National Jurist - February 2008 - (Page 10) NEWS ‘Millionaire’ possibilities offered to 2L Sitting on your couch, it seems you know every game show answer. Vivek Bavda, a 2L at The John Marshall Law School in Chicago, is that kind of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” fan. He made it all the way to the top, but came up short. The adventure started in summer 2007 when Bavda learned the show would be holding auditions in the Chicago area. “It was a Friday and there was a line of people there and we had to take a written test,” Bavda said. “Then we got a one-minute onscreen interview.” The following Monday, he learned he’d be a contestant for a September taping of the show in New York City. Bavda traveled to New York with his mother, Bharti, who was his on-air companion for the show. Bavda’s appearance on the show aired Jan. 15, so he had to keep word of his winnings a secret until the show aired, or he’d lose his prize, he said. On the $4,000 question: “A downwardfacing dog is a common type of what?” Bavda used the audience vote of “yoga position” for the correct answer, which allowed him to advance. On the $8,000 question: “Which of Vivek Bavda, a 2L at The John Marshall Law School, walked away with $1,000 in winnings during his stint on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” these movie actors shares two of his names with a famous heavy-metal drummer?” Bavda used the “50-50” option leaving him two answers — Tommy Lee Jones (A) or Billy Dee Williams (B). Bavda chose B, which was not the reference he needed. Tommy Lee is the name of the drummer in Motley Crue. Bavda walked away with $1,000 in winnings and memories for a lifetime. “It was a great time; very energetic and very intense,” he said. “They treated us beautifully. I’d say overall it was riveting.” —Michelle Weyenberg Front row seat to war crimes Most Americans learned of former Liberian President Charles Taylor in last year’s blockbuster movie “Blood Diamond,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Now, as Taylor’s trial for crimes against humanity is set to resume on the small screen, one Case Western Reserve University School of Law student will have a front row seat. Brianne Draffin, a third-year Brianne law student from Savannah, Ga., Draffin departed in early January for The Hague, Netherlands, to serve as a judicial clerk intern for the globally-televised trial. Taylor, who served as Liberia’s president from 1997 until 2003, stood before the Special Court for Sierra Leone on the accusations that he conspired with ruthless warlords and rebels in Sierra Leone who were responsible for widespread atrocities in return for valuable blood diamonds. For safety purposes, the trial was moved from Freetown, Sierra Leone, to the International Criminal Court headquarters in The Hague. Draffin is among dozens of Case Western Reserve law students who have interned at the five war crimes tribunals: Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Cambodia, Yugoslavia and the International Criminal Court. She’s also one of two people with Case Western ties working this high profile trial. Ruth Mary Hackler, a former Sierra Leone Tribunal intern, is on the prosecution team trying the case. Draffin is the symposium editor of the law school’s Journal of International Law, editor-in-chief of the War Crimes Prosecution Watch e-newsletter and webmaster of the Grotian Moment: International War Crimes Trial Blog on the School of Law’s web site. 10 THE NATIONAL JURIST February 2008
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