Campaign Villanova A-Z | VU People Directory | eLearning | MyNova
| Edit your Account | Webmail
Newsroom

Newsroom

eve biskind klothen award

Three Recent Alumni Receive Pro Bono Distinction Award

The Philadelphia Bar Association recently recognized Villanova Law alums Nikkita Gottling ’18, Pamela Putnam ’18 and Christian Wynne ’18 with the Eve Biskind Klothen Law Student Pro Bono Distinction Award, which is given to area law students for their commitment to pro bono and public interest work. Gottling, Putnam and Wynne devoted hours of their time to pro bono legal work through Villanova Law’s in-house clinics, student organizations and externship placements.

Read more

joy mullane and les book

Professors Joy Mullane and Les Book Receive Inaugural Diane E. Ambler ’78 Faculty Curricular Innovation Award

Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law recently announced the inaugural Diane E. Ambler '78 Faculty Curricular Innovation Award to recognize faculty members who have distinguished themselves through their innovation in creating pedagogical and curricular changes with a positive impact on the Law School. Professor Les Book and Professor Joy Mullane were named co-recipients of the award for their collaborative development of an innovative model for teaching.

Read more

michelle dempsey and doris brogan

Villanova Law Establishes New Endowed Chairs Recognizing Leadership and Scholarship

Mark C. Alexander, The Arthur J. Kania Dean of Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law, announced the establishment of two endowed faculty chairs – and appointed two esteemed faculty members to these newly established positions. Doris DelTosto Brogan ’81, Professor of Law has been named the Harold Reuschlein Leadership Chair.  Michelle Madden Dempsey, Professor of Law has been named the first holder of the Harold Reuschlein Scholar Chair.

Read more

Lara Ruggerio

Students succeed at the 2018 PA Bar Intellectual Property Law Section writing contest

Lara M. Ruggerio ’18 to earn second place in the 2018 Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Intellectual Property Law Section writing contest for her paper, “Devil’s Advocate: An Examination into the Representation of Disfavored Plaintiffs in District Court Patent Proceedings.” Chandel Boozer ’18 took third place for her article, “Does Artificial Intelligence Embody Humanity? A Look into the Copyrightability of Artificial Intelligence-Created Works.” Seth Fenster ’18 earned an honorable mention for his submission.

Read more

jason kaner

Jason Kaner '19 uses JD/MBA skills in role with NFL

Jason Kaner ’19 enrolled in the JD/MBA program and in his 2L year found a way to combine his legal and business career pursuits with his interest in sports and entertainment law. After working with the legal department on NFL Films, he is spending the summer in Los Angeles working in a different capacity in the league, now working on the media team as a club media policy associate.

Read more

andrew brandt

Expert commentary on SCOTUS decision on legalized sports betting

Andrew Brandt, Professor of Practice and the Executive Director of the Jeffrey S. Moorad Center for the Study of Sports Law, provided expert commentary to numerous national media outlets regarding the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Murphy v. NCAA regarding sports betting. In addition to the topic of sports betting, Brandt recently weighed in on the sale of the Carolina Panthers football team amidst the National Football League’s investigation into misconduct by Panthers owner Jerry Richardson.

Read more

alyssa pooler

Alyssa Pooler ’19, Selected for the Inter-Policy School Summit, University of Chicago

Alyssa Pooler ’19 was one of thirty students, and the only law student from the United States, selected for the Inter-Policy School Summit at the University of Chicago. As the only American law student in the program, Pooler was amongst international students from Australia, Turkey, India and Brazil.

Read more

villanova lawyers lead

Villanova Lawyers Lead

Villanova Law graduates can be found leading law firms, businesses, nonprofits and government organizations in roles from partner to board member. Alum Ashe Puri ’02, partner at Fox Rothschild LLP, who was recently elected Co-President of the South Asian Bar Association of Southern California (SABA-SC), exemplifies this tradition of leadership.

Read more

lavelle

LaVelle King '18 transitioned from health care to law

Students seeking hands-on work experience during their law school education have over 200 externship opportunities at Villanova Law. In choosing an externship, students are encouraged to align their personal and professional goals while developing and enhancing their legal skills. LaVelle King ’18 was able to do just that when she externed with Gift of Life, a nonprofit organization that coordinates life-saving and life-enhancing organ transplants.

Read more

madison

Ask the Grad: Class of 2018

The impressive graduates of the Class of 2018 joins a tight-knit community of more than 10,000 Villanova Lawyers. Before they embark on their next big adventure, we asked members of the Class of 2018 to share more about their Villanova Law experience.

Read more

omeed

Omeed Firouzi ’18 to Continue Dedication to Public Service as a Brunswick Public Service Fellow

Omeed Firouzi's ’18 devotion to public interest service led him to be named a 2018-2020 American Bar Association Section of Taxation Christine A. Brunswick Public Service Fellow. The Fellowship, which supports Firouzi’s work as an attorney in Philadelphia Legal Assistance’s Low Income Taxpayer Clinic, will begin in September 2018.

Read more

Judge Joseph Greenaway

Judge Joseph A. Greenaway Jr. of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit  to deliver Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law’s 2018 Commencement Address, May 18 

Mark C. Alexander, The Arthur J. Kania Dean of Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law, announced that Judge Joseph A. Greenaway of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit will address the Class of 2018 as the School’s commencement speaker and will also receive the Villanova Law Medallion Award.

Read more

 

marlena smith lucasfilm

Marlena Smith '18 honed her legal skills in a galaxy not so far away

At Villanova Law, our students utilize their legal skills while turning their passions into practice. In the summer of 2017, Marlena Smith ’18 landed a coveted externship with the film production company, Lucasfilm, Ltd. LLC, which is responsible for classic film franchises such as Star Wars and Indiana Jones.

Read more

CSE Institute

The Villanova Law Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation (CSE) Playing Key Role in Fighting for Victims of Trafficking

Commercial Sexual Exploitation (CSE) is not a distant problem affecting only people in the developing world. It is a problem that exists locally, throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Over the past several years, a number of groups and organizations have stepped up the fight against trafficking. Since its launch in 2015, the Villanova Law Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation (CSE Institute) has provided educational training and services and impacted key legislative efforts in the fight to support survivors of trafficking in Pennsylvania and beyond.

Read more

 

omeed and melisa

CARES clinic students win asylum case

As Advanced Certified Interns in Villanova Law’s Clinic for Asylum, Refugee and Emigrant Services (CARES), Melisa Buchowiec ’18 and Omeed Firouzi ’18 gained hands-on client experience and won asylum for a deserving client.

Read more

Ross Douthat

The 2018 Joseph T. McCullen Symposium on Catholic Social Thought and Law

Ross Douthat, Columnist, The New York Times, will examine "Pope Francis and the Future of Catholicism" in a conversation moderated by Michael Moreland, University Professor of Law and Religion and the Director of The Eleanor H. McCullen Center for Law, Religion and Public Policy.

Read more

 

Villanova Law

New Directors to Lead Federal Tax Clinic and Law Library

Mark C. Alexander, The Arthur J. Kania Dean and Professor of Law, recently announced the appointments of Christine Speidel as Assistant Professor and Director of the Federal Tax Clinic, and Amy Emerson as Assistant Professor and Director of the Law Library. Both were hired after rigorous nationwide searches and will join the Law School in July.

Read more

 

2018 Jeffrey S. Moorad Sports Law Journal Symposium

2018 Jeffrey S. Moorad Sports Law Journal Symposium

Sports have the ability to transcend barriers, whether they be socio-economic, geographical or political. But what happens when sports, politics and social movements collide? The 2018 Jeffrey S. Moorad Sports Law Symposium—Sports, Politics & Social Movements—examines the hard-hitting legal and political issues dominating sports and the national news media.

Read more

 

kronman

Anthony T. Kronman to present Annual Donald A. Giannella Memorial Lecture, April 24

Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law will hold its annual Donald A. Giannella Memorial Lecture on Tuesday, April 24 at 3 p.m. in Room 201. Anthony T. Kronman, Sterling Professor of Law at Yale Law School will present.

Read more

moot court

Moot Court Board Sees Success in Competitions across United States 

Six teams from Villanova Law’s Moot Court found recent success at competitions across the United States. Each team was comprised of two students from the Moot Court Board. The Board is the principal oral advocacy organization at the Law School and aims to enhance and showcase students’ courtroom advocacy skills.

Read more

 

 

orchid

The curious case of orchids and over-criminalization

Was it a case of a paperwork technicality? Or was it an international criminal conspiracy? Those are the questions raised by NPR Marketplace’s podcast The Uncertain Hour as it explored the story of George Norris, an orchid enthusiast convicted in 2004 of conspiracy to smuggle into the United States protected orchid specimens from Peru. Todd Aagaard, Vice Dean and Professor of Law, spoke extensively to The Uncertain Hour about the case, which he prosecuted during his tenure with the U.S. Department of Justice, Environment & Natural Resources Division.

Read more

 

 

cse

Engaging Survivors of Commercial Sexual Exploitation in the Search for Justice - 4/5 - 4/6

The Villanova Law Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation leads cross-disciplinary workshops and discussions aimed at engaging the survivor community in the search for justice on April 5 and 6, 2018. Workshops will be led by survivors and will encourage participants to engage in problem-solving scenarios on a variety of relevant topics and current issues in legislation, law enforcement and education. he event takes place on Thursday, April 5 from 9 a.m. - 4:45 p.m. and Friday, April 6 from 9 a.m. - 1:15 p.m. at The Inn at Villanova University.

Read more

seal

Scientific Expertise in the Courtroom, 3/29

Villanova Law and the Science History Institute bring together top scholars and experienced practitioners in evidence, psychology, economics and ethics to tackle some of the field’s most pressing issues. Topics of discussion include the crisis in forensic science; the standards for admissibility of expert testimony, including statistical estimation evidence; the problem of bias in expertise; the ethical dilemmas of attorneys drafting expert reports and more. The event takes place on Thursday, March 29, 2018, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at the Science History Institute (315 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia).

Read more

Dan Masciello and David Greenberg with Ed Liva.

Graduate Tax Students Triumph at ABA Section of Taxation’s 17th Annual Law Student Tax Challenge

Dan Masciello and David Greenberg—LLM students in Villanova’s Graduate Tax program—recently won the ABA Section of Taxation’s 17th Annual Law Student Tax Challenge. The Villanova team was one of four in the LLM division with other represented schools including University of Florida Levin College of Law, University of Denver Sturm College of Law and Loyola Law School, Los Angeles.

Read more

 

pif

21st Annual Public Interest Fellowship Auction

The Walter Lucas Public Interest Fellowship Program (PIFP) of Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law will host its 2018 PIFP Auction on Friday, March 23 at 6 p.m. This year marks the 21st anniversary of the event, PIFP’s largest and most successful fundraiser.

Read more

seal

2018 Matthew J. Ryan Law and Public Policy Forum

"Creating and Facilitating Best Practice Alternatives to Jails and Prisons for Persons with Mental Illness" will look at the challenges facing law enforcement officials, the courts, mental health professionals and policy makers at the state and county levels. Attendees will hear from experts who have been working on the issue in Pennsylvania and around the country as they share best practices, as well as ongoing legal and practical challenges to the development of appropriate treatment options in suitable settings. The event takes place on March 16 in the Laurence E. Hirsch ’71 Classroom (Room 101).

Read more

national trial team

Trial team success at National Trial Competition

Members of Villanova Law's National Trial Team—Alexa Arndt ’18, Samuel Cooper ’19 and Samantha Fitzpatrick ’19—recently advanced to the final round of the National Trial Competition Regional Tournament in Philadelphia.

Read more

 

Girard-diCarlo Center

Mass Exoneration and Ethics

The David F. and Constance B. Girard-diCarlo Center for Ethics, Integrity and Compliance joins forces with leading criminal justice organizations to tackle this question and more as part of a daylong symposium entitled “Mass Exoneration and Ethics.” The event will bring together legal experts from around the nation—and across the ideological aisle—to discuss ways to investigate and consider large-scale reviews of cases affected by systemic errors or misconduct.

Read more

 

Tulane

Villanova Students earn Second Place Finish at Annual Tulane Professional Football Negotiation Competition

A team of students from Villanova Law recently competed and placed second in the 4th Annual Tulane Professional Football Negotiation Competition, sponsored by the Tulane Sports Law Society. This is the second time a Villanova team has advanced to the final round of this competition. A Villanova Law team previously won in 2017.

Read more

 

Nina Olson

A Conversation with Nina Olson, the National Taxpayer Advocate: Her Unorthodox Path to a Tax Career

Villanova Law welcomes Nina Olson, National Taxpayer Advocate, for a conversation about her remarkable career as a private practitioner, business-owner, social entrepreneur and public advocate. The event—sponsored by the Tax Law Society and the Women’s Law Caucus—takes place on Thursday, February 15, in the Blank Rome LLP Classroom (Room 102).

Read more

 

Dean Alexander

Welcoming New Citizens

On a cold January morning, 67 individuals from around the globe entered the James A. Byrne U.S. Courthouse in Philadelphia for a life-changing event. An hour later they all walked out as American citizens.The Honorable Mark Kearney ’84 CLAS, ’87 CWSL, United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, presided over the day’s Naturalization Ceremony. To celebrate the momentous day, Judge Kearney invited Mark C. Alexander, Arthur J. Dean of Villanova Law, and Sharon Lopez, President of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, to share their thoughts on citizenship.

Read more

 

fashionlaw

The Fourth Annual Fashion Law Symposium, 2/23

The Fourth Annual Fashion Law Symposium, "The Rules of Fashion: Understanding the Regulatory Side of the Fashion Industry" will bring together lawyers and non-lawyers to examine the various regulations that fashion designers and companies regularly encounter. This year’s event will include discussions on the interaction between the fashion industry and employment law, real estate, international sourcing and production.

Read more

 

alisha williams

Celebrating the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law will mark its annual commemoration of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., with a keynote lecture in January 2017 as part of a University-wide celebration. Alisha Williams, Director, LGBTQ Poverty Initiative, The Vaid Group, will deliver the address.

Read more

Edward Stephen

Edward Stephen ’05 CLAS named Associate Dean for Development and Alumni Relations

Mark C. Alexander, Arthur J. Kania Dean and Professor of Law, recently announced the appointment of Edward Stephen ’05 CLAS as Associate Dean for Development and Alumni Relations for the Charles Widger School of Law. Stephen, who joins the Law School on January 17, was selected following a national search.

Read more

 

logo

2018 Environmental Law Journal Blank Rome LLP Symposium, 2/9


Industry professionals in the fields of real estate development and environmental law will gather for an engaging disgussion regarding the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's decision in Robinson Township v. Commonweath in addition to challenges and opportunities present for project developers under the Trump Administration. 

Read more

GDC logo

Criminal Justice Reform Townhall Meeting, 1/30

The Girard-diCarlo Center for Ethics, Integrity and Compliance, the League of Women Voters of Radnor Township and the Villanova University Department of Sociology and Criminology will host a townhall event featuring Pennsylvania Secretary of Correction John E. Wetzel. The event will cover topics from the opioid crisis to mass incarceration. 

Read more

Dean Mark Alexander

Dean Alexander elected to the AALS Executive Committee

The Association of American Law Schools (AALS) recently elected Mark C. Alexander, Arthur J. Kania Dean of the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law, as a member of the AALS Executive Committee.

Read more

effi

Preparation for Professional Success

At Villanova Law, we believe that academics and professional development are intertwined and equally essential to the long-term success of our students. Today our curriculum infuses professional skills along with vital business principles and practical experience into each student’s rigorous legal training.

Read more

farm

Supporting Social Entrepreneurship

Recent student counselors David Hollander ’18 and Reece Cooke ’18 worked with Sanctuary Farm, an innovative nonprofit start-up that is working to develop community farm spaces that serve as venues to engage Philadelphia’s homeless and housing-unstable population with work, food and social services.

Read more

 

Joanna McClinton

Rep. Joanna McClinton ’06 named to Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing

Pennsylvania State Representative Joanna McClinton ’06 was recently appointed to serve on the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing. She is the first woman from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to serve on the Commission, which is charged to create and maintain a consistent and rational statewide sentencing policy through the adoption of guidelines that promote fairer and more uniform sentencing throughout the Commonwealth.

Read more

 

seal

Noted Teacher-Scholars Join Villanova

As part of its current strategic plan, the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law has enhanced its curriculum to provide graduates with the academic, practical and professional skills necessary for success in 21st-century legal practice.The recent addition of Brett Frischmann and Josephine Sandler Nelson to our faculty furthers this strategic vision and brings to campus two noted teacher-scholars whose expertise lies at the intersection of law and business.

Read more

 

harvey

Expert commentary on the impact of proposed tax reform

Professor J. Richard Harvey spoke to numerous national and international media outlets about the effect the GOP’s proposed tax plan will likely have on U.S. multinational corporations.

Read more

 

virginia

Villanova Law alum finds passion in the arts

As a student at Villanova Law, Virginia "Ginger" Hansen '17 combined that love of the arts with her passion for the law in two exciting experiential learning opportunities—externships at the renowned Philadelphia Museum of Art and with Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts.  

Read more

trialteam

Trial team success at University of Florida Trial Advocacy Tournament

This month, four Villanova Law National Trial Team students competed and finished as quarterfinalists in the University of Florida National Trial Advocacy Tournament in Gainesville, Florida. Samuel Cooper ’19, Samantha Fitzpatrick ’19, Jordan Morgan ’19 and LaVelle King ’18 competed against teams from law schools across the country.

Read more

seal

The Inaugural Dean’s Distinguished Fellows

Villanova Law is bringing to campus renowned scholars in a range of areas of law, leadership and business through the Dean’s Distinguished Fellows program. Villanova. Jonathan Klick, PhD, Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and Kellye Testy, President of LSAC, are joining Villanova’s academic community as the first-ever Dean’s Distinguished Fellows.

Read more
 

reimels

Dan Sulvetta '19 and Steven Lee '19 Win 58th Annual Reimel Moot Court Competition

Dan Sulvetta '19 and Steven Lee '19 were awarded the John J. Duffy ’62 Advocacy Cup as winners of the 58th Annual Theodore L. Reimel ’24 CLAS Moot Court Competition. The competition is an intra-school tournament that has become a hallmark of the Villanova Law experience.

Read more  

football

Community Discussions Address Current Social Issues

Members of the Villanova Law community gathered in October for a series of events exploring the recent “Take a Knee” movement in sports. In small group settings, faculty, staff and students came together for substantive and thought-provoking discussion.

Read more

girard-dicarlo

Legal Ethics, Harassment and Discrimination: The Role of the Rules, 11/15

Presented by The David F. and Constance B. Girard-diCarlo Center for Ethics, Integrity and Compliance in partnership with Cozen O'Connor, legal professionals will gatehr for a panel discussion to tackle questions about changes to the ABA Model of Rules of Professional Conduct.

Read more

languageaccessreport

Students’ research works to influence PA Court policy

Patrick McGinnis ’18 and Dana Sleeper ’18 impacted the lives of individual clients as students in Villanova’s Farmworker Legal Aid Clinic (FLAC). Now their work as researchers may influence public policy, helping to illuminate discrepancies in the availability of interpretation assistance in select Pennsylvania courts.

Read more

seal

Humanhood: Beyond Childhood and Adulthood, 10/27

What is humanhood? Speakers from the disciplines of biology, psychology, linguistics, literary theory, law and more will gather to discuss and clarify a holistic conception of a developing human life.

Read more

seal

The 2017 Villanova Law Review Norman J. Shachoy Symposium, 10/20

The Villanova Law Review examines fifty years under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) with its annual Norman J. Shachoy Symposium on October 20, 2017. The symposium features a group of distinguished FOIA and transparency scholars, governmental officials, and FOIA requesters and litigants engaging in a probing review of the issues as experienced on the ground.

Read more

scarpa

John F. Scarpa Center for Law and Entrepreneurship for its Inaugural Law & Entrepreneurship Roundtable

Professionals from law, venture capital, biotech and nonprofit organizations will come together on Tuesday, Oct. 3 to talk about the opportunities and challenges facing entrepreneurs in 2017. Jane Hollingsworth, Founding Managing Partner of Militia Hill Ventures, presents the keynote address.

Read more

josephine

Prof. Nelson’s award-winning paper tackles the issue of corporate crime

A recent article by Prof. Josephine Sandler Nelson has been recognized with two top awards—the Holmes-Cardozo Award for best submitted conference paper and the Distinguished Proceedings Award—by the Academy of Legal Studies in Business.

Read more

 

michael moreland

Villanova University Appoints Michael P. Moreland, JD, PhD, as University Professor of Law and Religion

Villanova University Provost Patrick G. Maggitti, PhD, today announced the appointment of Michael P. Moreland, JD, PhD, as University Professor of Law and Religion. Among Villanova’s highest academic honors, the University Professor recognizes distinguished faculty whose extraordinary scholarly achievement and accomplishment spans disciplines and crosses traditional college boundaries.  

Read more

 

brett frischmann

Villanova University Appoints Brett Frischmann, JD, as the Charles Widger Endowed University Professor in Law, Business and Economics

Villanova University Provost Patrick G. Maggitti, PhD, today announced the appointment of Brett Frischmann, JD, as the Charles Widger Endowed University Professor in Law, Business and Economics, effective August 1. Among Villanova’s highest academic honors, the University Professor recognizes distinguished faculty whose extraordinary scholarly achievement and accomplishment spans disciplines and crosses traditional college boundaries. This interdisciplinary position, based in the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law, was conceived and endowed as part of a $25 million leadership gift from Charles Widger ’73 JD.

Read more