National Jurist - November 2007 - (Page 11)

NEWS The same day he got the job offer, the Los Angeles Times published an op-ed article written by Chemerinsky urging California to reject a plan by Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales that would, he argued, make it harder for those on death row to have their cases reviewed in federal court. Chemerinsky formally accepted the position Sept. 4. It was rescinded a week later. He said at the time that he had no plans to challenge the decision. According to Chemerinsky, Drake initially asked that he say that the two mutually agreed to end his prospective deanship. “I refused and said that all I wanted was that the truth be told,” he said. But after a second meeting with Drake, he accepted a renewed offer. “He provided me the greatest possible assurance of academic freedom for the dean and all faculty,” he said in an e-mail to Duke staff and students. Chemerinsky continued that it has been one of the strangest and most difficult weeks of his life and said it will be hard leaving the Duke community. “I am sad to be leaving this wonderful supportive community, though excited about the new challenges ahead,” he said. The school is scheduled to begin classes in 2009 as the first new public law school in California in more than 40 years. “[Faculty] alleged numerous violations of ABA standards,” he said. Of all the allegations, the only matter on which the ABA reached a conclusion is the 405 (a). They notified the school over the summer and asked that Dobranski respond by Dec. 15 with a report demonstrating the law school’s compliance with that standard. The report should include “updated information regarding departures and hires of full-time faculty,” the letter said. He added that the ABA reached the conclusions before knowing that the law school was hiring five new professors. Though the ABA treats this process as confidential, Dobranski said he released the information to the campus because of “the level of misrepresentation and speculation which has surfaced regarding the ABA’s inquiry.” “We’re very confident that the ABA will be satisfied,” he said. “We will be able to demonstrate compliance with standards.” John Marshall establishes first clinic dedicated to veterans issues The John Marshall Veterans Legal Support Center and Clinic is the first law school clinic dedicated to veterans issues in the United States. Four John Marshall Law School students spearheaded the idea for the center and clinic in 2006 when then third-year student Michael Abramson brought the idea to Military Law Society members. The students’ vision was to “educate, facilitate and advocate on behalf of veterans in order to ensure the accurate and timely filing of medical and education benefit claims.” The center and clinic were established under a grant from the State of Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Cash fund. Brian Clauss, a John Marshall graduate and arbitrator and mediator in Chicago, will serve as executive director of the center and clinic. “This great group of students identified a problem and figured out a way to solve it,” he said. “They figured out a plan of attack, went to the right people, organized it and are getting it off the ground.” The center and clinic has three primary initiatives. First, clinic members will be qualified to train future Chicago attorneys who seek to help returning veterans on a pro bono basis. Second, clinical students will regularly research Ave Maria dispute raises inquiry from ABA Ave Maria School of Law Dean Bernard Dobranski says a long-term dispute with faculty over the school’s proposed move from Michigan to Florida led to faculty filing complaints with the American Bar Association over a year ago. Dobranski recently sent a letter to faculty and staff members reporting the accreditation committee’s finding that it “has reason to believe that the Ave Maria School of Law has not established compliance with Standard 405(a), regarding the obligation of a law school to establish and maintain conditions adequate to attract and retain a competent faculty.” Disputing previous reports, Dobranski said the inquiry by the ABA doesn’t threaten the law school’s accreditation. Dean John Corkery accepted a $100,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs Director Tammy Duckworth. updates to current laws and developments in the veterans benefits field, which they will disseminate to a pro bono network of attorneys. Finally, students in the clinic will also organize and facilitate Continuing Legal Education events to keep all pro bono attorneys on the cutting edge of current information in the veterans benefits area. “We are excited we’ve created a learning environment at The John Marshall Law School where students are supported in their extracurricular and volunteer efforts that will not only make them better lawyers through practical experience, but also will provide much-needed legal assistance to our veterans,” said Dean John E. Corkery. November 2007 THE NATIONAL JURIST 11

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of National Jurist - November 2007

National Jurist - November 2007 Contents Disturbing the Peace For the Record Blogs: The Death-knell for Law Reviews? Chemerinsky Heads UC-Irvine Ave Maria Dispute Raises ABA Inquiry John Marshall Establishes Veterans Clinic The Firm Report The Paper Chase Chronicles Law School Rankings at Math's Mercy Academic Freedom Called into Question St. Thomas Students Choose ‘Quality of Life’ Experience The Hidden Debt Crisis The Global Frontier International Education has to be a Part of Any Legal Education Employment Defender Career Hotline Off the Bench

National Jurist - November 2007

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