LSU Law News
November 2008
Thanksgiving Greetings From Chancellor Jack Weiss
November 26, 2008Dear Friends of the Law Center: The light is fading as we head toward dusk here on the eve of Thanksgiving. It has been a somber week at the Law Center. Professor Bill Crawford and his family have suffered an incalculable loss. All of us have felt and shared their grief. A beloved faculty colleague has undergone serious surgery on short notice. Outside of the Law Center, these are also times that try men's (and women's) souls. The nation is at war. The economic picture is bleak. Overall, it is hard to locate the celebratory mood we like to associate…
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Your Support Matters
November 26, 2008Economic times are tough, and we recognize that uncertainties persist in this global economy. The needs of the LSU Law Center, however, have not diminished, and your support is needed more than ever. From scholarships to program support, your contributions have enabled the Law Center to enhance its Tradition of Excellence and to secure its place as the state's premier public law school. Thank you! As the end of the year draws near, we hope that your personal circumstances will allow you to consider a charitable gift to the Law Center. Let us assist in designing a plan for your…
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Students Participate in Roundtable with Judge Barksdale
November 26, 2008"Prior proper planning prevents poor performance," advised The Honorable Rhesa Hawkins Barksdale, Judge with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Judge Barksdale spent the eve of the LSU v Ole Miss game with a group of LSU Law students, recounting his service to his country, his legal career, and sharing thoughts on what makes a good lawyer. Following his graduation from West Point, Barksdale volunteered to serve in Vietnam. "I arrived in 1967-68 during the Tet Offensive," he told the students. At age 23, he found himself as a platoon leader responsible for the safety of "54…
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Tailgating Helps Law Students Bond, Relax Outside of Class
November 25, 2008Monday through Friday, the students of the LSU Law Center prepare for a future as an upstanding member of the legal community, listening to lectures, poring over notes and old reference books, and debating the finer points of common law versus civil law. But on Saturdays during football season, all that is forgotten. It's a time for relaxing, for bonding, and for singing Hank Williams, Jr. songs in as many keys as possible. Outside of the Law Center library, one of the more popular places for students to commune is at a tailgate, and one of the larger ones is…
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Chancellor Weiss Declares “Year of Litvinoff;” Chancellor's Council Tribute to Litvinoff Set for March 20, 2009
November 25, 2008Chancellor Jack Weiss has declared 2008-09 the Year of Litvinoff, in honor of the retirement of Boyd Professor Saúl Litvinoff. The announcement was made at an assembly of peers, friends, and family who gathered at the LSU Law Center on Friday, Nov. 14, to celebrate Litvinoff's 43 years of service to the Law Center. Litvinoff will assume the status of Professor Emeritus when he steps down after the Spring 2009 semester. The Law Center's Chancellor Council will pay tribute to Professor Litvinoff at a gala planned for Friday, March 20, 2009. The Chancellor's Council is comprised of friends and alumni…
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Pardue Addresses Environmental Law Society on Aftermath of Katrina
November 24, 2008John Pardue, the Elizabeth Howell Stewart Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering at LSU, recently spoke to the LSU Law Center's Environmental Law Society on "Hurricane debris and the environment: Understanding impacts three years post-Katrina." He described how he was involved in evaluating the debris situation after the hurricane, explaining that two days after the storm, his crew launched their boat from I-10 and took water and other samples. They were part of the debris collection efforts from that point forward. Pardue also explained how the Department of Environmental Quality, the Army Corps of Engineers, and other agencies handled debris…
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Two LSU Law Center Staff Members Honored
November 24, 2008Cynthia Bland and Madeline Babin, both administrative assistants, were each honored recently for their work with the LSU Law Center. "Cynthia and Madeline are truly dedicated professionals who are most deserving of the honors bestowed upon them," said Chancellor Jack Weiss. Bland-an administrative assistant to the faculty-was chosen as an Honorable Mention in this year's Charles E. Dunbar, Jr. Career Service Awards Program. This program recognizes classified state employees for their service to the state and citizens of Louisiana. The Dunbar Award is the highest honor that a state employee can receive. Recipients are selected from nominations received from across…
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Chancellor Answers Student Questions at Town Hall Meeting
November 24, 2008Chancellor Jack Weiss met with an assembly of students over lunch recently in his first Town Hall Meeting of the 2008-2009 academic year. Weiss answered questions on topics ranging from whether or not students' pet dogs should be allowed in the library to the grading system.The meeting began with Weiss updating the assembly on recent events at the Law Center, with several announcements pertaining to the faculty. He announced that Lee Levine, an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, has agreed to teach comparative media law in the Law Center's Lyon Summer Program. Levine is a partner in the firm of…
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December 2008 Faculty/Staff News Items
November 24, 2008Professor Paul Baier's retrospective portrait, Of Judicial Freedom and Judicial Restraint: The Voice of Louisiana's Judge Albert Tate, Jr., was published in 35 Southern University Law Review, No. 2, Spring 2008. The Encyclopedia of the Supreme Court of the United States (David S. Tanenhaus ed., Macmillian USA) was published at the end of October 2008 and includes two essays by Baier, Edward Douglass White and The White Court. In connection with the state supreme court elections, Professor John Baker, along with Jason Dore, published a widely distributed monograph entitled The Louisiana Supreme Court: Making Policy or Interpreting the Law. Related…
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LSU Law Students Win Multiple Honors at Regional Advocacy Competitions
November 19, 2008Three teams of LSU Law students participated in advocacy competitions throughout the country during the weekend of November 14-16. Students traveled to Chicago, New Orleans, and Northern Kentucky to represent LSU Law in competitions dedicated to three separate areas of law practice: arbitration, appellate, and trial advocacy. All three teams did exceptionally well. Adam Savoie, Bridget Hillebrand, Alana Odom, and William Murray won First Place at the Southern Regional Round of the ABA Arbitration Competition hosted by Northern Kentucky University, Chase College of Law on November 14-15, 2008. By winning the region, the team advanced to the National Final Rounds…
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Neuner Honored with Distinguished Alumnus Award at Ceremony
November 13, 2008Friends, family and colleagues of Frank X. Neuner, Jr. gathered in New Orleans the evening of Oct. 30 to honor him as the 2008 LSU Law Distinguished Alumnus. The event began at the State Supreme Court building and segued to dinner at Antoine's Restaurant. The LSU Law Center's Distinguished Alumnus Award is given annually to an alumnus who exemplifies the highest quality and ethical standards of the legal profession. The award recognizes personal and professional achievements and loyalty to the LSU Law Center. As former Louisiana State Bar Association president in 2005-06, Neuner's work and extraordinary contributions to the recovery…
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LSU Law Center Celebrates Veterans Day With Emotional Ceremony
November 12, 2008Edmund Burke, an 18th century British Statesman and philosopher, once stated, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."Patrick Hall, a third-year law student and Vice President of the LSU Law Center's American Constitution Society chapter, began the school's Veterans Day ceremony with that quote, encapsulating the meaning of the day's event.More than 70 students and members of the Law Center's faculty and staff gathered to remember those who have and continue to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces. The event began with the playing of the National Anthem followed by Herschel Chapin,…
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CLE Program Focuses on Insurance Law, Recent Developments
November 4, 2008The LSU Law Center's Continuing Legal Education Program continues its schedule of seminars for November with a pair at the Law Center and one in Kenner.Online registration and seminar schedules are available at https://www.lsucle.org. Registration is also available by phone at 225/578-5837.Insurance Law is the topic of the first seminar, Friday, Nov. 7, at the Law Center. The program begins with registration and a continental breakfast at 8 a.m. Speakers for the seminar include local attorneys and a trio of judges from New Orleans, Gretna, and Monroe, respectively.Recent Developments in Legislation & Jurisprudence will be the focus of the two-day…
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Young Alumni Discuss Career Opportunities and Legal Education
November 3, 2008"Law school changes the way you think," said B. Slattery Johnson, a 2007 graduate of the Law Center and member of the Young Alumni Leadership Council. Four members of the council spoke to LSU Law students and Honor's College recruits at the event held in late October at the Law Center. The program targeted top LSU undergraduates in the Law Early Admissions Program (LEAP), but was also structured as a Career Services program for current law students. Panelists included Norma N. Bennett ('00), council chair and currently Of Counsel with Fish & Richardson P.C. in Houston; Kerrie S. Crockett ('05),…
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Friends and Alums Make Gifts to A Tradition of Excellence/Forever LSU Campaign
November 3, 2008The LSU Law Center is pleased to announce several new gifts to the Tradition of Excellence campaign. The Law Center established a goal of $28 million as its part of the Forever LSU Campaign. Funds raised by the Law Center stay at the Law Center to meet specific needs and priorities such as student scholarships, funding for the new clinical legal education program, faculty recruitment and retention, and moot court activities, among others. Please consider the value of the education you received at LSU Law, and pledge a gift today! For more information, contact the Office of Alumni Relations at…
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