Clinical Law Prof Blog

Spring 2009 Workshop - National Institute for Teaching Ethics and Professionalism

Fellowship applications are now open for the first of two 2009 NIFTEP workshops. The Spring 2009 Workshop will take place from Friday, April 24 - Sunday, April 26 at the Red Top Mountain Lodge which is located about 40 miles northwest of Atlanta. Attendance at this highly participatory event is limited to invited speakers and to those selected to be Spring 2009 NIFTEP Fellows. (Prior NIFTEP Fellows are welcome to apply for this workshop.) You must apply on-line from the NIFTEP web site. Fellowships are typically granted either to full-time law professors who teach legal ethics or to practitioners actively involved in ethics CLE education and professionalism programs; however, any person committed to promoting ethics and professionalism may apply. Fellows are reimbursed for their travel expenses; there is no charge for the workshop.  (Applications will open next fall for the second workshop, scheduled for November 6 - 8, 2009.)

NIFTEP will begin reviewing fellowship applications on March 18 so you are encouraged to apply by March 17 for the limited number of fellowships. -jl

ABA Tax Section Reminders: 2009 May Meeting in DC and Volunteers Needed for Tax Prep Sites

From the ABA Tax Section eNewsletter:

It’s more important than ever to attend the Section of Taxation’s 2009 May Meeting, May 7th-9th in Washington, DC. You’ll hear the latest on the tax aspects of the economic stimulus package, and how plans to ease the credit crunch and stimulate spending will affect the practice of tax. New and proposed tax regulations will be the topic of discussion for much of the CLE, and you will have the opportunity to hear from private practitioners as well as government representatives on current issues in tax law. Earn valuable CLE and ethics credits and network with colleagues. More Information Coming Soon ...

Additionally, it is a tax attorney's favorite time of the year: Tax Season.  The ABA Tax Section encourages attorneys to donate time to a local Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. For more details on the VITA program and how to get involved, visit the Section website.

-jl

Call for Proposals by the Workshop Program Committee for the AALS Section on Academic Support

The following was emailed to us for posting:

2010 AALS Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana

Annual Meeting Dates:  January 6-10, 2010

The theme of our 2010 AALS workshop will be:

 “Transforming Learning in the Classroom:
the 21^st Century Law Professor”

 The AALS Section on Academic Support will showcase how professors are transforming the learning environment of their classrooms through innovative and creative methods.  Many of these methods  have their roots in traditional academic support tenets of varying lesson plans to reach different learning styles, providing feedback throughout the semester, assessing students in creative ways, engaging students both in and out of the classroom, and encouraging students to take responsibility for their own learning.   The committee requests proposals that demonstrate modern classroom and teaching techniques including but not limited to: active learning activities, teaching assessment procedures, exam drafting, skills development in doctrinal courses, and innovative lesson plans.  Show us what’s new and different in legal education in the 21^st century! 

 The Program Committee will give preference to presentations designed to engage the workshop audience, so proposals should contain a detailed explanation of both the substance of the presentation and the interactive methods to be employed.  In addition, we would like to highlight talent across a spectrum of law schools and will look for variety in presentations and presenters.  If you do not have a proposal to submit, but are interested in participating in a presentation, please contact Emily Randon (see below), as assistance with the overall workshop is always welcome.

 Based on participant numbers for the last several years, we anticipate over 100 people attending the program.  To assist the presenters in the interactive piece, the program committee members and other volunteers will be on hand to act as facilitators with audience members.

 Proposals must include the following information:

1.  A title for your presentation

2.  A brief description of the objectives or outcomes of your presentation.

3.  A brief description of how your presentation will support your stated objectives or outcomes.

4.  The amount of time allocated for your presentation and for the interactive exercise.  No single presenter should exceed 45 minutes in total time allowed.  Presentations as short as 15 minutes will be acceptable.

5.  A detailed description of how the presentation will be interactive.

6.  Whether you plan to distribute handouts, use PowerPoint, or employ other technology.

7.  A list of the conferences at which you have presented within the last three years, such as AALS, national or regional ASP or writing conferences, or other academic conferences.  (The committee is interested in this information because we wish to select and showcase seasoned, as well as fresh, talent.)

8.  Your school affiliation, title, courses taught, and contact information (include email address and telephone number).

9.  Any articles or books that you have published describing the lesson you will be demonstrating.

Send proposals by Monday, March 9, 2009 to Prof. Emily Randon, University of California, Davis School of Law, at the email address of elrandon@ucdavis.edu. If you have questions, feel free to contact Emily Randon directly at 530-752-3434.

If you know of colleagues who are true innovators in techniques that achieve the objectives of the academic support community, please encourage them to submit proposals!

We look forward to seeing you in New Orleans!

The ASP Section Program Committee:

Emily Randon, Chair
Robin Boyle Laisure
Hillary Burgess
Barbara McFarland
Kathy Garcia
ASP Section Chair:  Pavel Wonsowicz

Georgetown Law: The Intersection of Juvenile Justice and Poverty

The Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law & Policy, American Constitution Society for Law & Policy, Center for Juvenile Justice Reform, Georgetown University, and Georgetown Law Center Juvenile Justice Clinic will present a symposium: The Intersection of Juvenile Justice and Poverty, Thursday, March 26, 2009, from 1:00 – 5:30 pm with a reception to follow.

It is widely recognized that the conditions of poverty affecting many children across the United States are a significant factor in juvenile offending, but there has been little scholarship on the ways that juvenile justice and poverty interrelate.  On March 26, 2009, the Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law and Policy, the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy, the Center for Juvenile Justice Reform at Georgetown University, and the Georgetown Law Center Juvenile Justice Clinic are co-sponsoring a symposium that explores this theme from several angles.  Three panels and a keynote address will examine how the social factors that often accompany low socio-economic status can fuel patterns of offending and reoffending, how youth with different levels of wealth frequently have very different experiences within the juvenile justice system, and what strategies can be employed both within and outside the juvenile justice system to break the cycle of offending and poverty.  The symposium will feature presentations by the authors of forthcoming articles that will be published in the Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law & Policy, as well as discussion among these authors and other experts on various dimensions of the intersection of juvenile justice and poverty.

Agenda:

1:00 pm  Opening Remarks - Peter Edelman, Professor, Georgetown University Law Center

1:15 pm Keynote Address:  “The Paradox of Juvenile Justice and Poverty” Robert Schwartz, Exec. Dir., Juvenile Law Ctr

1:45 - 3:00 pm   Panel One: Supports for At-Risk Youth:  Education, Health, and Housing

·   Moderator: James Forman, Professor, Georgetown University Law Center

·   “Addressing the Unintended Consequences of No Child Left Behind and Zero Tolerance” - Deborah Gordon Klehr, Staff Attorney, Education Law Center

·   “The Impact of Health Care for the Juvenile Justice Population” - Dr. Catherine A. Gallagher, Associate Professor, Justice, Law and Crime Policy Program, George Mason University

·   “Knock on Any Door: The Intersection of Housing and the Juvenile Justice System” - Judge Michael A. Corriero, Executive Director, Big Brothers Big Sisters of NY City

3:15 - 4:15 pm   Panel Two: Poverty and Equity in the Juvenile Justice System

·   Moderator:  Mai Fernandez, Legal and Strategy Director, Latin American Youth Center

·   “The Cost of Justice: How Low-Income Youth Pay the Price of Failing Indigent Defense Systems” - Katayoon Majd, Senior Staff Attorney, National Juvenile Defender Center

·   “Lasting Economic Consequences of Transfer Policies for Youth and Communities of Color” - Neelum Arya, Director, Research & Policy, Campaign for Youth Justice

4:30 - 5:30 pm Panel Three: Strategies for Breaking the Cycle of Offending and Poverty

·   Moderator:  Carol Chodroff, US Program Advocacy Director, Human Rights Watch

·   “Reentry and Aftercare for Incarcerated Youth” - Dr. David Altschuler, Principal Research Scientist, Johns Hopkins Institute for Policy Studies

·   “Juvenile Justice: Lessons for a New Era” - Mark Soler, Executive Director, Center for Children’s Law and Policy, and Marc Schindler, Chief of Staff, DC Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services

5:30 - 6:30 pm Reception, Thursday, March 26, 2009, Georgetown University Law Center, Gewirz Building 12th floor, 600 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001

Register for the symposium online. This event is free and open to the public.  Please contact Kate Rhudy at with any questions about the symposium. -jl

Effective Lawyering - The Meditative Perspective

The Center for Contemplative Mind in Society, the Bar Association of San Francisco, and Spirit Rock Meditation Center present Effective Lawyering: The Meditative Perspective A Meditation Retreat for Law Professionals and Students, April 2-5, 2009, (Thursday afternoon through Sunday midday) with James Baraz, Norman Fischer, Charlie Halpern, Edith Politis, and Judi Cohen at Spirit Rock Meditation Center Woodacre, California. MCLE Credits: 5 hours

Mindfulness meditation can provide a practical tool for busy legal professionals to enhance their law practice, quiet the mind, increase clarity and awareness, and restore a more peaceful balance to their lives. This program will include meditation instruction and practice, and will explore the interplay between contemplative and legal practices and the role meditation has played in enriching the professional lives of lawyers. The program is appropriate for beginners and experienced meditators.

The leadership for the retreat is comprised of senior meditation teachers and lawyers with substantial experience in both law and meditation practice. Cost: Sliding scale of $275 - $425, which includes meals and accommodations. Scholarships are available for people of color as well as separate scholarships based on need. Register online with Spirit Rock. For more information, visit the Spirit Rock website, or contact the Law Program Director at the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society. -jl

Fordham Law - Overcoming Barriers to Immigrant Representation

On March 11, 2009, Fordham Law School will host a conference entitled Overcoming Barriers to Immigrant Representation: Exploring Solutions. Details: 2009 ROBERT L. LEVINE LECTURE, March 11, 2009, 4-8 p.m. Location: McNally Amphitheater. Click here to register.

AGENDA

4-6 p.m.: Panel discussion, Moderated by the 2009 Levine Lecturer, Judge Robert A. Katzmann of the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Expert lawyers, academics, and government officials will outline the scope and nature of the crisis in meeting the representation needs of immigrants in our justice system-and discuss possible solutions.

6-8 p.m.: Breakout sessions, Join one of three breakout groups to consider concrete steps that may overcome barriers to or facilitate the legal representation of immigrants. (When you register, please select a breakout session to join by choosing one of the groups listed in the pulldown menu under "Fees." Note: There is no charge to participate.)

Group I-Leveraging Scarce Resources: Opportunities to Increase Representation through Partnerships between the Private Bar and Public Interest Service Providers

Group II-Assessing Systematic Change: Addressing Institutional Barriers to Quality Representation for Immigrants in New York Immigration Courts

Group III-Regulating Immigration Legal Providers: Inadequate Representation and Attorney/Notario Fraud

-jl

UCLA Law - The Global Arc of Justice: Sexual Orientation Law Around the World

The Global Arc of Justice: Sexual Orientation Law Around the World, will be a four-day international conference March 11-14, 2009 focusing on advances in LGBT rights around the globe. Convened by the Williams Institute, a research center on sexual orientation and gender identity law and policy at the UCLA School of Law; the International Lesbian and Gay Law Association (ILGLaw); and the City of West Hollywood; the conference will be held from March 11-14 on the UCLA campus in Los Angeles and in West Hollywood, California. The conference will offer simultaneous translation in English and Spanish.
Topics covered at the Global Arc of Justice Conference will include international efforts to advance legal recognition for same sex couples; the repeal of sodomy laws in former British Colonies; efforts by national governments to end homophobia and advance LGBT equality; implementation of the Yogyakarta Principles in litigation strategies and legal scholarship; and advancement of the rights of transgender people. Conference activities will include strategy working groups, paper presentations, plenary sessions, and various networking opportunities and celebrations.

Presenters will include openly gay national high court Justices Kirby from Australia and Zaffaroni from Venezuela and Supreme Court Justice Ram from Nepal; former president of the European Parliament Peter Schieder; co-director of South Africa’s Sonke Gender Justice Network Dean Peacock; International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission Executive Director Paula Ettelbrick; former U.S. ambassador Michael Guest; and a high-profile panel dealing with marriage rights in California.

Click here for the conference web site with registration and program information. Note today is the deadline for early registration and to secure the hotel conference rate. -jl

UNC Law - Conference on Race, Class, Gender and Ethnicity

On February 21, 2009, The University of North Carolina School of Law's Conference on Race, Class, Gender and Ethnicity is hosting its thirteenth annual conference entitled, Same-Sex Marriage and Beyond: Charting a Progressive Course. This year's conference is co-sponsored by the UNC Lambda Law Students Association. The Conference will bring legal practitioners and scholars together with activists, community members, and other academics to discuss the challenges and opportunities for the LGBTQ movement created by the struggle for same-sex marriage, and to chart a path forward for the movement and its allies. Our program will consist of four panels and two keynote speakers. The panels will examine: Marriage and Partner Recognition, Children and Parenting, Violence and the State, and Intersections.

Speakers Include:
Kevin Cathcart, Lambda Legal, New York, NY
Shannon Price Minter, National Center for Lesbian Rights, San Francisco, CA
Imani Henry, International Action Center, New York, NY
Maxine Eichner, UNC School of Law, Chapel Hill, NC
Gael Guevara, Sylvia Rivera Law Project, New York, NY
Ian Palmquist, Equality NC, Raleigh, NC
Catherine Smith, Sturm College of Law, Denver, CO
Barbara Fedders, UNC School of Law, Chapel Hill, NC
Robert Rosenwald, ACLU of Florida, Miami, FL
Aaron Morris, Immigration Equality, New York, NY
Justin Smith, Project STYLE, Chapel Hill, NC

Conference registration is $75 for CLE Credit, $20 otherwise, and free for students, unemployed, and fixed income registrants. Breakfast and lunch will be provided.

Click here to register, for directions to the law school, access to the schedule and more information.

-jl

Save the Date: ABA LITC Workshop Thursday, May 7, 2009, in Washington, D.C.

The ABA Low-Income Taxpayer Representation Workshop will be held on Thursday, May 7, 2009, in Washington, DC, in conjunction with the May Meeting of the ABA Section of Taxation. The Workshop is jointly sponsored by the Tax Section's Pro Bono and Low-Income Taxpayer Committees. The topic for 2009 is "Representing Low-Income Taxpayers in IRS Collection Matters."

Anyone interested in serving on one of the following panels should contact Paul Harrison by February 20, 2009:

- Representing Low Income Taxpayers in IRS Collection Matters: Introduction & Overview.  This panel will focus on current trends in IRS Collection activities as they pertain to low-income taxpayers, typical collection issues faced by low-income taxpayers, commonly encountered collection notices, intake practices related to LITP collection issues, and the importance of financial analysis in collection issues.

- Contesting Liability under IRC §6015 (Innocent Spouse, Separation of Liability, & Equitable Relief)

- Collection Alternatives: OIC, Installment Agreements, Partial Pay Installment Agreements, Currently not collectible status, and Bankruptcy.

- CDP Appeal of Collection Matters: Case study and mock CDP hearing.

-jl

CLEA New Clinicians Conference: May 5-6, 2009 in Cleveland

Professor Kim Connolly has announced:

CLEA will indeed be holding its CLEA New Clinicians Conference this year in Cleveland, immediately preceding the AALS conference (and concurrent with the Directors conference).  We will meet at Case Western Reserve University  starting at 3 pm on Tuesday, May 5th, through dinner, and the next day, Wednesday the 6th, from 8:30 am through 4:30 pm.  We will have shuttle transportation from the AALS conference hotel and meals provided as part of registration.  Registration details, etc. coming soon from conference co-chair Laura McNally (of Case) … so stay tuned!

-jl

Additional Panelists Confirmed for Maryland Law's 35th Anniversary Clinical Conference

I previously blogged about the March 6, 2009, Clinical Law Conference at University of Maryland Law School. Updated information, including the conference agenda, is now available online. -jl

ABA Tax Section Teleconference on National Taxpayer Advocate Report to Congress

The ABA Section of Taxation will hold a 90 minute teleconference eligible for CLE credit on Tuesday, February 10, 2009, from 1:00-2:30 p.m. EST:

TELECONFERENCE DESCRIPTION

For the second year in a row the ABA Section of Taxation is pleased to present a special 90-minute teleconference featuring Nina Olson, IRS National Taxpayer Advocate, who will discuss the major findings and recommendations from the National Taxpayer Advocate's 2008 Annual Report to Congress. Ample time will be provided for Q&A.

FEES*: $35  Section of Taxation Members; $125 ABA Members; $15  Full-time LITC employees; $35  Young Lawyers; $35  Government / Academic / Non-Profit;  $150 All other registrants. FREE Full-time J.D., LL.M., or M.T. Candidates (No CLE Credit)

*The Tax Section is pleased to offer Tax Section members a reduced fee for this Special CLE Teleconference.

Click here for more information or to register for this program.  -jl

SECOND GEORGETOWN SUMMER INSTITUTE ON CLINICAL TEACHING

Georgetown Law Associate Dean Deborah Epstein has provided more details on the second Summer Institute on Clinical Teaching:

On June  22-25,  2009, Georgetown University Law Center will hold  its second Summer Institute on Clinical Teaching.  During this four-day, intensive workshop on our campus, we will help clinicians with more than 5 years of experience improve their teaching and supervision through plenary sessions, hands-on work, and individualized feedback.

The Institute will be open to 21 participants.  All selected participants will be required to submit, in advance:

1.  A videotape/DVD of a clinical event on which you would like to get help and feedback; or

2.  A class plan that you will be willing to conduct with your small group during the Institute; as well as

3.  A written description of a difficult problem you have encountered as a clinical teacher.  We will attempt to develop effective ways to handle the issues raised.

4.  A short biography of your life as a clinician

5.  A description of your program

If possible, please also submit:

1.  Something you use in your clinic (an exercise, requirement, technique, etc.) that you have liked and are willing to share; AND.

2.  Your grading rubric, if you have one.

There will be no registration fee for the Institute.  Georgetown will provide the majority of meals throughout the workshop period, and those who wish to stay in the Law Center’s dormitory apartments may do so at low cost.

If you would like to participate, please complete the  application form  attached to the end of this message.

Faculty will include:

Muneer Ahmad -- American; Jane Aiken – Georgetown; Sameer Ashar -- CUNY; Sue Bryant – CUNY; John Copacino – Georgetown; Deborah Epstein – Georgetown; Conrad Johnson -- Columbia; Catherine Klein -- Catholic; Elliott Millstein – American; Wally Mlyniec -- Georgetown; Ann Shalleck – American; Abbe Smith -- Georgetown; Grant Wiggins – President, Authentic Education

Why an Intensive Institute?

In the fall  of 2008, in response to a clinic listserv discussion about fellowship programs, I posted a description of the Clinical Pedagogy course that the Georgetown faculty teaches for our clinical teaching fellows.  I was overwhelmed by the response.  Clinicians around the country, most of whom had been teaching for 5-15 years, sent messages saying they wished they could enroll in the class.  It struck me that there are few, if any, opportunities for experienced clinicians to sit back and reflect on their pedagogical choices.  The annual May AALS Clinical Section conference can be wonderful, but our community has become so large that there is little room, even in the conference’s small groups, for sustained focus on individual challenges.

Wally Mlyniec, Jane Aiken, and I began discussing what role Georgetown could play in meeting this need.  We decided to launch this program -- the Georgetown Summer Institute on Clinical Teaching – with the goal of helping a small group (approximately 21) of experienced clinicians rethink and refine their teaching and supervision methods. 

Our Goals

The Institute will offer participants the chance:

*  To clarify our goals as clinical teachers, ensure that our teaching methods are consistent with our goals, and identify potential new goals and approaches to re-energize our teaching.

*  To improve our listening skills so as to identify opportunities for learning as they arise during the student’s clinical experience.  We will investigate classic problems that arise in clinic that get in the way of our teaching and learning, including approaches to difficult conversations with students, teaching about cultural difference without assuming a majority audience, as well as unique problems brought by participants to the Institute. 

*  To develop strategies for purposeful learning in our direct supervision and seminar components. The Institute will draw upon experts in educational theory that trains teachers to choose teaching methods that are a function of our ultimate teaching goal to ensure that our teaching is effective and purposeful.   We will constantly be asking the questions, “Why did you do that?,” “How did it work?” and “What would you do differently?”

*  To create a group of peers who can share the unique challenges that clinical education poses and provide each other with continuing feedback and ideas well into the future.

*  To provide participants with a meaningful take-away from the experience. Participants will leave the week with particularized feedback on their own clinical teaching, insight into the strategies that work and those that don’t, ways to improve those strategies, and materials that address teaching methods and theory appropriate to the clinical setting.

We’re extremely excited about this opportunity to teach and learn, and are looking forward to spending intensive time with a small group of you this summer.

  - Deborah Epstein, Jane Aiken, and Wally Mlyniec

APPLICATION FOR GEORGETOWN SUMMER INSTITUTE ON CLINICAL TEACHING

Name:

School:

Number of years in full-time clinical teaching:

Types of clinics taught:

Two things you would like to get out of this Institute:

-jl

Audio Conference: Tax Issues for Battered Women

Barbara Hart is pleased to announce an audio conference “Tax Issues for Battered Women and Sexual Assault Survivors” for Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault program advocates and attorneys on tax issues confronting survivors of Violence Against Women.

Participant Eligibility:  Advocates and attorneys for battered women and sexual assault survivors who are employed by community based organizations.  State DV and SA coalition staff and direct service providers.  Legal services and LAV attorneys.

Date: January 21, 2009, 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., EST

Faculty:  Nicole Appleby, Director of the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic, University of Michigan Law School and Mary O’Doherty, Economic Justice Project Director of KDVA (KY Domestic Violence Association); hosted by Barbara Hart, MuskieSchool
Topic:  Tax Issues for Battered Women and Sexual Assault Survivors. Nicole will briefly outline the range of tax issues that may be relevant to survivors. Tax preparation, EITC, rebates, "innocent spouse" provisions of the IRS Code, divorce, support, and bankruptcy implications.

Goals:• to provide advocates and attorneys serving survivors with information about tax credits and rebates; • to enable advocates and attorneys to identify potential tax issues for survivors, • to give advocates and attorneys the tools to make informed referrals to survivors about programs that can help with refunds, problem-solving re: tax liability and preparation of tax returns.

REGISTRATION IS OPEN NOW   
Register online. For more information contact: Vicky Lynes 612-824-8768 ext. 100. -jl

Save the Date: Equal Justice Conference May 14-16, 2009 in Orlando, FL

The 2008 Equal Justice Conference will be held in Orlando, Florida from May 14 – 16, 2009.  Updated conference information is available online, including:

- registration options

- discounts

- hotel accommodations

- travel and

- scholarship information. 

-jl

Law and Society Early Career Workshop, May 26-27, 2009 in Denver, Colorado

The Law and Society Association is pleased to announce the first Early Career Workshop to be held May 26-27, immediately preceding the 2009 Annual Meeting of the Law and Society Association in Denver, Colorado, USA. We invite applications from scholars in the early stage of their careers (first three years of initial appointment or in a post doc) in any field whose scholarly interests include sociolegal studies. The Association strongly encourages applications from scholars who have not participated in LSA meetings before, in addition to scholars who have participated one or many times before. The Early Career Workshop encourages new faculty to move their research and writing toward law-and-society topics and encourages people who are already comfortable with one methodological approach to consider others. For those trained as lawyers, social science may seem a bit daunting. For those trained in one social science, other methodologies from other fields may seem foreign. But for all concerned, it might be useful to know these other methods. In this Early Career Workshop, we will help people to make transitions to new kinds of law-related work with a focus on questions of methodology. As a result, we will ask: How do law-and-society scholars do their work? And how can newcomers to the field increase their methodological range?

This workshop will offer insight into three different streams of research methodology and will allow participants to start to come to grips with methods that they have not tried before. The three streams are:
- formal modeling and quantitative approaches -- focusing on countable and quantifiable elements of legal phenomena
- ethnographic/qualitative methods -- focusing on experience-based methods of observation and interviewing
- historical/textual analysis -- focusing on the analysis of documents, from archives to cases

The sessions within each stream will consider questions like:
- how can new researchers in the field find appropriate data to analyze?
- what are the key strengths and limitations of particular methods?
- how would researchers learn more about how to use the particular approach?
- what are the specific issues that arise in adapting these generic methods to legal settings?

In addition, participants will be asked to submit a current working paper or project description in advance of the workshop and will be given individual feedback from faculty in individual meetings (with one or two faculty) during the workshop. The workshop will be structured to allow for informal discussion and networking over meals and during breaks.

This year’s planning committee is co-chaired by Tom Baker (University of Pennsylvania) and Kim Lane Scheppele (Princeton University) and include s Richard Brooks (Yale University), Malcolm Feeley (University of California, Berkeley), Alexandra Huneeus (University of Wisconsin), Sally Merry (New York University), Lisa Miller (Rutgers University), Sara Parikh (Leo J. Shapiro & Assoc.), and Vicki Schultz (Yale University).

Twenty scholars will be selected to participate in the Workshop. Applications must be received by February 15, 2009. Applications should contain the following four items:
1. cover sheet, which can be downloaded here,
2. current CV,
3. 1-2 page letter describing research and teaching interests, and
4. 2 page description of a current research project.

These documents should be combined in into a single file, in the order listed above, named for the applicant as follows: “LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME_ECW.file-type” File type should be .doc, .wpd, or .pdf. Send the file as an attachment in an email to ECW@lawandsociety.org.

Participants should plan travel to arrive on Monday, May 25th. For those not reimbursed by their home institution, LSA will offer up to $500 toward the costs of travel and two nights’ accommodations. If you have questions about the submission format please get in touch with Lissa Ganter. -jl

SAVE THE DATE: Third Annual Indian Law Symposium and Workshop June 7-9, 2009

The Third Annual Indian Law Clinics and Externship Programs Symposium and Workshop will be held June 7-9, 2009 in New Mexico. Details:

Sponsors
Southwest Indian Law Clinic, UNM School of Law
University of Denver Sturm College of Law
Contributors
The Tribal Law Practice Clinic Washburn University School of Law
Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law

Where: Isleta Casino & Resort, Pueblo of Isleta (located just south of Albuquerque, New Mexico)

For: Professors, Directors, Clinicians and Staff of Indian Law, Poverty Law, Economic Justice and Community Lawyering Clinics and those interested in carefully considering their work with Communities through the provision of legal representation.

Goal: To dedicate time and space for Indian law clinics and other clinicians working with minority populations to work in solidarity on Poverty Law and Community Lawyering issues, to discuss our shared mission and differing perspectives, and to support new ideas

Watch for more program details coming soon.

Contacts:
Professor Christine Zuni Cruz
Professor Barbara Creel
Southwest Indian Law Clinic
UNM School of Law
505-277-5265

Professor Aliza Organick
Washburn University School of Law
Tribal Law Practice Clinic
785-670-1664

For registration information contact:
Mitzi Vigil
(505) 277-0405

-jl

Save the Date: CUNY Conference on Immigration Policy

On Thursday, February 5, 2009, The Colin Powell Center for Policy Studies at CUNY will sponsor a half-day conference entitled National Concern, Local Action: Immigration Integration in New York. Gen. Colin L. Powell will serve as the luncheon keynote speaker. The conference is free and open to the public. Click here for more information on the conference and here to register. -jl

University of Maryland Clinical Program to Host 35th Anniversary Conference

The Clinical Law Program at the University of Maryland School of Law will present their 35th Anniversary Conference entitled Curriculum Reform: Linking Theory and Practice on Friday, March 6, 2009.

The program will continue the cycle of best practices discussions that have occurred across the country in response to the recently published Best Practices for Legal Education and the Carnegie Foundation Report, Educating Lawyers. The conference will focus on efforts of curricular reform, highlighting innovative programs in legal education that were implemented in response to these publications or otherwise fulfill their spirit, and discuss the centrality of clinical legal education to curricular innovation and reform.

Confirmed panelists include:

· Bryan Adamson, Seattle University School of Law

· Susan Bryant, CUNY School of Law

· Jon Dubin, Rutgers University School of Law

· Peter Joy, Washington University School of Law

· Dean Lisa Kloppenberg, University of Dayton School of Law

· Larry Marshall, Stanford Law School

· Todd Rakoff, Harvard Law School

· Dean Karen Rothenberg, University of Maryland School of Law

· Dean Rodney Smolla, Washington and Lee University School of Law

· Antoinette Sedillo Lopez, University of New Mexico School of Law

For more information and to register, click here. -jl

Registration Now Open for ABA Tax Section Midyear Meeting in New Orleans

The Midyear Meeting will be held January 8-10, 2009 at the Sheraton Hotel in New Orleans.  Full time law students, including LL.M. students, may attend free of charge. First time section members may also attend free.  Law profs and full time LITC employees pay the reduced (early bird) rate of $140.00. The early bird discount is only available through December 11, 2008. CLE credit is available.  Registration and more information is available online. -jl 

AALS - CLEA GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

CLEA President, Prof. Michael Pinard has announced that a CLEA general membership meeting will be held during the January AALS Annual Meeting in San Diego. The CLEA meeting will be held on Thursday, January 8, 2009, from 7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. at the San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina.  -jl

ABA Tax Section Teleconference on New Sec. 7702 IRS Correction Procedures

The ABA  Tax Section is holding a teleconference/audio webcast on Wednesday, December 3, 2008, from 1:00-2:30 p.m. EST to discuss the new process for correcting compliance failures under section 7702:

On June 30, 2008, the IRS issued five revenue procedures that significantly changed the process for correcting compliance failures under section 7702 (defining “life insurance contract” for tax purposes), section 7702 (defining “modified endowment contract” for tax purposes), and under section 817(h) (imposing diversification requirements for variable life insurance and variable annuity contracts)

The five revenue procedures (Rev. Proc. 2008-38 through Rev. Proc. 2008-42) were developed as the need for improved procedures became more and more evident, particularly with respect to the formal cost of correction, i.e., the “toll-charge,” and in response to the Service and Treasury’s request for comments that was made in Notice 2007-15. The updated procedures make significant changes to the requirements for correction.

Online registration is available and the program confers 1.5 hours of CLE credit for 60-minute states and 1.8 hours in 50-minute states. 

-jl

25th Annual National Institute on Criminal Tax Fraud - December 4-5, 2008

The American Bar Association Section of Taxation, Criminal Justice Section, and the ABA Center for Continuing Legal Education will hold the 25th Annual National Institute on Criminal Tax Fraud on December 4-5, 2008 in San Francisco, CA.  Attendees may register and access the program online. Those unable to attend but interested in ordering audio CDs and course materials may do so via the registration and order form in the program, or through the online ABA catalog. Mandatory continuing legal education (MCLE) accreditation includes 9.00 - 10:80 hours of CLE credit (depending on individual state recognition of a 50 or 60 minute credit hour).  -jl

Workshop on Community Lawyering Clinics at Harvard Law School

The Harvard Law School Office of Clinical & Pro Bono Programs will be holding a Workshop on Community Lawyering Clinics on Friday, November 14, 2008, from 9 am to 5 pm (with a reception to follow). This will be the first in a series of Clinical Workshops to be held at Harvard Law School.

The format is an all-day workshop. From 9 am to noon, Professors Juliet Brodie, Sameer Ashar, and Scott Cummings will present sequentially their recent scholarship on community lawyering, with two to three commentators responding to each. This session will be followed by lunch, with Michael Gregory serving as the luncheon speaker. After lunch, there will be two additional sessions, from 1:45 to 3:15 pm, and then from 3:30 to 5 pm. The first afternoon session, facilitated by Jeff Selbin and Peggy Maisel, will focus on programmatic design of community lawyering clinics. The second session, on curriculum in community lawyering clinics, will be facilitated by Nancy Cook and Shin Imai. A reception will be held 5 to 7 pm.

If you are able to attend, please RSVP by Monday, November 10, 2008.  -jl

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS: AALS SECTION ON CLINICAL LEGAL EDUCATION

The Section on Clinical Legal Education is seeking nominations for two or three openings on the Executive Committee beginning in January, 2009. These will be for three-year terms. In addition, the Section is seeking nominations for the 2009 Chair Elect, whose one-year term also begins in January, 2009, and includes a three-year commitment [a year as Chair-Elect, a year as Chair, and a year as Ex Officio Chair].  Nominees should be from AALS member schools since the AALS requires the Executive Committee to be comprised of faculty from AALS member schools.

Nominations for Chair-Elect are not restricted to current members of the Executive Committee. As a result, you can nominate a current executive committee member or any other person, including yourself, whom you believe is qualified for the position.  If you wish to nominate someone for the Executive Committee and/or for Chair-Elect, or if you wish to nominate yourself for either position, please send the nominee's (or your) name, along with a brief statement in support of the nomination, to Nina W. Tarr .

The Executive Committee typically meets at the AALS Annual Meeting in January and at the AALS Clinical Conference in the spring.  Conference calls are held in between meetings. The deadline for submitting nominees is Wednesday, October 29, 2008.

Howard University's Fair Housing Clinic to Host People's Law Day

Brian Gilmore, Adjunct Professor and Staff Attorney for the Fair Housing Clinic at Howard University School of Law has announced the law school will host a panel discussion entitled The Coming World: Fair & Affordable Housing in the 21st Century. The event will be held on October 17, 2008, from 8:00 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. and panelists include:

Mary Hahn, Director, Fair Housing Project - Washington Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law
Oramenta Newsome, Executive Director, Local Initiatives Support Corporation ( LISC)
Wendell Pritchett, Law Professor, Univ. of Pennsylvania School of Law & Advisor to Presidential Candidate Barack Obama.

There is no cost for the session and reception, but registration is required. To register, please contact the Howard University School of Law Fair Housing Clinic at (202) 806-8267 or register online.

A copy of the program may be downloaded here. Download 2008_peoples_law_day1.pdf  -jl

SAVE THE DATE: GEORGETOWN SUMMER INSTITUTE ON CLINICAL TEACHING

Georgetown Professor Deborah Epstein has announced that the law school will again host a summer clinical teaching conference. A popular offering last summer, we are glad to hear it's being offered again.  Prof. Epstein provides the following details:

Georgetown University Law Center is pleased to announce that we will hold the second Summer Institute on Clinical Teaching from June 1-4, 2009.  During this four-day, intensive workshop on our campus, we will help a small number of experienced clinicians improve their teaching and supervision through plenary sessions, hands-on work, and numerous opportunities for individualized feedback.  All participants will be asked to submit a tape or a written description of a clinical challenge they have encountered; small group sessions will be devoted to thinking through strategies for resolving them.  Our hope is that clinicians will leave the Institute with a renewed sense of energy, a broader range of strategic ideas, and a connected community of peers from whom to continue to learn.

There will be no registration fee.  Georgetown will provide some meals during the workshop period, and those who wish to stay in the Law Center’s dormitory apartments may do so at low cost. We will circulate details about the Institute, including the faculty, the agenda, and how to apply, later in the fall. -jl

Conference: Second Biennial International Applied Storytelling in Law

Prof. Ruth Anne Robbins has announced the second Applied Storytelling Conference, Once Upon a Legal Time, Chapter Two: Applied Storytelling in Law will be held July 22-24, 2009 at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon. The announcement is reproduced below:

Introduction
We are pleased to issue this Call for Proposals for the second biennial international Applied Storytelling Conference. The deadline is December 8, 2008. Building on the success of the first conference, held in London in 2007, this conference seeks to foster collaboration and dialogue about the skill of storytelling in law and about teaching storytelling and other skills to law students and practitioners. This conference will bring together academics, judges, and practitioners to explore the role of narrative in legal practice and curricular strategies that will prepare students to use story and narrative as they enter the practice of law.

Potential topics on the role of narrative in the practice of law may include (but please, feel free to be creative):
-using storytelling in litigation or transactional work or in legislative processes;
-the process of creating compelling legal stories as part of best practices;
-examining current models used to teach storytelling skills in education and/or practice;
-narrative and negotiation;
-the place of storytelling in legal reasoning;
-differentiating between stories and narratives and the uses of each;
-comparative storytelling in legal systems;
-the ethical limits of storytelling, whether with clients lawyers or judges;

Selected papers from the 2007 conference were published in two journals: 43 The Law Teacher (Thomson, 2007); and 14 Legal Writing: The Journal of the Legal Writing Institute (LexisNexis, 2008). Volume 14 of Legal Writing is available on-line.

Format
The conference will include 45-60 minute presentations as well as roundtable discussions. Proposals may indicate a preference for format. We also encourage people to present works in progress for feedback.

Proposal Submissions
The deadline for submissions is December 8, 2008. Submissions should be made on the attached Submission Form and should be sent, preferably electronically, to: Prof. Steve Johansen, Lewis & Clark Law School 10015 SW Terwilliger Blvd., Portland, OR 97219

Logistical Details
Proposal Format: Please include a cover sheet, the form of which appears at the end of this document, plus a description or narrative. Proposal narratives can be as short as a few paragraphs but please do not exceed 2-3 pages of text including whatever partial or full bibliography you include.

Please make sure that your contact email address is included in the body of the proposal. That is how we will be communicating with you.

Selection Process: After all proposals are received, the Conference Program Committee will review all proposals. Submitters of proposals will be notified if their proposal has been accepted by January 15, 2009.

When and Where: The conference will take place from Wednesday, July 22 (opening reception) to Friday, July 24, 2007 (closing dinner) at Lewis and Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon. The School is a short ride from downtown Portland, nestled on the edge of Tryon Creek State Park. Transportation to and from the conference hotel will be provided.

Costs to Participants: Final conference costs have not been finalized. We anticipate the conference fee to be approximately $350.

Housing: We have reserved blocks of rooms at the Heathman Hotel ($179/night), and the Downtown Marriott Hotel ($149/night). Both hotels are in the heart of pedestrian-friendly downtown Portland. For more details on the hotels, please visit their websites:

This conference is made possible through the generous support of the Legal Writing Institute and Lewis and Clark Law School. -jl

Georgetown Law Center to Host Town Hall Meeting on Juvenile Justice

Georgetown Professor Wallace Mlyniec has announced the law school will host A Call to Action for Juvenile Justice on November 6, 2008 at 2:00 p.m.:

Just two days after the 2008 Presidential Election the American Bar Association's Juvenile Justice Committee of the Criminal Justice Section and Georgetown's Juvenile Justice Clinic will host a Town Hall meeting at Georgetown Law Center in Washington, DC.  Committee co-chair, Professor Charles Ogletree from Harvard Law School will moderate the discussion.  Georgetown Law Professor Kristin Henning, a juvenile justice specialist, will join the panel.  Juvenile Justice Advisors to John McCain and Barack Obama, along with other lawmakers, have been invited.   

To attend the event, please RSVP to Christopher Gowen at gowenc@staff.abanet.org

-jl

Clinical Legal Education Workshop: May 5-9, 2009 in Cleveland, OH

A Workshop on Clinical Legal Education entitled Emerging Lawyers: Clients, Complexity and Collaboration in a Cross-Disciplinary Lens will be held in Cleveland, OH on May 5-9, 2009. The workshop's Planning Committee has provided the following description:

Our students are adult learners entering a multifaceted profession. We expect them to learn how to interact professionally with us, with each other, and most importantly, with clients. They are faced with complex problems to solve just as they are trying on their new professional role. When we ask them to commit a semester, a year or even multiple terms to this endeavor, they rightfully expect that we are aware of how to teach adults about the ethical, legal and practical complexity of this unfamiliar role. They may also expect that we will draw on the expertise of teachers of other professional disciplines to shape our approaches to their learning.

This workshop will help clinical teachers meet these expectations by inviting adult learning experts and colleagues from multiple professional disciplines to shape our discussion of three specific issues clinical teachers routinely face: how do lawyers solve complex problems; how do lawyers learn to shoulder the moral responsibility and weight of representing clients; and how do clinical teachers ensure and enhance their students’ abilities to learn from the classmates who will soon be their colleagues.

To shake us all up a little as we address these issues, we have reorganized the structure of the workshop. The most significant change is that we are organizing working groups by level of experience rather than affinity groups (don’t worry; there’s a significant opportunity for affinity group meetings as you’ll read below). Working groups will also play a more central role in the overall workshop, allowing the groups to grapple with the issues presented by the plenary presentations. The concurrent sessions, which will occur only twice, will be structured around these learning themes. The last afternoon will be set aside for affinity group meetings which the planning committee will assist the groups in organizing.

Cleveland will provide us with two organizing principles: addressing social justice and having fun. We will be identifying ways in which legal and social justice organizations are tackling Cleveland’s stark reality of being the poorest big city in the United States and integrating that knowledge into the program. But Cleveland is also a city rich in activities we all enjoy: baseball, art, classical music, and of course, rock and roll. We’ll find time for all of these plus, in honor of our rock and roll location, the program will include opportunities for clinicians to sing, make music and boogie the night away.

Requests for Proposals will be issued in October for the two concurrent sessions and the affinity group meetings. The Planning Committee is also soliciting clinicians who can double as musicians and singers (you know who you are), to organize some of the musical activities. The May 5th Directors Day is also being organized and more information will be provided shortly.  The Planning Committee for the Workshop on Clinical Legal Education includes:

Elizabeth B. Cooper, Fordham University

David Anthony Santacroce, The University of Michigan

Alexander Scherr, University of Georgia

Jane M. Spinak, Columbia University, Chair

Paulette J. Williams, University of Tennessee   -jl

The Sixth International Clinical Conference Will be Held Oct. 27-30 in Arrowhead, California

The UCLA School of Law and the University of London Institute of Advanced Legal Studies have announced the Program and Registration for the Sixth International Conference on Clinical Legal Education and Scholarship to be held at Lake Arrowhead, California, from Thursday afternoon, October 27, through Sunday morning, October 30, 2005.  Conference organizers report that this year's theme of "Enriching Clinical Education" has drawn a remarkable range of papers from clinicians around the nation and across the world.

Full information about the conference, including the conference program, the panelists, registration and travel information, can be found at:  http://www.law.ucla.edu/sixth_international_clinical_conference/

Conference theme: The conference is centered on four broad themes: Skills Training Revisited, Structuring the Clinical Experience, Learning from Other Perspectives and the Globalization of Clinical Legal Education.  Under these broad rubrics, the schedule offers a series of panels that describe and evaluate ways in which clinical pedagogy is responding to the challenge of preparing our students to work in an increasingly complex, multi-party, technologically sophisticated, interdisciplinary, global legal world. 

Conference structure: Panel topics range from broad themes of revisiting the relationship between social justice and the clinic; to individual perspectives on how to design an effective clinic; and discrete topics of client counseling and interviewing such as how using an interpreter changes the lawyer-client relationship or prediction issues in client counseling. Other panels take a look at empirical work on measuring lawyer competence and structuring sophisticated simulations.   Given the remarkable growth of the clinical movement worldwide in recent years, we have also scheduled significant conference time to an examination of this phenomenon.  We are pleased to report that panelists include clinicians from Australia, China, England, India, Israel, Japan, Russia, and Scotland.

Contact for further information:

Susan Gillig, Assistant Dean for Academic Programs & Centers

Gillig@law.ucla.edu

Summer Rose, Conference Administrator

Rose@law.ucla.edu 

Wendy Haro, Conference Administrator

Haro @law.ucla.edu

Save the date: Clinical Writers’ Workshop April 29, 2006

The Clinical Law Review's Board of Editors plans to hold a day-long "clinical writers' workshop" on Saturday, April 29, 2006.   At this workshop clinical teachers will have the opportunity to “workshop” their works-in-progress (whether those are books or articles or essays on clinical pedagogy, substantive law issues or other topics, or other types of writing).  The workshop immediately precedes the AALS Clinical Conference of Spring 2006, which will be held in New York City at NYU Law School (which is one of the three sponsors of the Review, along with CLEA and AALS). 

At the workshop, all attendees will be in small groups organized by the
subject matter in which they are writing (clinical pedagogy, specific areas
of the law, and so forth).  During the course of the day, each group will
"workshop" the draft of each member of the group. The groups will be
determined before the conference and all participants will be asked to
circulate their draft to all members of their group approximately a month
before the workshop so that everyone has an opportunity to read the drafts
of their fellow group members before the workshop begins.

There will not be an admission or registration fee for the
conference.  Meals will be provided during the workshop but participants
will have to arrange and pay for their own travel and lodgings.

The Board will provide more details in the announcement in the Fall.  In the interim, if you have any comments or suggestions, please send them to
Randy Hertz at randy.hertz@nyu.edu.

A Boy, a Cat, and the Power of Stories

Thinking about the power of narrative and client counseling, problem solving, case planning, or ethics?  Texas Wesleyan University School of Law is co-sponsoring a conference on The Power of Stories: Intersections of Law, Culture, and Literature, that will be held in Gloucester, England, July 24-26, 2005.  The conference celebrates the 400th anniversary of the story of Dick Whittington and His Cat.

Among the scheduled topics:

"Did Richard Whittington Even Own a Cat?:  The Ethics of Telling Stories to Unwitting Clients”—Steven Johansen, Lewis and Clark Law School

“The Dick Whittington Story:  Theories of Poor Relief, Social Ambition, and Possibilities for Class Transformation”—Helen Hershkoff, New York Univ. School of Law

“Stop Stepping on My Story!:  Using Character-and Conflict-Framing to Prevent Cross-Cultural Missteps and Misunderstandings”—Brian Foley, Florida Coastal School of Law

“Summoning Calliope as the New Muse of Legal Storytelling:  Writing about Our Clients as Heroes”—Ruth Anne Robbins, Univ. of Rutgers School of Law-Camden

Among the social events are historic walks and a joust (presumably between re-enactors, not law professors).You can get more information about the conference at the Glouster conference website.

Conference on Learning Outside the Classroom

The Institute for Law School Teaching is holding its annual summer conference July 14 through July 16, at Gonzaga University School of Law in Spokane, Washington.  The conference title is "Learning Outside the Classroom" and will focus on the learning students do when they are not in class, and how law professors can facilitate that learning.

For detailed information on the conference you may go to the Institute's website at www.law.gonzaga.edu/ilst, and look at the current issue of The Law Teacher, or at the page entitled "Next Institute Conference."   You may also contact Elizabeth Bowen, the Institute's Coordinator.

Reminder: Northeast Regional Clinical Workshop

The Northeast Regional Clinical Workshop, Coming Into Community, will be held on June 16 - 18 in Bristol and Providence, Rhode Island.  The workshop is being hosted by the Roger Williams University Law Clinics.

Conference on Victims' Rights

The Lewis & Clark Law School Crime Victim Litigation Clinic and the affiliated National Crime Victim Law Institute (NCVLI) will host the 4th Annual Crime Victim Law &  Litigation Conference on June 17-18, 2005, in Portland, Oregon.  The Conference will offer three different curriculum emphases:  Foundational Victim Law; Sexual Assault; and Advanced Victim Law.The Conference will also be the occasion of an awards ceremony honoring Lewis & Clark Professor Doug Beloof.  Beloof, who directs the Crime Victim Litigation Clinic, will receive the Professional Innovation in Victim Service Award. 

As part of the Silver Anniversary of the The National Crime Victim Law Institute, federal funders have announced grants to three new victim rights clinics.   According to the NCVLI, these new clinics add up to a national total of nine victim rights clinics.  The new grantees include the Victim's Rights Clinic at the University of Idaho Legal Aid Clinic and the New Jersey Crime Victims' Law Center (a joint project with the Seton Hall School of Law Center for Social Justice).

A quick look at the conference agenda demonstrates how law clinics are shaping the future of victims' rights law.  want to comment about the role of law clinics in developing this new area of law?  Post your thoughts below.

Drake Legal Clinic Hosts Forum on Protecting Children

The Drake Legal Clinic recently sponsored the first national conference on the Pew Foundation's Fostering Results initiative.  The initiative seeks to prevent unnecessary foster care placements, and to quickly and appropriately move children out of foster care and into safe, permanent families.  Drake Legal Clinic's Children's Rights Project operates a unique partnership with the interdisciplinary Middleton Center for Children's Rights."We are very proud of the work we're doing with Pew and that we were selected to partner in this national project," said Suzanne Levitt, Executive Director of Clinical Programs at Drake Law School.  Levitt notes, "We were further honored to be selected as the site for the first national conference on the report."  Drake's recent press release has more information about the conference.