News Archive

Alumni News | March 2024

09 Mar 2024    

Every month, we bring you the latest updates from our alumni near and far.

ALUM NOTES

Robert S. Keith, ’96, has been inducted into the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals.

Alyssa M. (Stokes) Peterson, ’17, has joined Texas Instruments as legal counsel.

Timothy J. Anderson, ’22, has been appointed to the United States Criminal Justice Act Panel. 

ALUM IN THE NEWS

ACLU of Nebraska Legal Fellow Dylan C. Severino, ’23, was the lead author of the ACLU's report regarding recent concerns around deportation hearings.

Nebraska Alumni Present at USSPACECOM Legal Conference

09 Mar 2024    

Alumni of the Nebraska Space, Cyber, and Telecommunications Law Program were well-represented on panels at the USSPACECOM Legal Conference at the Air Force Academy on March 5th and 6th. The first day of the conference, Director Jack Beard was featured as a panelist on "The Future of Normative International Law & Space Governance: The Artemis Accords and the Woomera Manual." Nebraska LL.M. alums Jonathan Sawmiller and Jessica Tok both spoke during the panel on "Strategic Competition and the Rise of Space Lawfare." Professor Frans von der Dunk finished out day one of the conference with a keynote presentation on "Contemporary Challenges and Developments in International Space Law." On the second day of the conference, alum Miles McCoy served as moderator for the panel on "Space Mining Governance: Private Terraforming, Resource Extraction, and Military Protection of Commerce," which also featured Professor von der Dunk as a speaker. In addition to the featured speakers, three current LL.M. students and three JD students received travel awards to attend the conference. 

Alumni News | February 2024

28 Feb 2024    

Every month, we bring you the latest updates from our alumni near and far.

ALUM NOTES

Brian J. Fahey, ’15, was named partner at the Omaha office of Fraser Stryker. 

Alison J. Janecek Borer, ’17, has been named partner at the firm of Cline Williams. 

Jared M. Koch, ’18, was named a partner at Blethen Berens in Mankato, Minnesota. 

ALUM IN THE NEWS

The Consulate General of Japan in New York and Steptoe & Johnson PLLC announced Larry Rector, ’87, as the honorary consul of Japan in Charleston. His appointment is the first of its kind in West Virginia by the Government of Japan.

Duncan's article published in Case Western Reserve Law Review

19 Feb 2024    

Professor Rick Duncan's article Why School Choice is Necessary for Religious Liberty and Freedom of Belief, has been published in the Case Western Reserve Law Review. 

Read an excerpt from the abstract below:

To end this Article where it began, the letter and spirit of the First Amendment deeply values freedom of religion, thought, and belief formation. If these values are to survive in our deeply divided, pluralistic Nation, parents must be free to choose an appropriate education for their children, without having to sacrifice the benefit of public funding of education. To put it succinctly, educational funds should be directed to children and their parents, not to strictly secular government schools. School choice is the civil rights and civil liberties issue of this present age, and one way or another—either in the courts or in the states—we need to get there.

Langvardt’s article published in Yale Journal of Law & Technology

15 Feb 2024    

Professor Kyle Langvardt’s article Crypto’s First Amendment Hustle has been published in the Yale Journal of Law & Technology.

Read the abstract below:

Crypto industry attorneys have argued in litigation and before regulatory agencies that the First Amendment immunizes their line of business from ordinary market regulation. On the merits, these arguments range from weak to frivolous. But they nevertheless create value for the crypto industry in two ways. First, they help to drive a predatory marketing strategy that attracts retail investors with appeals to individual liberty and resistance to “financial censorship.” Second, they tee up arguments that financial regulators’ jurisdiction should be interpreted narrowly under the “canon of constitutional avoidance” and the “major questions doctrine.” Overall, crypto’s First Amendment opportunism interferes with public efforts to protect investors, collect taxes, and fight financial crime—and ultimately, it debases the First Amendment itself. At every opportunity, agencies and courts should debunk these arguments in terms that are clear enough for the industry’s target audiences to understand.

Black Law Student Association creates space for conversation and connection

13 Feb 2024    

The College of Law’s Black Law Student Association (BLSA) was reactivated in 2022 with the goal of providing support to Black law students while creating educational opportunities for the entire student body.

Lionel D’Almeida, ’23, is the current BLSA vice president and was one of the students who worked to reactivate the chapter. In their 1L year, D’Almeida and his fellow executive team members saw a need for more open discussions on the impact of race and ethnicity in the context of the cases they were studying. This led them to the idea of creating a space specifically for Black law students to connect.

“It was important to give Black law students an organization that they know will champion them, especially given the low percentage of Black lawyers,” he said.

The American Bar Association reports that Black lawyers made up 5% of the legal profession in 2023, while Black Americans made up 13.6% of the population. This number shows little growth from the 4.8% of Black lawyers in 2013. In this same time span, the number of lawyers in other racial and ethnic groups has continued to grow.

These statistics can have an immense impact in the court of law, D’Almeida said.

“If we look at criminal law, Black people and Black men, specifically, are defendants a lot of the time,” he said. “So having an attorney who looks like you is crucial.”

The effort to make the legal field more representative should start long before law school, D’Almeida said. Reaching high school or middle school students and informing them about the path to law school is one possible route for improvement.

“It’s important to start early in order to make people understand that it’s possible and that they would be supported here,” he said. “We can show them that Black law students are doing this, and you can too.”

BLSA’s efforts have also focused on connecting law students to Black professionals in the legal field and community leaders. Last year, they hosted Restorative Justice Coordinator Shakur Abdullah, who was sentenced to life in prison at 17 years old. Abdullah, who was released on parole, shared his story and his expertise on the issues of juvenile justice and mass incarceration.

Members of BLSA also had the opportunity to meet Damon Barry, ’00, Managing Partner of Ballard Spahr’s Denver and Boulder offices, and City Attorney Yohance Christie.

“Being able to make connections with current lawyers and other law students around the state has been one of the best parts of this,” D’Almeida said.

Post-graduation, D’Almeida is looking to secure a position in corporate law and possibly start his own firm one day. He said he hopes the next BLSA executive board continues to coordinate informative, engaging events and adapt to the needs of Black law students at the College of Law.

Behind the Scenes with Faculty and Administrative Support

12 Feb 2024    

Each month, we’re giving an inside look at the work happening behind the scenes at the College of Law. Members of the Faculty and Administrative Support team help facilitate student success, support Nebraska Law faculty in their work both in and outside of the classroom, and create opportunities for staff development.

Faculty and Administrative Support:

Ariana De Angelo, Administrative Technician

Julie Douglass, Legal Assistant

Sabrina Ehmke Sergeant, Legal Assistant

Ann Reese, Leadership Team Administrator & Project Manager

Q: What does your role at the College of Law entail? What is the most fulfilling part?

AD: In my role at the College of Law, I welcome guests and community members to the college, collaborate with my colleagues on a variety of projects and events, assist students with event planning, and help community members find legal resources. The most fulfilling part of my role is making connections with the Nebraska Law community and being a part of making law school a positive experience for our students.

JD: I coordinate travel in my role, which includes creating travel requests, making reservations, and processing expense reports for faculty and students who are attending events. I also process non-travel expense reimbursements. I coordinate the travel, scheduling, and processing expenses for faculty candidates when they visit the college. I am also the Law Review assistant and the coordinator for Continuing Legal Education (CLE), and I work with Katie Pfannenstiel to submit events for CLE approval, man the sign-in table for CLE events, and process payments for CLE credit. I assist with Canvas navigation and coordinate exam reviews each semester. Additionally, I do multiple print jobs for faculty and help them with proofreading and editing. I process registration for conferences, payment of Bar Dues, subscriptions, etc., and assist staff and faculty with miscellaneous projects throughout the year. I am also the backup for the front desk which includes helping with room reservations, answering phone calls, making coffee, etc.

SES: I am the program coordinator for the Legal Analysis, Writing, and Research (LAWR) Program and the Managing Editor for the Rural Reconciliation Project’s online journal, The Rural Review. LAWR is a required class for first-year law students. In addition to the program director, there are 10 lecturers/adjuncts, 4 research faculty members, and 13 teaching assistants. In my role as Program Coordinator, I facilitate the running of the course by helping students, faculty, adjuncts, TAs, and other members of the College of Law community get what they need, when they need it.

AR: In my role as leadership team administrator and project manager, I assist and support Dean Moberly with scheduling, calendar management, meeting management and preparation, travel, prioritizing requests, etc. I also support other leadership team initiatives, including assisting student organizations and helping to plan staff development activities. I work to manage and facilitate multiple projects, a few of which include submissions to the ABA, U.S. News, and the Princeton Review; course evaluations, and promotion and tenure files.

Q: What is unique about working at the College of Law? What is your favorite memory so far?

AD: Working at the law college is unique because of the community we have. I always enjoy conversing with our students, faculty, and staff. My favorite memory while working at the College of Law is my first Spring Community Service Project in 2023; I had a chance to connect with students and my peers while bagging groceries at the Lincoln Food Bank. 

SES: I love being part of the complex Legal Analysis, Writing, and Research Program and helping implement curricular innovations that strive to provide the best pedagogical experiences for students at a critical point in their law school careers. 

AR: My colleagues are second to none.  It’s the best team I’ve ever been a part of. I love how everyone pitches in to help when anyone needs it, no matter if it is in their area or not.

Q: How do you provide support to faculty, administrators, or staff?

JD: I provide support to faculty by doing travel requests, reservations, and expense reports, processing non-travel expense reimbursements, registering for conferences, and paying bar dues and subscriptions. I also assist with Canvas navigation, coordinating exam reviews, creating photo rosters and seating charts, printing, copying, proofreading, formatting/editing documents and publications, ordering books, and filling out the room reservation form for them when needed.

SES: As Managing Editor of the Rural Review, I manage the publication of material in the online journal. I edit and compose posts on rural scholarship, news, and literature, and participate in workshops and events. My involvement with the project has been an incredible opportunity to learn across disciplines, read widely, and be a part of important scholarly work that engages with a region often oversimplified or overlooked entirely.

AR: I do a lot of work in preparation for administrative team and faculty meetings, including scheduling the meetings themselves, organizing agendas, ensuring that everyone has access to the appropriate documents and materials, and for faculty meetings, tracking the governance items such as meeting minutes and vote counts. In planning staff development events, I meet with Molly Brummond to determine what opportunities we want to provide and ask staff for their input. Then, we make it all happen by contacting presenters, reserving locations, sending calendar invites, working with Ariana on RSVP forms, room reservations, ordering food, setting up and cleaning up the events, and connecting remote staff via Zoom. Facilitating these events for a large staff and faculty means coordinating a lot of moving parts.

Q: This team has an immense impact on the experience at Nebraska Law. Describe the value of providing exceptional assistance and service to our staff, faculty, and students.

AD: The value of providing exceptional assistance and service allows us to achieve shared goals, make connections, and provide a positive experience for those in our community. 

JD: The value of providing exceptional assistance is that it allows faculty and staff to serve the students in their respective roles without concerning themselves with the services I provide.

Langvardt’s essay published on Yale Journal of Regulation blog

12 Feb 2024    

Professor Kyle Langvardt, with Minnesota Law professor Alan Rozenshtein, has published “The platforms should win the NetChoice content moderation cases – but narrowly” on the Yale Journal of Regulation’s Notice and Comment Blog.

The essay offers a narrow argument for overturning two state laws that require social media companies to refrain from removing certain content. Others have argued that a) social media content moderation is immune from regulation under the First Amendment or b) that requiring social media to carry certain content is constitutional because common-carrier regulation of very large media platforms is presumably constitutional. Langvardt and Rozenshtein reject both of these views. In principle, the authors see a role for government in regulating social media access. But these laws are so poorly drafted that they seem more likely to inhibit than promote user speech on social media. That is why they are unconstitutional.

Read the article here: https://www.yalejreg.com/nc/the-platforms-should-win-the-netchoice-content-moderation-cases-but-narrowly-by-kyle-langvardt-alan-z-rozenshtein/

Coogan, Dabney, and Jumps place in top eight at 74th Annual National Moot Court Competition

06 Feb 2024    

A Nebraska College of Law team of third-year students Kaci Jumps, Dan Coogan, and Amanda Dabney (l-r) competed at the 74th Annual National Moot Court Competition in New York City on January 29 and 30. The participants were coached by Shannon Doering, ’99 (right).

The team earned the chance to compete at the National Competition after winning the regional tournament late last year.  This year’s moot court question asked the participants to argue a personal jurisdiction question and two issues stemming from the Securities Act concerning cryptocurrency. Jumps joined the National Moot Court team after winning the 2022 Grether Moot Court Competition, while Coogan and Dabney joined after winning the 77th Allen Moot Court Competition.

The team said they would like to thank all of the Nebraska students, alumni, and professionals who assisted in the preparation and practice for this tournament.

Nebraska Law professors present at Association of American Law Schools Annual Meeting

01 Feb 2024    

Five Nebraska Law professors presented at the Association of American Law Schools annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

• Professor Danielle Jefferis presented her work-in-progress “‘The Worst of the Worst’: Civil Rights Cases, Supermax Rhetoric, and Judicial Decision-Making” at the AALS Section on Law and Social Sciences panel. This is a Layman Award-funded project which identifies and examines the phenomenon of “supermax rhetoric” in civil rights cases arising out of the federal supermax prison in Florence, Colorado.

• Professor Colleen Medill served as the Chair in 2023 for the AALS Section on Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation. As Section Chair, Medill organized a competition for scholarly works to be presented on the topic of “Emerging Issues in Retirement Equity,” which was co-sponsored by the Sections on Poverty Law, Aging and the Law, and Minority Groups. Medill served as the moderator for the discussion in which panelists identified ways the current system leads to retirement inequity and what reforms are needed so that all workers can achieve retirement income security.

• Dean Richard Moberly participated in a panel discussion on Labor Relations and Employment Law, co-sponsored by Employment Discrimination Law Section. Moberly shared a “Brief History of the Last Twenty Years of Whistleblower Protection,” in which he spoke about the various legal models that have been used to encourage effective whistleblowing, and analyzed their successes and failures. In addition to his presentation, Moberly also served at the chair of the program committee for the 2024 annual meeting.

• Professor Jessica Shoemaker participated in a panel discussion on Property Law and Real Estate Transactions, co-sponsored by Community Economic Development, Clinical Legal Education and State and Local Government Sections. Shoemaker presented two forthcoming projects (Re-Placing Property and Papering Over Place: When Land Becomes an Asset Class), connecting wider land-based struggles and her developing theories of property and placemaking.

• Professor Elana Zeide participated in a panel discussion on Privacy Risks for Vulnerable Populations, sponsored by the Section on Defamation and Privacy. Panelists shared their research and discussed the vulnerability of communications on digital platforms and their privacy implication for vulnerable populations.

Magilton Presents at TEDxOmaha

01 Feb 2024    

Executive Director of the Space and Cyber Law Program, Elsbeth Magilton, gave a talk on "The real-world influence of Star Trek" at TEDxOmaha on November 18th. 

"Elsbeth Magilton takes us through the strange twists and turns of how using Star Trek to entice student to attend her Space Law lectures, took a sudden leap into hyperdrive. From being fun and silly, Star Trek morphed from Pop Culture, into a high impact learning tool using stories to explore a different space, and challenge different frontiers. Using not just any stories, but science fiction stories became a vehicle to discuss, and unpack some really hard topics that face us today. Sci-Fi isn’t fantasy, it’s futurism. It is removed enough from our experiences and bias to let us look at challenges objectively. When we move into that space, we can explore with less constraints, and may even surprise ourselves with our different perspectives."

Watch the entire presentation at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LR2gVhUqhU .

Department of Justice grant will support creation of Innocence Clinic

30 Jan 2024    

The University of Nebraska College of Law will begin operating an Innocence Clinic this fall.

In Nebraska, more than 5,500 people are incarcerated in 10 state prisons and another 1,000 are in the custody of private prisons and local jails. Per data from the Prison Policy Initiative and U.S. Department of Justice, the state’s incarceration rate is among the highest in the nation. Two studies published within the past decade estimate that 4% to 6% of people incarcerated in U.S. prisons are actually innocent. In Nebraska, that translates to as many as 300 individuals currently serving sentences for crimes they did not commit. The new clinic aims to help those people.

While there is a presumption of innocence when someone goes to trial, once a person is convicted of a crime, the presumption of guilt is extraordinarily difficult to overcome. The National Registry of Exonerations reports that 3,458 defendants have been exonerated since 1989 and collectively served more than 31,070 years in prison for crimes they did not commit. 

With the help of a $600,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, third-year students in the College of Law will raise awareness of wrongful convictions in Nebraska and work to exonerate those who have been wrongfully convicted. As part of the review of cases, students will help establish the primary causes of wrongful conviction and identify the most effective methodologies to prevent future wrongful convictions in the state. 

“Our clinical programs help students develop skills that they will rely on in practice,” said Richard Moberly, dean of the College of Law. “The Innocence Clinic will contribute to training the next generation of Nebraska lawyers as they learn about the causes of wrongful conviction and experience case identification and litigation of actual innocence claims.”

Kala Mueller, director of public interest programs, added: “This type of training has been shown to help reduce the risk of future wrongful convictions both in Nebraska and elsewhere.”

There have been just 10 exonerations in Nebraska history, six of which stemmed from a single case. 

The Innocence Clinic will be Nebraska’s 10th clinical program. The others are the Children’s Justice Clinic, Civil Clinic, Criminal Clinic, Debtor’s Defense Clinic, Estate Planning Clinic, First Amendment Clinic, Housing Justice Clinic, Immigration Clinic and Weibling Entrepreneurship Clinic.

The College of Law is partnering with the Midwest Innocence Project to identify potential cases for the clinic. Under the supervision of the clinic director, students will review and investigate cases for potential claims of innocence for individuals whose cases originated in Nebraska and who have applied for assistance from the Midwest Innocence Project. The grant funding provided by the Department of Justice will assist in moving more than 41 cases from the existing waitlist forward.

Mueller, who is a member of the Midwest Innocence Project board of directors, said the partnership is important to the success of Nebraska’s Innocence Clinic. 

“The Innocence Clinic will have a small staff, making the potential volume of requests nearly insurmountable,” Mueller said. “We’re grateful to the Midwest Innocence Project for allowing us to benefit from their already established screening process.”

Potential clients will need to contact the Midwest Innocence Project to submit a case: https://themip.org/submit-a-case/. 

Individuals interested in supporting the Innocence Clinic may call (402) 472-2161 or email law@unl.edu. 

Alumni News | January 2024

30 Jan 2024    

Every month, we bring you the latest updates from our alumni near and far.

ALUM NOTES

Amy L. Peck, ’87, received the 2024 Lexology Client Choice Award for her work in providing excellent client care and quality client services.

Beau G. Finley, ’96, was named county court judge for the Fourth Judicial District of Nebraska, including Douglas County. 

Lyndsay A. Hurilla, ’19, has joined the firm of Barnes and Thornburg in their Salt Lake City office.

ALUM IN THE NEWS

Kimberly A. Lawton, ’10, received the 2023 District Attorney of the Year Award from the Wisconsin District Attorneys' Association. Lawton has held the position of Bayfield County District Attorney since 2016 and has filed over 1,000 criminal cases since taking office.

Potuto’s article published in Oklahoma Law Review

30 Jan 2024    

Professor Potuto’s article A Fine Mess: The NCAA, the Collegiate Model, and the Post-Alston World has been published in the Oklahoma Law Review.

The article addresses some on-the-ground implementation and practical consequences of NIL deals. They include collectives, the impact on recruiting and competitive equity, NCAA enforcement issues, questions regarding the applicability of Title IX, the impact on high school and even younger athletes, conflicts with athletic department exclusive sponsorship deals, the likelihood of a federal legislative solution, and the slippery slope to pay for play.

Blankley, Votruba publish article on race in rural and non-diverse communities

26 Jan 2024    

Professor Kristen Blankley and Assistant Professor of Psychology Ashley Votruba have published Discussing Race in Rural and Non-Diverse Communities in the Ohio State Journal of Dispute Resolution.

The article is an extension of their participation in the “Rethinking System Design for Racial Justice” hosted by Ohio State’s Divided Community Project, Harvard University’s Negotiation and Mediation Clinical Program, and Stanford Law School’s Gould Center for Dispute Resolution.  

It takes an interdisciplinary approach to the issue of discussing race in primarily white and otherwise non-diverse populations. It draws on research from the substantive disciplines of psychology and antiracism and combine them with the literature and practice of facilitation, dispute system design (DSD), and mediation. The article focuses on discussing race in large groups; it does not cover the equally difficult issues of discussing race in mediated cases, such as discrimination cases, or in restorative justice conversations.

LL.M. Students Present Panel on Careers in the JAG Corps.

24 Jan 2024    

Both the Space, Cyber, and National Security Law Club and Armed Forces Legal Society hosted a panel on careers in the Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps. Current in-person LL.M. students who are active duty U.S. Air Force and Army JAGS were panelists, providing background on their experiences, what it looks like to work as a space or cyber lawyer for the armed forces, and answering questions for JD students. President of the Armed Forces Legal Society and Career Coordinator for the Space, Cyber and National Security Law Club, Zach Hellen, '25, served as the moderator for the panel.

Woomera Manual Available for Preorder

22 Jan 2024    

Preorder is now available for "The Woomera Manual on the International Law of Military Space Operations," a project that our Director, Jack Beard, has been working meticulously on over the past few years. The Woomera Manual analyzes 3 phases of military space interactions: peace, tension or crisis, and armed conflict. It also delves into different legal regimes, history of the law in this area, and state practice. Drafts of the manual were reviewed and commented on by numerous countries at The Hague in 2022. 

The manual is available for pre-order at https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-woomera-manual-on-the-international-law-of-military-space-operations-9780192870667?cc=us&lang=en&.

Kleinjan provides case summaries for Nebraska State Bar Association

19 Jan 2024    

Alex Kleinjan, ’24, published Nebraska Supreme Court case summaries for the Nebraska State Bar Association’s The Nebraska Lawyer magazine. This new section summarizes major cases from the Nebraska Supreme Court. Students from Nebraska Law and Creighton Law prepare and submit the summaries for publication.

Kleinjan completed this project as part of his Schmid Research Fellowship. He worked with the NSBA, fellowship director Professor Stefanie Pearlman, and Wendy Wussow, former Clerk of the Nebraska Supreme Court, to identify potential cases. Through his research, Kleinjan identified the following cases for summarization: Sinu v. Concordia University, State v. Sullivan, Timothy L. Ashford, PC LLO v. Roses, In re Adoption of Faith F., Muller v. Weeder, Chatterjee v. Chatterjee, State v. Lewis, Pinnacle Bancorp, Inc. v. Moritz, State v. Johnson, Charter West Bank v. Riddle, and Adams Land & Cattle, LLC v. Widdowson.

Berg, Tetzlaff place first in Frank & Lawson Client Counseling Competition

17 Jan 2024    

Christopher Berg, ’24, and Preston Tetzlaff, ’24, took first place in the 2024 Frank & Lawson Client Counseling Competition this past weekend. Thirteen teams, each comprised of two Nebraska Law upper-class students, completed intake interviews with client actors facing legal issues related to education. 

Connor Oldenburg, ’25, and Jadon Smith, ’25, took second place, while Kyle Kelley, ’25, and Shaianne Sunagawa, ’25, took third. The top two teams will represent Nebraska Law at the ABA Regional Competition hosted by Creighton Law in February.

Langvardt co-authors opinion piece for Association of Computing Machinery

10 Jan 2024    

Professor Kyle Langvardt and Minnesota law professor Alan Rozenshtein co-authored Beyond the Editorial Analogy: The Future of the First Amendment on the Internet, for Communications of the ACM, the monthly journal for the Association of Computing Machinery.

 In the article, Langvardt and Rozenshtein argue that the Supreme Court should strike down two laws – out of Florida and Texas – that claim to protect the free speech of users on social media platforms. While some regulation to protect user speech interests could be valuable in principle, the authors argue that these particular laws are so poorly designed that they will undermine rather than enhance the speech interests of users.