April 2008
A quick update on the latest scholarly events, intellectual developments, and other news and information about the Law School.
In This Issue:
Constitutional Law
• U.S. Supreme Court Hears Law School Clinic Case
Each year, students involved in the Law School’s Supreme Court Litigation Clinic look for cases that might be good candidates for Supreme Court review. This summer, they discovered the case of an Indiana man who was denied the right to represent himself in court.
Corporate Governance
• Garrett Testifies Before Congress on Improving Corporate Fraud Monitoring
Courts and prosecutors need more guidance on how to regulate agreements allowing the use of private attorneys to monitor corporate fraud settlements, Law Professor Brandon Garrett told the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law in March. Deferred prosecution agreements—out-of-court settlements that forestall prosecution of a corporation for fraud—have been under fire from members of Congress since news broke that former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft’s Washington-based legal and consulting firm would receive between $27 million and $52 million for 18 months of work through such a deal.
Immigration
• Panel Discusses Challenges in Immigration Court System
Immigration courts have eliminated a once-hefty backlog, but in recent years the number of cases sent to a federal appeals court has grown substantially, according to a panel of experts who met at the Law School on March. During a discussion moderated by Professor David Martin and sponsored by the Immigration Law Program, the panelists explored the challenges these cases present and the ways immigration courts are coping.
International Law/Human Rights
• Chinese Legal Reform a Work in Progress, Experts Say
The Chinese legal system is in the midst of significant reforms, but is still plagued by a glut of death penalty cases, inconsistent judicial rulings, and a dearth of qualified criminal defense lawyers, said a panel of experts at the Law School. “There is a promise of rule of law in China; it is moving in that direction. But more needs to be done,” said Margaret Woo, a professor at Northeastern Law School.
• Human Rights Clinic Participates in Inter-American Commission Hearing
The Law School’s International Human Rights Clinic participated in a hearing in Washington, D.C. before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights examining the right to education for Afro-descendant and indigenous communities.
Law & Business
• U.S. Markets Still the Gold Standard, Says Stock Expert 
The tension between the need to regulate capital markets and resistance from the business community to such regulation has served the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) well. It’s the very thing that attracts U.S. and foreign-based investors to U.S. capital markets, according to Regina Mysliwiec ’72, former senior vice president of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Mysliwiec spoke in February at Caplin Pavilion as part of the business law symposium, “The Competitive Edge: Is the U.S. Losing Ground in the Capital Markets?” The event was sponsored by the Virginia Law & Business Review and the Virginia Law and Business Society.
Law School
• Justice Scalia: Judges Should Consider Tradition in Church, State Cases
At a Law School lecture entitled “The Wall of Separation,” United States Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia recalled a high school incident where he first came upon “the Shakespeare principle,” a concept that he said can be applied as easily to constitutional law as to literature. Scalia, who was a member of the Law School faculty from 1967 to 1971, was in Charlottesville to receive the Thomas Jefferson Medal in Law, the highest external honor bestowed by the University.
• Student Bar Association Launches New Web Site
The Student Bar Association recently rolled out a new Web site to help current and prospective students find out what’s happening at the Law School. “This was something that we had been wanting since the get-go,” said former SBA President Brian J. Leung, a third-year law student who oversaw the implementation of the new site. VirginiaSBA.com will help students track events and also serve as a hub for the school’s student organizations, Leung said.
• Softball Tournament Sets Fundraising Record
Organizers raised a record $18,000 for a local nonprofit during the 25th annual North Grounds Softball Invitational.
Race & Law
• "The Lost Promise of Civil Rights"
A panel sponsored by the Center for the Study of Race and Law discussed Law School Professor Risa Goluboff's new book, "The Lost Promise of Civil Rights." Panelists included Goluboff; Danny Greenberg of Schulte, Roth & Zabel; and Law School Professor Tomiko Brown-Nagin. Goluboff’s book also won the 2008 James Willard Hurst Prize, given by the Law and Society Association for the best work in socio-legal history published in 2007.
Alumni and Annual Giving
• Win, Place, or Show…Is Your Class Out in Front in Participation?
The Kentucky Derby, run on the first Saturday in May, is famous for fast horses, fancy hats, and mint juleps. Annual Giving at the Law School has its own claim to fame—the highest percentage of alumni participation in the country. Last year, over 50 percent of alumni made a gift to the Law School. We can do it again this year with your support. See which classes are in the lead (as of April 14) as we race around the final turn and head down the stretch toward June 30th:
1940’s: The Class of 1944 led from wire to wire to win handily with 100% participation.
1950’s: We’ve got a real horse race here! The Class of 1957 (63%) has taken the lead, but 1952 (51%) and 1956 (52%) are neck and neck. Will they able to catch 1957?
1960’s: So far, it looks like the Class of 1960 (43%) by a nose over 1962 (42%). Don’t forget the Classes of 1967 and 1968, though. They are running hard at 40%.
1970’s: A photo finish may be in the works—the Classes of 1971 and 1974 are tied at 41%, with 1976 (39%) right on their heels.
1980’s: Although the Class of 1980 (33%) is several lengths in front, 1981 (29%) and 1984 (31%) look ready for a battle down the stretch.
1990’s: The Classes of 1991, 1992, and 1993 are in a dead heat at 22%. Can 1994 or 1999 (20%) pull off an upset? Hold on to your betting tickets!
2000’s: At 45%, the Class of 2007 is well ahead, but 2005 and 2006 (both 34%) look strong and remain within striking distance.
View a complete listing here.
Whether your class is one of the favorites or a long shot, you can increase the odds of reaching the winner’s circle by making a gift, in any amount, before June 30th.
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To support Law School faculty and students, please visit our Giving page.
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