Connie Collingsworth, general counsel and secretary of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in residence at the Law College November 5th and 6th. 

Connie Collingsworth will deliver a talk about her legal career at noon on November 5th in the Law College.  She is a 1982 graduate of the Law College and received a Master of Laws degree in international business legal studies from the University of Exeter, England. 

Collingsworth will be returning to UNL from Seattle, Washington to be honored during Masters Week 2009.  Masters Week provides an opportunity for outstanding alumni to share their career experiences and to serve as role models for students.  Collingsworth leads the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s legal team. Prior to joining the foundation, she was a partner at the law firm Preston Gates & Ellis LLP and was co-chair of Social Venture Partners, a Seattle-based nonprofit organization that focuses on social and environmental issues.  She was co-founder and has served as president and board member for the French American School of Puget Sound. She is currently an advisory board member of Attenex Corporation and the National Center on Philanthropy and the Law. She is also a member of the International Program Advisory Committee for Independent Sector. 

Larry D. Sather, a 1975 Alum of the law school, will be sharing his
experiences working in China for the last 7 years.  Among his varied
experiences, he has trained international lawyers, taught International
Trade Law and Management and International Business.  He has been an
international legal consultant and trainer, conducted extensive research and
published papers. He will field questions on any number of topics including:
Study Abroad Programs in China; the Chinese University system; the Chinese
legal system; cultural aspects of living, studying and working in China;
doing business in China; traveling in China, etc.

Professor von der Dunk Receives Special Appointment from European Commission

Professor Frans von der Dunk was appointed as an expert to the Forum on GNSS Extra Contractual Liabilities by the European Commission. The Forum started its work with a meeting on September 15, 2009, and is charged to come up with recommendations as to how liabilities for GNSS operations, applications and down-stream services should be handled within Europe, taking the existing liability regimes into consideration.

UNL Law Graduate Honored with Leadership Award

Daniel Dawes, Class of 2006, is the Senior Legislative & Federal Affairs Officer for the American Psychological Association in Washington, D.C.  In connection with this work he currently chairs the National Working Group on Health Disparities and Health Reform which includes over 200 national organizations and coalitions.  He will moderate a panel on September 22nd  , “Cost-Savings of Reducing Health Disparities in Health Reform”, which will provide a Senate briefing on health care matters.   On September 25th  , in recognition of his efforts in health care, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) will award Daniel the CBC Leadership Award in Advocacy.
 

Bocce Ball 1st place winner Chris "sure shot" Young, and David Wilson.

All-School Picnic Prize Winners
The M&M contest winner was Bambi King with a guess of 1017 and the actual number was 1057. Congratulations, Bambi!

The Door Prize winners at the All-School Picnic are:

Thank you to the Library, Admissions Office, Student Services and Alumni Office for offering these prizes.

If you are on this list, you can see Beverly in the Dean’s Office to receive your prize. Congratulations to everyone and thank you for participating!

Professor Richard Leiter was elected Vice President/President Elect of the Mid America Association of Law Libraries. This chapter of the American Association of Law Libraries covers a region that spans the entire midwest: from ND to Kansas, to Arkansas to Illinois. The chapter consists of libraries from twenty law schools, numerous law firm and court libraries.

Thinking about Law School? - Come for a visit!

The College of Law will begin accepting applications for the Fall of 2010 on September 1. If you would like to learn more about the admissions process, the Law College, visit its facilities or meet some of its amazing faculty, please contact us today!

Sarah Gloden, Assistant Dean of Admissions and Director of Communications

402-472-1526
or
gloden@unl.edu

$5,000 Awarded to Law Students for Tackling Critical Legal Issues Surrounding the Controversial Topic of Embryo Donation & Adoption

Fullerton, Calif., May 6, 2009 – Three law students are being financially rewarded for participating in a writing competition aimed at creating more interest in the field of Assisted Reproduction Technology Law – specifically the often sensitive issues surrounding embryo donation and adoption.

The winning students thoroughly tackled the issue of understanding what the law requires of fertility clinics when transferring abandoned embryos at their clinics to other patients, and if this practice would even stand up to potential future legal challenges from genetic relatives of the embryos. The detailed problem and winning essays can be read at www.embryolaw.org.

Several students from around the nation entered the competition continuing a national discussion on how to handle the numerous possible legal challenges facing this relatively new form of adoption. The winning essays were written and submitted by the following individuals:

FIRST PLACE: $2,500.00
Ms Anne Swanda
University of Nebraska College of Law

SECOND PLACE: $1,500.00
Ms Carissa Giebel
Regent University School of Law

THIRD PLACE: $1,000.00
Mr. Francis Jamison
Rutgers School of Law - Camden

This was second-annual essay contest organized by Nightlight ® as part of its Embryo Donation and Adoption Awareness Campaign. Nightlight provides adoption services through the Snowflakes® Frozen Embryo Adoption program (Snowflakes). Snowflakes started in 1997 as the only organization of its kind to facilitate the donation and adoption of frozen embryos for family building.

“The contest offers a great way to stir the debate and hopefully grow an interest among future lawyers to make this area of Assisted Reproduction Technology Law part of their practice,” said Ronald Stoddart, Executive Director of Nightlight®

For more general information about embryo donation and adoption please visit www.embryoadoption.org.

This Essay Competition is conducted by Nightlight Christian Adoptions and supported by grant number 2EAAPA94000-04-00 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Department.
 

Good Luck On Finals!

UNL Client Counseling Team the Best in the World

Lincoln, Neb., April 7, 2009 -- The University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Law's client counseling team of Adam Bates and Amy Reynoldson Bartels won the 2009 International Client Counseling Competition April 1-4 at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.
Bates and Bartels, both of Lincoln, had the second best score after the first two preliminary rounds of interviews. In the head to head semifinal round, the team beat duos representing India and Northern Ireland. In the final round, it beat teams from England/Wales and Russia, getting first place votes from all five international judges to win the competition.
Bartels and Bates are the first U.S. team to win the competition since 1996. Other countries participating in the competition were Australia, Cambodia, Canada, Finland, Hong Kong, Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Puerto Rico, Scotland, Sri Lanka, the Netherlands and the Ukraine.
Professors Alan Frank and Craig Lawson were the faculty advisers for the successful duo.
Frank said the two students met in high school attending Youth Leadership Lincoln; Bartels is a graduate of Lincoln East High School, and Bates, of Pius X High School. Both are in their second year of law school. They advanced from the local competition to regionals in Denver in February, to nationals in Durham, N.C., in late March. The Law College first won the national competition in 1975, the first year the college participated in the competition. The college's team also won the national competition in 2004.
Frank said the client counseling competition is all about meeting with clients: making sure they feel comfortable, gathering the facts about the case, defining the client's concerns and goals, coming up with a plan on how to represent the client, talking tentatively about options and discussing logistics like costs. The team is given only a one- or two-sentence description of the client's problem such as what is mentioned when the client sets up the first appointment. Actors play the role of the clients, and they are observed by panels of three lawyers and counselors critiquing and scoring them.
"Going to internationals is a wonderful thing, to be with all these young people from all over the world and to meet with them and talk to them, for the students, and for me, to get to know more about legal education in those countries," Frank said. "To win this international competition is astounding for them and for UNL."
And he said the students are rightly proud of their accomplishment. "It will look good on their resume that's for sure," he said.
"Al Frank and Craig Lawson have run one of the best client counseling programs in the country for many years now," said Steven Willborn, dean of the Law College. "This is the third time their teams have won the United States championship. But this is our first international championship in client counseling or, to my knowledge, in any student competition. What an achievement by Amy and Adam, and by professors Frank and Lawson."

Professor Stephen Vladeck to Speak on Detention Policy and the Obama Administration

Stephen I. Vladeck is an Associate Professor of Law at American University Washington College of Law, where his teaching and research focus on federal jurisdiction, national security law, constitutional law (especially the separation of powers), and international criminal law. On Monday March 30 at 12:00 in Room 113, Professor Vladeck will be talking about "Detention Policy and the Obama Administration: Guantanamo, Bagram, and Beyond." Professor Vladeck's visit is sponsored by the American Constitution Society.
 

Daughter Helps Preserve Perry Fuller Legacy

A College of Law distinguished alumnus, Perry Fuller, ‘49, died in 2007. An esteemed legal educator and prominent civic leader for more than 40 years, Mr. Fuller was a nationally renowned Chicago trial attorney who passed on his legal expertise to scores of others. As a Name Partner of Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP (a/k/a Hinshaw, Culbertson, Moelmann, Hoban & Fuller), he argued civil cases all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court, litigating many high profile personal injury and antitrust cases. He was widely known for his Saturday morning trial skills seminars for junior associates that evolved into his pioneering trial clinics at the University of Chicago Law School, and are still a benchmark program in legal education nationwide.

After his death, Perry’s only child, Leslie Ann Fuller, wanted to honor her father and his passion for providing others with superb and effective trial skills training. This inspired her to make a generous gift to the College of Law in order to establish the Perry Fuller Trials Skills Fund, which will provide ongoing funding for intensive courtroom training to students who are participating in the College’s trial advocacy program, while commemorating Mr. Fuller’s professional career and accomplished life. The College of Law will implement an annual lecture and demonstration of Mr. Fuller’s particular kind of trial practice, the Perry Fuller Trial Skills Seminars, with focus being placed on his professional skills and ethics. Additionally, the fund will provide resources for the Perry Fuller Trial Skills Section, which will incorporate Perry Fuller-style trial skills and intensive trial training for a select group of the top law students within the trial advocacy course.

Ms. Fuller’s generous support of this fund will greatly impact the College of Law as students will develop and enhance trial skills and ethical practices that will serve them uniquely well throughout their professional careers.

University of Houston Law Professor Michael Olivas To Discuss Hernández v. Texas Case

Wednesday, March 25, 2009 – 12 noon Courtroom

Professor Michael A. Olivas is the William B. Bates Distinguished Chair of Law and Director/Founder of the Institute of Higher Education Law & Governance at the University of Houston Law Center. He is an education and immigration law expert and scholar at the University of Houston Law Center.

Professor Olivas will deliver a lecture titled “‘Colored Men’ and ‘Hombres Aqui’: The Hidden History of Hernández v. Texas.” The lecture is based on Professor Olivas’ recent book. Professor Olivas will be available to sign copies of his book.
Hernández v. Texas is a landmark, but often overlooked Supreme Court case. It is the first case brought by Mexican American lawyers before the U.S. Supreme Court and was decided the week before Brown v. Board of Education. The Hernández case was the first case in which Mexican Americans were recognized as constituting a distinct group entitled to recognition and protection under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The case overturned an all-white jury murder conviction of Pete Hernandez and held that the prejudice and discrimination against Mexican Americans in Texas were so pervasive that the conviction had not been determined by a jury of his peers. The Hernández case had been tried in Edna, Texas, a “sundown town” that was too dangerous for Mexican Americans to stay overnight.
Professor Olivas will also discuss the current immigration debate in The Charles and Linda Wilson Dialogue on Domestic Issues: “Illegal Immigrants: Path to Citizenship?” Wednesday, March 25, 2009, 7 p.m. at the Lied Center

Lincoln, Neb., Feb. 20, 2009 -- Professor Rebecca Tsosie, the Willard H. Pendrick distinguished research scholar at Arizona State University, will speak Feb. 27 at the University of Nebraska College of Law. Tsosie (pronounced so-see) will speak at noon in the Sherman S. Welpton Courtroom, East Campus Loop and Fair Street. Her address, "Judicial Reasoning in Cases of Cultural Conflict," is free and open to the public.
Tsosie teaches in the areas of Indian law, property, bioethics and critical race theory, as well as seminars in international indigenous rights and in ASU's Tribal Policy, Law, and Government Master of Laws Program. She has written and published widely on doctrinal and theoretical issues related to tribal sovereignty, environmental policy and cultural rights, and is the author of many prominent articles dealing with cultural resources and cultural pluralism. Tsosie also is the co-author with Robert Clinton and Carole Goldberg of a federal Indian law casebook. Her research deals with native rights to genetic resources. Tsosie speaks at national conferences on tribal sovereignty, self-determination, and tribal rights to environmental and cultural resources.
Tsosie, who is of Yaqui descent, has worked extensively with tribal governments and organizations and serves as a Supreme Court justice for the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation. She is a graduate of UCLA Law School.

Expert: Satellite Collision Shows Need for More Regulation of 'Space Debris'

Lincoln, Neb., Feb. 17, 2009 -- Last week's collision between U.S. and Russian space satellites has prompted questions over who is at fault while highlighting the need for stronger international regulation of space debris, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln professor and internationally renowned space law expert said.
Frans von der Dunk said international agreements dictate that if a space object causes damage to the earth or to another spacecraft, the country that launched the object is liable. But the collision that took place Feb. 10 is the first known instance that two full-fledged space objects from different countries have crashed into one another in space.
The collision was between a commercial Iridium communications satellite and a defunct Russian satellite. The two objects slammed into each other over northern Siberia and created a cloud of wreckage -- "space debris" -- that officials worry could threaten other unmanned spacecraft.
"If the collision is between two space objects, as is the case here, reciprocal liability is to be based upon fault," von der Dunk said. The key question, though, will be what "fault" means in this context, when two full-fledged spacecraft simply collided, he said.
Von der Dunk said that will lead to a number of other legal questions that are emerging in the wake of the collision:
* Was Russia at fault because it allowed its satellite to fly around for more than a decade without any means to control its flight path?
* Was Iridium at fault because it had the actual station-keeping navigational capabilities that would have allowed it to stay clear from a collision course?
* Can Russia claim damages when its satellite had been defunct for more than a decade?
* Were either the United States or Russia able to foresee the serious risk of collision -- and if so, would either country's failure to act put them at fault?
Meanwhile, the crash unequivocally shows the need for further international regulation of space debris and the mitigation of its effects, von der Dunk said. When the Russian satellite became defunct in the 1990s, there was no international obligation on Russia to ensure the spacecraft would be properly moved out of harm's way, either into a junkyard orbit or downward to let the Earth's atmosphere burn the satellite.
"This, obviously, should change," von der Dunk said. While requirements are gradually being established for the responsible disposal of satellites no longer of practical use, that process has been very slow, he said.
"Hopefully, now that at least the first cow is out of the barn, the international community will become serious about the need to close the door."
UNL's College of Law is home to the world's only master of laws program in space and telecommunications law. The college offers a credential that can launch people into careers dealing with legal issues associated with commercial space travel, satellite placement, and the transmission of information. The program took in its first class last fall. Its courses are open to students in the school's regular J.D. program, so they can earn concentrations in space and telecommunications law as well. For more information, visit http://spaceandtelecomlaw.unl.edu.

Harner, Lawson and Lenich Receive Teacher of the Year Awards

Every year the student body selects two professors to receive the Professor of the Year Award. One is elected as the First Year Professor of the Year, as chosen by the first year class. And one is elected as the Upperclassmen Professor of the Year, as chosen by the second and third year classes.

This year’s Upperclassmen Professor of the Year is Professor Michelle M. Harner. Professor Harner's dedication to her students, kindness, patience, and bright and engaging approach in the class room has earned her a dedicated following. Congratulations, Professor Harner.

For First Year Class Professor of the Year, there was a tie.

The first recipient of the First Year Class Professor of the Year is a professor who is extremely dedicated to teaching. Professor John Lenich fills every class is with energy and fun. His lectures are punctuated with quirky examples that make learning memorable, and importantly, effective. Congratulations, Professor Lenich.

The second recipient of the First Year Class Professor of the Year exemplifies yet another dedicated teacher. Professor Craig Lawson's patience and kindness has earned him the respect and loyalty of his students. Congratulations, Professor Lawson.

Jessica Clark, 1L SBA President
 

Classes Resume on January 12^th 2009

Good Luck On Finals!

Welcome College of Law Alums! This weekend we are honoring the classes of ’58, ’68, ’78, ’83, & ’98. The festivities begin with cocktails & dinner at the Country Club of Lincoln on Friday night. The fun continues with an Open House at the College on Saturday at 5 p.m. Join us as we celebrate the Huskers, and then catch one of our shuttle busses to the game!
For more information contact Sharon Braun at (402) 472-8375 or sbraun1@unl.edu

Astronaut Clayton Anderson, a native of Ashland, Neb., will speak at the Law College at noon on September 26. Anderson will speak on his experience as a mission specialist aboard the International Space Station.

Former Chief Justice John V. Hendry, Class of '74, to receive Nebraska State Bar Association Award for Extraordinary Service

John V. Hendry, former Chief Justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court and Class of '74 will receive an award from the Nebraska State Bar Association for Outstanding Service.

Dean Steve Willborn said Hendry is very deserving of the award as his record for service is well known. "During his tenure as Chief Justice, he was a wonderful public spokesperson for the Court and all of the courts in Nebraska; he was an advocate of opportunity and diversity in the Bar; and he led the Court itself in its primary task very ably," Willborn said.

Mayor Beutler and Chancellor Perlman to Headline Space and Telecom Law Program Grand Opening & Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

On Friday August 22^nd at 11:30AM in the UNL Law College’s Schmoker Courtyard, the world’s first space and telecommunications master of laws (LLM) degree program taught in English will be launched.  The inaugural class of seven LLM students will be welcomed and the program will feature remarks by Lincoln Mayor Chris Beutler and Chancellor Harvey Perlman.  Several distinguished alumni of the law college that have gone on to successful careers in space or telecommunications law will attend the grand opening, including Fred Campbell, Wireless Bureau Chief of the Federal Communications Commission, and June Edwards, formerly an attorney with NASA.  Two current lawyers with US STRATCOM will also attend the lunch, Col. Carol Joyce and Maj. Brandon Hart.

The seven incoming students include an active duty Air Force Judge Advocate General (JAG) and a former Air Force JAG.  The seven students obtained their first law degrees (J.D.) from the following law schools: Colorado, South Texas, New York, Creighton, Howard, Iowa, and Nebraska.

The LLM degree is a two-semester 24 credit hour degree that allows students to gain expertise in the rapidly growing areas of space and telecommunications law.  Students take required courses in both areas of law and general international law as well.  Space industries are a $220 billion/year global market and telecommunications is a $1.4 trillion/year market with US companies the largest actors.  The US also maintains the largest governmental space programs both military and civilian in the world.

The two leading professors in the program are Professor Frans Von Der Dunk, formerly with Leiden University and one of the world’s leading space law academics, and Professor Marvin Ammori, former General Counsel to the Free Press, one of the nation’s leading media reform organizations.  Professor Von Der Dunk was recently named the only lawyer on the European Space Sciences Committee.  Professor Ammori’s work on “net neutrality” has received much recent attention as the FCC issued a ruling this past month barring Comcast from discriminating against file-sharing uses of the internet.

Prof. Von der Dunk was appointed in April 2008 as Member of the European Space Sciences Committee (ESSC), the expert committee on space sciences of the European Science Foundation (ESF). The ESSC maintains strong and regular relationships with the NRC's Space Studies Board in the United States, and corresponding bodies in Japan and China, and it participates ex officio in several advisory committees of the European Space Agency (ESA), and provides space agencies and decision-makers in this area with recommendations and position papers on all aspects of space research. Prof. Von der Dunk is the only lawyer on the ESSC, which further comprises fifteen top-level experts in space and related sciences, coming from eleven European countries.

ESF is an independent. non-governmental organisation of national research organisations, comprising the aces of academia in the various disciplines, and uniquely positioned to bring the different strands and talents of European science together in order to meet the scientific challenges of the future. ESF has more than 130 staff in its headquarters in Strasbourg, France, and a direct budget of € 43 million in 2006. As for the activities networked by ESF, the turnover for 2006 amounted to approximately € 3 billion.

Prof. von der Dunk has accepted an invitation to review the draft of the Forthcoming Report of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) on Dealing with the Threat to Earth from Asteroids and Comets, the first time the IAA has chosen this issue as a topic for a major study. The study was prepared by a 24-person strong Study Group, and shall be published later this year as a major contribution to the global discussion on this issue, which is reaching the echelons of the United Nations and the various member states concerned. In this context, Prof. Von der Dunk is also part of the expert team supporting the Association of Space Explorers (ASE) initiative to prepare for internationally coordinated action planning, lead by Rusty Schweickart (Apollo 9), and in that context is preparing, together with Prof. Schaefer and in the context of the Space and Telecommunications Law Program, the organisation of a two-day conference on the issue at UNL, April 23-24, 2009.

Professor Colleen Medill was one of nine law school professors from around the country invited to attend the Inside Look program at West Publishing in Eagan, Minnesota. The Inside Look professors met with representatives of the West Law School Group to discuss emerging trends in legal education, particularly the trend toward more interactive casebooks and other web-based classroom learning tools. The Inside Look professors previewed and provided feedback on new technical products being created by West for law professors and law students and toured the Westlaw data center and the West book manufacturing plant.

The University of Nebraska College of Law will host 26 students from 18 states at the Sixth Annual LSAC PLUS Summer Institute.

The LSAC PLUS Program (Law School Admission Council Prelaw Undergraduate Scholars Program) will prepare students for both law school and the application process; expose them to a broad cross-section of the legal community; inform them about the breadth and power of the law and a legal career; and establish individualized mentoring relationships.

The Summer 2008 Pre-Law Institute will provide students with a month-long introduction to legal study, and its analytical and writing demands; exposure to the many roles of the law and lawyers in society; and instruction on the process of applying to law school and obtaining financial aid. Students will also build mentoring relationships with local attorneys and current students.

The core curriculum will consist of three courses. Employment Discrimination Law will expose students to a typical law school classroom and traditional evaluation. The Legal Writing course will focus primarily on writing and analysis. The third course will be an introduction to a traditional first-year course, such as Contracts. Students will also participate in several interactive information sessions that focus on the typical first-year law school curriculum. In addition, students will participate in an academic support component. The academic support program will emphasize study and exam-taking skills.

The core curriculum will be supplemented with a professionalism series which will expose students to the obligations and roles of lawyers in society. Students will meet with lawyers who will lead discussions relating to service and professionalism. Students will learn about the law school application process
including selecting undergraduate courses, writing personal statements, obtaining recommendation letters and working with pre-law advisors. Students will also benefit from an LSAT preparation course.

Students will establish two mentoring relationships with attorneys, usually including one from academics and one from practice or the judiciary. Students will be encouraged to maintain these mentoring relationships after the Institute ends. Students will explore the many career opportunities available to lawyers. These opportunities include the private practice of law, government service, corporate practice, public interest law and non-law careers.

Congratulations Class of 2008!

A draped bust of Roscoe Pound might not make sense at first glance, but it is a Nebraska Law Tradition. Each year, before finals, current students decorate the bust of Pound, one of the most celebrated American legal scholars of all time, a former dean of this law school and a Lincoln native. "Offerings" are made to "Roscoe" with the hopes of success on final exams on their minds. Each Spring, the graduating class takes charge of choosing a theme and decorating the bust.

Graduation will be held Saturday, May 10, at 3:00 at the Lied Center for Performing Arts. The Law College will graduate 112 students.

Professor Colleen Medill’s study of former participants in the Nebraska Public Employees System was discussed in Pensions Week, a publication of the London Financial Times. The study, which was funded by a grant from the Social Security Administration, surveyed individuals who terminated employment in 1997 and were eligible at that time to receive their retirement benefits in the form of a lump sum distribution or an annuity. The purpose of the study was to learn more about how these individuals perceived and managed various types of financial risk associated with their retirement benefits from 1997 to 2007. The results of the study will be published in a forthcoming issue of the Elder Law Journal.

3L Michael Holtje selected as Presidential Management Fellow.

The Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) program is a two year paid government fellowship sponsored by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) for recent graduate students who seek a two year fellowship in a United States government agency. Selection begins with the nomination of the student by the school followed by a rigorous assessment process.

The Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program was established by Executive Order in 1977 to attract to the Federal service outstanding men and women from a variety of academic disciplines and career paths who have a clear interest in, and commitment to, excellence in the leadership and management of public policies and programs. By drawing graduate students from diverse social and cultural backgrounds, the PMF Program provides a continuing source of trained men and women to meet the future challenges of public service.

Katherine Vogel has been selected to receive a 2008 Burton Award for In Re Phoenix L., 270 Neb. 870, 708 N.W.2d 786 (2006): An Analysis of Parental Rights and the Nebraska Indian Child Welfare Act. Katherine is one of 15 winners nation wide and has been invited to Washington, D.C., to receive her award in June.

About the Burton Award...
The Burton Foundation is a volunteer, not-for-profit, academic organization concentrating on legal writing named after William C. Burton, a partner in the international law firm of D'Amato & Lynch. . In 1999, a unique national awards program was established which was dedicated principally to rewarding effective legal writing. The program honors partners in law firms and law school students who use plain, clear and concise language and avoid archaic, stilted legalese.

BROWN BAG PRESENTATION

University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Water Center, Water Resources Research Initiative,
School of Natural Resources,
and College of Law

Present:

"L.B. 701: Nebraska's Answer to Compliance with the Republican River Compact?"

Keisha Patent, Student
UNL College of Law

UNL East Campus Hardin Hall
901 Hardin Hall
3310 Holdrege Street
Friday, April 25 (12:00-1:OOpm)

This paper outlines the background of the Republican River compact, the Final Stipulation Settlement of 2002, and more recent compliance issues for the state of Nebraska. The main crux of the paper evaluates L.B. 701, passed by the Nebraska Unicameral last year to address these concerns in the Republican Basin, by looking at the constitutional concerns with the provisions within the bill as well as the implications of its provisions and potential alternative ways to ensure Compact compliance.
Ms. Patent is a recipient of Water Resources Research Initiative assistantship funding. She has researched and written her paper as part of her assistantship responsibilities.

Professor Colleen Medill was invited to write an article previewing MetLife v. Glenn, an upcoming Supreme Court case dealing with employee benefit plans, by the editor of the Preview of Supreme Court Cases. The Preview invites articles from experts to provide analysis and commentary on cases being heard by the Supreme Court.

Medill’s article summarized the significance of the case, which will be heard by the Supreme Court on April 23rd, in the following terms:

“In the ERISA world, MetLife v. Glenn is a potential blockbuster. The issues go to the heart of the fundamental tension between employers and insurers, who want to control rising health care and disability benefits costs and boost profits, and the participants in these plans, who feel entitled to receive the benefits they were promised and who are frustrated when those benefits are denied.”

Professor Medill frequently writes on issues arising under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, the federal law governing retirement, health care, and other types of benefit plans sponsored by private employers. She teaches Employee Benefits Law each year at the College of Law using her own casebook, Introduction to Employee Benefits Law: Policy and Practice (2d ed. Thomson-West 2007).

National Survey of State Laws, 6th edition, is an award winning reference book from The Gale Group. The 800-page book compares many of the most controversial and frequently used laws in all fifty states. The book has been recognized by the New York Public Library as one of the outstanding reference works, and by the Wilson Library Quarterly as a "Field Tested Reference Resource." It has also been sited in opinions of the US Supreme Court. In 2003, the book received the Joseph L Andrews Bibliographical Award by the American Association of Law Libraries, the groups highest honor for publication excellence. It is held by most public, newsroom, legislative and law libraries in the country and many libraries throughout the world.

The new addition to the Law College is currently a curved wall next to a hole in the ground. The addition is to the west of the current building, facing the loop and the tennis courts. By next October, students at the Law College will be taking classes in two new large classrooms, equipped with all the latest teaching technology. Each classroom will seat about 85 students. This construction, like almost all of the improvements done on our facilities over the past few years, is due to the enormous generosity of our alumni.

Dean Steven Willborn Announces Winners of Alumni Council Awards

I am pleased to announce the winners of this year's Alumni Council awards. This is the seventh year for these awards, which recognize significant work and achievement by people associated with the College in various ways. The formal awards will be made at an alumni luncheon which will held at the Stadium Club on May 8, 2008:

Ambassador Clayton Yeutter, Distinguished Alumni Award. This award is for rare distinction in professional achievement. Ambassador Yeutter served as the United States Trade Representative from 1985-1988. During that time, he led the team negotiating the U.S.-Canada Free Trade Agreement, the precursor to the North American Free Trade Agreement, and he helped launch the 100-nation Uruguay Round of trade negotiations, which eventually resulted in the creation of the World Trade Organization. He has also served as Secretary of Agriculture, Chairman of the Republican National Committee, and Counselor to the President. Ambassador Yeutter currently practices in the Washington office of Hogan & Hartson and is on the Board of Directors of several major corporations. He is a 1963 graduate of the Law College.

Charlie and Suzanne Wright, Outstanding Service Award. This award is for demonstrating loyalty, leadership, and service to the College of Law. The Wrights have supported the College in many ways over many years, but have been especially devoted to Native American students. Charlie has been a personal mentor to several Native American students at the College. The Wrights have also established a generous scholarship fund at the College. Charlie is of counsel to the Lincoln law firm, Cline, Williams, Wright, Johnson & Oldfather. He is a 1958 graduate of the College.

John Lenich, Distinguished Faculty Award.. This award is for a faculty member whose teaching, writing, and service have brought high credit to the College of Law. John has been on the faculty since 1984 and is one of our most devoted and most popular teachers. John’s most recent work is Nebraska Civil Procedure, published by Thomson/West. I have no doubt this will be the most important and most cited book published in Nebraska this decade (except, maybe, for the second volume of the same work, which he is now working on). John’s only fault, but it is a major one, is that he is a Chicago White Sox fan.

Michelle Weber, Woods & Aitken Outstanding Student Award. This award is for a student who exemplifies the qualities of loyalty, service, and achievement to the College of Law. Michelle has compiled an excellent academic record and is currently president of the Student Bar Association. While in law school, Michelle served as an Executive Editor of the Nebraska Law Review, 1L and 2L class president, an officer in other student organizations and as a Law College Student Ambassador. She was also an 8^th Circuit Executive Lieutenant Governor for the ABA/LSD division and on the governing board of the national Association of Environmental Law Societies. Michelle has accepted a job with the office of the Nebraska Attorney General.

Congratulations to all of these worthy recipients. Please consider joining us on May 8 to congratulate them personally.