December 2007- January 2008

Dean Charles J. Tabb
Alice Curtis Campbell Professor of Law
Interim Dean
Telephone (217) 333-9857
ctabb@law.uiuc.edu

Dear Students, Faculty, Staff, Alumni, Campus Leaders, and Friends,

As the fall semester and 2007 draw to a close, I look back on a whirlwind of productive and exciting activity that has been Illinois Law this past year.  What a great law school we all share!  I am so grateful to all of you, and thank you for what you contribute to the life of our College. 

I want to share with you my sincerest holiday wishes at this special time of the year.  I hope that you are able to enjoy a season of joy and peace. 

I particularly want to offer a special "thank you" to every one of you who has made my experience as the Interim Dean so special and rewarding.  As a member of the Illinois faculty for almost a quarter century, I knew this was a very special place.  My time so far as interim dean has shown me just how special Illinois is.  You all should be proud to be members of this very close-knit, collegial, and outstanding community.

2007 has been a busy and productive time for Illinois Law.  We now look forward to 2008 with high hopes and expectations.

Cribbet Professor Lawrence Solum named Associate Dean for Faculty and Research

The first day of the new year will herald a new era:  Professor Lawrence Solum, the John E. Cribbet Professor of Law and Professor of Philosophy, has been named the inaugural Associate Dean for Faculty and Research at the University of Illinois College of Law. Professor Solum will oversee mentoring and faculty development, coordinate the lectures, symposia, and workshops held at the College, assist with the activities of the College's Scholarly Programs, and serve on the Promotion and Tenure and Appointments committees.

Professor Solum is an internationally recognized expert on Legal Theory, who works on general jurisprudence, Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Internet Governance, and a variety of other topics.  He is the author of Legal Theory Blog, and recently edited the first anthology on the relationship between virtue theory and the law, Virtue Jurisprudence, with Dr. Colin Farrelly. His current projects include Civil Procedure: Principles and Theory, under contract with Oxford University Press, Semantic Originalism, to be published in the Northwestern University Law Review, and Virtue Jurisprudence: An Aretaic Theory of Law. 

At the 2008 annual meeting of the Association of American Law Schools, he will participate in the Section on Constitutional Law's panel on the "New Originalism and Its Critics" and present a paper entitled "Zombies," for the panel on legal personhood organized by the Section on Jurisprudence.  His recent conference appearances include the annual conferences of the American Political Science Association, the Law and Society Association, and presentations at Harvard University, the Sorbonne, Stanford University, and the University of Pennsylvania.

His contributions to Moore's Federal Practice have been cited by the United States Supreme Court and by every Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals. A magna cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School, Professor Solum previously was a faculty member at the University of San Diego and Loyola Marymount University and has been a visiting professor at Georgetown, the University of Southern California, and Boston
University.

College teams up with ABF to create Center on Law and Globalization

In late October, the College's Board of Visitors and the American Bar Foundation Board of Directors jointly announced the creation of the Center on Law and Globalization, a collaborative project between the College of Law and the American Bar Foundation. The Center will provide an international forum for high level exchanges between global law-makers, scholarly analysts and journalists, exercise international leadership on empirical research on globalization and law, and serve as a conduit of high-quality research to worldwide leaders and opinion makers. The Center will host international research projects, international conferences based in Chicago on topics such as Law and Economic Development, Genocide, Global Norm-making, Basic Legal Freedoms, and AIDS, produce print and web-based publications and focus specifically on the globalization and law of human rights and security, markets, and health. The Center is directed by Professor Tom Ginsburg, University of Illinois College of Law; John Hagan, American Bar Foundation and Northwestern University; Terence Halliday, American Bar Foundation; and, Charlotte Ku, Assistant Dean for Graduate and International Programs, University of Illinois College of Law.

"Public School Finance & Reform" class welcomes prominent politicians and administrators

Adjunct Professor Rick Winkel, a former Illinois State Representative and Illinois State Senator, is teaching Law 792-J "Public School Finance & Reform" during the fall semester and has added a unique celebrity twist to the classroom setting. Joining Professor Winkel and his students last month were Illinois State Senators James T. Meeks (D), Michael W. Frerichs (D), and Dan Cronin (R), along with Illinois State Representative Chapin Rose (R) for a lively lunchtime political debate on school finance reform.

Last week, Professor Winkel welcomed former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar and longtime University of Illinois President Stanley Ikenberry to the law school to present their perspectives on the current status and future prognosis for public school finance in Illinois. Jim Edgar was the popular 38th governor of Illinois (1990-1998), focusing on fiscal discipline and children as the cornerstones of his two terms, prompting a Chicago Tribune columnist to note that his popularity in Illinois was "second only to Michael Jordan's." Dr. Stanley Ikenberry served 16 years as president of the University of Illinois, one of the longest serving presidents in the school's history. Shortly after arriving in 1979, he led the consolidation of the University's Medical Center and Chicago Circle campuses to form the current University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Ikenberry led several major academic initiatives, including the creation of the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology and the National Center for Supercomputing Applications. He led the University's first major capital campaign and launched a second campaign in the late 1980's to raise more than $1 billion. Dr. Ikenberry left the University presidency in 1995 and assumed the presidency of the American Council on Education the following year.

Fall Trial Team Gains Experience; Labor Law Team finishes Third in ABA Chicago Competition

The University of Illinois College of Law Trial Team participated in three national competitions during the fall semester – the Michigan State University Criminal Law competition, the Buffalo-Niagara competition and the ABA Labor Law competition. For the first time in the eight-year history of Trial Team at Illinois, all trial team members were able to participate in a fall trial competition. Kevin King, Justin Delfino, Chris Sokn and Tom Hayden comprised the MSU competition and presented both prosecution and defense in a homicide case in East Lansing on October 25-27. Mike Halpin, Josh Scheidner, Ana Petrovic and Katrina Hochstetler were the members of the Buffalo-Niagara competition team which also presented both sides of a homicide case in Buffalo on November 9-11. Illinois gained a victory over South Texas Law School and lost to law school teams from Syracuse and Thomas Jefferson. Carolyn Miller, Anna Benjamin, Rob Bressler, and Lindsay Middaugh and Sara Mayo, Elizabeth Johnson, Noah Eisner, and Omar Jafri were members of the two teams that represented the College of Law in the ABA Labor Law regional competition in Chicago on November 3-4, trying plaintiff and defendant's cases in a civil employment discrimination suit. The Miller-Benjamin-Bressler –Middaugh team advanced to the semi-final round in Chicago with trial wins over Marquette and Northwestern and advanced as the number one seed.  Overall the Illinois Labor Law team finished third in the Chicago regional.

The trial team will participate in the National Trial Competition in Chicago on January 31 and February 1 and 2, 2008 and in a College of Law internal competition in late February. The University of Illinois College of Law Trial Team is a component of the Trial Advocacy Program under the supervision of Director of Trial Advocacy Steve Beckett.  The teams are also coached by Adjunct Professor Scott Kording, Eric Schacht and graduate assistant Jonathan Ksiazek.

The College Honors Three Distinguished Alumnus Award Winners in Chicago

The College honored three prominent alumni at the November Chicago Alumni Reception and Luncheon-- Robert Benziger '67, James Matanky '85, and Jeanette Sublett '82. Since 1966, the College has presented the Distinguished Alumnus Award to College graduates who have brought great distinction to the College of Law by leading lives of professional achievement and community service. The keynote address was delivered by Professor Jay Kesan, the new Mildred Van Voorhis Jones Faculty Scholar, to a room full of alumni, friends, family members, and other special guests in Chicago's University Club.

Students, Faculty, and Staff Continue the Tradition of Holiday Giving

One of the annual constants among the College of Law community is its dedication to public service and philanthropy. This year, as in past years, the holiday season has motivated tremendous generosity by faculty, staff, and students.

Once again, led by Roger "Dee" Shonkwiler, the College's Senior Library Specialist for Acquisitions, the College's faculty and staff are in the "stretch drive" for this year's Campus Charitable Fund Drive. At this point, the College has already raised $37,276, smashing last year's record total of $34,843 en route to nearing this year's ambitious goal of $38,103. My thanks to my colleagues for their generosity and to Dee for spearheading this fund drive that fuels the campus-wide financial assistance to many local charities. We'll have a final dollar total in my February newsletter.

In the midst of their studies and preparing for final exams, our Illinois students have also continued to channel their creative and versatile energies both locally and nationwide for people in need. Here are just a few examples of their diligent work:

Student Hurricane Network: Last January, 17 law students traveled to New Orleans to assist residents affected by Hurricane Katrina, tearing down houses, helping undocumented Central American workers get paid by contractors, and assisting the legal aid office. Later this month, 38 Illinois law students will head back to New Orleans to volunteer their brains and muscle to assist Katrina victims as part of the Student Hurricane Network.

Eastern Illinois Food Bank Canned Food Drive: First-year law students collected canned food items and cash donations for the annual College of Law annual Canned Food Drive for the Eastern Illinois Food Bank. The 1L students competed against each other with Section B raising $924.60 in cash donations, followed by Section C ($460.00) and Section A ($159.00) for a total cash donation of $1543.60. With this donation of cash and canned goods, the Eastern Illinois Food Bank will be able to provide more than $15,000 worth of food to needy families throughout Champaign-Urbana and East Central Illinois. Several other student groups, led by the Muslim Law Students Association, Student Hurricane Network and Law School Democrats raised $1,295 that will translate into the Eastern Illinois Food Bank purchasing an additional $13,000 worth of food for local families!  

Angel Tree Project: For many years, the Christian Law Student Association has coordinated the Angel Tree project, collecting holiday presents and donations to purchase holiday gifts for children of incarcerated parents. This year, the Angel Tree project has an ambitious goal of providing holiday cheer to 100 local children. During the next two weeks, the brightly-decorated Angel Tree brimming with packages will be located in the Office of Student Services. Scores of these donated presents will then be hand-delivered to brighten the holidays for 50 families and 100 local children.  

Women's Law Society assists local shelter: The Women's Law Society hosted a variety of activities to help the residents at a local women's shelter, "A Woman's Place," including the fifth annual Ambulance Chase 5K Run/Walk, a Children's Benefit Drive collecting diapers, wipes, baby soap, educational toys, cards, board games, and children's clothing, and a resume and job assistance fair.

Juvenile Detention Center Service Day: Several student groups, led by the National Lawyers Guild, Black Law Students Association, Prisoners' Rights, American Civil Liberties Union, and the American Constitution Society teamed up to sponsor an all-law school "Service Day" at the Juvenile Detention Center in Urbana. Law student volunteers worked directly with the children and on a variety of maintenance projects, including cleaning and painting.

It's Time to Make Your Annual Gift to the College!

Over the past several years, you have read about the decrease in State support to the University of Illinois.  Nowhere does the decrease in support hit home as much as in professional schools like the College of Law.  This year only 2% of our operating budget is being supported with State of Illinois money.  With the rising costs of student tuition and faculty salaries, we are more dependent than ever before on the generosity of our alumni and friends. 

During this time of year we give thanks to those who have generously supported our mission and vision and we ask each of you to think of how you can support legal education.  The College needs and relies upon the annual support of all those who owe a piece of themselves to its legacy. If you have not already made a contribution to the College this year, please help us to advance the agenda of excellence that we have set for ourselves by giving a gift online at http://www.law.uiuc.edu/content/give/ or by contacting our development office at 217-333-2628. Thank you in advance for supporting the College.

In closing – HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

 Sincerely,

Charles J. Tabb

January 10, Embassy Suites Chicago, Downtown-Lakefront, 511 N. Columbus Dr., Chicago: Winter Chicago Off-Campus Interview Program. College of Law Students will have the opportunity to interview for summer associate and permanent positions with Chicago area employers.  Employers interested in participating in the Winter Chicago OCI Program should complete the registration form at http://www.law.uiuc.edu/content/careers/register_oci.asp before December 7. For more information contact Sunda Wells at 217-265-5345 or sunda@law.uiuc.edu.

January 17, 12:00-1:00 p.m., Room C: Lunch with Alumni from Milwaukee.  You are invited to have lunch with visiting alumni for an informal discussion about the Milwaukee legal market and lifestyle.  Lunch will be provided to the first 60 students.  For more information contact Sunda Wells at 217-265-5345 or sunda@law.uiuc.edu.  

January 17, 4:00-6:00 p.m., Pedersen Pavilion: Peer's Pub: Great American Cities Program featuring Milwaukee.  Students have the opportunity to introduce themselves to visiting alumni  and enjoy delicious food and beverages from the Milwaukee area.  For more information contact Sunda Wells at 217-265-5345 or sunda@law.uiuc.edu.           

January 26, 8:00 am-6:00 pm, Max L. Rowe Auditorium: 2008 Alumni-Student Career Conference. For more information, please contact Sunda Wells in Career Planning and Professional Development at 217-265-5345 or sunda@law.uiuc.edu.