	On The Move Archives

	March 2009

Shamblin First LSU Law Student to Receive National Scribes Award

Michelle Shamblin, a third-year law student at LSU, was awarded the 2009 Scribes Law-Review Award for her article, "Silencing Chicken Little: Options for School Districts after Parents Involved."

She is the first student in the history of the Law Center to receive the national award.

Chancellor's Council Salutes Saúl Litvinoff

The Law Center's Chancellor's Council will pay tribute to Boyd Professor Saúl Litvinoff at a gala planned for Friday, March 20, 2009 at the Coast, Energy, and Environment Building on the LSU campus.

LSU Law Repeats as National Champion at Tax Moot Court Competition

LSU Law was crowned champion at the National Tax Moot Court Competition for the second year in a row, defeating University of Florida College of Law in the final round. The Competition was sponsored by the Tax Section of the Florida Bar Association and was held in St. Petersburg, Florida on February 5-7, 2009.

LSU Law student David Conachen was named Outstanding Individual Advocate of the tournament.

Alumni Directory Project in Final Stages

Thousands of you have already responded to update your information for our new LSU Law Alumni Directory. The directory will be a complete listing of all LSU Law alumni, including professional and personal biographical information, as well as email addresses.

This week you will receive a postcard from Harris Connect/LSU Law, asking you to call a toll-free number at your convenience to update your information. Those of you who have already provided your information to the Harris Web site will also be invited to call and verify your information.

PLEASE NOTE: If you entered your information online, your residential address and email will be printed. If you decide you do NOT want your residential information published, please call Harris Connect BEFORE April 27 to suppress publication in the directory. The toll-free number is 1-800-546-3756.

We encourage you to update your information and appreciate your participation in this worthwhile project.

Getting Closer to Beating Bama: Will YOU Be the One to Put the Annual Fund 2008-09 Over the Top?

In this present climate, it would seem against the odds that the LSU Law Annual Fund drive would be on its way to having one of its best years ever. Yet, that is exactly what is happening...

92 Percent of 2008 Class Employed Upon Release of Bar Results

The Office of Career Services has released its annual report on employment statistics for graduating students. The report, featuring data gathered from LSU Law graduates, is submitted in February of each year to the National Association on Law Placement. The LSU Law Class of 2008 had a placement rate of 92 percent at the required reporting date. Of the 188 graduates, some 98.4 percent of the students responded to the survey on employment, the basis for the statistics.

The employment data are also used in rankings provided by the American Bar Association, U.S. News and World Report, and the Princeton Review. National data will be compiled and released in coming months.

"These surveys are important," said Career Services Director Tracy Evans. "They are the basis of the national data used to track national employment patterns and are also used in national law school rankings. I'm pleased with the placement rate of our 2008 class and encourage our future graduates to submit their surveys."

LSU Law Moot Court Team Records Highest Finish in Nearly Three Decades at Competition

The LSU Law Jessup International Law Moot Court team of returning 3Ls Patrick Hall, Kristen Lundin, and Jessica Orgeron—as well as new 2L team members Airzola Cleaves and David Maples—finished third out of 24 teams in the Southwest Super Regional of the 50th Anniversary Jessup Competition in Houston. It was the highest finish for an LSU Law Jessup team in the last 25 years.

LSU Law Places Second at Regional Round of Willem C. Vis International Arbitration

Sara Taylor, Andrew Lilly, Adam Savoie, and Carmen Hebert participated in a Southwest Regional "Pre-Moot" of the Willem C. Vis International Arbitration Competition hosted by South Texas College of Law School in Houston on February 27-28. LSU Law placed second out of the 10 teams that participated. Lilly received individual recognition by winning Third Place in the Best Advocate category.

The tournament was held as a practice round for teams who will be competing in either Hong Kong or Vienna, Austria in April as part of the much larger international arbitration moot. LSU Law will be one of 233 law schools, including 53 American law schools, from across the world that will compete in Vienna in April.

The team is co-coached by Distinguished Visiting Professor Ulrich Magnus and Professor Todd Bruno.

LSU Law Moot Court Team Advances to Final Round

LSU Law Center students Megan Donohue (team captain), Charlotte Youngblood, and Patrick Grozinger advanced to the Final Round of the National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition, February 19-21 in White Plains, New York at Pace Law School. The team was coached by attorneys R. Charles Ellis ('91) and Michelle Marney ('00), and faculty advisor Kenneth Murchison.

This is the fourth time in the last seven years that LSU Law has made it to the Final Round, winning the National Championship in 2006. In addition to the team's success, Youngblood received the award for Best Overall Advocate, prevailing over roughly 200 individuals for the award.

BLSA Asks 'Will Obama's Vision Be Fulfilled?'

LSU Law Professor Raymond Diamond joined Southern University Law Center Professors Winston W. Riddick, Albert Samuels, and Russell L. Jones for a discussion titled "The New Paradigm of Change: Will President Obama's Vision Be Fulfilled?" The panelists addressed such topics as: Whether the nation is ready for a black president; Should we expect something different from a black president; and, What is President Obama's vision.

These topics were explored through the lens of race and by comparison to past American presidents. The panelists also considered the differences in black politicians; in a sense, how they evolved through the civil rights movement to the point where a black man is now president.

The event was sponsored by the LSU Black Law Students Association (BLSA); The Greater Baton Rouge Louis A. Martinet Legal Society, Inc.; and The Southern University Law Center Black Law Students Association.

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Available

Since 1999, the students at the LSU Law Center have offered a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program where volunteers provide free tax preparation services to foreign students, teachers, and researchers and their immediate family members (spouses and children under age 21). The LSU Law Center's VITA site is the only VITA site in the Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and Lafayette area where volunteers prepare federal and Louisiana state income tax returns for foreign students, teachers and researchers from the community as well as the Baton Rouge campus of LSU.

Register Today for LSUcle Punitive Damages Symposium

The LSU Law Center's Continuing Legal Education program will hold its Symposium on Punitive Damages Today and Tomorrow, Friday, April 17. On-site registration and continental breakfast begin at 7:20 a.m. at the Law Center. The registration fee for those wishing to receive six hours of CLE credit is $269 ($249 if registered before April 4). The registration fee for those not wanting to receive CLE credit is $50 ($30 before April 4). For more information, visit LSUcle online or call 225/578-5837.

Career Services Helps Students Learn About JAG Corps

At an annual event, the LSU Law Center's Office of Career Services recently offered students the opportunity to learn more about the U.S. JAG Corps as a career choice. The informational program assists students in assessing the different components of each branch of the JAG. "It also allows them to ask questions, have them addressed immediately, and make comparisons in an effort to make an informed decision," said Gwen Ferrell, associate director of Career Services.

Following law school and upon acceptance, JAG officers will study military justice at the designated law school of the particular branch. The JAG Corps allows attorneys to immediately practice by handling cases for both the plaintiff and defense throughout the entire spectrum of practice areas-from family to criminal. The requirements of each branch will vary slightly; however, three to four years is the initial service requirement.

Faculty/Staff Highlights

Find out more about the recent achievements and work being done by the LSU Law Center's Faculty and Staff.

Alumni News

Find out the latest news on where and what your classmates are doing these days.