Professor Francine Lipman Featured on TaxProf Blog

Francine Lipman is a William S. Boyd Professor of Law at UNLV.

On Nov. 26, she was featured in the TaxProf Blog article Lipman & Smith: The Social Security Benefits Formula.

The article shares the abstract and link to a paper Professor Lipman co-authored, with Boyd alumnus Alan Smith '07, titled The Social Security Benefits Formula and the Windfall Elimination Provision: An Equitable Approach to Addressing 'Windfall' Benefits.

The abstract reads, "This article presents and examines the Windfall Elimination Provision highlighting inherent problems in its design, which include structural and administrative issues that disproportionately impact low-income workers. The article also describes and examines public misperception and resentment of the Windfall Elimination Provision, and deficiencies in the Social Security Administration’s communication efforts. The article also describes considerable legislative efforts since its enactment to modify, replace, or repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision, providing an explanation and analysis of each bill. Finally, the article presents an alternative approach to eliminating the ‘windfall’ benefits that accrue to noncovered workers."

Professor Lipman has written extensively on tax and accounting issues for legal journals, including the Wisconsin Law Review, Florida Tax Review, Virginia Tax Review, Nevada Law Journal, American University Law Review, Harvard Environmental Law Review, Harvard Latino Law Review, Harvard Journal on Legislation, The Tax Lawyer, The Practical Tax Lawyer, Taxes and Tax Notes.

“Streetball Hafla” to Air on Vegas PBS Dec. 10

Above is a clipping from the December issue of Vegas PBS Source
Program Magazine about the upcoming airing of "Streetball Hafla"

"Streetball Hafla," a film exploring how basketball can foster harmonious relationships between Jews and Arabs in Israel, will be shown on Vegas PBS on Tuesday, Dec. 10.

The film documents a 2009 basketball tournament in Northern Israel, sponsored and organized by the William S. Boyd School of Law’s Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). Practicing coexistence and tolerance, 160 Jewish and Arab teens shared rooms, played on the same teams, and went through the ADL’s anti-bias training program during the tournament weekend.

“Streetball Hafla” will be shown on Vegas PBS Channel 10 and 10.1 at 9 and 10:30 p.m.

Professor Ruben Garcia's Book Reviewed in Law & Society Review

Ruben J. Garcia is a Professor of Law at the William S. Boyd School of Law.

On Oct. 21, his book Marginal Workers: How Legal Fault Lines Divide Workers and Leave Them without Protection was reviewed in the Law & Society Review.

"Marginal Workers is an essential call for the American labor movement to embrace varied solidarity strategies and to broaden the narrative in favor of workers' rights. This work of engaged scholarship should be disseminated widely and read carefully by workers, activists, lawyers, and scholars in all corners of the country," the review says.

A recognized expert in the field of labor and employment law, Professor Garcia teaches Labor Law, Employment Law, Constitutional Law, and Professional Responsibility at the Boyd School of Law. He has been quoted in the Los Angeles Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Las Vegas Review-Journal, among others, and has appeared on national and local radio and television programs.

Dean, Several Faculty Members, and Alumna Featured in UNLV Magazine

Several members of the Boyd community are featured in the Fall 2013 issue of UNLV Magazine.

Dean Dan Hamilton is featured in a piece titled The New Deans. In it he says, "We want to be for gaming law what NYU is for tax law - the place to go for people who need to be trained and kept current in gaming law. We have, in Vegas and in the state, a great advantage to be the leader. It's a natural fit for us, and we're going to pursue that."

Professor Bret Birdsong is spotlighted in Federal Appointment. The piece reads, "Law professor Bret Birdsong has been appointed by the Obama administration to serve as deputy solicitor for land resources at the U.S. Department of Interior in Washington, D.C." It continues, "He will be one of six deputy solicitors reporting to Solicitor Hilary Tompkins, the Interior Department's top lawyer."

Professors Ruben Garcia, Francine Lipman, and Addie Rolnick are featured in Queue Up These Flicks, a piece where each of them explain the importance of the movies shown at the 2013 Public Interest Law Film Festival that took place in September.

Professor Lipman is also featured in Don't Miss It, which highlights upcoming University events, including her University Forum Lecture titled "Everything You Need to Know About the Social Security Benefits Formula, But Don't Even Know to Ask." Professor Lipman's lecture will take place on Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m. inside the Barrick Museum Auditorium.

Finally, alumna Heather Procter is highlighted in How To..., an article that asks all winners of this year's UNLV Alumni of the Year Awards for insight in their areas of expertise. In her profile, Procter is asked how she finds the details that matter in an argument. She responds, "In my work, it's about finding the legal standard in situations, and staying focused on that, and not allowing yourself to get distracted by superfluous issues."

Nov. 21 Boyd Briefs Now Available

The Nov. 21 edition of Boyd Briefs is now available.

This week's edition features Professor Elizabeth MacDowell, student Casey Stiteler, and alumnus Terry Johnson '11.

Professor MacDowell serves as the director of the Family Justice Clinic at the Boyd School of Law. She continues to publish award-winning reasearch that focuses on issues including matters of race, class, gender, domestic violence, access to justice, and the impact of criminalization on low-income families.

After overcoming a brain tumor, Stiteler's resilience compelled him to create Casey's Project Ltd., which works with local companies to provide toys and entertainment equipment to pediatric wards in Reno and Carson City. In addition to performing strongly academically, he currently works as an Academic Success Program student mentor.

In 2012, Johnson became the first Boyd graduate to serve on the three-person Nevada Gaming Control Board, which licenses and regulates the gaming industry. He also accepts pro bono cases from the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada and Nevada Legal Services. The latter recently honored Johnson with its Pro Bono Attorney of the Year award.

To subscribe to Boyd Briefs, visit http://law.unlv.edu/BoydBriefs.

West Coast Rhetoric Scholarship Workshop, November 14-15

UNLV hosted the first West Coast Rhetoric Scholarship Workshop this month, bringing together professors from a dozen law schools to exchange drafts and comments on scholarly “works in progress.” As the spark for what we hope will become many related projects and events, the workshop was designed to bring together scholars in the region to explore collaborations and conversations about law and rhetoric scholarship, broadly defined.

The November 14-15, 2013, scholarship workshop offered an opportunity to exchange both drafts and ideas with colleagues from around the region in an informal setting. The collaborative atmosphere and constructive sessions offered concrete guidance with drafts and, even more important, the chance to begin and continue discussions with colleagues from other schools.

Professors exchanging drafts and comments came from Stanford, the University of Washington, the University of Wyoming, the University of Colorado, Arizona State University, Lewis & Clark, Southwestern, McGeorge, American, Mercer, and UNLV.

Terry Phelps, Director of Legal Rhetoric and Professor of Law at American University Washington College of Law, was the opening speaker and the recipient of the kairos award, a “once in a lifetime” award recognizing her groundbreaking work as well as her personal role in encouraging and supporting law and rhetoric scholarship.

The first annual Penny Pether Award for Law and Language Scholarship was presented at the closing reception. Prof. Pether, who died earlier this year, was a passionate advocate of interdisciplinary scholarship in law, literature, and language. She was a Professor of Law at Villanova University School of Law and formerly served as Professor of Law and Director of Legal Rhetoric at the American University Washington College of Law.

Michael Burger of Roger Williams University School of Law received the first annual Penny Pether Award for Law and Language Scholarship for his article Environmental Law/Environmental Literature, 40 Ecology L.Q. 1 (2013). In partial recognition of the strength and tremendous diversity of the works nominated, the selection committee recognized for honorable mention Kevin Curran for his article, Hospitable Justice: Law and Selfhood in Shakespeare’s Sonnets, 9 Law, Culture, & Humanities 295 (2013), and Ruthann Robson for her essay, 27 Words, 13 Memoir 85 (2013).

Report Published by Boyd School of Law's Immigration Clinic Receives Media Coverage

The William S. Boyd School of Law's Immigration Clinic on Tuesday published a report on the conditions of immigration detainees at the Henderson Detention Center. The report is titled "The Conditions of Immigration Detention in Nevada."

The report, its release, and the demonstration that followed at the Henderson Detention Center have been covered by several media outlets. Links to the coverage are below:

8 News NOW
GlobalPost
ImmigrationProf Blog
KNPR State of Nevada
Las Vegas Sun
Las Vegas Sun follow-up
News 3
The Henderson Press

Fatma Marouf, Co-Director of the Immigration Clinic and Associate Professor of Law, has been quoted in much of the coverage.

"In some cases, people didn't understand what they were signing. They were pressured to sign or rushed through signing forms. So, that type of either verbal or physical coercion in signing, to me, was one of the worst offenses," she said in the 8 News Now article.

The Immigration Clinic is part of the Thomas & Mack Legal Clinic at the William S. Boyd School of Law.

Founding Dean Richard Morgan Named Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser

The Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Las Vegas Chapter today named Richard J. Morgan, founding dean of the William S. Boyd School of Law, Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser. He was honored with the award on Nov. 19 at the AFP's annual Las Vegas Philanthropy Day Awards Luncheon.

The Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada (LACSN) nominated Dean Emeritus Morgan for the award following his work as Co-Chairman, along with William S. Boyd, of the center's five-year Capital Campaign, which raised $16 million. The funds were used for the construction of a new building and parking for the LACSN.

Beyond fundraising, Dean Emeritus Morgan has served on the LACSN board of directors for the past 16 years. He is also Of Counsel with Lionel Sawyer & Collins' Gaming and Regulatory Law Department, where his work focuses on government advocacy and consultation, consultation with higher education institutions, and alternative dispute resolution. Dean Emeritus Morgan additionally assists in the training of new attorneys, creation of continuing legal programs, and client and practice area development.

As dean of the Boyd School of Law from 1997 to 2007, he was active in the development of the community education project, which has served more than 50,000 people since its inception. Under the supervision of LACSN attorneys, the program connects students with people in need of legal advice.

In addition to his highly distinguished career at Boyd, Dean Emeritus Morgan has served as dean at the University of Wyoming and Arizona State University law schools. His experience in the private sector includes working as an attorney specializing in business associations, securities, corporate governance, and tax issues.

AFP is a professional association of individuals responsible for generating philanthropic support for a variety of non-profit, charitable organizations. The association has worked to advance philanthropy though advocacy, research and education for the past 40 years.

Professor Francine Lipman Featured on TaxProf Blog

Francine Lipman is a William S. Boyd Professor of Law at UNLV.

On Nov. 19, she was featured in the TaxProf Blog article SSRN Tax Professor Download Rankings.

Professor Lipman remains ranked at 16 on a list of all-time paper downloads for tax professors. According to the article, her papers have been downloaded 12,706 times.

Professor Lipman has written extensively on tax and accounting issues for legal journals, including the Wisconsin Law Review, Florida Tax Review, Virginia Tax Review, Nevada Law Journal, American University Law Review, Harvard Environmental Law Review, Harvard Latino Law Review, Harvard Journal on Legislation, The Tax Lawyer, The Practical Tax Lawyer, Taxes and Tax Notes.

Boyd Alumni Featured in November Issue of Nevada Lawyer

Several Boyd alumni were featured in the November issue of Nevada Lawyer, the State Bar of Nevada's monthly magazine, which was distributed Nov. 12.

Alumnus Christopher Stein '08 wrote an article titled Projecting Airpower From East Asia: A Nevada Lawyer's Experience in Japan and Korea. In it, he talks about his experience serving as Assistant Staff Judge Advocate for the 35th Fighter Wing at Misawa Air Base in Japan. In this role, he helped provide wills, trusts, medical directives, and financial powers of attorney to airmen deploying for war. He "also advised commanders on personnel issues, including conscientious objectors, immunization refusal, and religious accommodations."

The article State Bar of Nevada Honors its Members Who Have Served in the U.S. Armed Forces features alumni Ellen Harr '11 (U.S. Air Force), Kevin Hedden '02 (U.S. Army), and Brian Morris '08 (U.S. Army).

Alumnus John Zimmerman '05 wrote the Note From The Issue Editor, highlighting some of the major pieces in the November issue of the magazine.

Finally, alumnus Kendelee Works '05 wrote Young Lawyers: Building Business By Generating Clients, where she provides strategies for generating business.

Nov. 15 Boyd Briefs Now Available

The Nov. 15 edition of Boyd Briefs is now available.

This week's edition features Professor Sara Gordon, student Brian Vasek, and alumnus Terry Moore '01.

Professor Gordon teaches in the Boyd School of Law's highly regarded lawyering process curriculum and has recently joined the tenure track. Her interdisciplinary work draws upon her knowledge and interest in cognitive and social psychology.

After working at Hittle House, a residential treatment facility for juvenile sex offenders and sexually reactive children suffering from psychological trauma, Vasek began to envision a professional life advocating for the rights of adolescents. He currently serves as President of Boyd’s Child Advocacy Law Association.

Moore is currently a shareholder with the law firm of Marquis Aurbach and Coffing, where he primarily practices real estate law, landlord-tenant law, and escrow and title insurance law.  He is also a member of the Boyd School of Law’s Charter Class.

To subscribe to Boyd Briefs, visit http://law.unlv.edu/BoydBriefs.

Dean Dan Hamilton Featured on News 3's Jim Rogers' Nevada - Part 5

Dan Hamilton is the Dean and Richard J. Morgan Professor of Law at the William S. Boyd School of Law.

On Nov. 15, he was featured on News 3's Jim Rogers' Nevada program.

"There are 200 law schools in this country. There are by now 450 non-J.D. programs in those law schools. UNLV law school at this point doesn't have any, so there's room for growth. We see the most room for growth, at this point, in gaming law and trying to connect the law school to training and education in gaming law. We can be for gaming law what NYU is for tax law, namely the place where people come from around the city, and around the country, and around the world for certification and programs in gaming law. This is a natural for the law school in this city, which remains the center of gaming law expertise, probably, in the world," he said during the interview.

Dean Hamilton researches and writes primarily on American property ideology and the legal and constitutional issues raised by the Civil War. He has written numerous articles and reviews on American legal history.

To see the other segments of his interview with Jim Rogers, click on the links below:

Jim Rogers' Nevada - Part 4
Jim Rogers' Nevada - Part 3
Jim Rogers' Nevada - Part 2
Jim Rogers' Nevada - Part 1

Professor Leslie Griffin Writes Article for American Constitution Society Blog

Dr. Leslie C. Griffin is a William S. Boyd Professor of Law at UNLV.

On Nov. 7, her article, Conscience is So Overrated, was published on the American Constitution Society Blog. The piece is about Gilardi v. HHS. The Gilardi brothers own Freshway Foods and claim that that Affordable Care Act's contraceptive mandate that requires employee health care plans to contain preventive care coverage violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which prohibits the government from "substantially burden[ing] a person's exercise of religion."

"... the First Amendment has nothing to do with business owners who want to run their corporations according to the rules of their own consciences. The Gilardis can believe what they want and worship how they like. But the Constitution does not transform their consciences into the rule of law," she wrote in the piece.

Professor Griffin, who teaches constitutional law, is known for her interdisciplinary work in law and religion.

Sandra Douglass Morgan Honored at Olive Crest’s Ladies of Distinction Luncheon

Photo by Exceed Photography, courtesy of Olive Crest: From left,
Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto, Mayor Carolyn Goodman,
and Acting North Las Vegas City Attorney Sandra Douglass Morgan

William S. Boyd School of Law alumna Sandra Douglass Morgan ’03 was honored with the Thalia Dondero & Hannah Brown Award of Distinction at Olive Crest’s Ladies of Distinction luncheon fundraiser on Oct. 18. The event was held at Cili in the Bali Hai Golf Club.

Douglass Morgan joined fellow 2013 honorees Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto and Mayor Carolyn Goodman to be recognized as women who actively make a difference in the lives of others throughout the community. In addition to her successful legal career – Douglass Morgan currently serves as the Acting City Attorney of North Las Vegas – she has remained active in helping prevent child abuse with Olive Crest.

“It is such an honor to be given this award from Olive Crest, an organization that understands the importance of strong families and is dedicated to ensuring that every child has a safe home,” Douglass Morgan said. “My fellow honorees, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman and Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto, are well known for women and children, and it was a privilege to receive the Award of Distinction with both of them.”

All of the funds raised at the luncheon will be used to help southern Nevada’s most at-risk children and families

Dean Dan Hamilton Featured on News 3's Jim Rogers' Nevada - Part 4

Dan Hamilton is the Dean and Richard J. Morgan Professor of Law at the William S. Boyd School of Law.

On Nov. 14, he was featured on News 3's Jim Rogers' Nevada program.

"The success of a law school really rises and falls on its faculty. That is an area where the law school has, since it opened its doors 15 years ago, been very aggressive and smart about the people it's hired. We have one of the most distinguished faculties in the region and we have a nationally recognized faculty in areas like constitutional law, insurance law, health law, intellectual property law. We're very proud of them. They produce scholarship that is first-rate and that is cited by courts here and is cited by people around the country," he said during the interview.

Dean Hamilton researches and writes primarily on American property ideology and the legal and constitutional issues raised by the Civil War. He has written numerous articles and reviews on American legal history.

Dean Dan Hamilton Featured on News 3's Jim Rogers' Nevada - Part 3

Dan Hamilton is the Dean and Richard J. Morgan Professor of Law at the William S. Boyd School of Law.

On Nov. 13, he was featured on News 3's Jim Rogers' Nevada program.

"With applications down, we need to attract the best J.D. students we can. Without competitive (scholarships), we just aren't in a position to do it. I'm very pleased to say that we have a robust scholarship program at our law school, but it's never robust enough," he said during the interview.

Dean Hamilton researches and writes primarily on American property ideology and the legal and constitutional issues raised by the Civil War. He has written numerous articles and reviews on American legal history.

Professor Christopher Blakesley Quoted in Las Vegas Review-Journal

Christopher Blakesley is The Cobeaga Law Firm Professor of Law at the William S. Boyd School of Law.

On Nov. 12, he was quoted in the Las Vegas Review-Journal article Downtown streetlights aren't watching you - yet.

"This is where technology has outstripped the brains of the Supreme Court," he said in the article about a new streetlight system in Las Vegas that's capable of recording video and audio. "I'd start having problems with parabolic mics and other devices. The laws were written and the amendments were written when you didn't have those devices."

Professor Blakesley is a Barrick Distinguished Scholar, 2009.

Professor Nancy Rapoport Provides Commentary on KNPR's State of Nevada

Nancy B. Rapoport is the Gordon Silver Professor of Law at the William S. Boyd School of Law.

On Nov. 13, she provided commentary on KNPR's State of Nevada segment When A Judge Shouldn't Hear A Case.

"By in large, religion alone is not a reason to recuse a judge; but the overall standard is whether the judge has a personal bias or prejudice concerning the party or the party's lawyer," she said during the interview. "On the one hand, you don't want to have to keep moving cases from judge to judge. On the other hand, you want to make sure the judge is going to be fair and impartial."

Professor Rapoport's specialties are bankruptcy ethics, ethics in governance, and the depiction of lawyers in popular culture.

Professor Nancy Rapoport Quoted in Reuters

Nancy B. Rapoport is the Gordon Silver Professor of Law at the William S. Boyd School of Law.

On Nov. 12, she was quoted in the Reuters article Detroit wants to keep banker's fee secret.

"The general presumption about fees is telling the public what they are is part of the quid pro quo of having the estate pay them," she said.

Professor Rapoport's specialties are bankruptcy ethics, ethics in governance, and the depiction of lawyers in popular culture.

Dean Dan Hamilton Featured on News 3's Jim Rogers' Nevada - Part 2

Dan Hamilton is the Dean and Richard J. Morgan Professor of Law at the William S. Boyd School of Law.

On Nov. 12, he was featured on News 3's Jim Rogers' Nevada program.

"(Boyd is) a public law school, and it's the only law school in the state. So we really have an obligation and a mission to serve the most vulnerable amongst us who need legal help and legal advice. The partners in the city and the state are ready to join with us, and the outpouring from the practicing Bar is fantastic," he said during the interview.

Dean Hamilton researches and writes primarily on American property ideology and the legal and constitutional issues raised by the Civil War. He has written numerous articles and reviews on American legal history.

Dean Dan Hamilton Featured in Las Vegas Review-Journal

Dan Hamilton is the Dean and Richard J. Morgan Professor of Law at the William S. Boyd School of Law.

On Nov. 9, he was featured in the Las Vegas Review-Journal profile Nevadan at Work: Lawyer made decision to teach.

"Boyd is a great success story that is known in legal academia. What Dick Morgan, John White and Nancy Rapoport helped build here is one of the top public law schools in the country in a span of 15 years. That is very impressive. What (they) did was recruit a great faculty and that is what has just propelled the school. When you have that great faculty you can draw great students, you have great alumni and it builds on itself," he said in the story.

Dean Hamilton researches and writes primarily on American property ideology and the legal and constitutional issues raised by the Civil War. He has written numerous articles and reviews on American legal history.

Professor Christopher Blakesley Quoted by News 3

Christopher Blakesley is The Cobeaga Law Firm Professor of Law at the William S. Boyd School of Law.

On Nov. 8, he was quoted in the News 3 story STREET SPIES: Technically-advanced lights, for now, intended to just brighten streets.

"It's there to be done, either by a renegade employee or more nefariously, maybe the government itself," he said in regard to the capability of a new streetlight system being tested by the city of Las Vegas to record video and audio.

Professor Blakesley is a Barrick Distinguished Scholar, 2009.

Dean Dan Hamilton Featured on News 3's Jim Rogers' Nevada - Part 1

Dan Hamilton is the Dean and Richard J. Morgan Professor of Law at the William S. Boyd School of Law.

On Nov. 11, he was featured on News 3's Jim Rogers' Nevada program.

"We are the law school for the whole state. That puts us in a very special and privileged position. So we need to make sure that we reach out to the whole state, and we need to make sure that we continue that trajectory that Dick (Morgan), John (White) and Nancy (Rapoport) were able to put us on," he said during the interview.

Dean Hamilton researches and writes primarily on American property ideology and the legal and constitutional issues raised by the Civil War. He has written numerous articles and reviews on American legal history.

Nov. 8 Boyd Briefs Now Available

The Nov. 8 edition of Boyd Briefs is now available.

This week's edition features Professor Bret Birdsong, student Melissa Corral, and alumna Kristina Holmstrom '04.

Since joining the Boyd School of Law in 2000, Professor Birdsong has served as a role model for countless students. This year, Boyd was proud to announce that Professor Birdsong would take his expertise in areas of federal land and resources to Washington D.C. to work as the Deputy Solicitor for Land Resources for the U.S. Department of the Interior.  

As a part-time evening student at Boyd, Corral has faced many moments of frustration while juggling law school and a full-time job. Propelled by opportunities for personal and professional growth, she is on track to graduate next May with a number of accomplishments under her belt. Corral currently is active in SBA as a 4L part-time representative and represents clients in the law school’s Immigration Clinic.

After graduating from Boyd in 2004, Holmstrom moved to Phoenix to begin her legal career at Meyer Hendricks and Bivens, a boutique commercial litigation firm. She currently works as a litigation partner at Lewis Roca Rothgerber, where she focuses on all aspects of insurance litigation, including ERISA and coverage work.  

To subscribe to Boyd Briefs, visit http://law.unlv.edu/BoydBriefs.