Students Attend Women in Aerospace Awards Banquet
04 Nov 2022
Students Jill Sloan (LLM '23) and Matias Cava (JD '24) were able to attend the 37th Women in Aerospace Awards banquet in Washington D.C. on October 13th, along with the program's Associate and Executive Directors. The event, which took place before Nebraska's Annual Space Law Fall Conference, showcases the accomplishments of educators, scientists, engineers, and other women making important contributions in the aerospace community. The Women in Aerospace Awards Dinner and Ceremony is an annual event celebrating women's professional excellence in the aerospace industry and is attended by industry and government leaders. Women in Aerospace is an organization dedicated to expanding women's opportunities for leadership and showcasing the accomplishments of women in the industry. The Space, Cyber, and Telecom Law Program received a NASA Nebraska educational grant, which helped to fund student travel to the Annual Conference and attendance at this prestigious event.
Space, Cyber, and Telecommunications Law Students Visit NASA HQ
03 Nov 2022
Every year, the Nebraska Space, Cyber, and Telecommunications Law Program provides student travel awards to attend our Fall Space Law Conference in Washington D.C. This year, thanks to coordination with David Lopez, and international law attorney at NASA Headquarters, students had the opportunity to spend afternoon hearing from lawyers in different practice sessions and tour the Space Operations Center.
The sessions included presentations from lawyers in different practice groups, including Margaret Roberts from the Commercial Law Practice Group, Tom McMurry and Sumara M. Thompson-king, who are the NASA General Counsel and Deputy General Counsel, Victoria Kauffman from the Contracts and Acquisition Integrity Practice Group, Brian Wessel from the Internationonal Law Practice Group, and Dave Barrett from the General Law Practice Group. Additionally, students received a tour of the Space Operations Center from Kevin Metrocavage, who has been a part of the ISS program since its assembly and was previously at NASA Johnson Mission Control. Students learned a lot, and the Program here at Nebraska greatly appreciated the opportunity to meet professionals, ask questions, and make connections.
Space, Cyber, and Telecom Law Students Tour US Capitol
03 Nov 2022
Six students had the opportunity to travel to Washington D.C. with the Nebraska Space, Cyber, and Telecommunications Law Program for the Annual Space Law Fall Conference in October. While in DC for the conference, LLM and JD students also had the opportunity to tour the US Capitol. The tour was provided through Nebraska Senator Deb Fischer's office and guided by an interning staff member. The tour included vieiwings and interesting information about the Capitol Rotunda, the Old Supreme Court Chambers, the Old Senate Chamber, National Statutory Hall, Emancipation Hall, and the Crypt beneath the Rotunda.
Schaefer Shares International Trade Expertise at National and International Conferences
02 Nov 2022
Schaefer co-organized, with Professor Richard Steinberg of UCLA Law School, an American Branch of International Law Association International Law Weekend trade law panel in New York City on October 21, 2022 titled, “The International Trade Regime’s Foundations in an Era of Increased Geopolitical Conflict.” Professor Schaefer also moderated the panel; speakers included Professor Steinberg, Professor Kathleen Claussen of University of Miami Law School, Kelly Ann Shaw, Partner at Hogan Lovells, and Professor Sergio Puig of University of Arizona Law School.
Professor Schaefer also participated in two small roundtable discussions on trade sanctions and supply chains along with lawyers from Brazil, Italy, Germany, Canada, and Australia at the International Bar Association’s Annual Conference in Miami on October 31, 2022.
Professor Schaefer also was a speaker on the legal and regulatory panel at Morrison Foerster Law Firm’s (NYC) Sovereign Investor Conference on October 18, 2022 along with Thomas Ayres, Chief Legal Officer, Voyager Space, Karina Drees, President of the Commercial Space Flight Federation, and Emily Pierce, Attorney-Advisor, US State Department.
Professor Schaefer also served as a discussant at the August 15, 2022 online “Four Societies” conference on – a joint conference of the American Society of International Law, the Canadian Council of International Law, the Australia-New Zealand Society of International Law and the Japan Society of International Law. Professor Schaefer will serve as a discussant again at the ASIL Research Forum meeting on Nov. 12, 2022.
Schaefer is the Clayton Yeutter chair at the University of Nebraska College of Law and Yeutter Institute of International Trade and Finance. He previously served as the Veronica A. Haggart and Charles R. Work Professor of International Trade Law and the Founding Director of the Space, Cyber, and Telecommunications Law Program.
Elsbeth Magilton and Frans von der Dunk Present at International Astronautical Congress Conference in Paris
26 Oct 2022
Executive Director, Elsbeth Magilton, and Professor Frans von der Dunk both prepared papers for presentation during the International Astronautical Congress Conference in Paris. Held in September 2022, the conference brings together global space players to encourage the development of astronautics for peaceful purposes, with more than 80 countries represented.
Elsbeth Magilton presented her paper “Science and Strength: The History of the Relationship Between Civil and Military Space Organizations in the United States” during the IAA History of Astronautics Symposium. Her work, supported by 2L student and research assistant, Grant Jones, covered the historical relationships between the US military and commercial space businesses.
At the same Symposium, alum Nathan Johnson (LL.M. ’15) presented on Andrew G. Haley, the first practicing space lawyer who helped found the International Astronautical Federal, the International Institute of Space Law, and the International Astronautical Association.
Professor Frans von der Dunk, in addition to receiving the IAA Social Science Book Award on behalf of Irmgard Marboe, also presented during the IISL Colloquium on the Law of Outer Space. He presented his paper “What’s In A Name? – Legal aspects of ‘safety zones’ on celestial bodies and elsewhere in outer space.”
Alumni and former faculty honored with 2022 NSBA Public Service Awards
25 Oct 2022
Three Nebraska Law alumni and a former faculty member were recently honored with 2022 Nebraska State Bar Association (NSBA) Public Service Awards.
The Outstanding Young Lawyer Award was presented to Lily Amare, '15. Amare is a partner at Cline Williams Wright Johnson & Oldfather where she practices in the areas of labor and employment, school law, employment litigation, and business litigation. This award is presented to a member of the NSBA Young Lawyers Section who has made exemplary contributions to the community and to public service; who has actively participated in state and local bar activities; and who stands out in the areas of professional knowledge, skill, integrity, and courtesy. In the legal community, Amare has been an active and involved member in Robert Van Pelt American Inns of Court since 2017 and has served as the Secretary/Treasurer since 2018. She has served as a Representative for District 3 for the NSBA Young Lawyers Section’s Executive Council. She also serves on the UNL College of Law Dean’s Advisory Board and serves as an adjunct faculty lecturer and teaches pretrial litigation at the UNL College of Law. Amare has been a member of Lincoln Literacy since 2017 and has served on the Board of Directors for HopeSpoke since 2019. (Top left)
The President’s Professional Award was presented to Thomas M. Maul, ’80, of Columbus. This award is presented to an NSBA member who exemplifies the attributes of the true professional; whose conduct is always consistent with the highest standards of practice; and who displays appropriate courtesy and respect of the public, clients, fellow attorneys, and the justice system. Maul is recognized for 42 years of exemplary service to our legal community. He has served on the NSBA Young Lawyers Section, the Nebraska State Bar Commission, the NSBA Legislation Committee, the NSBA Executive Council and as President of the Association. At the local level, he has represented his district on numerous Judicial Nominating Commissions, the Committee on Inquiry, and served as President and Secretary/Treasurer for the Platte County Bar Association. Maul has been recognized as a leader in promoting rural practice in underserved areas of our state through his involvement in the Rural Law Opportunities Program (RLOP) and nationally through his service on the Legal Services Corporation’s Rural Judicial Task Force. He is an estate planning lawyer and has actively supported his colleagues and the practice through his involvement in the Real Estate Probate and Trust Section and through his service on the Nebraska Supreme Court Commission on Guardianships and Conservatorships. (Top right)
The George H. Turner Award is presented to Matthew Munderloh, ’03, an attorney with Johnson & Mock, PC, LLO, where he has a general litigation practice that includes criminal defense, civil rights and constitutional litigation, and a variety of other civil disputes in state and federal courts. He also serves as city attorney for several Nebraska municipalities. This award is presented to a member of the NSBA who has demonstrated unusual efforts in furthering the public understanding of the legal system, the administration of justice, and confidence in the legal profession. Munderloh was selected due to his steadfast service to the public as counsel to individuals and Nebraska communities, including for his successful appeal (accepting only minimal compensation and assisted by ACLU of Nebraska) to the Nebraska Supreme Court in In Re Adoption of Yasmin S., which overturned a lower-court decision that held a same-sex married couple could not adopt a child in Nebraska. Munderloh’s work to help ensure the rights of all Nebraskans strengthens public confidence in the legal profession. (Bottom left)
The Outstanding Contributor to Women in the Law Award was presented to former Nebraska College of Law Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, Anna Williams Shavers (posthumously). This award is presented to a member of the NSBA Women and the Law Section to recognize the lifetime accomplishments of an individual who directly contributed to the active integration and participation of women in the Nebraska system of justice. Dean Shavers was tireless in her mentorship and advocacy for students—especially students of color and young women individually—and as faculty advisor to the Multi-Cultural Legal Society, Black Law Student Association and Muslim Law Student Association. Dean Shavers was a strong advocate for inclusion, dedicating much of her distinguished career to making sure everyone felt valued and supported. She led the University of Nebraska College of Law’s efforts to promote an inclusive community through sponsoring numerous speakers and faculty workshops on inclusive pedagogy and implicit bias. (Bottom right)
Fidler’s Article Accepted by Southern Methodist University Law Review
25 Oct 2022
Assistant Professor Mailyn Fidler’s article, Warranted Exclusion: A Case for a Fourth Amendment Built on the Right to Exclude, has been accepted for publication by the Southern Methodist University Law Review. In her article, Fidler examines Fourth Amendment protection and a “situational right to exclude.” This article provides an approach based on a flexible conception of property rights.
Read the abstract below:
Searches intrude; fundamentally, they infringe on a right to exclude. So that right should form the basis of Fourth Amendment protections. Current Fourth Amendment doctrine—the reasonable expectation of privacy test—struggles with conceptual clarity and predictability. The Supreme Court’s recent decision to overturn Roe v. Wade casts further doubt on the reception of other privacy-based approaches with this Court. But the leading competing basis for the Fourth Amendment, what I call the “maximalist” property approach, risks troublingly narrow results. This Article provides a new alternative: Fourth Amendment protection should be anchored in a flexible conception of property rights—what this Article terms a “situational right to exclude.” When a searchee has a right to exclude some lawabiding person from the thing to be searched, in some circumstance, the government must obtain a warrant before gathering information about that item. Keeping the government out is warranted when an individual has a situational right to exclude; it is exactly then that the government must get a warrant.
Goff, '18, represents Young Lawyers Section on NSBA Executive Council
25 Oct 2022
On October 14th, Dayna L. Goff began her term on the NSBA Executive Council representing the Young Lawyers Section.
Goff works at the University of Nebraska's Center for Children, Family and the Law and maintains a private juvenile law practice in Lincoln. She is also a Parenting Act and S.A.D.R. trained mediator associated with The Mediation Center. She has a Bachelor's and Master's in Social Worker and practiced as a social worker in child welfare prior to law school. She is currently a member of the Robert Van Pelt Inns of Court, mentors law students at the Nebraska College of Law, is serving on this year's NSBA Barrister's Ball Committee and is an active member in the Young Lawyers Section. In her free time, Dayna enjoys reading and spending time with her husband and two dogs.
McCarthy, '75, assumes post as NSBA President-Elect
25 Oct 2022
At the conclusion of the NSBA Annual Meeting Friday, October 14th, Michael J. McCarthy (North Platte) assumed his post as President-Elect of the Nebraska State Bar Association (NSBA).
Michael J. McCarthy of North Platte was elected President-Elect Designate to succeed Jason Grams as President-Elect. McCarthy will serve as NSBA President from October 2023 to October 2024.
McCarthy is Of Counsel at Dvorak Law Group, LLC in North Platte. McCarthy’s practice focuses on estate planning, probate, real estate, and corporate and business planning. He advises individuals in the structuring of their estate plans and assists in preparation of their wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and advance directives/living wills. He also represents clients in probate and trust administration matters. Mike has over 40 years’ experience assisting clients with their estate/wealth planning needs.
McCarthy has served the NSBA as a house of delegates member representing the eleventh judicial district and served as Chair of the House of Delegates in 2019. McCarthy also represented the 6th Supreme Court Judicial District on the NSBA’s Executive Council from 2013-2016 and chaired the Nebraska Commission on the Unauthorized Practice of Law from 2008-2012. On a local level, McCarthy served on the North Platte Board of Education and the Great Plains Health Board of Directors as both a Board member and Board Chair. McCarthy also served on the North Platte Area Chamber of Commerce and Development Corporation Board of Directors from 2008-2012.
McCarthy graduated from the University of Nebraska College of Law in 1975. McCarthy and his wife Janie, have four sons, Matthew, Marcus, Mitchel and Jacob, and nine grandchildren.
Olsen, '23, selected as 2022-2023 Legal Education Police Practices Consortium Fellow
24 Oct 2022
Third-year student Lauren Olsen has been selected to serve as this year’s Legal Education Police Practices Consortium Fellow for Nebraska Law. Organized and housed within the American Bar Association (ABA) Criminal Justice Section, the consortium contributes to the national effort to examine and address legal issues in policing and public safety, including conduct, oversight and the evolving nature of police work.
This is accomplished through leveraging the ABA’s expertise and that of participating ABA-accredited law schools to collaborate on projects to develop and implement more effective, human rights-compliant police practices throughout the United States. For the 2022-23 academic year, each participating law school chose one law student to engage in the project as a Consortium Fellow.
The Consortium was established in 2020 and is still in its early stages. Olsen said the current goal is to collect as much information as possible about the state of policing in America. In order to enact change, she said, you must first figure out what you are working with. “Education and research is a huge part of driving change,” she said.
Olsen found out about the consortium after she was hired to assist the city attorney of Lincoln last year, who serves as the legal adviser to the Lincoln Police Department. She had no say in where she would be placed but wound up loving the position and discovering a newfound interest in the inner workings of the department. “I stumbled into it kind of by accident,” she said. When she learned about the fellowship, she seized the opportunity. “I thought it would be an interesting way for me to use my experience and interest in transforming policing in a tangible academic way," she said.
Looking forward, Olsen said she hopes additional schools decide to participate in the fellowship. The more people involved in the program and providing data, the better, she said. “We’re not going to see long-term change if we don’t have people participating in the conversation around the change,” she said.
Professors Beard and von der Dunk Contribute to Award-Winning Book
21 Oct 2022
The book “Legal Aspects of Planetary Defence” edited by Irmgard Marboe, recently received the 2022 IAA Social Science Book Award. The annual award recognizes excellence in the creation of a social science publication made by an International Academy of Astronautics member. Professors Jack Beard and Frans von der Dunk both made contributions to the book, which covers legal and policy aspects of “planetary defence” activities aimed at the mitigation of impact threats for objects in Earth’s orbit.
Professor von der Dunk contributed two chapters to the book. One covered the enhancement of public awareness of planetary defence and international cooperative efforts, while another chapter covered the legal aspects of threat response for objects in Near-Earth Orbits. Professor Beard contributed a chapter on nuclear non-proliferation as it relates to planetary defence.
The award was presented at the IAC award ceremony in September 2022 in Paris.
Pictures by Dr. Dorin Prunariu, published with kind permission.
Grams, '07, Elected President of NSBA
20 Oct 2022
At the conclusion of the Nebraska State Bar Association (NSBA) Annual Meeting Oct. 11-14, 2022, Jason W. Grams of Omaha accepted the gavel from outgoing NSBA President William J. Mueller and began his term as NSBA President for the next year.
Jason Grams is a partner of Lamson, Dugan & Murray, LLP. Grams advises businesses and individuals in complex litigation matters. Prior to joining the firm, he served as a law clerk to Chief Judge William Jay Riley of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and to Senior Judge Lyle E. Strom of the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska.
Grams has served the NSBA as a House of Delegates member since 2013, is a graduate of the NSBA leadership academy, and a member of the Practice and Procedure Committee and the Appellate Practice Section. He is also President of the Eighth Circuit Bar Association, a fellow of the American Bar Foundation and the Nebraska State Bar Foundation, and a member of the Omaha Bar Association and American Bar Association. He has been a member of the Robert M. Spire (Omaha) American Inn of Court for many years and served as its treasurer from 2010-2014 and its president from 2014-2015.
Jason is rated AV-Preeminent by Martindale-Hubble and is listed in Best Lawyers and Great Plains Super Lawyers for commercial litigation. He graduated with high distinction from the University of Nebraska College of Law (order of the coif, order of the barristers). In law school, Jason was an executive editor of the Nebraska Law Review, a member of the national moot court team, and winner of numerous scholarships and awards. Jason and his wife, UNO philosopher Dr. Laura W. Grams, have three children, Elizabeth, Alexis, and Patton.
Nebraska SCTL Program Sponsors IISL Banquet and Manfred Lachs Finals at IAC Paris
20 Oct 2022
The Nebraska Space, Cyber, and Telecommunications Law Program recently sponsored the International Institute of Space Law's (IISL) Annual Banquet at the International Astronautical Congress in Paris. The IISL Awards Dinner celebrates members who have demonstrated excellence in the field of space law, specifically those whose hard work and dedication have contributed to the larger space law community.
Additionally, the Program sponsored the finals of the Manfred Lachs International Space Law Moot Court Competition. The Manfred Lachs Competition offers a unique opportunity to students by allowing them to argue issues in international and space law. The finalists have the opportunity to argue before justices from the International Court of Justice.
Schaefer Publishes First Faculty Blog for the Clayton Yeutter Institute
20 Oct 2022
Professor Matthew Schaefer wrote the initial faculty blog for the Clayton Yeutter Institute of International Trade and Finance website. “Can Geopolitics Help Restore Missing Tools to the U.S. Trade Toolbox?” examines the traditional tools missing for U.S. trade negotiators, specifically legally-binding, comprehensive (including tariff-cutting) regional and bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs). The article will also be reprinted in Yeutter Trade Policy Review Vol. 1.
Schaefer is the Clayton Yeutter chair at the University of Nebraska College of Law and Yeutter Institute of International Trade and Finance. He previously served as the Veronica A. Haggart and Charles R. Work Professor of International Trade Law and the Founding Director of the Space, Cyber, and Telecommunications Law Program.
Nebraska Space, Cyber, and Telecommunications Law Program Holds 15th Annual Space Law Conference
19 Oct 2022
Nebraska Law’s Space, Cyber, and Telecommunications Law Program held the 15th Annual Space Law Conference on October 14th. After two years of a virtual format, this year marked the return of the in-person conference in Washington D.C. Over 70 attendees heard from speakers and panelists discussing a variety of current issues facing the space law industry at the Army and Navy Club in downtown Washington D.C.
The conference featured a joint keynote from Nebraska adjunct faculty and industry professionals, Franceska Schroeder and Dennis Burnett. Also featured were two panels: one discussing the military and national security implications posed by proximity operations in outer space, and one discussing international and domestic regulations and its effect on commercial space activities.
Keynote Speakers and Panelists:
- Space Regulation and Risk Management
- Franceska Schroeder, Founder and Managing Member, Schroeder Law PLLC
- Dennis Burnett, General Counsel at Hawkeye 360
- Unfriendly Rendezvous and Proximity Operations: How Close is Too Close?
- Moderated by Program Director and Professor Jack Beard, University of Nebraska College of Law
- Dr. Brian Weeden, Director of Planning, Secure World Foundation
- Lt. Col. Susan Trepczynski, USAF, Operations and International Law Directorate, HQ Dept. of the Air Force
- Col. Matthew King, USAF, Joint Legal Staff
- Lt. Col. Seth Dilworth, USAF, Deputy Chief of Space Law, Operations and International Law Directorate, HQ Dept. of the Air Force
- Risk Management, Prescriptive v. Performative Regulation, and Other Industry Hot Topics
- Moderated by Professor Matt Schaefer, University of Nebraska College of Law
- Frans von der Dunk, Harvey and Susan Perlman Alumni & Othmer Professor of Space Law, University of Nebraska College of Law
- Margaret Vernal, Associate General Counsel, Corporate and Securities, Voyager Space
- Caryn Schenewerk, Vice President of Regulatory and Government Affairs, Relativity Space
- Kristen Price, Legal Director, Blue Origin
Following the conference, professionals and students met at The Exchange Saloon for a networking hour to foster industry connections and friendships.
Nebraska’s Annual Space Law Conference was sponsored by the American Society of International Law Space Law Interest Group, The American Branch of the International Law Association, and is in collaboration with the ABA Committee on Air and Space Law. The program also thanks Col. Marc Warren, for being our site sponsor for the Army and Navy Club.
For updates on our program and future events, sign up for our mailing list.
Professor Colleen Medill completes new version of “Developing Professional Skills: Property”
18 Oct 2022
Professor Colleen Medill has completed a new electronic version of her book “Developing Professional Skills: Property.” The publisher, West Academic, has revised and reformatted the "Developing Professional Skills" series into interactive, online modules for student use. Each module presents a client scenario and a legal drafting assignment for the student to complete. The module reviews the applicable law and tests the student’s knowledge of the law before the student attempts the drafting task. Once the student’s work product is complete, the module provides feedback in the form of exemplars that the student may compare their work product against along with further explanation.
This new type of interactive law school textbook anticipates the substantive areas of real property law, professionalism concepts and legal skills that law students will be tested on by the NextGen Bar Exam beginning in 2026. The online modules cover the substantive real property areas of adverse possession, defeasible fees, real estate deeds and easements. Additionally, it provides students with the opportunity to practice and apply the legal skills of client counseling, advocacy and transactional document drafting.
Professor Medill is nationally recognized as a scholar of Employee Benefits Law and as a teacher of Property and Legal Skills Development. In the fields of Property and Legal Skills Development, she has been at the forefront of the movement in legal education to integrate the teaching of doctrinal theory, legal skills, and the ethical responsibilities of lawyers.
Roscoe Pound Lecture to feature Prof. Robert P. George of Princeton University
18 Oct 2022
Robert P. George is the McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and the director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University. George will present his lecture, “Modern Legal Philosophy,” on Tuesday, October 25 at noon in McCollum Hall.
George will survey ideas and debates about the nature and functions of law, and the relationship between law and morality, in the tradition of Anglo-American jurisprudence beginning with Oliver Wendell Holmes’ famous lecture “The Path of the Law” presented in Boston on January 8, 1897. He will discuss movements such as legal realism, legal positivism, critical legal studies and natural law theory. Among the thinkers he will engage, in addition to Holmes, are Karl Llewelyn, Jerome Frank, H.L.A. Hart, Lon L. Fuller, Ronald Dworkin, Roberto Unger, Joseph Raz and John Finnis.
George has served as chairman of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), and before that on the President’s Council on Bioethics and as a presidential appointee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights. He has also served as the U.S. member of UNESCO’s World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology (COMEST). George is a former Judicial Fellow at the Supreme Court of the United States, where he received the Justice Tom C. Clark Award. A graduate of Swarthmore College, he holds J.D. and M.T.S. degrees from Harvard University and the degrees of D.Phil., B.C.L., D.C.L., and D.Litt. from Oxford University. He has been a visiting professor at Harvard Law School and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
This annual lecture is named after Roscoe Pound, an American legal scholar and former dean of the University of Nebraska College of Law and Harvard Law School.
This program has been approved for 1.0 continuing education credit in Nebraska.
Register by visiting https://marketplace.unl.edu/default/pound2022.html/
Seeds of Justice Award presented to Civil Clinic
12 Oct 2022
On October 6, Nebraska Appleseed presented the Seeds of Justice Award to the Civil Clinic at the College of Law. The award honors outstanding legal contributions to public interest law and/or pro bono contributions by private lawyers and law firms advancing the public interest through public policy reform.
The Civil Clinical Law Program is the College of Law’s first formal clinical program. Since 1975, students in the Civil Clinic have had opportunities to represent low-income clients in a wide variety of civil and administrative cases selected by the faculty for potential litigation and trial experience and maximum pedagogical benefit. Over the years, hundreds of students have passed through the Civil Clinic during their time at the College of Law and have had the benefit of the experiential learning it afforded them. Although the primary goal of the Civil Clinic has always been to enable students to develop and hone their lawyering skills by assuming the role of practicing lawyers, those students have also provided thousands of hours of legal services to low-income clients who otherwise would have been unable to afford legal representation.
“The Civil Clinic not only trains law students to represent clients in their individual civil cases, but also teaches those students to use their expertise and resources to advocate for policies and best practices at the Nebraska Legislature regarding legal issues they are working on, including housing issues, family law, and criminal history assistance. They teach the importance of pro-bono representation and public interest legal work in all areas of the law, encouraging law students to provide access to justice and advocacy for all individuals.” – Allison Derr, '18, Child Welfare Sr. Staff Attorney.
For more on the 2022 Nebraska Appleseed Good Apple Awards, visit their website. Photo provided by Mike Machian.
Nebraska Law Launches New Public Interest Scholars Program
12 Oct 2022
The University of Nebraska College of Law has launched its new Public Interest Scholars Program for prospective students applying for admission to Nebraska Law in 2023.
The Public Interest Scholars Program at Nebraska Law reflects the college's commitment to developing inclusive leaders who advance justice, solve problems, and serve with integrity. Students participating in the program will have demonstrated exceptional dedication to public service. The goal of the program is to foster that commitment throughout a student's time in law school by offering financial support, mentoring, individualized assistance, and unique programming and networking opportunities.
"When we drafted the college's strategic plan in 2019, one of our goals was to become the best place in America for students interested in public interest work and public service," said Dean Richard Moberly. “The new Public Interest Scholars Program is an important step in achieving that goal. It further strengthens our commitment to advancing justice and will help students build the skills they need to become leaders within the Nebraska Law community, and eventually, the public interest legal community."
Benefits for Public Interest Scholars include:
- Half-tuition scholarship
- Alumni mentor
- One-on-one advising session with the Director of Public Interest Programs prior to orientation and individualized guidance throughout law school
- Welcome dinner with public interest faculty and alumni
- Guaranteed summer funding for unpaid qualified public interest internships through the Nebraska Public Interest Law Fund
- Individual counseling session on loan repayment and Public Service Loan Forgiveness with an Accredited Financial Counselor through AccessLex
- Exclusive programming and events for Scholars throughout the year
- Paid registration for the national Equal Justice Works Conference & Career Fair and Midwest Public Interest Law Career Conference
- Guaranteed seat in one of the law college clinic programs as a third-year student
Applicants who wish to be considered for the Public Interest Scholars Program must include a separate essay when applying for admission describing their public service commitment and career goals and any factors that have influenced them. In evaluating candidates for the program, the committee will look at the whole person, but will focus primarily on demonstrated interest, experience, and commitment to public service along with leadership potential.
Click here for additional details on the application process.
Mental Health and Wellness at the College of Law
11 Oct 2022
Law Student Mental Health and Wellness Week at the College of Law is underway. From October 10-14, faculty, staff and students will partake in a variety of activities to prioritize their well-being. Student Bar Association Mental Health Committee member Ashly Helfrich said this applies to many aspects of student life, including mental, physical, economic and social wellness. “There are many components to it,” she said. “While mental health itself is obviously very important, there’s so many other things that go into good mental health.”
The week’s schedule includes group walks around campus, workshops on a variety of topics and yoga classes in the new Wellness Room in the Schmid Law Library. Assistant Dean for Student Development Molly Brummond, ’03, is leading a handful of the activities throughout the week. She said the Wellness Room provides a space dedicated solely to well-being where students can focus on following through with their self-care practices. Brummond emphasized the importance of well-being in the law field, as the profession has relatively high rates of alcoholism and addiction. According to the American Bar Association, as many as one in five lawyers experience alcohol use disorders. “So, we have to do something differently at this stage so they know how to deal with the stress that comes with the profession,” Brummond said. “We’re really working hard to make wellness and well-being a part of the culture of the College of Law.”
As a 2L student, Helfrich said she’s still learning how to balance school and her well-being. “Last year, I was just trying to survive,” she said. Now, she reserves time for socializing with friends and checking in with family members. One thing she’s looking forward to during the week is connecting with other law students. “Especially coming off of COVID, the second- and third-year classes haven’t mingled a lot,” she said. “Because the events are so generalized, anyone can come to them and gain something from them.” Health and wellness programming will continue throughout the year through a variety of events. Helfrich said wellness punch cards and various on-campus resources aim at making these activities more accessible for students.
The Student Bar Association Mental Health Committee also includes Tatiana Eskridge (1L/representing MCLS and SBA), Sophie Holtz (2L/representing OUTLaw), Emma Schlenker (2L/representing SBA) and Erik Strickland (1L/representing MCLS).