Law School News Archives

12/21/2011 - Nora V. Demleitner Named Dean of Washington and Lee School of Law
Nora V. Demleitner will be the new dean of Washington and Lee University's School of Law. She becomes the first woman to hold that position and is the 17th dean in the 145-year history of W&L's law school. She will also hold the Roy L. Steinheimer Jr. Professorship in Law.

12/20/2011 - Decrease in U.S. Executions Points to Eventual Abolishment, Says W&L Law Professor
The steady downward trend in the use of the death penalty in the United States represents a "fairly irreversible decline" and suggests a time when the death penalty will be abolished, says David Bruck, a Washington and Lee University law professor.

12/8/2011 - W&L Law Student Wins Asylum Case for Political Refugee
3L Elisabeth Juterbock, working in the Immigration and Citizenship program, helps a Congolese man get political asylum in the U.S.

12/5/2011 - W&L Law 2011 Moot Court Results Roundup
The Washington and Lee School of Law Moot Court Board wrapped up another busy fall semester on Friday with the Mock Trial finals.

11/28/2011 - German Law Scholarly Series Concludes this Week
As part of an annual comparative law research program, Washington and Lee law students are exploring the German legal regime linked to questions of immigration and integration.

11/18/2011 - New W&L Law Faculty Member Develops Legal History through Maps
New Washington and Lee law professor Jill Fraley studies legal history, Appalachia, and the evolution of property law.

11/8/2011 - W&L Law Professor Cited in U.S. Sentencing Commission Report
The work of Washington and Lee criminal law scholar Erik Luna is cited extensively in a new report issued by the U.S. Sentencing Commission on mandatory minimum penalties.

10/25/2011 - W&L Law Symposium to Look at Financial Services on the Fringe
On Nov. 10-11, Washington and Lee will host a symposium examining financial services like payday loans, auto title loans, for-profit college loans, and refund anticipation loans.

10/20/2011 - Documentary “Mississippi Innocence” to be Shown at Law School
A film screening of the documentary "Mississippi Innocence" will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 1, at 7 p.m. in the Millhiser Moot Court Room in Lewis Hall.

10/20/2011 - Prestigious Panel of Federal Judges to Decide Davis Competition
A distinguished panel of senior judges from three different federal circuit courts will decide the 2011 John W. Davis Appellate Advocacy Competition on Friday, October 21, beginning at 5:00 p.m. in the Millhiser Moot Court Room.

10/19/2011 - Cruzan Lawyer to Discuss "Right to Die"
Bill Colby, the lawyer who represented the family of Nancy Cruzan in their family's right-to-die case, will speak at the Washington and Lee University School of Law on Friday, Oct. 28.

10/17/2011 - W&L's Jost Elected to Institute of Medicine
Timothy S. Jost, Robert L. Willett Family Professor of Law at Washington and Lee University School of Law and one of the nation's leading voices in health care law, has been elected to the Institute of Medicine (IOM).

10/14/2011 - Army Judge Advocate to Discuss Military Commissions and Detention
On Monday, Oct. 17, Lt. Col. Chris Jenks, Judge Advocate in the U.S. Army, will deliver a lecture titled "Military Commissions and Indefinite Detention under the Laws of War."

10/12/2011 - W&L Law Professor to Testify on German Legal Education
On Oct 13-14, Washington and Lee Law Professor Russell Miller will testify in Munich, Germany at hearings focused on the reform of German legal education and research.

10/7/2011 - W&L Expands Poverty Study in School of Law
Thanks to a new effort by faculty and students, Washington and Lee law students interested in studying poverty issues as part of their legal education now have any even greater array of opportunities to explore.

9/28/2011 - Student Scholarship Honored at W&L Law Review Notes Presentation
On Sept. 29, third-year Washington and Lee law students Christine Shepard and Christopher Alexion will present their winning law review notes during the annual event recognizing the best student articles produced by Washington and Lee Law Review staff writers.

9/20/2011 - Law of Slavery and Washington College Topic of Hendricks Law and History Lecture
On Thursday, Sept. 29, distinguished legal historian Alfred Brophy will deliver the 2011 Hendricks Lecture in Law and History. The topic of Prof. Brophy's talk is "The Jurisprudence of Slavery, Freedom, and Union at Washington College, 1831-1861."

9/12/2011 - First Amendment, Criminal Law Cases Featured at W&L Law Supreme Court Preview
On Wednesday, Sept. 14, faculty at Washington and Lee University School of Law will discuss several of the most compelling cases on the 2011 U.S. Supreme Court docket during the School's annual Supreme Court Preview.

9/8/2011 - New W&L Course Explores Terror Laws in a Post 9/11 World
Washington and Lee law professor Erik Luna explores the development of a distinctive legal regime and heightened enforcement efforts in the decade since the Sept. 11 attacks.

9/6/2011 - W&L Law Professor Ben Spencer Logs another Fourth Circuit Victory
On September 6, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit handed Washington and Lee law professor A. Benjamin Spencer his latest victory in his capacity as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney.

9/3/2011 - W&L Events to Observe 10th Anniversary of 9/11
Washington and Lee University will observe the 10th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks with two different events - a prayer vigil and a panel presentation and discussion.

9/2/2011 - W&L Law Welcomes Class of 2014
Washington and Lee University has enrolled 121 new students in the School of Law. The Class of 2014 is 55 percent female, the first time in the School's history that women have outnumbered men in the incoming class.

8/26/2011 - W&L Law Students Revive Tradition of SBA Service Day
Local community organizations throughout Lexington and Rockbridge County received a helpful boost when students from Washington and Lee University's School of Law took part in the Student Bar Association's Service Day during orientation this year.

8/25/2011 - W&L Law Joins New National Initiative “Educating Tomorrow’s Lawyers”
Washington and Lee School of Law has joined a consortium of schools recognized as innovators in legal education.

8/16/2011 - W&L Citizenship and Immigration Program Looks to Build on First Year Success
Last year, W&L Law students handled 25 immigration cases, including requests for asylum, special juvenile cases, and deportation proceedings.

8/8/2011 - Washington and Lee to Install Virginia's Largest Solar Energy System
Sydney Lewis Hall, home to the Washington and Lee School of Law, will hold a 330 kilowatt solar panel system as part of the University's solar energy project, the largest installation in Virginia.

8/4/2011 - W&L Law Prof. David Millon President-Elect of Prestigious Law School Association
David Millon, the J. B. Stombock Professor of Law and Law Alumni Faculty Fellow at Washington and Lee University School of Law, has been named president-elect of the Southeastern Association of Law Schools.

7/21/2011 - United Nations Publishes Proceedings of W&L Law Symposium
The symposium proceedings related to the March 29, 2010 conference on international investment and alternative dispute resolution held at W&L Law are now available in a volume published by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.

7/15/2011 - From the Magazine: Ed Walker ‘96L has a Vision for Downtown Roanoke
Roanoke, Va., native Ed Walker '96L has reshaped some of the city's most significant buildings, breathing life into once-defunct neighborhoods.

6/28/2011 - W&L Law Professor Named Founding Member of AALS Transactional Law Section
Prof. Lyman Johnson will serve as a founding Executive Committee member of the new AALS section on Transactional Law and Skills.

6/16/2011 - W&L Law Professor’s New Book Takes Students inside the Litigation Department
The Litigation Department Lawyer, due out this month from West Publishing, helps law professors teach a course that simulates for students the workings of a law firm litigation team.

6/5/2011 - Sidney S. Evans Named Vice President for Student Affairs at W&L
Sidney Springfield Evans, currently the associate dean for law student services at Washington and Lee University, has been appointed vice president of student affairs and dean of students at the university.

6/1/2011 - Roscoe B. Stephenson Jr. ’43, ’47L Dies at 89
Senior Justice Roscoe B. Stephenson Jr., who retired from the Virginia Supreme Court in 1997, died Monday at the Brian Center in Low Moor. He was 89.

6/1/2011 - W&L Law Students Receive Summer Funding for Public Interest Work
Two Washington and Lee Law students have received external awards aimed at helping support students working at law-related public service jobs during the summer.

5/23/2011 - W&L Tax Clinic Receives IRS Grant
The Tax Clinic at the Washington and Lee University School of Law has been awarded a matching grant from the Internal Revenue Service's Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic program (LITC). This is the fourth straight year that the Tax Clinic has received federal dollars to support its efforts.

5/7/2011 - School of Law Honors Graduates at 2011 Commencement Ceremony
The Washington and Lee University School of Law celebrated its 156th commencement on Saturday, May 7, awarding 126 juris doctor degrees along with one master of laws degree.

4/27/2011 - NPR Legal Affairs Correspondent Nina Totenberg to Deliver W&L Law Commencement Address
Nina Totenberg, award-winning legal affairs correspondent for National Public Radio, will deliver this year's commencement address during the 2011 graduation exercises at Washington and Lee University School of Law.

4/25/2011 - W&L Law Professor Named Fellow at Prestigious German Studies Institute
Prof. Russell Miller has been named a Non-Resident Fellow at the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies, a think-tank devoted to strengthening German-American ties and collaboration across an array of disciplines.

4/18/2011 - Tom Millhiser '81L and Nan Robertson Clark '76L Receive Alumni Awards at 2011 Law Reunion
On April 16 during Law Reunion 2011, Washington and Lee School of Law announced the recipients of the Outstanding Alum Award and the inaugural Volunteer of the Year Award.

4/13/2011 - W&L Law Prof. Erik Luna Elected to American Law Institute
Erik Luna, Professor of Law and Law Alumni Faculty Fellow at Washington and Lee University School of Law, has been elected to the American Law Institute, the most prestigious law reform body in the U.S.

4/7/2011 - 2011 Lewis F. Powell Jr. Lecture on the Good Lawyer
The Ninth Annual Lewis F. Powell Jr. Lecture will be delivered by Robert A. Long, a former law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell. Mr. Long's talk is titled "The Good Lawyer in the 21st Century."

4/4/2011 - Islamic Law and Human Rights Topic of W&L Transnational Law Institute Lecture
On Friday, April 8, Emory law prof Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im will lecture on "Human Rights, Universality, and Sovereignty: The Relevance and Irrelevance of Islamic Law."

4/1/2011 - Third Year Student Named Dean of W&L Law
Washington and Lee University announced today that third year law student Sabina Thaler has been named Dean of the University's law school. Thaler, who currently serves as editor in chief of the School's Journal of Civil Rights and Social Justice, will begin her one-day appointment on April 1.

3/29/2011 - William Sage to Deliver Johnson & Johnson Law and Medicine Lecture
On Monday, April 4, William M. Sage, Vice Provost for Health Affairs and James R. Dougherty Chair for Faculty Excellence at the University of Texas at Austin, will dicuss "Brand New Law: The Marketing of Health Care Reform."

3/24/2011 - Tomiko Brown-Nagin to Lecture at W&L on Civil Rights Movement
On Wednesday, March 30, Tomiko Brown-Nagin, Justice Thurgood Marshall Distinguished Professor of Law and Professor of History at the University of Virginia School of Law, will present "Remembering Movement Lawyers and Rethinking Constitutional History from the Bottom Up."

3/17/2011 - 4th Circuit Court of Appeals to Hear Arguments at Washington and Lee University School of Law
On Friday, March 25, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit will hear a day of oral arguments at Washington and Lee University School of Law. Among the cases on the docket is a federal black lung benefits case from the School's Black Lung Legal Clinic.

3/16/2011 - W&L Law to Host Symposium on Race and the Criminal Justice System
Well-known capital defender David Baugh will deliver the keynote during the March 18 event that will look at race, traffic stops and the drug war.

3/11/2011 - Entitlements and Windfalls Topic of Legal Ethics Talk
Cornell Law professor W. Bradley Wendel will deliver the keynote address at Washington and Lee's Legal Ethics Institute on March 18.

3/7/2011 - W&L Law School Dean Search Committee Announced
Washington and Lee University Provost June Aprille has announced the membership of the committee that will help select the next dean of the School of Law.

3/1/2011 - 2011 W&L Phi Alpha Delta Charity Auction Raises over $12,000 for Local Charities
On Wednesday, February 23, students at the Washington and Lee University School of Law raised $12,186 during the 2011 Phi Alpha Delta charity auction.

2/24/2011 - Delaware Supreme Court Justice Jack Jacobs to Speak at W&L Law
On Monday, February 28, Jack B. Jacobs, Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court, will deliver a public lecture on "Patient Capital: Can Delaware Corporate Law Help Revive It?"

2/22/2011 - Dan Goldman ‘11L Wins Oliver White Hill Pro Bono Award
Washington and Lee University law student Dan Goldman, a member of the Law Class of 2011, has been named a recipient of the Oliver White Hill Law Student Pro Bono Award by the Virginia State Bar.

2/21/2011 - W&L Law Review Symposium to Explore Restitution and Unjust Enrichment
On Friday, February 25, Washington and Lee School of Law and the American Law Institute will host a conference in Lexington exploring the recently released restatement of the law of restitution.

2/21/2011 - German Law Journal and DAAD Present German and European Law Conversations
Washington and Lee University School of Law will host this semester an academic series focused on contemporary issues in German and European Law.

2/17/2011 - W&L Transnational Law Institute Speakers to Address Rwanda Genocide, International Treaties
The Transnational Law Institute at Washington and Lee University School of Law will host two speakers on campus the week of February 21.

2/14/2011 - W&L Law Symposium Tackles Regulating Natural Resource Extraction
On Feb. 18, the JECE spring symposium will focus on the policy and science behind oil, coal and natural gas extraction in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

2/10/2011 - W&L Law Accepting Applications for German LL.M. Fellowship Program
Washington and Lee University School of Law, along with the German academic exchange service, is offering a fellowship for one qualified German LL.M. student.

2/2/2011 - Tucker Lecturer Frederick Schauer to Discuss Appellate Judges
On Tuesday, February 8, Frederick Schauer, David and Mary Harrison Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Virginia, will deliver this year's Tucker Lecture at Washington and Lee University School of Law.

2/1/2011 - W&L Law Students to Assist Area Residents with Tax Preparation
Students from Washington and Lee University School of Law will be offering free tax preparation assistance for low-to-moderate-income taxpayers in the Rockbridge County area. These services are free to members of the local community earning up to $49,000 annually.

1/26/2011 - WLSO Asks for Business Suit and Dress Donations
The Women Law Students Organization has called on female students, faculty and administrative staff across campus to clear out their closets and donate clothing and accessories to the Cinderella Project and Dress for Success.

1/19/2011 - Law Students Honored During Founders Day/ODK Convocation
Washington and Lee University's Alpha Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa recognized seven law student initiates at the Founders Day/Omicron Delta Kappa Convocation on Wednesday, Jan. 19, in Lee Chapel.

1/18/2011 - Comparative Law Scholar to Discuss Judging Post 9/11
Kim Lane Scheppele, Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs and the Director of the Program of Law and Public Affairs at Princeton University, will deliver a public lecture on Friday, January 21 at Washington and Lee University School of Law.

1/17/2011 - Andrew J. Young To Speak during MLK Legacy Week at W&L
Andrew J. Young, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, will speak at Washington and Lee University on Wednesday, Jan. 19, at 7:30 p.m. in Lee Chapel.

1/16/2011 - W&L Law Mourns Carole M. Shorter
Carole M. Shorter, who retired from the School of Law in 2009 after 26 years of service, died this past Friday, Jan. 14.

1/10/2011 - W&L Law Professor Judy Clarke to Represent Arizona Gunman
Judy Clarke, who has frequently served as a Professor of Practice at the School of Law, has been appointed to represent Arizona shooting suspect, Jared Lee Loughner.