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Hayley Kaiser

Kaiser Named Outstanding Children’s Justice Clinic Student

14 Jul 2022    

Hayley Kaiser, ’22, was named the 2021-2022 Outstanding Children’s Justice Clinic Student of the Year.

This award is given in recognition of the work done on behalf of the Children’s Justice Clinic’s child clients.

During her time in the Children’s Justice Clinic, Kaiser demonstrated tremendous initiative, a strong work ethic and excellent lawyering skills. Kaiser received praise regarding her high quality of work as a student guardian ad litem from Juvenile Court Judges, the local bar, caseworkers and caregivers.

Emma Franklin and Kate Larsen headshots

Franklin and Larsen Named Outstanding Immigration Clinic Students

14 Jul 2022    

Emma Franklin, ’22, and Kate Larsen, ’22, were named the 2021-2022 Outstanding Immigration Clinic Students of the Year.

The annual award, supported by John, ’87, and Elizabeth Anderson, recognizes the work being done on behalf of Immigration Clinic clients.

During their time in the Immigration Clinic, Franklin and Larsen demonstrated superior lawyering skills. The duo was also responsible for the organization of the College’s third annual naturalization clinic.  

Jayden Barth and Rachel Tomlinson Dick

Barth and Tomlinson Dick Named Outstanding Civil Clinic Students

14 Jul 2022    

Jayden Barth, ’22, and Rachel Tomlinson Dick, ’22, were named the 2021-2022 Outstanding Civil Clinic Students of the Year.

The annual award, supported by John, ’87, and Elizabeth Anderson, recognizes demonstrated excellence in the fundamental skills of lawyering.

During their time in the Civil Clinic, Barth and Tomlinson Dick provided competent representation to their clients, promoted justice, fairness and morality, and worked to improve the profession and their professional selves. As part of the Civil Clinic experience, Barth and Tomlinson Dick had the opportunity to argue a case before the Nebraska Supreme Court.

Haley Huson

Huson Named Outstanding Criminal Clinic Student

14 Jul 2022    

Haley Huson, ’22, was named the 2021-2022 Outstanding Criminal Clinic Student of the Year.

The annual award recognizes work done on behalf of the citizens of Nebraska through the Nebraska Law Criminal Clinic.

During her time in the Criminal Clinic, Huson demonstrated tremendous initiative, a strong work ethics and excellent lawyering skills. Her detailed preparation and in-depth factual and legal investigation led to exceptional courtroom performance.

Professor Stefanie Pearlman headshot

Pearlman Named Interim Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

06 Jul 2022    

On July 1, Professor Stefanie Pearlman was named Interim Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

In an email to faculty and staff, Dean Richard Moberly said, "Stefanie brings a wealth of experience to this role, having been active in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work at the College of Law as a member of the DEI Committee." Pearlman serves as the faculty advisor for the Nebraska OUTlaw student organization and received the Advocate Appreciation in 2021 for her contributions to the success of LGBTQA students at Nebraska. Outside the College of Law, Pearlman has served as the chair of the Social Responsibilities Special Interest Section of the American Association of Law Libraries, and she is currently a commissioner on the Nebraska Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission. "I am thrilled that Stefanie is willing to serve in this role and I am looking forward to her contributions to this important aspect of the College's mission."

As Interim Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Pearlman will serve as the chair of the College's DEI Committee; work with College stakeholders, such as faculty, students, staff, and alumni, to develop the College's Inclusive Leadership Initiative; lead faculty discussions on diversity, inclusion and other related topics; and build relationships with campus partners, including the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and UNL Council on Inclusive Excellence and Diversity.

"Diversity, equity and inclusion aren't just buzz words," said Pearlman. "These topics impact people's lives every day. I'm happy to do my part to move the College forward and can't wait to get to work."

Pearlman is a professor of law library and reference librarian. She teaches legal research in the First Year Legal Analysis, Writing and Research course and runs the Schmid Research Fellowship Program.

Pearlman will serve as Interim Associate Dean until a permanent replacement is identified. Information about the position is available at: https://employment.unl.edu/postings/76190.

Professor Michelle Paxton

Children’s Justice Attorney Education Program Selects Inaugural Fellows

06 Jul 2022    

Twelve rural Nebraska attorneys have been selected as the inaugural cohort of Children’s Justice Attorney Education Fellows.

Participants­­­ have committed to an eight-month program in which they will receive extensive education on state and federal child welfare and juvenile justice laws along with invaluable information and insight into the subjects necessary to become strong advocates. They will work with a team of experts to look beyond the legal issues in their cases to integrate social and psychological factors into­ case analysis.

Attorneys participating in the program serve clients in 34 Nebraska counties. 

  • Adaline Baker - The Law Office of Adaline Baker, serving Dawes, Box Butte, Scotts Bluff, Dodge, Saunders, and Douglas counties
  • Audrey Bellew, ’17, - Brouillette, Dugan, Troshynski, & Bellew, serving Lincoln, Keith, and Red Willow counties
  • Anna Brokaw, ’21, - Smith, Johnson, Allen, Connick & Hansen, serving Hall, Howard, Merrick, Adams, and Buffalo counties
  • Marissa Curtiss, ’18, - Box Butte County Attorney's Office, and Grant County Attorney's Office, serving Box Butte, Dawes, Sioux, Grant, Sheridan, and Morrill counties
  • Leah Gleason - Fye Law Office, serving Buffalo, Hall, Adams, Phelps, Harlan, Franklin, Furnas, and Kearney counties
  • Amber Horn - Cheyenne County Attorney's Office, serving Cheyenne County 
  • Hayley Huyser - Hart, Huyser & Miller, P.C., L.L.O., serving Dawson County 
  • Margaret Jackson, ’18, - Brouillette Dugan Troshynski Bellew PC LLO, serving Lincoln, Red Willow, Frontier, Furnas, Dawson, Thomas, Logan, Hayes, Custer, Perkins, and Keith counties 
  • Jessica Laughlin, ’15, - Robert Brenner Law Office, serving Scotts Bluff, Morrill, Cheyenne, Kimball, and Box Butte counties
  • Emily Mathews - Saunders County Public Defender's Office, serving Saunders County 
  • Kendal Minich, ’14, - Gallant Law Office, serving Cuming and Dodge counties
  • Emily Wood, ’18, - Colfer, Wood, Lyons & Wood, serving Lincoln, Frontier, Hitchcock, and Red Willow counties

Group photo of the fellows listed below.

“Our goal with the Children’s Justice Attorney Education program is to address some of the specialized training that is often left out of the traditional law school experience,” said Michelle Paxton, director of the program. “Attorneys need to understand subjects like complex family dynamics, trauma and child development, substance abuse, and domestic violence to be the most effective advocates for their child clients.”  

The Children’s Justice Attorney Education program is the second project in which the College of Law and Center for Children, Families, and the Law have partnered. The program will increase the availability and accessibility of court-appointed and juvenile county attorneys thanks to a grant from the Aviv Foundation. 

To learn more about the Children’s Justice Attorney Education Program, visit: law.unl.edu/childrens-justice-attorney-education.

Hunter Traynor and Kathryn Zieno headshots

Traynor and Zieno Receive Koley Jessen Entrepreneurship Award

28 Jun 2022    

Hunter Traynor, ’22, and Kathryn Zieno, ’22, are the recipients of the 2021-2022 Koley Jessen Entrepreneurship Award.

The annual award recognizes students participating in the Weibling Entrepreneurship Clinic for demonstrating exceptional legal skills, providing outstanding service to clients, and furthering the mission of the Clinic.

During their time in the Entrepreneurship Clinic, Traynor and Zieno demonstrated a clear sense of commitment, competence and comprehensiveness, approaching each case with care, diligence, thoroughness and professionalism.

Professor Brian Lepard headshot

Lepard Participates in Expert Panel on the Future of Religious Freedom

26 Jun 2022    

On May 20, 2022 Professor Brian Lepard participated, as one of two invited expert speakers, in a panel discussion hosted online by Fordham Law School on “The Future of Freedom of Religion.”  The panel was sponsored by Fordham’s Institute on Religion, Law and Lawyer’s Work (“IRLLW”), and it was the last in a year-long seminar series on the broader theme of “New Frontiers of Human Rights.” The program was presented in partnership with the Center for Research in Politics and Human Rights at Sophia University in Florence, Italy, and the Observatorio de Derechos Humanos at Universidad de Valladolid in Spain.

The other expert participating in the panel was Jessica Giles, Director of the Project on Interdisciplinary Law and Religion Studies and lecturer at The Open University in the United Kingdom. Professor Lepard and Professor Giles were interviewed by the Director of IRLLW, Endy Moraes, who served as moderator of the panel.

Professor Lepard and Professor Giles discussed what freedom of religion means today in the global community. Professor Lepard explored the role of international courts, such as the European Court of Human Rights, in protecting freedom of religion or belief, as well as recent developments in the U.S. Supreme Court’s First Amendment jurisprudence on freedom of religion.

More information about Professor Lepard’s remarks and the panel can be found in the press release issued by Fordham Law School, available here.

Professor Lepard is the Harold W. Conroy Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Nebraska College of Law and a recognized expert on international human rights law, including freedom of religion or belief.  

Professor Jessica Shoemaker headshot

Shoemaker Publishes Essay in Michigan Law Review

07 Jun 2022    

Professor Jessica Shoemaker published The Truth About Property in the Michigan Law Review. The essay reviews Gregory Ablavsky’s Federal Ground: Governing Property and Violence in the First U.S. Territories (Oxford University Press, 2021), which explores the origins of the modern American property system and federal jurisdiction and sovereignty more generally.

Shoemaker’s essay emphasizes how Ablavsky’s more nuanced retelling of America’s property creation story can suggest important insights about the nature of property relations today – including important lessons about how property systems emerge and evolve, how property choices entrench inequities across geography and generations, and what might be lost in the continuing homogenization of how we even imagine and conceive of what property, land, and community relations can be.

Independence Talken and Leana Brown stand in front of a pond at the Broadmoor Resort in Colorado Springs

Brown and Talken Spend Semester at U.S. Northern Command and NORAD

10 May 2022    

Students Leana Brown, ’22, and Independence Talken, ’23, participated in the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) internship program in spring 2022, a full-time experience based in Colorado Springs, Peterson Air Force Base, and supervised by Elsbeth Magilton. 

The NORAD and USNORTHCOM Volunteer Student Internship Program (N&NC VSIP) is part of a larger effort by NORAD and USNORTHCOM to help cultivate future generations of Defense and Security practitioners. N&NC VSIP provides students exposure to NORAD and USNORTHCOM missions and responsibilities, while working alongside current military and civilian professionals dedicated to the defense of North America. Participants gain valuable hands-on experience related to their education endeavors while working in a joint, interagency and international environment at NORAD and USNORTHCOM. They were placed in cyber focused mission offices inside the Command and had meaningful and regular interaction with General Counsel at both NORAD and USNORTHCOM, reviewing their contributions and working with those teams. In addition to experience with General Counsel, they met with staff policy analysts to write, interpret, and apply national policy guidance to areas of commercial space and cyber sectors and the domestic facets of national security. 

Commenting on a data project, Talken said “The data architecture we built centered around data access and use. We helped by mapping out different legally distinguishable phases of a data lifecycle and highlighted different stages to focus on and cover. Additionally, we parsed out considerations for data from different sources and work products of different combinations of entities. Obviously, as students, we were not able to give legal advice, but we pointed out different legal considerations and oriented the team within the world of legal rights and data ownership and property law. It was very fun and one of the coolest parts was how the people we were working with kept saying that all these legal aspects never crossed their minds until they met us. It really showed how much of an impact lawyers can make and how much we, the legal interns, were needed and appreciated.“

Ashlee McGill standing in front of bookshelves

Ashlee McGill Continues Interest in National Security

05 May 2022    

To Ashlee McGill, 23’, coming to Nebraska was the natural choice.“I knew I was going to like the professors, and I already had contacts here. Nebraska is a hidden hub of national security; it was a really easy choice for me.”

“The Space Cyber Telecommunications Program (SCTL) is very much an environment where I’ve felt supported. If you wanted to get into space law or national security or cyber, it’s a nice hub for that. The faculty are extremely approachable. they assigned me to the independent study I’m currently doing. It revolves around privacy and civil rights issues surrounding the use of social media and national security which is a very grey area right now. The faculty operate on this collaborative idea that you’re stronger when you’re working with other people. So, I’m glad I know people here.”

Ashlee is currently interning at The National Counterterrorism Innovation Technology and Education Center (NCITE), a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funded center, doing research compliance on both old and new research projects. Last fall, she held an externship with the JAG Corp.

“I’m working at NCITE, and I got that job with the help of the SCTL program. They reached out to me and told me that this position might be good for me.” 

When asked what advice she had for students coming to Nebraska, she said. 

“Make friends! There’s this collaborative spirit here where people help each other. Some people are afraid of the cutthroat nature of a law school and that’s not what Nebraska is about. You feel that through the students and the faculty and the administration. Everybody here wants you to succeed so it’s a matter of making friends and just making those connections.”

“The SCTL name is misleading; it is so much more than SCTL. It’s an amazing program. I’m so glad I’ve gotten to know the people who make this program happen. It’s an amazing opportunity!”

Deena Keilany and Mara Wilson headshots

Keilany, Wilson Recognized as Outstanding Law Student Advocates by Nebraska State Bar Association

02 May 2022    

Deena Keilany, ’22, and Mara Wilson, ’22, were recognized with the Nebraska State Bar Association (NSBA) Tenant Assistance Project Outstanding Law Student Advocate Award. This award recognizes law students each semester who have made a significant contribution to the Tenant Assistance Project (TAP) and exceed expectations in their effort to support the program and contribute to its success.

Deena Keilany has been a zealous advocate for tenants at the courthouse and in creating eviction defense packets (EDPs) this semester. She is extremely thoughtful and thorough in her case work and has successfully negotiated great outcomes for many clients. Her EDPs are solid, containing detailed information and all possible defenses. She does a fantastic job of monitoring her cases after the hearing date, and ensures the landlord attorney follows through with the agreement. Deena has proven herself capable of working in difficult situations and handling contested hearings.  

Mara Wilson has done great work at the courthouse, fighting hard for her clients in negotiating for favorable outcomes. She very often volunteers for additional shifts each week, including covering shifts in Douglas County. She conducts herself as a young lawyer, capable of handling matters at the courthouse with minimal mentorship and supervision. She stays on top of cases, calling tenants after their hearing to make sure they follow through with the agreement or to remind them of their upcoming hearing. Mara works closely with the rental assistance crew to ensure everything is square on that front, and consistently conducts herself in a professional manner when working with clients, opposing counsel and the court.   

NGTC Hosts “State Level Issues in Technology, Regulation, and Economic Development Conference”

26 Apr 2022    

The Nebraska Governance and Technology Center hosted leading experts to discuss the role of states in regulating “Big Tech” and to speak on the evolution of public attitudes towards the technology sector, as well as the ways in which efforts to regulate Big Tech are likely to affect consumers at the state level. This was all part of the Center's State Level Issues in Technology, Regulation, and Economic Development. The conference was the first in a 2-year program hosted by the Center that will invite policymakers, enforcement officials, and academics to discuss changing attitudes toward Big Tech and technology regulation.

Over the past decade the technology industry — especially the part of it thought of as "Big Tech" — has gone from being widely viewed with favor to being a target for both the political right and left. At both the federal and state level legislators and regulators are trying to pass laws and use litigation to constrain Big Tech. This shift has been prompted by a range of concerns.

As demonstrated by these widespread efforts, most of the concerns about Big Tech are "national-scale." Many of the concerns, such as the potential for monopolization or the firms' data use practices have traditionally been thought of as best handled at the federal level. Even where the impacts may be felt in individual states, there is little difference on the ground in Arizona, Florida, or Nebraska between the potential impacts of Apple controlling its app store or how Google sells targeted advertising.

This conference explored the role of the states in these issues, considering:

  • What has driven the change in attitudes towards the technology sector over the past several years?
  • What do we know about consumer attitudes towards technology, including how those attitudes vary from state to state?
  • How are efforts to regulate Big Tech likely to affect consumers and industry at the state level?

Panels included conversations assessing consumer attitudes, changes in regulation, and a review of tech policy “then and now.” 

This spring’s conference was keynoted by two prominent experts in the evolving political landscape surrounding regulation of Big Tech.

Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson has supported strengthened legislation and enforcement in the areas of human trafficking, prosecution of child sexual assault and abuse, and consumer protection laws to safeguard Nebraskans.

Shannon McGregor is an assistant professor at the Hussman School of Journalism and Media and a senior researcher with the Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Her research addresses the role of social media and their data in political processes, with a focus on political communication, journalism, public opinion, and gender. Her published work examines how three groups – political actors, the press, and the public – use social media in regards to politics, how that social media use impacts their behavior, and how the policies and actions of social media companies in turn impacts political communication on their sites.

For more information about panels, panelists and the conference in general, click here.

Professor Kristen Blankley headshot

Blankley Publishes Article in Akron Law Review

26 Apr 2022    

Professor Kristen Blankley published Standing on Its Own Shoulders: The Supreme Courts’ Statutory Interpretation of the Federal Arbitration Act in the Akron Law Review. This article provides an overall look at the trends of statutory interpretation used by the Supreme Court when interpreting the FAA over the course of the statute’s nearly 100-year history. The article compares how the Court interprets the FAA with other scholars’ research on how the Court utilizes tools of statutory interpretation. Blankley concludes that the FAA jurisprudence is noteworthy for its highly insular nature which ultimately allows the Court to expand the Act’s reach. 

Alan Dugger and Rachel Tomlinson Dick holding their awards

Dugger, '22, and Tomlinson Dick, '22, Named NSBA Rise Award Recipients

26 Apr 2022    

Alan Dugger, ’22, and Rachel Tomlinson Dick, ’22, have been named the Nebraska State Bar Association (NSBA) 2022 Rise Award Recipients. The Rise Award is given to a law student(s) from each of Nebraska’s law schools for the exemplary dedications to, and contributions in support of, programs sponsored by the Nebraska Lawyers Foundation throughout their law school career.

Dugger and Tomlinson Dick were both nominated by Professor Ryan Sullivan for their contributions to the Tenants Assistance Project (TAP).





Alan Dugger receiving an awardAlan Dugger has been an integral contributor to the TAP since its early stages in 2020 while completing his clerkship with the Lincoln Commission on Human Rights. During the 2020-21 school year, Alan covered eviction hearings and created eviction defense packets nearly every week, racking up hundreds of pro bono hours. In the summer of 2021, Alan took leave from his full-time clerkship several mornings per week in order to volunteer with TAP. He requested and obtained senior certification as soon as it was permissible so that he could contribute in a more advanced role at the courthouse. Recognizing these efforts, the NSBA Volunteer Lawyers Project awarded Alan with the Summer 2021 Outstanding Student Advocate Award. In the fall of 2021, Alan was one of the students to initiate the student chapter of the Tenant Assistance Project, where he helped to recruit other law students interested in volunteering with TAP and to coordinate presentations at the law school on topics related to housing justice. Within this organization, Alan served as TAP Courthouse Coordinator, training and mentoring new law student volunteers at the courthouse. Alan’s dedication and contributions to TAP culminated in his participation in the College of Law Civil Clinic, where he was selected to co-lead the Tenants’ Rights Project, a Clinic outreach project that supports numerous housing justice initiatives, including TAP.

Racehl Tomlinson Dick receiving an awardRachel Tomlinson Dick began working with the TAP as one of the first 2L volunteers recruited to assist with creating the eviction defense packets. Rachel also spent much of her holiday break in 2020 volunteering at the courthouse, and continued to volunteer at the courthouse whenever her class schedule permitted. Early in her TAP tenure she took on the role of recruiting, training, and mentoring other students to help with the creation of the packets, a position she still holds.  Through this role, she has created or reviewed eviction defense packets for no less than 500 cases. In fact, she handles the creation of the packets for every continued matter, sometimes up to 20 a week. Rachel was also a co-founder of the TAP Student Organization at the College of Law where her leadership has been invaluable.  In this role she helped to coordinate several TAP and housing justice presentations at the law school, and recruit over 20 first- and second-year law students to volunteer with TAP.  Last fall she continued her work with TAP by wearing many hats: as a student in the Civil Clinic, often covering multiple shifts a week at the courthouse; serving as the eviction defense packet coordinator for the TAP student organization; taking point in creating all of the weekly hearing lists, handling EDPs for all continued cases, and making eviction defense packet assignments; leading several presentations on TAP at the College of Law, at main campus for undergraduate students, and to the community; and conducting in-depth research into Nebraska’s housing laws and helping to draft proposals to improve them. Rachel was recognized for her efforts by the NSBA Volunteer Lawyers Project, who awarded her the Fall 2021 Outstanding Student Advocate Award.  This spring, Rachel was hired as a teaching assistant in the Civil Clinic where she leads the TAP component of the curriculum, training and mentoring her peers as they become acquainted with the TAP program, and coordinating eviction defense packets and courthouse assignments.   

Professor Anthony Schutz headshot

Schutz and Longo, ’82, Publish Article in Natural Resources Journal

26 Apr 2022    

Professor Anthony Schutz, along with Peter Longo, ’82, and James Scott, has published Borders and Water Conflicts: Mitigating Conflicts with Love and Cooperation in the Natural Resources Journal. 

The abstract for the article is below:

Borders are political constructs, not constructs derived from laws of nature. Borders carry more potential for conflict than any other matter in political relations. In international relations, wars have been fought over borders and territory. But, territory does not necessarily entail a dispute about the geographic location of a border. Trans-boundary natural resources disputes emerge because the laws of nature do not bend to this peculiar human construct. As much can be seen in international and intra-state water conflicts, where political boundaries provide individuals with a tribal identity that eclipses the power of natural resources to tie people together in basins. Nevertheless, despite the tribal power of these divisive disputes, cooperative approaches emerge. Water users from competing political jurisdictions – within and between states – greatly benefit from cooperative water policies and practices based on philia, brotherly love. But the conditions under which such mutual concern emerges are not universal. Law can bring them to bear, and it should. Once it does so, the philia-driven commitments are often drawn up in compacts or agreements that will bind the parties in a long-term relationship that is more or less reflective of their original philia. In this paper we analyze water disputes between Kansas-Nebraska, Texas-New Mexico, and Egypt-Ethiopia-Sudan, and evaluate how cooperative models, consistent with philia, are employed to mitigate water fights.

Martin Fischer headshot

Martin Fischer Interns at United Launch Alliance

14 Apr 2022    

On his way to graduation, Martin Fischer 22’, reflected about his time in the SCTL program at the UNL college of Law. “My experiences have been all positive. The classes have been top notch, the professors have been experienced and skilled in the theory as well as the practice. The staff and individuals running the program are very passionate about it. Many of us, including myself came here for the program.” 

When he first arrived, Martin was in awe to see major players in the space field such as Frans von der Dunk, Jack Beard, Matt Schaefer. Seeing them and getting to know them not only on a professor student relationship but more of peer to peer one was something cool. “In some ways you come into law school expecting it to be just class time and no interaction with the professors but here the professors have been accessible to answer questions and to help.”

“Be as involved as possible!” Fischer said when asked what advice he has for future students, “The more you do the more you get to know the people the more opportunities arise as well as the more opportunities you can create. The more that I got involved the more I benefited in terms of building networks. I was able to ask questions and get access to resources.” 

In his first year, Fischer held a judicial externship with the US district court in Omaha. In his second summer he interned with United Launch Alliance (ULA), which he described as a real hands-on experience and vastly different from anything he learned in the classroom because it’s applying what’s learned in the classroom to real world situations. He’s also working with Sierra Space and will once again work at ULA this coming summer. 

“I’d love to thank all of those involved in the program. From the faculty, staff, and co-directors. It’s special, it’s something that you’re not going to find in other schools. It’s one of the reasons I am happy that I came here.”

Emma Franklin and Kate Larsen headshots

Immigration Clinic Students Hold Third Annual Naturalization Clinic

12 Apr 2022    

On Saturday, March 26, 2022, the University of Nebraska College of Law’s Immigration Clinic spearheaded its third annual Naturalization Clinic. Emma Franklin, ’22, and Kate Larsen, ’22, led this year’s planning efforts. Student and attorney volunteers successfully assisted 20 community members with their naturalization application forms.

Planning efforts began in late January, when organizers reached out to more than 50 non-profit organizations, posted flyers in high-traffic areas in Lincoln and Omaha and advertised digitally through social media. The Immigrant Legal Center and other non-profit organizations helped to refer potential clients to the Naturalization Clinic.  

To guarantee that prospective applicants would be good naturalization candidates, Immigration Clinic students, along with several law student volunteers, pre-screened the applicants to flag any issues that could complicate their ability to naturalize. Initially, 47 individuals expressed interest in the Clinic; 36 completed the screening process; and the Clinic ultimately accepted and invited 25 to participate in the naturalization event.

The packets that participants were given at the conclusion of their meetings included completed forms, a set of “next step” instructions about what to expect and how to submit the naturalization application, and information about citizenship and naturalization classes.

The participants were overwhelmingly pleased with the event, and many rated the Clinic a 10/10 on the participant surveys. One participant exclaimed, “If not for the volunteers, the form [N-400] would have taken me days to complete!”

This year’s Naturalization Clinic sponsors include the Iowa/Nebraska Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and Cline Williams law firm. The Clinic thanks the sponsors for their generous contributions and support of the community.

Immigration Clinic students who participated this year include:
Alejandra Ayotitla
Sammy Conners
Emma Franklin (naturalization clinic organizer)
Lane Haskell
Kate Larsen (naturalization clinic organizer)
Natasha Naseem
Max Tierney
Helen Winston

Additional student volunteers:
Peter Biedenweg
Anthony Budell
Lionel Dalmeida
Tiffany Dennis
Shana Dregenberg
Mason Ellis
Maddie Eppler
Courtney Faller
Ashly Helfrich
Katie Hoatson
Jose Jaimes
Philip Jeffry Abraham
Aurora Kenworthy
Morgan Kneip
Shannon Konkol
Emma Lentsch
Emma Lindemeier
César Magaña Linares (Creighton Law student)
Tavia McAlister
Elsa Menjivar Valverde
Tyler Mitchell
Laurel Nitzel
Abbey Penton
Christopher Schmidt
Lou Traore
Audrey Wagoner

Local immigration attorneys plus the director of the Immigration Clinic, Kevin Ruser, helped oversee the legal review component of the event:

Jodi Garrelts, ’15
Deanna Piña, ’19
Dan Oldenburg

Murphy Cavanaugh headshot

Cavanaugh, '24, Honored as Women of Courage, Character and Commitment

08 Apr 2022    

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln Women’s Center has selected six student winners, including Murphy Cavanaugh, '24, for its 2022 Women of Courage, Character and Commitment Award.

The award recognizes students, staff and faculty who have made positive impacts through personal, professional, mentoring or peer relationships. The winners were recognized and presented with the award during the Women’s History Month Celebration on March 24.

“A consistent theme in the nominations for these recipients was their advocacy, caring and work for inclusive excellence,” Pat Tetreault, director of the Women’s Center, said. “It is important for us to celebrate those who demonstrate their courage, character and commitment to help make the world a better place.”

__________

Murphy Cavanaugh serves as 1L class president of the Student Bar Association at Nebraska, where she connects students to resources that help them succeed in academic, personal and professional pursuits. She advocates for marginalized groups in the college and goes out of her way to make all students feel comfortable and accepted.

Full story from University Communication. 

Program Sends Students to the Space Symposium

06 Apr 2022    

The Space Symposium, held at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA, has brought together space leaders from around the world to discuss, address and plan for the future of space since the inaugural event in 1984. Today, the Space Symposium welcomes more than 14,000 people from around the world, including speakers, attendees, exhibitors, volunteers, educators, and students. Space Symposium has become widely known as the premier U.S. space policy and program forum and as the “must attend” opportunity for information on and interaction among all sectors of space. 

Adjunct University of Nebraska College of Law Professor and EVP and General Counsel to HawkEye360, Dennis Burnett hosted and served on the Space Law Workshop and Space Law 101 panels focusing on key legal issues impacting the commercial space industry and concluded with a General Counsel Forum including the top lawyers from industry and government agencies. 

Law students Endeliza Hampton ‘22, and Amelia Ruffulo ’23 won the travel award to attend the 37th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs.

“The Space Symposium was truly an invaluable experience. I made connections with people from around the world. I was able to see where the space world is heading. I also had the opportunity to apply the knowledge that I have learned from my courses at the College to the issues discussed at the Symposium.” Ruffulo said, “attending the Symposium made me think about space in ways I had not considered before and has driven me to delve deeper into legal research on space and other relevant issues, such as environmental law.” 

The Space Symposium was a fantastic!” Endeliza said, “I was able to hear about current advances and issues in the space field from multiple sources, which supplemented my classroom learning experience. The Symposium also offered a rich networking environment, and I was able to engage with, and learn from various private and public professional in the industry. I am grateful for the Space, Cyber and Telecom Program for offering students a travel scholarship to attend such a world-renowned event.”