EVENTS
Class of 2024 Commencement, 05/18
The Villanova Law class of 2024 commencement ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 18, at 10:00 a.m. on the Rowen Campus Green (weather permitting). A celebratory reception will follow.
Testing Justice: Drug Testing and Community Supervision, 05/22
In an effort to address and shape public conversations about criminal justice, drug policy and enforcement, the Girard-diCarlo Center will host a discussion on Wednesday, May 22 at Villanova Law. “Testing Justice: Drug Testing and Community Supervision” is a continuation of the conversations held at the convening in November 2023, a recent article published in the Federal Sentencing Reporter and the policies and laws surrounding drug enforcement in Pennsylvania.
Second Annual State and Local Tax Forum, 06/06
The Second Annual State and Local Tax (SALT) Forum hosted by the Villanova University Graduate Tax Program will provide a venue for honest and respectful discussion of the most pertinent SALT issues of the day. This year's topic is "State Taxation of a Digital Economy," which will answer critical questions of what is taxable in the digital economy, which states can tax (and how much of) it, what legislators can do to reduce uncertainty and how judges might rule on these issues.
Ninth Annual Fashion Law Symposium, 04/12
This year’s Fashion Law Symposium promises a comprehensive exploration of the legal and business frameworks that shape the fashion industry. Join us as industry leaders share their insights on several hot topics, including IP protection, M&A trends, ESG concerns, influencer culture and more.
The Virtues of Free Enterprise and the Heroic Spirit of Entrepreneurs, 04/10
The John F. Scarpa Center for Entrepreneurship and Law welcomes Andreas Widmer, founder and director of the Arthur & Carlyse Ciocca Center for Principled Entrepreneurship and associate professor of practice at The Catholic University of America. In an hour-long conversation with MarySheila McDonald, John F. Scarpa Professor of Entrepreneurship and director of the Scarpa Center, Widmer will address why capitalism has been under attack while providing case studies of thriving businesses that are ethical and rooted in a purpose higher than pure profit maximization.
The 2024 Jeffrey S. Moorad Sports Law Journal Symposium, 04/05
The 2024 Moorad Symposium will feature informative and entertaining conversations on recent disruptions in sports media distribution, programming and revenue generation. Panels will include media personalities, network executives and producers, and league and team management discussing the evolving landscape of sports media.
27th Annual Public Interest Auction, 03/23
Join the Walter A. Lucas '88 Public Interest Fellowship Program (PIFP) for our 27th Annual Public Interest Auction, benefitting Villanova Law students who dedicate their summers to public interest and public service legal work. Over the past 27 years, PIFP has funded 260 law students working at more than 140 public interest law organizations, raising over $1 million for Villanova Law’s public interest community.
2024 CARES Symposium, 03/22
For its fourth annual symposium, the Clinic for Asylum, Refugee and Emigrant Services (CARES) will shed light on important legal issues immigrants face while navigating the immigration system, including legal topics that affect them while their immigration applications are pending or for those who do not have a pathway to legalization. The symposium, “Supporting Asylum Seekers and Immigrants: An Intersectionality of Immigration and State Law,” will examine how immigrants are affected by laws in health, family, labor and more.
Current Federal Court Challenges to LGBTQ+ Civil Rights, 03/18
Join OUTLaw, If/When/How, Villanova Law Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and the Tufano Interdisciplinary Initiative on Poverty and Inequality on Monday, March 18 at 4:00 p.m. in room 302. This discussion will feature Zachary Strassburger, deputy city solicitor of the Philadelphia law department and Thomas Ude Jr., Esq., director of legal and public policy at the Mazzoni Center, in conversation with Janine Dunlap Kiah ’07, director of public service and pro bono initiatives at Villanova Law, regarding challenges to LGBTQ+ and civil rights, how to work towards safeguarding these rights as attorneys and how to best support impacted communities.
Free Speech and Higher Education, 03/18
The Eleanor H. McCullen Center for Law, Religion and Public Policy welcomes Judge Kyle Duncan of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit to discuss free speech and higher education. The program will address constitutional protections and limitations on free speech, the rise of campus illiberalism and recent controversies about free speech and antisemitism.
The Villanova Law Review 2024 Norman J. Shachoy Symposium, 03/15
The 2024 Villanova Law Review Norman J. Shachoy Symposium will take place on Friday, March 15. The topic of this year's symposium, “Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology: Navigating the Legal Landscape,” will bring together leading scholars and practitioners to discuss the most salient questions surrounding new technologies and their impact on different areas of legal practice, scholarship and education.
Lewis H. Gold ’62 Lecture on Ethics & Professional Responsibility
*Original date postponed - please check back for more information* The Girard-diCarlo Center will host the third annual Lewis H. Gold ’62 Lecture on Ethics and Professional Responsibility. Woodrow Hartzog, author and professor of law at Boston University School of Law, will present "Two AI Truths and a Lie."
Legal Civility: Perspectives from the Bench and Bar, 02/27
The McCullen Center welcomes Leon (Lee) F. DeJulius Jr., partner-in-charge of Jones Day's New York office, and Judge Chad Readler, United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Michael P. Moreland, University Professor of Law and Religion and director of the McCullen Center, will moderate the discussion as Judge Readler and DeJulius share more about their careers, advice for law students and lawyers and the value of civility in legal practice today.
The 18th Annual John F. Scarpa Conference on Law, Politics and Culture, 02/26
The 18th Annual John F. Scarpa Conference on Law, Politics and Culture will take place on Monday, February 26, 2024. This year's conference, "Antihumanism and Post-Political Condition," will feature Matthew B. Crawford, author and senior fellow at the University of Virginia's Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture. Crawford will discuss current advancements and trends within society, particularly in the human sciences and political realms, and what they could signal for the future.
Accountability for War Crimes in the 21st Century: A Fireside Chat with Ambassador Stephen J. Rapp, 02/22
Mark C. Alexander, the Arthur J. Kania Dean of Villanova Law, will host a discussion with Ambassador Stephen J. Rapp, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues (2009-15). They will explore the different enforcement institutions for international criminal law, including the International Criminal Court, ad hoc tribunals and domestic courts. Recently, the War Crimes Act was expanded to give the United States jurisdiction to prosecute war crimes committed by anyone anywhere in the world. Now, the question is, “What is the best path forward?” The resurgence of large-scale ground and artillery war in Eastern Europe makes this question an urgent one.
International Humanitarian Law and the Israel/Hamas War: Understanding the Principles of Proportionality and Distinction, 02/20
The Eleanor H. McCullen Center for Law, Religion and Public Policy welcomes Claire Finkelstein, Algernon Biddle Professor of Law and Professor of Philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and faculty director of the Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law at the University of Pennsylvania. In her lecture, she will address the principles of proportionality and distinction in international humanitarian law regarding the Israel/Hamas War.
2024 Villanova Environmental Law Journal Blank Rome LLP Symposium, 02/09
The 2024 Villanova Environmental Law Journal Blank Rome LLP Symposium will focus on the association between gender and the environment and how a stronger understanding of that link can facilitate better environmental policies and practices in both the private and public sectors. Expert panelists from legal practice and the academy will offer their insights and ideas.
Celebrating the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., 02/08
Villanova Law welcomes Etienne C. Toussaint, associate professor of law at the University of South Carolina Joesph F. Rice School of Law, for its annual keynote lecture honoring the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Ethics and Empirics of Engineering Humanity Speaker Series, Spring 2024
This interdisciplinary speaker series will cover ethical, philosophical and empirical issues surrounding the engineering of artificial and human intelligence. Those include the dynamic interactions between AI and HI, how human-computer-interfaces affect humanity, how humans outsource thinking to computers and other related technologies, how digital technologies transform the production, dissemination and validation of knowledge and how ethical values translate into technological and social decisions that affect who we are and who we’re capable of being.