumni Weekend apr il 1 1 - 1 3 , 2 0 1 4
All law alumni are invited back. We will be celebrating reunions for the classes of ’64, ’69, ’74, ’79, ’84, ’89, ’94, ’99, ’04 and ’09, as well as our Legal Legacies (any alum who graduated more than 50 years ago). Law Alumni Weekend is both a time for recalling memories and for marking new beginnings. If you haven’t visited us in a while, you’ll be amazed at the differences you find at the Law School and in Lexington. Registration is open. Early bird deadline is Jan. 15, 2014. Visit law.wlu.edu/alumni weekend for more information. We hope to see you in Lexington! Questions? Please call (540) 458-8996 or email Suzanne Wade at swade@wlu.edu.
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Valerie Nichole Hale ’00L, of
Roanoke, died on Aug. 29, 2013. She was active in a number of community service organizations and had served as president of the City of Roanoke Fair Housing Board, past president of the Blue Ridge Independent Living Center and legal advisor to the Young and Powerful, a national service organization. She was a member of the Beta Chi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. and the Roanoke Chapter of the Links Inc.
Ryan H. Staley ’09L, of Virginia Beach, died on March 28, 2013. He worked for Glasser and Glasser P.C.
Ways to Give Who supports W&L Law? It’s not just law alumni. Last year, 35 members of the faculty and staff, over half of W&L Law’s employees, made gifts to the Law Annual Fund. Washington and Lee is an amazing place to work. Giving to the Annual Fund is just one small way I can say, “Thank you.” ▼
Linda Johnson, Director of Law School Records
▼
W&L Law has had a profound impact on my life during my almost 24 years of service. I want to help the school fulfill its mission in any way I can. Financial support is one such avenue. John Jacob, Special Collections Law Librarian and Archivist, Law Library
I give for purely selfish reasons. It makes me happy, and it feels good to think that I have helped someone else. I am a part of a wonderful community here at W&L, and what I receive from this community is very dear to me, so therefore I give back. ▼
Diane Hamilton-Figgers Cochran, Administrative Assistant
Join our faculty and staff by supporting the Law School and the Law Annual Fund at law.wlu.edu/campaign or online at law.wlu.edu/give. Contact Elizabeth Outland Branner at (540) 458-8191 or brannere@wlu.edu.
The Washington and Lee University Law Alumni Magazine 2 0 4
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Last Look
P h o t o b y P a t r i c k H i n el y
Arriving for class on a fall morning.