Penn State Law

Meet Erika VelaWith a resume of a person twice her age, second-year law student Erika Vela ’13 explored many options before pursuing a law degree.

Law School Thon team makes final appealErin Bloxham ’12 and Bobby Marion ’12, the Penn State Law THON Chairs this year, say there is still time to make a contribution to help the law school hit its goal of $1,500. Thon is the largest student-run philanthropy in the world and has raised more than $78 million, benefiting The Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital, since its inception in 1973.

Legal Analysis of Provocative Reform of Intercollegiate AthleticsResponding to increased concerns about the fiscal sustainability of big-time intercollegiate athletics, continued exploitation of athletics, and efforts to blame Title IX for pressures on men’s sports, Professor Ross offers a provocative Reform Charter that would (1) limit Men’s Division I-A scholarship programs to those that are financially sustainable; (2) limit Women’s Division I-A programs to an equal number of scholarship opportunities; (3) require all other sports to operate on a non-scholarship, limited budget basis; and (4) reduce aid to football to 55 equivalent positions; and (5) allow schools to pay elite athletes up to $15,000 per year, with such aid counting as 1 1/2 scholarships toward the total for any sport. <br /> <br /> View a <a href="http://mediasite.dsl.psu.edu/Mediasite/Viewer/?peid=23c3bc4413a0496c84055df081c01555">video</a> of a talk with questions and answers at a recent Penn State program and the accompanying <a href="http://law.psu.edu/_file/Sports%20Law%20Policy%20and%20Research%20Institute/Radical_Reform_of_Intercollegiate_Athletics.ppt">powerpoint</a>. <br /> <br /> Read Ross’ draft article, for a symposium sponsored by the Tulane Law Review, <a href="http://law.psu.edu/_file/Ross/Radical_Reform.pdf">here</a>.

PETA legal chief to speak at Penn State LawJeff Kerr, general counsel for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) will visit Penn State Law on March 14. He will share the latest on the legal and policy issues surrounding the growing area of animal rights.

Alumnus Richard J. Santorum wins three GOP contestsFormer U.S. Senator Rick Santorum, who holds a political science degree from Penn State and graduated from the Law School in 1986, added wins in Republican contests in three states last night to his Iowa win in January.

Penn State Law Review to publish Deal Lawyers' Guide to Public and Private Company Acquisitions

The Hon. Thomas I. Vanaskie ’78 to deliver Law School’s commencement addressThe Honorable Thomas I. Vanaskie, a 1978 graduate of The Dickinson School of Law, will be the featured speaker at this spring’s commencement ceremonies for the Penn State University Dickinson School of Law. Vanaskie is a member of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, having been nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the United States Senate on April 21, 2010.

Provocative International Human Rights Program “World on Trial” to air on public televisionThe new television and interactive series, The World on Trial, will premiere on public television stations beginning January 31. it will air will air on WPSU on PBS World Tuesday, Jan. 31 @ 6pm and 9pm and WPSU HD Thursday, Feb. 2 @ 9pm.

Penn State Law to launch new Rural Economic Development ClinicRural America is vastly different than it was fifty years ago. Prosperity for many rural communities depends on innovative income-generating strategies, like extracting alternative energy sources. Today, agricultural producers need to be sophisticated business professionals. This fall, Penn State Law will launch its new Rural Economic Development Clinic to support this important sector of our economy, giving law students hands-on learning experience in a wide variety of legal issues specifically faced by agricultural businesses and rural communities.

Sustainable farmers to get pro bono legal advice from Penn State Law studentsFarmers who attend the 21st annual conference of the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) will have the chance to get their top legal questions answered. Members of the Penn State Law Rural Economic Development Clinic will be available during the "Farming for the Future" conference being held at the Penn Stater Conference Center from February 1-4 to address issues ranging from farmland leases to CSA (community-supported agriculture) membership agreements.