Accolades: Professor’s Work on ALI Policing Project Approved

Members of the University of Virginia School of Law community have recently been singled out for excellence. Among the accolades, the American Law Institute voted to approve Principles of the Law, Policing, co-authored by Professor Rachel Harmon, a project associate reporter.

The Policing Principles project, which was approved May 18 after seven years of work, is ALI’s first project in this area, according to a press release. “Policing Databases,” “Use of Force” and “Role of Other Actors in Promoting Sound Policing” are among the 14 chapters.

“We assembled these principles by gathering the knowledge and guidance from a wide range of stakeholders, speaking to all of the various sides of the questions we wanted to tackle,” said Barry Friedman, the project’s lead reporter and a professor at New York University School of Law. “Our hope is that legislative bodies would think that these principles provide a good benchmark for sound policing, and that police agencies will feel they could and would adopt these practices and policies.” 

The reporters, subject to oversight by the director, will now prepare ALI’s official text for publication.

Harmon, a former federal prosecutor in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, is the author of the casebook “The Law of the Police.” She is the Harrison Robertson Professor of Law, Class of 1957 Research Professor of Law and director of the school’s Center for Criminal Justice.

Jessup Moot Court Team

UVA Law’s Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition team — captain Kevin Krotz ’22, Bo Hiett ’24, Camille Blum ’24, Eric Smith ’23 and Karli Wade ’23 — advanced to the round of 32 in the international rounds in March and April. This is only the second time in the past 16 years that UVA has gone to this round and the first time with a supermajority of rookie team members. The team’s written submissions placed 14th worldwide and third among U.S. teams.

The competition was co-founded 63 years ago by members of the J.B. Moore Society of International Law, and one of the best brief awards is named in honor of former UVA Law contracts professor and dean Hardy C. Dillard ’27.

Captain Kevin Krotz ’22, Bo Hiett ’24, Camille Blum ’24, Eric Smith ’23 and Karli Wade ’23 advanced to the round of 32 in the Jessup competition’s international rounds. Photo by Julia Davis

Salzburg Cutler Fellows

Jack Hoover ’22, Donna Faye Imadi ’22, Mason Pazhwak ’23 and Bolton Smith ’22 participated in the Salzburg Cutler Fellows Program, which gives students from leading law schools the opportunity to establish connections in international law while expanding their interest. The UVA participants were among 50 law students who attended the online seminar Feb. 24 to March 12. Professor Pierre-Hugues Verdier, an expert in international law and litigation, served as faculty adviser.

UVA Law is among 14 top law schools in the program. Fellows received individual critiques on their student papers from faculty of the participating law schools, as well as further advice on how to seek publication in journals. This year’s papers covered diverse topics, ranging from cyberwarfare and space weapons to Black Lives Matter and gender-based violence.

Jack Hoover ’22, Donna Faye Imadi ’22, Mason Pazhwak ’23 and Bolton Smith ’22 were 2022 Salzburg Cutler Fellows.

3L Wins Writing Competition

Bao Kham Chau ’22 won the fifth annual international Artificial Intelligence Writing Competition for his paper “Governing the Algorithmic Turn: Lyft, Uber and Disparate Impact.” Papers for the competition, sponsored by the Center for Legal & Court Technology at William & Mary Law School, focus on an application of AI technology, and whether and how the application should be regulated. The $2,500 first-place cash prize is funded by a grant from the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, and winners will have the opportunity to present their papers to executives from Cisco Systems Inc.

3L Selected for Leadership Program

The American Constitution Society selected Max Larson ’23 among 22 law students nationwide for the 2022 Next Generation Leaders program. The program recognizes law school students who have demonstrated memorable and significant leadership in their work with ACS’ student chapters. The ACS interprets the Constitution based on its text and against the backdrop of history and lived experience, according to a press release.

Library Receives Grant

The Arthur J. Morris Law Library received a $6,735 flash funding grant from the Jefferson Trust on April 20 to support its project “The Historical Landscape of North Grounds.” The library is creating and installing interpretive panels along the Rivanna Trail on North Grounds to bring awareness of the people who lived and labored on the property. Special Collections launched a website and video walking tour in 2021 as part of the ongoing project. Unlike the Jefferson Trust’s annual cycle grants, flash funding grants are capped at $10,000 per project and are awarded monthly.

Libraries Association Honors Olson

Kent Olson, a retired senior research librarian at the Arthur J. Morris Law Library, was inducted into the American Association of Law Libraries Hall of Fame on April 27. Members of the Hall of Fame have a demonstrated history of career achievement, sustained commitment to the advancement of the profession and significant contributions to AALL, according to the association. They must also have conducted themselves with professionalism among their peers. Olson retired in August after working more than 35 years at the Law School. He directed the library’s reference and research services for faculty and students, and taught Advanced Legal Research.

1L Named Diversity Fellow

Gabriele Josephs ’24 will work at Schiffer Hicks Johnson in Houston as a 2022 Diversity Fellow. The firm offers summer fellowships to first-year law students from historically excluded backgrounds. At UVA Law, Josephs is a LawTech Center Legal Fellow.