Topic: Law
Law student receives scholarship from NorthWest Indian Bar Association
Lewis & Clark Law School student Michelle Watchman is one of 13 law students to receive a scholarship from the NorthWest Indian Bar Association. NIBA is a non-profit organization aiming to represent the education and welfare of Native American attorneys. Watchman, a member of the Tlingit and Navajo tribes, said that law school would not have been possible without the scholarship assistance from her tribe and NIBA.
“The impacts of this scholarship extend beyond myself and my educational personal educational pursuit,” Watchman said. “The impacts will be felt by my people and the Native community at large. Upon graduation, I hope to not only give back to my community but also inspire future generations of Native youth to pursue their educational dreams.”
Read more about Watchman and her involvement in Native American law.
Center for Animal Law Studies director comments on animal rights
In an Associated Press (AP) story that has made its way into publications around the world, Pamela Frasch, law professor and executive director of the Center for Animal Law Studies, comments on the growing field of animal law.
For the past 16 years, Lewis & Clark has been at the forefront of this emerging legal field. The school was the first to publish an animal law journal, the first to establish an international conference on animal law and the first to develop an animal law clinic, with full-time faculty.
In the AP article, Frasch points out that animal law is where environmental law was 20 years ago—demand is growing rapidly but much about this legal practice area is still to be tested and developed. In 2000, Lewis and Clark was one of nine law schools to offer animal law studies. Today about 100 do.
Frasch notes that because state laws vary to such a wide extent, there continues to be a mix of inconsistent laws regarding animal rights. “A mouse as a pet has protection. A mouse as a pest can be killed at will. Research mice have no protection. It is the same animal but it is a matter of context.”
San Fransisco Chronicle (San Fransisco, Calif.) More laws being passed to protect animals
MSNBC Animal cruelty laws among fastest-growing
Chicago Daily Herald (Chicago, Ill.) Animal law one of the fastest-growing niches in the industry
Detroit Free Press Animal law makes steady gains in states, experts say
The Salt Lake Tribune (Salt Lake City, Utah) Animal rights? Some things shouldn’t happen to a dog
Santa Rosa Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, Calif.) Animal rights become hot field of legal study
York Daily Record (Pennsylvania) In some states, they shoot dogs, don’t they?
Alum named Sustainability Program Manager
Alum Marjorie Lifsey has been named the Sustainability Program Manager for the Oregon Department of Transportation. Lifsey, a lawyer with a background in environmental science, worked for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Oregon Department of Justice in the National Resources Division before attending law school. Among many in the environmental policy arena, Lifsey’s dedication to sustainability and her expertise in law make her the perfect candidate for this position. As the Sustainability Program Manager, Lifsey will “work with committee members and other state agencies to further the governor’s effort to become a sustainable, climate-friendly state.” To read more from BikePortland’s Q&A session with Lifsey, click here.
Law school dean addresses “Obama effect” on public interest law
Robert Klonoff, dean of the law school, spoke with the National Law Journal about how the next administration under President-elect Obama might effect the field of public interest law. Public interest law is the practice of law pursued on behalf of both individuals and causes that are not typically served by the for-profit-bar. Public interest lawyers can serve the public by working for civil legal services organizations, non-profit organizations, public defense organizations, prosecutors offices, government agencies and lobbying for non-profit organizations.Lewis & Clark Law School graduates enter public interest careers at a rate that is more than three times the national average. In 2007, the law school had the fifth highest percentage of graduates entering public interest law careers.
National Law Journal The latest ‘Barack effect’: new interest among law students in government, public interest jobs
NCVLI wins two grants from the U.S. Department of Justice
In October, the National Crime Victim Law Institute, an organization that advances crime victims’ rights, was awarded two two-year grants from the U.S. Department of Justice. First, NCVLI received a multi-million dollar grant from the Office for Victims of Crime. Most of the funding will pass through to NCVLI’s nationwide network of 8 pro bono legal clinics serving crime victims and to establish up to 4 new clinics. In addition, these funds will continue NCVLI’s amicus curiae work, legal technical assistance to attorneys and advocates, training and education, newsletter, and the annual Law & Litigation Conference.
Second, NCVLI was awarded a 2 year grant of $150,000 by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) to focus on the rights of victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and/or dating violence. This grant will allow NCVLI to provide training and legal technical assistance to OVW grantees across the nation. NCVLI will partner with the American Bar Association Commission on Domestic Violence and the Victims Rights Law Center on many of the trainings.
NCVLI promotes balance and fairness in the justice system through crime-victim-centered legal advocacy, education, and resource sharing. NCVLI also provides legal technical assistance to attorneys and advocates of victims and educates lawyers, judges, law students, victims’ advocates, the law enforcement community, and the public about victims’ rights.
Assistant Professor of Political Science Todd Lochner analyzes slow-moving obscenity case
Todd Lochner, assistant professor of political science, discusses the slow process of prosecuting obscenity cases during the past eight years of the Bush administration. Lochner points out that because, under the Clinton administration, these charges were typically coupled with other counts, they became higher priority. Considered more of a “moral barometer” under the current administration, these obscenity cases face numerous delays. “It’s not so much the number of obscenity cases they bring, but the qualitative nature of what they’re trying to do by bringing them. The prosecution is trying to set boundaries as to the acceptable realm of adult material,” says Lochner.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, Penn.) Federal obscenity case, filed 5 years ago, has stalled
William Funk expresses doubt in the roof-crush rule
This September, Professor of Law William Funk co-wrote an op-ed on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s new “roof-crush” rule. The rule is set to strengthen automobiles’ roofs, but Funk contends the change will have little effect on the safety of drivers; in actuality, only half of 1 percent of the 10,000 rollover accident deaths per year will be prevented. Instead, NHTSA’s new rule would preempt lawsuits arising from the faulty design of automobiles. The authors maintain that by undercutting lawsuits and preventing victims from seeking justice, the “roof-crush” proposition will inevitably slow down the “march toward safer automobiles.”
The Ann Arbor News (Ann Arbor, Mich.) Other Voices: NHTSA roof-crush standard could deny justice for crash victims
About E&E
Lewis & Clark faculty, students, and staff excel in their professional and academic fields and actively contribute to local and global communities. Here, we share up-to-the minute news briefs of their successes, which are often recognized through awards, honors, grants, and scholarships.
For more in-depth news coverage visit our Newsroom. If you need an expert opinion on breaking news, please consult our Faculty Experts Guide.
Topics
The Top Thirty
See More
Archives
Public Relations 503-768-7960 503-962-0263cell public@lclark.edu