The Saint Thomas More Society of Philadelphia has presented their annual Saint Thomas More Award to the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law Clinical Program. The Award is presented by the Society annually to a member of the legal profession whose accomplishments represent the principles and ideals of Saint Thomas More.
As an unexpected pre-winter snowstorm blew in on November 15, Villanova Law students on the Moot Court Board were faced with a decision—whether to go ahead with the Finals of the 59th Annual Theodore L. Reimel ’24 CLAS Moot Court Competition or attempt to reschedule for a later date. Named in honor of the late Theodore L. Reimel, Judge for the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas from 1953 to 1973, the competition is designed to foster student development in written and oral advocacy through simulated appellate argument.
At Villanova Law, students find creative ways to combine their passions with their legal education. Meaghan Lane ’18 coupled her interest in sports management with a spring 2018 externship to propel her into the world of athletics and sports compliance.
In October, CSE Institute Director Shea Rhodes ’97 travelled to Ghana to participate in the Global Women’s Business Exchange Conference. Organized by the U.S.-Ghana Chamber of Commerce, Rhodes joined business and professional women from all over the world to exchange and leverage their experiences in the fields of healthcare, finance, law, business and education.
Villanova Law Professor Ellen Wertheimer, an expert on products liability and tort law, has been nominated and elected as a new member of the American Law Institute (ALI), the leading independent organization in the United States that produces scholarly work to clarify, modernize and improve the law.
Our faculty pursue interdisciplinary academic projects that integrate law with other fields, like Brett Frischmann, The Charles Widger Endowed University Professor in Law, Business and Economics, who is co-authoring a series of books on knowledge commons and recently published, Governing Medical Knowledge Commons.
The Theodore L. Reimel Moot Court Competition is an annual intra-school tournament and a hallowed tradition at Villanova Law. Named in honor of the late Theodore L. Reimel, Judge for the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas from 1953 to 1973, the competition is designed to foster student development in written and oral advocacy through simulated appellate argument.
There’s a saying that practice makes perfect. At Villanova Law, students have the opportunity to perfect their legal skills through innovative coursework and hands-on experience. Now, a new insurance law course, Advanced Insurance Law: Coverage Disputes, provides students with a simulation experience that closely mirrors the work they will encounter as associate attorneys at law firms.
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.
The Villanova Law Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation and The David F. and Constance B. Girard-diCarlo Center for Ethics, Integrity and Compliance will host a screening and panel of the film "The Trap" on Tuesday, November 27 from 5:30-8:30 pm in the Laurence E. Hirsch ‘71 Classroom (Room 101) at the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. This event is approved by the Pennsylvania Continuing Legal Education Board for 1 substantive CLE Credits.
The John F. Scarpa Center for Law & Entrepreneurship, in conjunction with Villanova’s Department of Public Administration, brings together a collection of leaders in the field of law and entrepreneurship. The event will be held from 5:30-7:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 25 at the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law in the Laurence E. Hirsch ’71 Classroom (Room 101).
The David F. and Constance B. Girard-diCarlo Center for Ethics, Integrity and Compliance brings together three experienced executives and lawyers to examine the current legal and ethical landscape and explore productive ways to move forward within the corporate world. The event, “Corporate Compliance & Ethics: Wells Fargo and Beyond,” will be held at noon on Wednesday, October 17 at the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law, Room 101.
Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law will hold its annual Donald A. Giannella Memorial Lecture on Tuesday, October 30 at 3 p.m. in the Martin G. McGuinn '67 Ceremonial Courtroom (Room 201) at the Law School. Nicole Stelle Garnett, John P. Murphy Foundation Professor of Law at the University of Notre Dame Law School, will present “The Case for Educational Pluralism.”
When Hurricane Harvey hit Texas in August 2017, many residents of the Lone Star State found themselves facing devastating losses and in need of legal support. Carla Krystyniak ’15, a recent Texas transplant, found herself in the heart of the disaster. Driven by a desire to help, Krystyniak put her legal training to use and applied for and became a Disaster Recovery Legal Corps Fellow with Equal Justice Works.
On October 12-13, Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law will bring together leading interdisciplinary scholars to present and discuss “Governing Privacy in Knowledge Commons.” Attendees will consider and evaluate applications of the framework to issues of privacy within various information, knowledge and cultural contexts.
The Jeffrey S. Moorad Center for the Study of Sports Law continues its annual speaker series with four events in fall 2018. The series is free and open to the Villanova community and the public. No registration required. The events will occur on September 27, October 3, October 17 and November 7.
Villanova Law students Marissa Booth ’19 and Samuel Cooper ’19 took second place in the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office 18th Annual Summer Intern Mock Trial Competition. The Competition served as the finale to the students’ summer externship with the District Attorney’s Office.
The panel, hosted by The Eleanor H. McCullen Center for Law, Religion and Public Policy, will explore the death penalty today and in light of Pope Francis’ change to the Catechism from the perspectives of law, theology and criminology.The panel is approved by the Pennsylvania Continuing Legal Education Board for 1.5 credits and will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 18 at 4 p.m. in Blank Rome LLP Classroom (Room 102).
A Villanova tradition over the last 60 years, Red Mass provides an opportunity for faculty, alumni, students, families and guests to gather and celebrate the beginning of the Law School’s academic year.
In the study of law, there is no substitute for real-world experience. And when it comes to giving students hands-on opportunities, Villanova Law excels in providing over 200 externship opportunities, including many government placements. Colin Milon ’18 and Alyssa Pooler ’19 took advantage of the law school’s close proximity to Washington, D.C. and landed coveted externships on Capitol Hill.
Is administrative law unlawful? “No,” answers Adrian Vermeule in Law’s Abnegation: From Law’s Empire to the Administrative State (Harvard Univ. Press 2016), a nuanced yet bold defense of the administrative state we inhabit today. Professor Vermeule will be joined in conversation by distinguished scholars of law, political science, economics, philosophy, sociology, and theology for the Conference.
The Eleanor H. McCullen Center for Law, Religion and Public Policy welcomes John Witte, Robert W. Woodruff Professor of Law, McDonald Distinguished Professor and Director of the Center for the Study of Law and Religion of Emory University School of Law to speak on the topic “From Gospel to Law: Martin Luther’s Reformation of Law, Politics, and Society."
”Trafficking & Trauma: Engaging in Legal Advocacy for Survivors of CSE” will introduce attorneys to the federal and state laws related to commercial sexual exploitation and human trafficking. The symposium will feature introductory remarks by The Honorable President Judge Marsha H. Neifield,. Participants will be trained in the technical instruction and empirical knowledge necessary to pursue post-conviction relief on behalf of survivors and learnhow to engage in trauma-informed lawyering.
For those wishing to enter the highly regulated field of Health Law, Villanova Law provides aspiring attorneys with the foundational skills, hands-on experience and personalized guidance they need for success. Stasha Sosnowicz ’19 is one such student who was able to combine her legal skills with her interests in science, business and advocacy through an externship with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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