Alumni E-mail Newsletter

February 2006

Documentary filmmaker Rory Kennedy visits as 24th annual Cannon Lecturer

In January, award-winning documentary filmmaker Rory Kennedy visited the College of Law as part of the 24th annual Cannon Lecture. Kennedy is a nationally-renowned documentary filmmaker known for her sensitive portrayal of individuals affected by our most serious social concerns. She spoke about domestic violence, showing clips from some of her award-winning documentaries, including American Hollow, a film about an Appalachian family caught between tradition and the encroaching modern world.

The speech was co-sponsored by UT Law’s Domestic Violence Clinic, which gives UT Law students hands-on experience in helping to prosecute domestic violence crimes. Led by UT Law’s Director of Clinical Programs Gabrielle Davis, the domestic violence clinic has also been instrumental in forming a community-wide fatality review team. The team is currently studying domestic violence deaths in northwest Ohio and attempting to pinpoint ways in which support services for people affected by domestic violence can be improved. Prior to the public speech, community members involved in domestic violence prevention, education and prosecution were invited to a reception held in their honor.

Rory Kennedy interviewing with local media before her speech.

Lucas County Commissioner Tina Skeldon Wozniak (left), Director of Clinical Programs Gabrielle Davis (center), and Rory Kennedy (right) chat at a reception held in honor of the many community members involved in domestic violence education and prevention.

“Rory Kennedy’s work has been dedicated to probing societal problems that might otherwise have been left untouched,” said Interim Dean Beth Eisler. “Her visit epitomized the intent and spirit of the Cannon Lecture Series – to provide the community an opportunity to interact with a speaker whose work is recognized on a national level for bringing to light many of the social issues that color our society and shape the law.”

The Cannon Lecture Series was established in 1980 in memory of former Toledo attorney Joseph A. Cannon through a generous gift from his family and friends. The lecture series is intended to provide an opportunity for the College of Law, The University of Toledo, and the greater Toledo community to host individuals of national prominence who, in discussing questions of law and society, will emphasize the humanistic dimension as well as the limitations of our legal system. The 24 th Cannon Lecture was dedicated to the memory of William Cannon.

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Calling all alumni to help UT Law celebrate 100 years

Participate in the celebration of the College of Law’s 100th birthday by filling out this survey by April 1, and you’ll have a chance to win a College of Law t-shirt or sweatshirt of your choice! There will also be a prize for the best photo submitted.

The Toledo Transcript will commemorate the College of Law’s 100th anniversary this year with a montage of memories to be published in late summer. To continue the celebration, alumni from across the country will be invited back to UT Law this fall to join in centennial festivities.

The College of Law began humbly in 1906 – housed in a YMCA building downtown – but has grown to become a vital community of outstanding faculty, students, and alumni making a difference both in Toledo and around the world.

Along the way, countless memories, friendships and careers were created. The Toledo Transcript would like to gather some of these remembrances. To do that, we need your help.

Please take a few moments to either fill out this survey, or if you prefer, write a letter to us about your time at The University of Toledo College of Law. A favorite professor, a noteworthy class, a light-hearted moment, a coincidental meeting with a fellow UT Law grad, or anything you wish to share about the contributions you believe the College has made to the community, or to you personally.

We also welcome all photos relating to the College of Law or College of Law alumni! Send them to the address at the top of this survey.

You can use this survey to submit your memories, or you can write your thoughts down in a free-form essay. Try to be as specific as possible in your responses. Answer as few or as many questions as you’d like.

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UT Law alumna wins national writing award for copyright paper

A theater minor in college, Tamara Peters ’05 found intellectual property courses at UT Law to be the perfect way to blend her artistic leanings with the black letter law. She did well in her IP coursework – earning an intellectual property certificate, securing a prestigious internship, and finally, last month, winning a national writing award given out by the American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers.

Peters’ paper was chosen as the best in the nation in the 2005 Nathan Burkan Memorial Competition. The primary purpose of the competition is to increase awareness and interest in intellectual property law. Judges are experienced copyright practitioners.

“Ms. Peters’ national writing prize demonstrates how far our students can go with the support of dedicated faculty who care about student achievement,”said Interim Dean Beth Eisler.

For her efforts, Peters won $3,000 and her paper, titled Infringement of the Adaptation Right: A Derivative Work Need Not Be “Fixed” for the Law to be Broken, will be published in the Journal of the Copyright Society of the U.S.A. Second place went to a student from the University of Houston Law Center, and third place went to a student from Fordham University School of Law.

Peters completed the paper as an independent research project and as part of her intellectual property certificate requirements. During law school, Peters was one of two summer interns working in the U.S. Copyright Office in Washington, D.C., where she was first exposed to the issues she ultimately delved into for her award-winning paper.

To earn an IP certificate, students must take a core number of IP courses, and complete a major research and writing project on an IP-related topic. The certificate demonstrates that students are graduating from law school with expertise in a particular area. The IP certificate was first offered five years ago and now boasts alumni who work in the IP practice areas of major law firms across the country, as well as IP boutique firms.

“Five years after its inception, the IP certificate program continues to produce many distinguished alumni who are beginning to make their marks in the field,”said associate professor Llew Gibbons, who heads the program.“We’re proud of the caliber of students and quality of adjunct faculty who have contributed to the program’s success.”

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Spark a connection by joining the National Alumni Referral Network

You never know what work might come your way simply by staying connected with your fellow alumni. One way to spark a connection is to enter your contact information in a database maintained by The College of Law’s Career Services Office. The referral network was established last fall to make it easier for alums to refer work to one another. If you have legal work that you need to refer to an attorney in a different city, why not consider UT Law alumni? Simply click on the city you want the work to go to, and find a list of UT Law alumni in that area. The more alumni who enter their contact information into the database, the more complete and effective the network will be. For details, visit the Alumni Referral Program page at utlaw.edu. To access the database, the password is "UTLAW".

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Dean’s search update

The University of Toledo College of Law dean search has entered its final stage. Four finalists have been named, and 2-day on-campus interviews for each of the candidates began on Feb. 13.

Alumni receptions are being held with the candidates in UT Law's Stoepler Room. Upcoming receptions with candidates are scheduled for:

Tuesday, February 21	5 p.m.	Douglas Ray
Friday, March 3	5 p.m.	Richardson Lynn

RSVP to Ann Elick at 419.530.2628.

The finalists are (in alphabetical order): Seth Chandler of the University of Houston Law Center, Richardson Lynn of Pepperdine University, Douglas Ray of Widener University School of Law, and Daniel Steinbock of The University of Toledo College of Law.

Each candidate will visit campus for 2-day interviews, meeting separately with various groups within the law school community: College of Law administrators, faculty, staff, alumni and students, as well as with top-level University administrators: President Dan Johnson, Provost Alan Goodridge, and Medical University of Ohio President Lloyd Jacobs.

At each session, evaluation sheets will give those who attend the sessions a chance to provide feedback to the dean’s search committee, said committee chairman Dr. John Gaboury, dean of University Libraries. After reviewing the evaluations, the committee will convey comments and information to Provost Goodridge on each of the four candidates.

The provost will ultimately determine which of the four finalists will receive an offer. A new dean is scheduled to be in place by July 1, 2006.

“We had a very good pool of well-qualified candidates,” said Gaboury. “This was an indication of the excellent job done by the search consultant, Elaine Hairston.”

The committee worked with Dr. Hairston, senior consultant with an academic search firm based in Washington, D.C., who mounted a national search for candidates and nominations. Members of the search committee include representatives from the College of Law faculty, staff, alumni and student body.

Seth Chandler is currently vice dean and professor of law at the University of Houston Law Center. He graduated from Harvard Law School in 1983. He joined the faculty of the University of Houston Law Center in 1990, and has served in various administrative capacities since 2002.

Richardson Lynn is currently professor of law at Pepperdine University, where he served as dean for five years and as associate dean for four years. He graduated from Vanderbilt University School of Law in 1976.

Douglas Ray serves as professor of law at Widener University School of Law. Ray served as dean at Widener for six years. A former professor of law at The University of Toledo College of Law, he graduated from Harvard University Law School in 1975.

Daniel Steinbock is currently the Harold A. Anderson Professor of Law and Values at The University of Toledo College of Law. Steinbock graduated from Yale Law School in 1971. Prior to joining the faculty in 1985, Steinbock held various non-academic administrative positions.

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Seeking nominations for Distinguished Alumnus, Distinguished Professor, and Distinguished Toledo Lawyer Awards

Every year, the UT College of Law Alumni Association recognizes an outstanding alumnus, UT Law professor and Toledo lawyer. This year’s deadline for nominations is March 13. More information on criteria for the awards and nomination form are available online.

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Ruth Bader Ginsburg to visit UT Law on March 13

The University of Toledo College of Law is honored to welcome United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg this Spring as part of its Distinguished Lecture Series. Justice Ginsburg will give a public speech at 2 p.m. in The University of Toledo's Doermann Theater.

Justice Ginsburg will give a talk titled "Advocating the Elimination of Gender-Based Discrimination: The New Look at the Equality Principle Launched in the 1970s".  She will describe and reflect on cases in which she appeared as counsel. Full story.

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