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UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS | |
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Dean Ralph Brubaker |
May 2008 |
By now, many of you have received the e-mail from the Provost's office thanking my friend and colleague Charles Tabb for his extraordinary service to all of us as Interim Dean for the past year, as well as the subsequent announcement that I am stepping into the Interim Dean position for the College of Law. I am delighted to answer the Provost's call to serve the College of Law in this capacity during the ongoing search for our next dean. For those of you who don't know me, let me tell you a bit about myself. For the past two years, I have served as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the College of Law, after having recently come "back home" to Illinois. I proudly joined the faculty of my alma mater in 2004, after spending the previous 10 years on the faculty at Emory University School of Law in Atlanta, Georgia. At Emory, I taught courses in bankruptcy, bankruptcy procedure, corporate finance, business associations, and contracts, and I was the scholarly advisor to the Emory Bankruptcy Developments Journal. I am an East Central Illinois native, and I have all of my degrees from the University of Illinois. My bachelor's degree is in Agricultural Economics with Bronze Tablet distinction, and concurrent with my graduation in 1985, I received C.P.A. certification. I then pursued dual M.B.A./J.D. degrees at Illinois, graduating summa cum laude in 1989. As an Illinois law student, I was a member of the Order of the Coif, a Harno Fellow, recipient of Rickert Awards for Excellence in Academic Achievement and in Legal Writing, and I served as Articles Editor for the University of Illinois Law Review. After law school, I clerked for Judge James K. Logan of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. I then practiced in the bankruptcy and corporate reorganization group of Squire, Sanders & Dempsey in Cleveland, Ohio, working in large and medium-sized Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization proceedings, including "prepackaged," leveraged buy-out, and mass-tort bankruptcies. I began my teaching career at the College of Law in 1994 before joining the Emory faculty the following year. My scholarship explores the complex jurisdictional and procedural facets of federal bankruptcy proceedings, and I am the co-author of Bankruptcy Law: Principles, Policies, and Practice (with Charles J. Tabb). I am the editor-in-chief and a contributing author of the Bankruptcy Law Letter (ThomsonWest), and I serve on the Editorial Advisory Board for the American Bankruptcy Institute Law Review, on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors for the American Bankruptcy Institute, and as a member of the Advisory Board for the St. John's University School of Law, Bankruptcy LL.M. Program. I am extremely proud of my alma mater. The College of Law is a great law school that is only getting "greater," and is remarkably well positioned during this time of transition, with incredible faculty and staff dedicated to providing our extremely talented students with the very best legal education and to preparing them for gratifying and successful professional and personal lives. My faculty colleagues constitute an amazingly brilliant collection of remarkable scholar-teachers. The student body comes from the very top of a nationwide applicant pool, and the College possesses a remarkable staff in every office and department. Moreover, you, as alumni, continue in your critical record-setting financial support of the College through gifts to the annual fund and the campus-wide "Brilliant Futures" campaign, providing the vital resources that fuel our agenda of excellence, that add named faculty professorships and chairs, and that expand our student scholarship opportunities. As Dean John Cribbet once remarked in his story "It's Our Wagon," commenting on the role of our alumni in the College's enterprise, "The bottom line is that it's your wagon. It's your wagon just as much as it is ours…" Over the coming year, we will continue to build upon our remarkable recruiting successes, not only in faculty hiring, but also in recruiting the best and brightest students in America. During the past four years, Illinois students have ranked among the nation's Top 15 incoming classes based on median LSAT and GPA scores. Beyond the numbers, though, as a collective group, our students have brought a remarkable passion, capacity to learn, and intellectual curiosity that has energized and challenged the entire faculty. Paul Pless, our Assistant Dean for Admissions and Financial Aid, reports that applications were up by an astounding 32% this year! During this time of transition, we will remain intensely focused on that which truly matters to a great law school, and I will again quote Dean Cribbet. In his story, "About Legal Education," he accurately captures the core mission of the College of Law: "Because whatever else one can say about the profession of teaching law, the essence of it does lie in the classroom…We are educating the next generation of lawyers and it is fun to trade ideas with bright minds." Dean Bruce Smith receives Campus Award for Graduate and Professional Teaching Professor Bruce Smith, who was named Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the College of Law on April 16, was honored last week as one of two recipients of the prestigious campus-wide Award for Excellence in Graduate and Professional Teaching awarded by Provost Linda Katehi. Dean Smith is a legal historian whose scholarship focuses on Anglo-American criminal justice administration in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and he serves as Co-Director of the Illinois Legal History Program. In receiving his teaching award, Dean Smith joined a group of 16 professors, three academic professionals, and five teaching assistants who were honored at a reception at the Alice Campbell Alumni Center in Urbana. This is the ninth time a College of Law faculty member has received this coveted award in its 18-year existence. You can read the UI News Bureau story here… Thirty-four Rickert Awards presented to third-year law students The Rickert Award program was established in the fall of 1976 and was named in memory of Joseph W. Rickert, a distinguished lawyer who practiced law in southern Illinois for many years. His daughter, Marguerite L. Rickert, believed that a portion of the estate which her father had left her should be used to benefit future generations of lawyers. Upon Ms. Rickert's death in 1971, the College of Law became the recipient of, what was at that time, the largest single gift ever made to the College of Law. The first awards presentation in October, 1976 was made by Ms. Marguerite Proctor, cousin of Marguerite Rickert and executrix of her estate. Ms. Proctor returned every year to present the Rickert Awards until her death in Spring of 2007. The Rickert Awards Program is considered the most prestigious awards program conducted by the College of Law on behalf of its law students and since 1979 has been held as a formal dinner to convey the significance of the program. Two weeks ago, 34 Rickert Awards were presented to outstanding third-year law students. Presenting the Rickert Awards were Associate Dean Bruce Smith (Academic Achievement), Professor and Assistant Dean for Clinical Education Cynthea Geerdes (Advocacy), Professor Robert Lawless (Legal Writing), and Dean of Students and Assistant Dean for Academic and Student Administration Virginia Vermillion (Service). Excellence in Academic Achievement: Robert P. Beard II, Kristopher Davis, Jeffrey Freeman, Joshua Herman, Eamon Kelly, Ahmed Minhaj, Michael Mueller, Christopher O'Malley, Greg Rubio, Jr., Anthony Russomanno, Jeffrey Wakolbinger, Joshua Whitman Excellence in Advocacy: David Grycz, Christopher Harris, Joshua Herman, Katrina Hochstetler, Omar Jafri, Gray Mateo, Julie Owen, Joshua Schneider Excellence in Legal Writing: Jennifer Kolton, Benjamin Kurtz, Christopher O'Malley, Allison Ross, Michael Turner, Joshua Whitman Excellence in Service: Robert P. Beard II, Amber Evans, Scott Hockenberry, Benjamin Jones, Austin Kaplan, Carolyn Miller, Ana Petrovic, Katharine Pieper College celebrates Commencement Convocation this weekend! The College of Law will celebrate with our graduating students and their families at the annual Commencement Convocation ceremony on Saturday, May 10 from 12:30-2 p.m. in the Great Hall at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts (500 S. Goodwin Avenue in Urbana). Former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar, now a Distinguished Fellow at the University of Illinois Institute of Government and Public Affairs, will present the Convocation address as we confer 200 J.D. degrees, 43 LL.M. degrees, and 3 J.S.D. degrees, with a reception to follow in the Krannert Center Grand Lobby. Prior to serving as the 38th Governor of Illinois, Governor Edgar also served 10 years as Secretary of State and as a State Representative. "Debt" Conference brings in scholars from around the world On May 2-3, the College of Law teamed up with the American Bankruptcy Institute to host a highly successful and academically super-charged conference, "A Debtor World: Interdisciplinary Academic Symposium on Debt," held in the Max L. Rowe Auditorium. The conference featured papers presented by Dr. J. Craig Muldrew (History, University of Cambridge), Provost Teresa A. Sullivan (Sociology, University of Michigan), Professor George Ritzer (Sociology, University of Maryland), Professor Stephen Lea (Psychology, University of Exeter), Professor Brian Knutson (Psychology & Neuroscience, Stanford University), Professor Richard Wiener (Psychology, University of Nebraska), Professor Amir Sufi (Finance, University of Chicago), Professor Gerry McNamara (Management, Michigan State University), Professor Elizabeth Warren (Law, Harvard University), Dr. Terence Halliday (Sociology, American Bar Foundation), Professor Paul Vaaler (Management, Minnesota), and Professor Heidi M. Hurd (Law and Philosophy, University of Illinois). The keynote luncheon speaker was James D. Scurlock, writer, director, and producer of the acclaimed documentary film, MAXED OUT. The event attracted media attention from across the United States, including Professor Katie Porter's appearance on NBC's "Today Show." Special thanks are owed to our conference sponsors, Jenner & Block LLP, Kilpatrick & Associates, Shaw Gussis Fishman Glantz Wolfson & Towbin LLC, Winston & Strawn LLP, and the University of Illinois Employees Credit Union, for providing financial support for the weekend events. Trial Advocacy students partner with League of Women Voters to release Champaign County Courtwatching Project Report For the fourth consecutive year, Professor Steve Beckett's trial advocacy students enrolled in Law 695, Fundamentals of Trial Practice, teamed up with the League of Women Voters' standing corps of courtroom observers to produce the Champaign County Courtwatching Report. The Courtwatching Report details observations from Courtroom proceedings from Fall 2007, involving the monumental task of observing more than 1,300 hours of Champaign County courtroom proceedings, followed by aggregating and analyzing the data for statistical significance under the direction of Professor C.K. Gunsalus. During the last four years, the Courtwatching Report has revealed several significant trends in the Champaign County courts, specifically regarding the demographic, ethnic, and gender makeup of jury pools and the recommendations have provided concrete suggestions involving courtroom proceedings, jury selection, and courtroom functions that have resulted in several initiatives to examine possible explanations and the implementation of improvements to produce more representative juries. The release of the Courtwatching Report at a press conference in the Jury Selection Room at the Champaign County Courthouse garnered significant local and regional media attention You can access the Courtwatching Report on the main page of the College's website at www.law.uiuc.edu. Professor Davey retires but he'll still be teaching College of Law students Last week, current and former College of Law faculty and staff gathered to honor Professor William Davey, the Guy Raymond Jones Chair, as he announced his retirement and "elevation" to emeritus status. Professor Davey will still be an active scholar and teacher at the College but, as he stated in his remarks, he has now successfully rid himself of further committee assignments and meetings. Professor Davey was honored at an afternoon reception with remarks from colleagues John Colombo and Peter Maggs and at a private dinner that night including many friends, colleagues, and former colleagues. An international trade law authority and the former legal counsel to the World Trade Organization, Bill has taught at Illinois since 1984, and we're delighted that he will continue to share his wisdom with our students in the classroom. College launches Global Law Scholars Initiative In cooperation with four partner law firms and one corporation, the College launched the Illinois Global Law Scholars Initiative earlier this spring. Working with the College's Board of Visitors and adjunct faculty, partner entities were lined up on a pilot basis to provide summer internship opportunities for selected LL.M. students. The four firms and one corporation were: Adamski & Conti, Chicago, Seyfarth Shaw, Chicago, Webber & Thies, Urbana, Fox Development Corporation, Champaign, and Meyer Capel, Champaign. Two members of the 2008 LL.M class have been selected to be the first Illinois Global Law Scholars, Mwambo Efokoa, who earned his undergraduate law degree at the University of Buea in the Cameroon, will spend a portion of the summer at Adamski & Conti and Yawen Li, who earned her undergraduate law degree at Fudan University in China, will spend a portion of her summer at Webber & Thies. If your firm is interested in participating in this unique program, please contact Christine Renshaw at renshaw@law.uiuc.edu in the Office of Graduate and International Legal Studies. College teams up with China Executive Leadership Institute to host Chinese Law Deans Organized by the University of Illinois's China Executive Leadership Institute, the College of Law played a leading role in developing a program on the management and administration of legal education in the United States. Sponsored by the Chinese Ministry of Justice, eighteen senior faculty and staff members from law schools around China took part in a ten-day program of lectures and presentations given by College of Law faculty and senior staff from April 21-May 2. Presenters included Interim Dean Ralph Brubaker, College of Law governance and curriculum development; Professor John Colombo, Overview of the U.S. legal system and the evolution of U.S. legal education.; Associate Dean Lawrence Solum, Faculty recruitment, appointments, promotion, and development; Professor Janis Johnston, The law school library: collection development, hard copy vs. digital, supporting students needs and faculty research.; Executive Assistant Dean John Rossi, Facilities management; Assistant Dean Maxine Sandretto, Budget and finance; Professor Peter Maggs, Comparative legal education programs; Assistant Dean David Johnson, Communications, marketing, and public outreach; Assistant Dean and Dean of Students, Virginia Vermillion, Academic policies, course credits, and student services; Assistant Dean Tony Waller, Career planning and professional development; and, Interim Assistant Dean Carolyn Turner and Assistant Director for Alumni Relations Meredith Olson, Alumni relations, financial development, and networking. Each presentation was followed by an active question and discussion period. The level of engagement suggested that even if law schools in China and in the U.S. are working in very different environments, many of the issues of student and faculty recruitment, professional licensing and qualification, and infrastructure and finance are shared areas of interest. Illinois students…stay at Illinois! The College of Law has always been an open, engaging community, featuring a vibrant, competitive, yet friendly student body and a faculty that truly opens its collective doors to teaching and mentoring of students. Our collegial atmosphere is one reason that many prospective faculty and students choose Illinois. That collegial atmosphere is reflected in a recent ranking by LawSchoolNumbers.com, ranking all law schools by the attrition rates of first-year students. Illinois ranks 17th among all law schools with an attrition rate average of just 0.5% among first-year law students. Professor Morriss teaches International Business in the Cayman Islands During Spring Break, 30 College of Law students headed to the Cayman Islands…to go back to school! The College of Law offered a unique short course, "International Business Organizations: The Cayman Islands," March 16-23 in the Cayman Islands. Created by Professor Andrew Morriss, the H. Ross and Helen Workman Professor of Law, the course taught law students about the world of international business, why and how the legal and business climate operates in the Cayman Islands. The students visited some of the world's leading financial institutions, government offices, law and business offices, in addition to classroom lectures and coursework with law professors, business and legal practitioners, including Vaughan Carter (Cayman Islands Law School), Simon Cooper (Cayman Islands Law School), Gail Melanie Johnson-Goring (Cayman Islands' Attorney General's Office), Anthony Travers (International attorney), John Lewis (Managing Director, Butterfield Fund Services (Cayman) Limited), Jude Scott (Audit Partner, AABS Practice, Cayman Islands), Valia Theodoraki (CEO, Cayman Islands Stock Exchange), Richard Rahn (Board of Directors, Cayman Islands Monetary Authority and former economic advisor to President George H.W. Bush), Dan MacLean (Managing Director, Aon Insurance Managers (Cayman) Ltd.), Judge Margaret Ramsay-Hale (Chief Magistrate Judge, Cayman Islands), Anthony Akiwumi (International attorney), Timothy Ridley (Chairman, Cayman Islands Monetary Authority), Deborah Drummond (Deputy Financial Secretary (financial services), Cayman Islands Portfolio of Finance & Economics), and Gwyneth Rees (Walkers, Cayman Islands). The students also visited the offices of Caledonian Group, one of the leading providers of specialist services to the alternative investment and captive insurance industries. Congratulations to the College of Law Class of 2008 and have a great summer! Sincerely,
Ralph Brubaker Calendar of College of Law Events May 2008
May 10, 12:30-2:00 pm, Great Hall, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts: Class of 2008 College of Law Convocation, Speaker: Former Illinois Governor James Edgar, Distinguished Fellow, University of Illinois Institute of Government and Public Affairs. May 11, 10:30 am, Assembly Hall: University of Illinois Commencement, Speaker: Mannie Jackson, University of Illinois alumnus and owner of the Harlem Globetrotters.
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