Week of activities spurs discussion and celebration of diversity

Students, alumni, faculty and the members of the minority bar associations celebrated Diversity Week at the law school in February.

Leading defense attorney Jeffery Robinson spoke at a reception sponsored by the Student Bar Association, in partnership with the Washington State Bar Association’s Young Lawyer Division. The reception capped a week of activities and opportunities to learn about and discuss important diversity-related issues and to celebrate academic excellence and education for justice achieved through diversity.

Robinson is one of the leading criminal defense attorneys on the West Coast and has been listed in Best Lawyers in America since 1993. He was selected as one of the top 100 black lawyers in America by Black Enterprise magazine, and is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

Robinson, whose niece is a 1L at the law school, spent seven years as a public defender in state and federal courts. In private practice at Schroeter Goldmark & Bender since 1988, he has successfully represented individuals and corporations in state and federal court on charges ranging from first-degree murder to health care fraud. He has experience representing clients in lengthy grand jury investigations that have resulted in no indictment. He has extensive trial experience and has lectured on trial skills in numerous states across the country. He is a member of the faculty of the National Criminal Defense College in Macon, Georgia.

Other events throughout the week included film screenings, panel discussions and workshops with members of the legal community, alumni and faculty.

Three new professors set to join faculty

Three new faculty members will join the faculty at Seattle University School of Law in fall 2009, including a former clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

“These new faculty are exciting additions, as they bring broad experience and enthusiasm that will benefit our students,” Dean Kellye Testy said. “Attracting these scholars is further evidence of our advancing reputation as one of the nation’s leading law schools.”

They are:

• Heidi Sacha Bond, who clerked for Justice O’Connor and Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Alex Kozinski. She received her J.D. from University of Michigan Law School and earned a master’s in physical chemistry from University of California, Berkeley.
• Brooke D. Coleman, a Stanford Law Fellow and instructor. She clerked for David F. Levi of U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California, and is a graduate of Harvard Law School.
• Jane Stoever, director of the Domestic Violence Clinic and practitioner in residence at American University, Washington College of Law. She also held a teaching fellowship at Georgetown University Law Center. She earned her J.D. from Harvard and an L.L.M. from Georgetown.

Read more about them in an upcoming issue of The Lawyer.

In other faculty news, Seattle University granted tenure to four law professors: Bryan Adamson, Natasha Martin, Rafael Pardo and Andrew Siegel. Julie Shapiro and Ron Slye were promoted to the rank of Professor of Law.

Law school honors Professor Bill Oltman for 35 years of teaching excellence

Dean Kellye Testy and Professor Bill Oltman share a laugh with Professor John Strait at a reception in honor of Oltman’s retirement. Former students and faculty packed Sullivan Hall to thank Oltman for his years of service. He retires in May after 35 years of teaching. Fellow retirees Shelly Frankel, Dave Boerner and Susan McClellan will be honored at a reception April 25. Read more »
Photo by Matt Hagen.

ATJI collaborates with King County on film for pro se litigants

Seattle University School of Law students, through the Access to Justice Institute, helped King County Superior Court develop an instructional film aimed at helping self-represented litigants navigate their way through court.

Titled “Your Day in Court: How to Make Sure Your Voice is Heard in King County,” the film is designed to walk individuals through the process of preparing their legal paperwork and appearing in court.

Judge Yu thanked the law school for its assistance. Several ATJI student volunteers worked on the project, which was

led by Helen Rickey ’09, who also serves as a judicial extern for Judge Yu. Rickey said the project was one of her most fulfilling during law school.

The Civil Legal Needs Study published by the Supreme Court’s Task Force on Civil Equal Justice Funding documented that more than three-quarters of all low-income households experience at least one important civil legal problem each year and, of these households, nearly nine in ten did not get the legal help they needed to solve that problem.

View the film here.

Faculty publish in prestigious journals

Faculty members have had a productive semester so far, with several scholarly successes.

Among the recent highlights:

• Associate Professor Bryan Adamson’s article “Critical Error” was accepted for publication by the Yale Law & Policy Review.
• Legal Writing Professor Deirdre Bowen’s article, “The Parent Trap: Differential Familial Power in Same-Sex Families” was published in the William & Mary Journal of Women and the Law.
• An article by Distinguished Scholar in Residence Patrick Brown, “Ethics as Self-Transcendence: Legal Education, Faith, and an Ethos of Justice,” was  published in the Seattle University Law Review.
• Professor David Engdahl's article, “The Classic Rule of 'Full Faith and Credit,'” was published in the Yale Law Journal.
• Associate Professor Jack Kirkwood published an article, “The Fundamental Goal of Antitrust:  Protecting Consumers, Not Increasing Efficiency,” in the Notre Dame Law Review.

Watch for a complete overview of faculty achievements in the summer issue of the The Lawyer.

Appellate court rules in favor of clinic client

The Washington Court of Appeals ruled in January that children in truancy cases have a right to counsel. The appeal began with a case handled by Youth Advocacy Clinic students under the supervision of Visiting Clinical Professor  Boruchowitz, who argued the appeal in September.

Anu Luthra and Jenifer Marks, both ’08 graduates, did independent study after working on the case in the clinic, helping to research and write the brief. Boruchowitz spoke on FOX 13 News about the case in a debate with state Sen. Mike Carrel, and also testified before the State Senate Human Services Committee.

South African judge teaches special course

Justice Zak Yacoob of the South African Constitutional Court shared his expertise in international law and socio-economic rights with students and faculty at the School of Law. Yacoob taught a one-credit course and met informally with professors in late January and early February.

Yacoob has a particular interest in the enforcement of socio-economic rights by courts and has written several judgments on the topic. He has been blind almost all his life, but went to a special school and earned a law degree at an apartheid university for Indians.

Yacoob practiced for 25 years, focusing on using the law in the struggle against apartheid and for democracy. He was a member of the underground of the African National Congress and other community organizations helping to mobilize communities.

He was a member of the Independent Electoral Commission and of the Independent Panel of Experts that advised the National Assembly on the drafting of the South African Constitution.

ATJI cosponsors 2009 Trina Grillo Retreat at Stanford

The Access to Justice Institute cosponsored the annual Trina Grillo Retreat with the Levin Center for Public Service and Public Interest Law at Stanford Law School in February.

This year’s theme was  “Global Social Justice Lawyering.” Professor Ron Slye, director of International and Comparative Law at Seattle University School of Law, spoke on the panel “Scanning the Globe for Criminal Justice.” Clinical Professor Raven Lidman took part in “The Impact of Human Rights Law on Civil Legal Services."

The keynote speaker was Kyong-Whan Ahn, Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea.

The Trina Grillo Law Retreat provides a unique opportunity for public interest and social justice-oriented law students, faculty, and practitioners to exchange viewpoints, explore career opportunities, and formulate strategies for social justice.

A contingent of students committed to social justice attended the retreat, through the support of the Office of Student Affairs, Admissions Office, Dean’s Office, and ATJI.

The Grillo Retreat, co-sponsored by SALT and a consortium of West Coast law schools honors the memory of Trina Grillo, a dedicated social activist and justice advocate.

Moot Court, Dispute Resolution teams enjoy success

The School of Law’s Moot Court and Dispute Resolution teams have had a great year, with several teams winning or advancing to national competitions.

Natalya Kasyanyuk, 2L, and Gregory Morphew, 3L, won Best Brief at the Thomas Tang International Moot Court Competition. They came out on top of 60 teams and won a $1,000 award.

The National Moot Court team of Celia Lee, Stephanie Jensen and Melissa Mordy, all 3Ls, performed well at the New York City Bar Association's regional competition and advanced to nationals, also in New York.

The SU team of David Baker, 3L, and 2Ls Pascal Herzer, LaKeysha Miles-Washington and Ama Okoro, won first place in the Thurgood Marshall Black Law Student Association Western Regional Mock-Trial Competition in Portland.

They will compete in the Thurgood Marshall National Black Law Student Association National Convention in Irvine, Calif.

Kyle Dowd and Sharon Eldredge, both 2Ls, won first place in the Regional Client Counseling Competition, hosted by Seattle University School of Law this year. They will compete at nationals later this month. Michelle Fontenot and Larissa Chan, both 3Ls, were regional semi-finalists.

Terra Evans and Bryan Olsen, both 2Ls, were first in the Northwest Regional Mediation Competition in Eugene, Oregon in March, and will compete at Nationals at the ABA semi- annual meeting in New York in April.

In addition, many students competed in in-house competitions.

Law school honors legacy of George Sundborg

Seattle University School of Law mourns the loss of George Sundborg, who paved the way for Alaska’s statehood and helped ensure that Alaskan students could go to law school.

Mr. Sundborg, father of University President Father Steve Sundborg, died Feb. 7 at age 95. George, together with his late wife, Mary, was a generous friend of the School of Law, having established the Alaska endowment that supports, among other activities, the George and Mary Sundborg Scholars.

“We extend our condolences to President Sundborg and his entire family,” Dean Kellye Testy said. “We are so grateful to George and Mary for their commitment to the law school and the legacy they leave. One of the activities George enjoyed so much each year was a luncheon we hosted for him annually with the student scholars.”

Mr. Sundborg was a champion of Alaska Statehood and one of the authors of the Alaska State Constitution. Many of the documents from his experience with that process are on display in the Alaska Room on the fourth floor of the law library.

Over the course of his distinguished career, Sundborg worked for and owned several Alaska newspapers. He was elected to a territory-at-large seat for the Alaska Constitutional Convention in 1955.  Sundborg served on Ernest Gruening’s staff from 1951-53 while Gruening was territorial governor and from 1959-68, when Gruening served in the U.S. Senate.  Sundborg also authored several books about Alaska.