Penn State Law

Penn State undergrads get a taste of law schoolFrom sun up to sun down, thirty-five Penn State undergrads experienced the intensity of what it’s like to be a law student. For one student who has dreamed of becoming a lawyer since the age of seven, the Explore Law program sponsored by Penn State Law was a reality check.

Environmental Law Professor Jamison Colburn on the BP Gulf oil spillProfessor Jamison Colburn worked as an enforcement litigator for the EPA prior to joining Penn State Law. Focusing his scholarship and teaching on environmental law and policy, he writes extensively about the protection of wildlife habitat and endangered species. He recently shared his thoughts on the BP Gulf oil spill.

Dean McConnaughay joins law school deans in demanding law professor's freedomThe arrest and treatment of U.S. defense lawyer Peter Erlinder, a faculty member at William Mitchell College of Law, has prompted widespread international condemnation, including from American law school deans and a statement from the American Bar Association. In a letter dated June 7 to Rwandan Ambassador Kimonyo, Penn State Law Dean Philip J. McConnaughay joined 89 other U.S. law school deans urging the release of Erlinder.

Judge Jennifer Harlacher Sibum to be honored at NE Alumni DinnerThe Northeast Pennsylvania Alumni Chapter of The Dickinson School of Law recognized the Honorable Jennifer Harlacher Sibum during its annual dinner at the Woodlands Inn and Resort in Wilkes-Barre on May 26.

Penn State Law celebrates 2010 CommencementPenn State University, The Dickinson School of Law celebrated its commencement on May 15 in Carlisle. The Law School recognized 183 J.D. graduates and awarded thirteen LL.M. degrees during the outdoor ceremony.

Stephanie Nolan Deviney ’97 elected to PSU Board of TrusteesStephanie Nolan Deviney ’97, attorney at the law firm of Fox Rothschild LLP in Exton, Pennsylvania, has been elected to the Penn State University Board of Trustees for a three-year term beginning July 1, 2010.

Civil Rights Appellate Clinic students thrilled with logic in Lewis v. City of ChicagoWhen Penn State Law students read the recent decision on Lewis v. City of Chicago, it all sounded familiar. The Court’s decision followed the logic laid out in an amicus brief filed on behalf of national civil rights groups. The Civil Rights Appellate Clinic worked with a team of counsel in drafting this brief which was filed in the United States Supreme Court and in helped prepare counsel for the oral argument in the case.

Law School launches $35 million campaign to benefit studentsPenn State University, The Dickinson School of Law has announced a $35 million fundraising goal as part of the University’s capital campaign, For the Future: A Campaign for Penn State Students. In the largest fundraising effort in its 175-year existence, the Law School has secured nearly $25 million as it enters the public phase of the campaign, set to conclude in 2014.

U.S. News & World Report features article on “how to get in” to Penn State LawFind out how to set your application apart from thousands of others by reading “How to Get In: Penn State Law” published by U.S. News & World Report.

Professor Dannin on highway privatization contracts: read the fine printProfessor Ellen Dannin, who focuses part of her scholarship on public-private partnerships, recently laid out in the Patriot-News why states should not privatize highways.