2024
- 65th Annual Theodore L. Reimel Moot Court Competition, 11/21 The final round of the 65th Annual Theodore L. Reimel Moot Court Competition will take place on Thursday, November 21, at 5:00 p.m. in the Martin G. McGuinn ’67 Ceremonial Courtroom (Room 201). It is open to the public and will be livestreamed. Following the final round, an awards ceremony and reception will be held in the Arthur M. Goldberg ’66 Commons.
- Supreme Court Review: What’s the Latest in the Area of Native Americans and the Court?, 11/04 Did you know that the United States Supreme Court decides the limits of jurisdiction of Native tribal governments on their own land and the limits of state governments on reservation land within state boundaries? Join Ann Juliano, professor of law, and Alvin Padilla-Babilonia, assistant professor of law, to kick off Native American and Indigenous Heritage Month with a discussion about a few of the Court’s recent decisions impacting tribal governments.
- Villanova Law Fall 2024 Open House, 10/26 Villanova Law invites prospective students to our fall open house on Saturday, October 26, 2024. Here, you'll have the chance to engage with faculty and staff, meet current law students and explore our broad-based legal education grounded in academic rigor, practical hands-on training and a foundation in vital business concepts needed to succeed no matter the field.
- Defending Democracy, 10/23 Democracy, as we have understood it, appears to be under siege from within and without. The right to vote and the existence of fair and free elections form the bedrock of our democracy, with all other rights flowing from this foundation. But serious threats to the right to vote loom, endangering these free and fair elections. This conversation will explore these challenges, what the law can and can’t do, and how laws and legal systems designed to ensure the integrity of elections actually work on the ground.
- What We Gain and Lose from Seeing the World Through an Algorithmic Lens, 10/16 As society increasingly relies on algorithms for decision-making, this conversation will explore the potential benefits and risks. On Wednesday, October 16, the Girard-diCarlo Center will welcome Suresh Venkatasubramanian from Brown University to delve into how algorithms can enhance fairness and efficiency while examining the dangers of perpetuating biases and promoting fair and equitable decision-making.
- "American Covenant: How the Constitution Unified Our Nation – and Could Again," 10/09 The Eleanor H. McCullen Center for Law Religion and Public Policy welcomes Yuval Levin, director of social, cultural and constitutional studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he also holds the Beth and Ravenel Curry Chair in Public Policy, for a conversation about his most recent book, "American Covenant: How the Constitution Unified Our Nation – and Could Again" (Basic Books, 2024).
- Red Mass, 10/04 Join the Villanova Law community for the annual Red Mass. This year’s celebration will be held on Friday, October 4, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. A complimentary reception will be held immediately following Red Mass at Scarpa Hall. No RSVP is necessary.
- Should We Believe Our Own Eyes? A Hitchhiker's Guide through Digital Deception and Elections, 10/01 The Girard-diCarlo Center welcomes Marijana Grbesa, a professor at the Faculty of Political Science, University of Zagreb and a Fulbright visiting scholar at George Mason University. This lecture will explore the contemporary communication landscape, which has been decisively shaped by digitalization, the radical transformation of traditional media and the rise of disinformation. It will address the challenges posed by distorted digital realities driven by manipulative narratives, altered visuals and the impact of AI-generated hallucinations.
- The Prosecutor's Guide to Human Trafficking, 09/27 The CSE Institute presents "The Prosecutor's Guide to Human Trafficking," a CLE designed for prosecutors. The event will focus on three goals within the state and federal trafficking laws: prevention, prosecution and protection. The training will include an overview of the neurobiology of trauma and the effects it has on the behaviors and functioning of survivors, including trauma-informed responses across disciplines so that participants can implement practices within their agencies. Finally, an overview of conducting and prosecuting a human trafficking investigation will include scenario-specific examples from sex trafficking and labor trafficking cases.
- 13th Annual "Promoting Diversity in Law School Leadership" Workshop, 09/20-21 Since 2018, Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law and Seattle University School of Law have partnered for the annual “Promoting Diversity in Law School Leadership" Workshop. The workshop is designed to encourage and assist members of underrepresented groups to pursue deanships and other leadership positions.
- A Conversation on the Constitution, Faith and Public Life with Mike Pence, 09/18 The Eleanor H. McCullen Center for Law, Religion and Public Policy will host "A Conversation on the Constitution, Faith and Public Life" with Mike Pence, the 48th Vice President of the United States. Space is limited to Villanova faculty, staff and students, and registration is required.
- Lewis H. Gold ’62 Lecture on Ethics & Professional Responsibility, 09/04 The Girard-diCarlo Center will host the third annual Lewis H. Gold ’62 Lecture on Ethics and Professional Responsibility on Wednesday, September 4. Woodrow Hartzog, author and professor of law at Boston University School of Law, will present “Two AI Truths and a Lie.” (This event was originally planned for spring 2024 and has been rescheduled.)
- 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.
- 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 ethics, policies and laws surrounding drug enforcement in Pennsylvania.
- 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.
- Workshop for Co-op Curious Lawyers, 05/16 Join the Villanova Law Clinic for Law and Entrepreneurship and the Philadelphia Area Cooperative Alliance virtually on Thursday, May 16, for "Workshop for Co-op Curious Lawyers: Legally Supporting Worker Co-ops." This event will examine the legal considerations for lawyers in supporting the two main forms of worker co-ops, LLCs and cooperative corporations, and offer attendees 1.5 CLE credits.
- 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.
- 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.