Penn State Law

Cherie Booth Blair to put the "World on Trial" at Penn State LawThe state-of-the-art courtroom at Penn State Law will transform into the set of a new television and interactive series World on Trial, in which viewers around the world will render verdicts on provocative international human rights issues. On September 20 the eminent human rights barrister Cherie Booth Blair, wife of the former British Prime Minister, will preside over the first trial which will be on the French “headscarf law.”

Conference asks: should big-time college athletics be a tax-exempt enterprise?For many colleges and universities, athletics revenues surge as reliably as crowd noise on rivalry weekend, allowing profits from football and other big-time sports to support hundreds of student athletes. Taxation of collegiate athletics revenues will be the subject of a panel discussion at Penn State University, The Dickinson School of Law on Friday, September 18.

Former Guantanamo Bay adversaries visit ethics classWhen Guantanamo detainee Mohammed Jawad was appointed new defense counsel nearly six years after his arrest, it was a game-changer. Jawad had been arrested in Afghanistan for allegedly throwing a grenade into an SUV containing U.S. soldiers and an Afghan interpreter in December 2002. Lt. Col. David Frakt of the United States Air Force Reserves JAG Corps was appointed to Jawad’s case and sought to challenge the Military Commissions and the government’s case from the ground up. Guantanamo Bay prosecutor Lt. Col. Darrel Vandeveld of the U.S. Army JAG Corps met him every step of the way. Both attorneys addressed a legal ethics class at Penn State Law on Friday.

Students and alumni serve those who servePenn State Law students and alumni recently joined forces to provide estate planning documents to first responders and their spouses as part of the national Wills for Heroes project.

Christopher Walker '11 offers a student's perspective on generosityIn honor of his superior academic performance, Christopher A. Walker '11 was named the recipient of the Sidney D. Kline Sr. Scholarship Program, which was established by the shareholders of the law firm of Stevens and Lee in honor and memory of the late Sidney D. Kline Sr., class of 1926 and former trustee of The Dickinson School of Law.

Judge Bufford to lend expertise to American Bar Association and World BankThe Honorable Samuel L. Bufford, distinguished scholar in residence at Penn State Law, has accepted an invitation to join the academic advisory group to the prestigious ABA Standing Committee on Federal Judicial Improvements (SCFJI), the only ABA entity dedicated entirely to the substantive issues affecting the federal judiciary.

State College native Vice Admiral Houck "impressed" by Law SchoolNaval Judge Advocate General Vice Admiral James Houck won over students and faculty alike when he kicked off his recent presentation by saying that he has been to law schools all over the world and Penn State Law is among the best. “I’m impressed by the beautiful new facilities … and by the national and international character of the school,” he said.

Penn State-McGill summer law program gains CIArb recognitionPenn State Law has been granted "Recognised Course Provider" (RCP) status by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) for its Summer Program in Arbitration Law (2009-2012). Graduates of the program may be exempted from the CIArb introductory course and become associate members of the Institute.

Kevin R. Steele '92 re-elected to Alumni CouncilKevin R. Steele ’92 of Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, was elected to a second term on the Penn State University Alumni Council. The council is an all-volunteer governing body that guides and directs policy for the Penn State Alumni Association.

Lewis Katz Building wins accolades for designPenn State Law's Lewis Katz Building, designed by Ennead Architects of New York (formerly Polshek Partnership), has received honors from the Society of American Registered Architects New York Council (SARA NY), the Society of American Registered Architects Pennsylvania Council (SARA PA) and the highest, Platinum rating from the College Designer Collabetition Awards for design excellence.