Food Law Presentation at Boyd

Photo © 2015 Gary A. Trimble

Food is an important part of life in Las Vegas: many of the more than 40 million tourists who visit Las Vegas each year come in part to enjoy the fine restaurants in the city, and for many of the 2.1 million inhabitants of the Las Vegas metropolitan area good food is a part of their daily lives. It is therefore no surprise that issues such as quality, provenance, and safety of food are of paramount importance, including the legal aspects of these issues.

On November 2, 2015, Boyd faculty and students enjoyed a presentation from Professor Barry Levenson, an expert in food law. Professor Levenson is the founder and curator of the National Mustard Museum in Middleton, Wisconsin, and teaches food law at the University of Wisconsin Law School. He has authored three books, including Habeas Codfish: Reflections on Food and the Law, published in 2001 by The University of Wisconsin Press. Professor Levenson’s distinguished legal career has included the position of Assistant Attorney General and head of the Criminal Appeals Division of the State of Wisconsin’s Department of Justice. He takes pride in being the only lawyer ever to argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court with a jar of mustard in his pocket (Griffin v. Wisconsin, 483 U.S. 868 (1987)).

Photo © 2015 Gary A. Trimble

Professor Levenson detailed the development of health law in the United States over the past 100 years and discussed FDA regulations and labelling issues. He pointed out the latest trends in food law, including litigation concerning the intersection of the Lanham Act and FDA regulations. In addition to Boyd faculty and students, faculty and students from the UNLV William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration also attended the presentation, and local food critic John Curtas enriched the discussion with his observations.

Food law expertise is also represented on the Boyd faculty: Professor Bret Birdsong (on leave 2013-2015) has taught food law at Boyd and has published on the topic; Professor Mary LaFrance has written about food labelling issues; and Professor Marketa Trimble teaches about geographical indications and appellations of origin in her International Intellectual Property class.

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. 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.

Professor Bret Birdsong Featured on KNPR's State of Nevada

Bret Birdsong is a Professor of Law at the William S. Boyd School of Law.

On July 16, he was featured on KNPR's State of Nevada segment Professor Birdsong Goes to Washington.

Professor 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.

"This is what I've always been hoping to do. This is an area of passionate interest for me. When an opportunity arises to go to Washington and make a real difference in the thing you've spent your life studying and working on, it's really something that's too good to pass up," he said during the interview.

Professor Birdsong's research focuses on federal land and resources management.

Professor Bret Birdsong Featured in Several Publications for Appointment to Interior Department

Professor Bret Birdsong was recently featured in several publications for his appointment to the U.S. Department of the Interior as Deputy Solicitor for Land Resources. In this position, he will be Solicitor Hilary Tompkins' deputy in charge of the team providing legal advice to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) regarding the management of nearly 250 million acres of public land.

His media appearances are below:

Daily Journal
KTNV
KTVN
Las Vegas Review-Journal
Las Vegas Review-Journal
Las Vegas Sun
UNLV News Center

Professor Birdsong to Serve as Deputy Solicitor for Land Resources for the U.S. Department of the Interior

Professor Bret Birdsong has been appointed to serve as Deputy Solicitor for Land Resources for the U.S. Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C.

In this position, he will be Solicitor Hilary Tompkins’ deputy in charge of the team providing legal advice to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) regarding the management of nearly 250 million acres of public land. The issues in Professor Birdsong’s docket will include national monuments, renewable energy on public land, wilderness, forestry, recreation, livestock grazing, and other uses of BLM lands.

“It will be a thrill and an honor to serve the nation as an appointee in the Obama administration and to help Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell develop and implement the administration’s priorities for public lands,” wrote Professor Birdsong in an email to Boyd faculty. “I expect to return to the faculty in a few years enriched in my legal experience and with new perspectives to bring to my scholarship and teaching.”

His research focuses on federal land and resources management.

Nevada Supreme Court Adopts Public Trust Doctrine

By Professor Bret Birdsong

The re-emergence of the public trust doctrine has been among the most significant episodes in the coming of age of American environmental and natural resources law over recent decades. Nevada joined this important trend in Lawrence v. Clark County, 254 P.3d 606 (Nev. 2011). The public trust doctrine holds that the public holds inviolable rights in certain natural resources that a sovereign state owning such resources is constrained to act as a trustee for those public rights. In this case, involving the state's attempted sale of lands in the Colorado River valley to Clark County, the Court explicitly adopted the public trust doctrine as the law of Nevada and described how it constrains the state’s disposal of trust resources. The decision, though particular in its factual scope, is a careful, sweeping, and singing recognition of the public's interest in natural resources owned and managed by the state.