Penn State Law

Wilmer Hale ADR advocate to discuss dispute resolution in AfricaA unique twist on international arbitration will be covered in a lecture to be given by Tom Snider a lawyer who represented the government of Ethiopia in binding arbitration proceedings meant to resolve differences arising from the war between Eritrea and Ethiopia. Snider will be on campus on November 14 for "The Role of International Arbitral Tribunals in Post-Conflict Dispute Resolution."

Supreme Court of Ukraine awards Professor Butler highest medalThe Supreme Court of Ukraine awarded Professor William E. Butler its highest medal “For Fidelity to Law” on October 26 at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv. The citation reads “for high professionalism, significant contributions to the development of the system of court organization and proceedings, ensuring the protection of the rights and freedoms of man and citizen, and in commemoration of the 90th anniversary of the legal journal Law of Ukraine.

Marcellus Shale boom sparks student's interest in oil and gas law fieldThird-year law student Zach Morahan has been awarded one of only ten scholarships granted nationwide by the Energy & Mineral Law Foundation (EMLF). "I was very excited to hear about winning an EMLF scholarship,” Morahan said. “Being selected as a recipient has helped to affirm my study of oil and gas law, and reinforced my interest in all aspects of the oil and gas sector." The scholarship amount is $3,000.

International Judicial Academy appoints Professor Rogers to board of directorsThe International Judicial Academy (IJA), a non-profit organization which provides education programs for judges, court administrators, ministry of justice officials, and other legal professionals from countries around the world, recently appointed Professor Catherine Rogers to its board of directors.

Festival of the Arts elects Colleen Toomey to BoardThe Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts elected Colleen Toomey, associate dean for policy, planning, and strategic relations for the Law School to its Board of Directors. In 2012, the Arts Festival was ranked by Sunshine Artist magazine as number two in its list of the one hundred best outdoor fine art and fine craft fairs in the United States. In addition to producing the summer festival, the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts also produces First Night State College, an alcohol-free, family-oriented New Year's festival.

Professor Houck Urges U.S. to Join Law of the Sea TreatyVice Admiral (Retired) James W. Houck, Distinguished Scholar in Residence at Penn State Law and School of International Affairs, appeared before the Board of Directors of the Navy League of the United States on Friday, October 19th, to urge U.S. accession to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Students work to ensure a better future for tomorrow’s people and planetDuring the past year in the International Sustainable Development Projects Law Clinic, Penn State Law students Michelle Polato and Geoff Trautman have been collaborating with student s in the College of Engineering’s multidisciplinary Humanitarian Engineering Social Entrepreneurship (HESE) program to address legal barriers to implementing humanitarian projects, like low-cost greenhouses and networked health kiosks.

Students experience international diplomacy through crisis negotiationThe faces of the faculty and students from the School of International Affairs (SIA), Penn State Law, and Presidential Leadership Academy reflected the seriousness of the situation. Col. Jim Muskopf of the U.S. Army War College was describing a conflict that has been stalemated for 91 years involving the region of Nagorno-Karabakh in the southwest corner of Azerbaijan. The participants would be charged with attempting to move toward a peaceful resolution in a volatile part of the world using the processes common in international conflict resolution.

Penn State Law grads get good news from PA BarThe Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners reported that Penn State Law graduates had a 95.83% pass rate for first-time test takers of the July 2012 Pennsylvania Bar Exam. The overall pass rate for first-time test takers in Pennsylvania was reported at 83.01%.

World on Trial program provides teachable moments and Act 48 creditsFor K-12 teachers who would like a creative approach to bringing a global issue to the classroom, Penn State’s Center for Global Studies offers a workshop based on the World on Trial on November 3, 2012.