June Issue of Boyd Briefs Released

The Boyd School of Law is very pleased to announce the release of Volume II, Issue 6, of Boyd Briefs.

Issued on a monthly basis, Boyd Briefs provides information about the scholarly and other activities of Boyd faculty members during the previous month. Illustrative entries announce new faculty publications, the drafting of briefs and uniform legislation, submission to administrative agencies of comments on proposed regulations, Clinic victories, the organization and hosting of academic conferences, appointments and elections of Boyd faculty members to local, national, and international boards, offices, and societies, and other honors and awards.

Among other activities, the June 2013 issue of Boyd Briefs highlights dozens of faculty talks and media references, important legislative testimony, and a conference organized and hosted by a Boyd faculty member.

The Boyd Briefs archives may be accessed here.

Law Library and Office of Diversity Initiatives Awarded NEH Grant

By Jeanne Price

The Wiener-Rogers Law Library and UNLV’s Office of Diversity Initiatives have been awarded a grant by the National Endowment for the Humanities to host a series of film showings and discussions focusing on the civil rights movement in the United States. Created Equal: America’s Civil Rights Struggle marks the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. The NEH grant provides funds to communities across the country to support film showings and programming on the history of civil rights in the United States.

The Law Library and Office of Diversity Initiatives will incorporate the film series in existing programs and develop new programming to highlight the issues described in the four featured films – The Abolitionists; Slavery by Another Name; The Loving Story; and Freedom Riders. Over a three year period beginning in September 2013, UNLV scholars and community leaders will participate in forums – including the Diversity Leadership Forum and Latino Youth Leadership Conference – in which the films will play an important role.

The film series complements the Law Library’s collection of documentary films, one of the largest collections of its kind among academic law libraries. We hope that the initiatives and programming that the grant supports will not only inform and encourage dialogue, but also inspire students and other scholars to undertake research in primary source material in the Law Library’s collection, research that might enhance our understanding of the minority experience in Southern Nevada. The Law Library’s collections include the archives of the Las Vegas Chapter of the National Bar Association, the oldest minority bar association of African-American attorneys.

Dean Rapoport Commended by Director of United States Trustee Program

The Boyd School of Law is very pleased to announce that Interim Dean and Gordon Silver Professor of Law Nancy Rapoport was commended by Clifford J. White III, Director, United States Trustee Program (USTP), for the guidance she provided regarding the USTP final Guidelines governing the review of attorneys’ fees and expenses in large chapter 11 bankruptcy cases.

In his press release, Mr. White stated: "After two public comment periods spanning more than a year – and after hearing from a broad range of commenters from the largest law firms to major investors to academics to the public – the USTP promulgated a new set of Guidelines governing disclosures that should be made to justify fees in the largest bankruptcy cases. We are extremely grateful for the many helpful comments we received from bankruptcy experts, including Richard Levin, Chair of the National Bankruptcy Conference, and law professor Nancy Rapoport."

Copies of the Guidelines and related press releases are available here and here, respectively.

Congratulations, Nancy!

April Issue of Boyd Briefs Released

The Boyd School of Law is very pleased to announce the release of Volume II, Issue 4, of Boyd Briefs.

Issued on a monthly basis, Boyd Briefs provides information about the scholarly and other activities of Boyd faculty members during the previous month. Illustrative entries announce new faculty publications, the drafting of briefs and uniform legislation, submission to administrative agencies of comments on proposed regulations, Clinic victories, the organization and hosting of academic conferences, appointments and elections of Boyd faculty members to local, national, and international boards, offices, and societies, and other honors and awards.

The April 2013 issue of Boyd Briefs announces several new law review articles, book reviews, and other publications, dozens of talks and media references, and a number of other accomplishments and activities. Congratulations, Boyd faculty members!

The Boyd Briefs archives may be accessed here.

February Issue of Boyd Briefs Released

The Boyd School of Law is very pleased to announce the release of Volume II, Issue 2, of Boyd Briefs.

Issued on a monthly basis, Boyd Briefs provides information about the scholarly and other activities of Boyd faculty members during the previous month. Illustrative entries announce new faculty publications, the drafting of briefs and uniform legislation, submission to administrative agencies of comments on proposed regulations, Clinic victories, the organization and hosting of academic conferences, appointments and elections of Boyd faculty members to local, national, and international boards, offices, and societies, and other honors and awards.

The February 2013 issue of Boyd Briefs announces a new book published by Cambridge University Press, an amicus brief submitted to the Supreme Court of the United States, several new law review articles, dozens of talks, several guest blog posts, and other accomplishments and activities. Congratulations, Boyd faculty members!

The Boyd Briefs archives may be accessed here.

Professor Griffin Invited to Brief United States Commission on Civil Rights

The Boyd School of Law is very pleased to announce that Professor Leslie Griffin was invited by the United States Commission on Civil Rights to serve as a panelist at the Commission's briefing titled "Peaceful Coexistence? Reconciling Non-Discrimination Principles with Civil Liberties." The briefing is scheduled for Friday, March 22, 2013, at 9:00 a.m. EST at the Commission’s Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

The briefing in which Professor Griffin will participate will examine recent legal developments concerning the intersection of non-discrimination principles with those of civil liberties. The tension between religious liberties and non-discrimination statutes and policies is perhaps one of the more prominent areas of disagreement and is part of a broader debate between the First Amendment and non-discrimination provisions.

Among other topics, panelists also will discuss the issues raised by Hosanna-Tabor v. EEOC, 132 S.Ct. 694 (2012) and Christian Legal Society v. Martinez, 130 S.Ct. 2971 (2010). Professor Griffin recently examined the Hosanna-Tabor case in her forthcoming article, "The Sins of Hosanna-Tabor," 88 Indiana Law Journal --- (2013).

Professor Griffin currently serves as William S. Boyd Professor of Law. She is author of Law and Religion: Cases and Materials, editor of Law and Religion: Cases in Context, and author of numerous articles and book chapters about law, religion, politics and ethics. Professor Griffin is a graduate of Yale University (M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D., Religious Studies) and Stanford Law School.

Congratulations, Leslie!

January Issue of Boyd Briefs Released

The Boyd School of Law is very pleased to announce the release of Volume II, Issue 1, of Boyd Briefs.

Issued on a monthly basis, Boyd Briefs provides information about the scholarly and other activities of Boyd faculty members during the previous month. Illustrative entries announce new faculty publications, the drafting of briefs and uniform legislation, submission to administrative agencies of comments on proposed regulations, Clinic victories, the organization and hosting of academic conferences, appointments and elections of Boyd faculty members to local, national, and international boards, offices, and societies, and other honors and awards.

The January 2013 issue of Boyd Briefs announces several new faculty honors, talks, and other activities. Congratulations, Boyd faculty members!

The Boyd Briefs archives may be accessed here.

Dean Rapoport Commended in Cahill's 'On Business Blog'

The Boyd School of Law is very pleased to announce that Interim Dean and Gordon Silver Professor of Law Nancy Rapoport was commended for her recent work examining bankruptcy fees in Joe Cahill's 'On Business Blog' in Crain's Chicago Business on January 16, 2013.

Entitled, "One Group Always Wins in Bankruptcy: The Lawyers," Cahill's blog post examines how corporate bankruptcy favors attorneys and other professionals who steer companies through the process. According to Cahill, Chicago-based Tribune Co. paid professional services fees approaching $300 million during the four-year reorganization that ended December 31, and Comdisco Inc. has paid more than $9 million to the law firm of the trustee overseeing a Chapter 11 case that was filed in 2001 and is ongoing.

In his blog post, Cahill commends Dean Rapoport for her recent work examining bankruptcy fees: "I agree with bankruptcy fee examiner Nancy Rapoport, a law professor at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, who says firms should have to demonstrate that the stated fee isn't just a 'rack rate' by presenting evidence that 'people really pay it in the real world.'"

Congratulations, Nancy!

Dean Rapoport Quoted and Referenced in Norton Bankruptcy Law and Practice

The Boyd School of Law is very pleased to announce that Interim Dean and Gordon Silver Professor of Law Nancy Rapoport was recently quoted and referenced several times by William L. Norton, Jr. in his Norton Bankruptcy Law and Practice.

The quotations and references, which appear in Section 106:1 of Volume 5 of the Third Edition, relate to the complex fiduciary duties of a chapter 11 debtor-in-possession and its counsel. In one quotation, Dean Rapoport explains that:

"Representing a corporation can present numerous problems for Estate Counsel, but representing individual Debtors in chapter 11 is even trickier: 'The complex fiduciary duties of a chapter 11 debtor-in-possession and its counsel can become even more confused when the debtor(s)-in-possession are individuals.' Obviously, there is the metaphysical challenge of realizing that the human who hired you to file his chapter 11 petition is not your client in the bankruptcy case. Even though it's fairly easy, at least in theory, to understand that the president of a corporation or the managing partner of a partnership is not your client when you are representing the business entity itself, it stretches the bounds of legal fiction to comprehend the difference between the Bankruptcy Estate of an individual (your client) and the individual himself (not your client)."

Congratulations, Nancy!

Legal Writing Prof Blog Named as an 'ABA Journal Blawg 100 Fan Favorite'

The Boyd School of Law is very pleased to announce that the Legal Writing Prof Blog, for which Professor Lori Johnson serves as Contributing Editor, was recently named as an 'ABA Journal Blawg 100 Fan Favorite' in the category of Legal Writing.

The Sixth Annual Blawg 100 Fan Favorite competition involved four weeks of online voting by more than 4,000 readers of the ABA Journal. The placement means that the Legal Writing Prof Blog is now in the Top 14 Legal Blogs out of the already-selective 'ABA Journal Blawg 100.'

Congratulations Lori and Legal Writing Prof Blog!

December Issue of Boyd Briefs Released

The Boyd School of Law is very pleased to announce the release of Volume I, Issue 5, of Boyd Briefs.

Issued on a monthly basis, Boyd Briefs provides information about the scholarly and other activities of Boyd faculty members during the previous month. Illustrative entries announce new faculty publications, the drafting of briefs and uniform legislation, submission to administrative agencies of comments on proposed regulations, Clinic victories, the organization and hosting of academic conferences, appointments and elections of Boyd faculty members to local, national, and international boards, offices, and societies, and other honors and awards.

The December 2012 issue of Boyd Briefs announces several new faculty honors, talks, and other activities. Congratulations, Boyd faculty members!

The Boyd Briefs archives may be accessed here.

Congratulations to our Bellow Scholars!

Congratulations to Professors Fatma Marouf & Mike Kagan and Elizabeth MacDowell & Criminal Justice Prof Emily Troshonsky for being named Bellow Scholars!  The Bellow is awarded to clinicians whose projects promise to improve justice for underserved communities.

Professor McAffee Publishes Op-Ed in Review-Journal

The Boyd School of Law is very pleased to announce that Professor Tom McAffee recently published an Op-Ed in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

As background, on November 26, 2012, a federal district court ruled against a legal challenge brought on behalf of eight same-sex couples seeking the freedom to marry in Nevada. In the case, the plaintiffs argued that Nevada's current law, which excludes same-sex couples from marriage, while relegating them to the second-class status of domestic partnership, violates their right to equal treatment under the U.S. Constitution.

In a December 4, 2012, editorial, the Review-Journal defended the decision of Judge Robert Jones rejecting this challenge, adopting his assertion that the question "is not the wisdom of providing for or recognize same-sex marriage as a matter of policy." According to Professor McAffee in his December 16 editorial, the December 4 editorial "sets up a straw man argument that is easily rejected." Click here to read more of Professor McAffee's December 16 editorial.

Professor McAffee has published numerous articles in law journals including the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, Columbia Law Review, Brigham Young University Law Review, and Temple Law Review and was awarded the Faculty Achievement Award for Scholarship in 1997. His book, Inherent Rights, the Written Constitution, and Popular Sovereignty: The Founders’ Understanding, was published in 2000. At Boyd, Professor McAffee teaches American Legal History, First Amendment Rights, and Constitutional Law.

Congratulations, Tom!

Professor Lipman Featured in ABA Taxation Section Member Newsletter

The Boyd School of Law is very pleased to announce that Professor Francine Lipman has been featured on the front page in the 'Member Spotlight' column of the December 2012 issue of the ABA Taxation Section Member Newsletter.

Professor Lipman joined the faculty in July 2012, bringing an exceptional record as an accountant, a lawyer, a teacher, and a scholar. Professor Lipman is an elected member of the American Law Institute and a chair and editor for the Tax Section of the American Bar Association. She 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, and Taxes and Tax Notes. Professor Lipman is a frequent speaker on tax subjects to law and business groups.

Congratulations, Francine!

Legal Writing Prof Blog Named to 'ABA Journal Blawg 100 Hall of Fame'

The Boyd School of Law is very pleased to highlight Professor Lori Johnson's continuing service as Contributing Editor of the Legal Writing Prof Blog, which was recently named to the 'ABA Journal Blawg 100 Hall of Fame,' a list of the top 100 law blogs.

According to the ABA Journal, "The law professors who edit this blog offer the latest news from academia, whether it's a study about word usage, a YouTube video about case citations or a professorial job opening. The blog is updated almost daily and pulls from contributors with universities and law schools around the country. It's an excellent aggregator of legal writing news."

Congratulations to Lori and the other editors of the Legal Writing Prof Blog!

Professor Pollman Receives AALS Section Award

The Boyd School of Law is very pleased to announce that the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) Section on Legal Writing, Reasoning, and Research (Section) named Professor Terry Pollman as one of two recipients of this year's Section Award.

Identified as an outstanding leader in her field who has made significant contributions in the areas of teaching, scholarship, and service, Professor Pollman received the award together with University of Hawaii Professor Jill Ramsfield. Professors Pollman and Ramsfield will be honored at the Section lunch on Saturday, January 5, 2013, at the AALS Annual Meeting in New Orleans.

Professor Pollman serves as Director of Boyd's nationally-ranked Lawyering Process Program. A founding faculty member, Professor Pollman teaches in the areas of Lawyering Process, Persuasion, Negotiation, and Leadership and Law. A past president of the Association of Legal Writing Directors (ALWD) and editor of several journals, Professor Pollman's scholarship focuses on legal writing, pedagogy and rhetoric.

Congratulations, Terry!

November Issue of Boyd Briefs Released

The Boyd School of Law is very pleased to announce the release of Volume 1, Issue 4, of Boyd Briefs.

Issued on a monthly basis, Boyd Briefs provides information about the scholarly and other activities of Boyd faculty members during the previous month. Illustrative entries announce new faculty publications, the drafting of briefs and uniform legislation, submission to administrative agencies of comments on proposed regulations, Clinic victories, the organization and hosting of academic conferences, appointments and elections of Boyd faculty members to local, national, and international boards, offices, and societies, and other honors and awards.

The November 2012 issue of Boyd Briefs announces several new law review articles, panel presentations, and other faculty honors and awards. Congratulations, Boyd faculty members!

The Boyd Briefs archives may be accessed here.

October Issue of Boyd Briefs Released

The Boyd School of Law is very pleased to announce the release of Volume 1, Issue 3, of Boyd Briefs.

Issued on a monthly basis, Boyd Briefs provides information about the scholarly and other activities of Boyd faculty members during the previous month. Illustrative entries announce new faculty publications, the drafting of briefs and uniform legislation, submission to administrative agencies of comments on proposed regulations, Clinic victories, the organization and hosting of academic conferences, appointments and elections of Boyd faculty members to local, national, and international boards, offices, and societies, and other honors and awards.

The October 2012 issue of Boyd Briefs announces several new law review articles, panel presentations, and other faculty honors and awards. Congratulations, Boyd faculty members!

The Boyd Briefs archives may be accessed here.

Uncensored Voices: Celebrating Literary Freedom

By Jeanne Price

On Saturday, October 6, the ACLU of Nevada, together with the Las Vegas Clark County Library District, UNLV’s Black Mountain Institute, Nevada Humanities, the Las Vegas Review-Journal, and the American Institute for Graphic Arts, hosted "Uncensored Voices: Celebrating Literary Freedom." The event marked the celebration of Banned Books Week in Las Vegas and focused on censorship's past, present, and future. The event, held at the Clark County Library, opened with remarks by Jeanne Goodrich, Director of the Las Vegas Clark County Library District, and Dane Clausen, Executive Director of ACLU of Nevada.

Discussions were moderated by Steve Sebelius, political columnist at the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Panelists included Tony Diaz, author and founder of the Librotraficante Movement, Professor Jeanne Price, Director of the Wiener-Rogers Law Library at the William S. Boyd School of Law, Dr. Auggie Romero, Director of Student Equity at the Tucson Unified School District, and Trevor Timm, an activist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Much of the discussions centered on recent state and federal legislative initiatives focused on, in the case of state legislation, public school curriculum, and, at the federal level, national security and restrictions on access to information.

On Friday, the panelists spoke on KNPR’s State of Nevada about censorship issues in the news today.

The Banned Books program anticipates the opening of the Vegas Valley Book Festival on November 1, 2012.

Professor Berkheiser Named to List of Top Lawyers

The Boyd School of Law is very pleased to announce that Professor Mary Berkheiser was named to Desert Companion's List of Top Lawyers in 2012. Named as a Top Appellate Practice Attorney, Professor Berkheiser was nominated by LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell following a request for a list of local lawyers who had reached the highest levels of ethical standards and professional excellence.

Berkheiser serves as Professor of Law, Director of Clinical Programs, and Director of the Juvenile Justice Clinic at Boyd School of Law. A founding faculty member, Professor Berkheiser's areas of expertise include clinical legal education and teaching, criminal procedure, juvenile law, criminal law, and appellate law.

Congratulations, Mary!