Passing the Torch

VOLUME II, ISSUE IV • DEPAUL UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF LAW • FEBRUARY 27, 2014 In this issue: PASSING THE TORCH DePaul Law News & 2 By: Molly Dugan ‘16 hard times that law Events school deans and A few winter storms, below freezing law schools across temperatures, and sad news from the administration the nation face; Student Editorials 4 have all given way to a trying beginning of the spring those hardships led term. On January 24, we received the news that him to ask where Dean Gregory Mark would step down as dean of the his talents would be law school. Speculation soared and ideas swirled best deployed. regarding the reasons behind the dean’s decision. Heaviness could Lifestyle 6 Dean Mark agreed to sit down with me and be heard in the discuss his resignation, his hopes for the future, and Dean’s tone as he his advice to the students of DePaul. To begin with, I spoke of his asked Dean Mark what drew him to DePaul. ―DePaul decision to leave is a fantastically important institution, the city of DePaul. However, Entertainment 11 he was quite Chicago is important, and I wanted to play a part in Dean Gregory Mark both,‖ he stated with fervor. convinced that in Regarding his resignation, Dean Mark gave an the end, his stepping down would not matter much answer most law students would because, ―DePaul is an institution, far greater than one understand. ―Partly, I’ve had to pass up person.‖ He spoke with optimism of the law school’s Sports 14 opportunities that got me interested in the law and accomplishments of the past three years, including being a law professor to begin with,‖ Dean Mark successes in fundraising and the foundation building of said. ―That stuck with me and there was a lot of pull a health law program and a top-notch law career there.‖ As busy law students with no more than a services center. He also acknowledged the challenges Special points of few hours to devote to hobbies of old, we can all that the law school faces. He noted that while the Law certainly understand that feeling. He spoke of the Continued to page 3 interest: The New SBA — Which position will you run for? The New SBA Constitution By: The Constitution Committee improvement was not enough. The student body was still not getting actively involved. Greater change was yet called for; change in the very infrastructure of Q & A with DePaul everything we know. So hear ye, hear ye, and come Professor Chad Flanders one, come all! Let me introduce you to the new three- branch structure of the SBA: Demon’s Advocate: Executive Branch As things change some things remain the same. The MARIJUANA Executive Branch consists of the Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Social Chair, and Chief of Staff. What to do on St. Subsidiary to this branch is the Social Committee and Budget Committee. The President technically resides Paddy’s Day outside of the Executive branch to oversee all three branches although the President’s time will mostly be Celebrity Justice: Can spent with this branch. The Chief of Staff is also the only non-voting member of the six positions within the We Deport Justin Photo courtesy of user Rosie O’Beirne Executive Branch. The responsibilities of these Bieber? positions carry over from our previous structure of A student at DePaul University College of Law once government. Any student in good standing can run to Everyday I’m Hustlin’ - said, ―the SBA is trivial.‖ While this year’s be a member of the Executive, yet only 3Ls in good administration has worked hard to disprove that standing can run for President. Poverty Profiteering statement, perhaps our student government flaws lie Legislative Branch in SBA’s structure and guiding documents. The Out with DAC and in with the Legislature! The Special Olympics Sports Constitution Committee has worked hard over the Legislature will be led by the Speaker and be past three years to provide clarity and transparency comprised of twenty-four (24) Senators. As it Spread with the guiding documents, yet such change and Continued to Page 3 Page 2 DePaul News & Events Professor Spotlight: A Minute with Chad Flanders By: Sydney Hutt ‘14 Q: How did you get into interests as well. academia? Are you from a Q: How has your stint as a visiting pro- Chad Flanders, currently a family of lawyers and/or fessor at DePaul been? Visiting Professor at DePaul, cur- academics? A: It's been great. Chicago is where I grew up rently teaches Criminal Proce- A: I had some teachers that and where I went to graduate school, so it's dure, Criminal Law, and Sentenc- really inspired me (a philoso- home. The students here are fantastic, and ing. Sydney Hutt, a 3L, had the phy professor and an English keep me on my toes; they are also a lot more opportunity to ask him a few professor in college). My dad career-savvy, which in this market, you have questions about his background, was a dean at a local high to be. his advice for DePaul students, school (Oak Park and River and, most importantly, his favor- Forest) and my mom was a Q: What advice do you have for stu- ite flavor of ice cream. librarian in Maywood. So I dents planning their second and third guess I had an academic-ish year courses of study? Q: You have quite the re- background growing up. A: One thing I like to tell my students is that sume - M.A. and Ph.D in phi- Professor Chad Flanders there are a lot of ways to succeed in law losophy from the University Q: It seems like your aca- school and in law. If there's one thing you of Chicago, J.D. from Yale, you clerked for demic background might fit more with don't like or aren't good at, you should think a judge on the Alaska Supreme Court, and constitutional law interests. What is it about cutting your losses. If you spend too then clerked for a judge on the Tenth Cir- about criminal law that made it the fo- much time on doing what you think you have cuit Court of Appeals. Did you practice cus of much of your scholarship? to do to pass the bar, or to get a job, you may law after clerking? If so, where and for how A: My dissertation was on moral responsibil- miss out on your passion. long? ity, and criminal law is all about moral respon- A: I was pretty sure I wanted to teach and after sibility: who can we hold responsible, and Q: Most important question of the in- two years of clerking, I was ready to get to it. I why, and what we can do to people when we terview: what's your favorite flavor of turned down an offer from a firm when the op- find them responsible for doing bad ice cream? Does it change depending portunity to teach came through. I have done things. So when I got to law school, I knew on whether you're watching the Wire some pro bono appellate work for the state of my focus was going to be criminal law. Back or the Simpsons? Alaska. It's actually a really great (though small) in St. Louis, I’ve taught some constitutional A: It's too cold for ice cream! Right now, it's legal community. law classes, so I've been able to pursue those oatmeal-raisin cookies and House of Cards. A Day in The Life: General Counsel’s Office of Robert Bosch LLC By: Michael Hornback ’15 tractual in nature. I drafted contracts for the country. Many of these claims centered Out of the frying pan and into the fire. Those licensing of Bosch trademarks to be used on around product liability. One of the most words are how I will forever remember my time television programs, for outside vendors to memorable days at Bosch was when I visited at the general counsel’s office at Robert Bosch manufacture products for Bosch, and joint their Power Tool Division headquarters to LLC. At my first interview for the position my ventures between Bosch and other engineering meet with their expert witnesses as they future supervising attorney, Assistant General firms. prepped outside counsels of Bosch’s defense Counsel and Vice President Gregory Thiess, The attorneys then introduced me to the strategy. I was also privy to prototype tech- described the position as this well-known cliché. litigation materials. As you can imagine, there nology being developed to mitigate the types I immediately began to think that the entire office is never a slow time for a company that de- of claims asserted in many of the complaints. strived to fulfill this promise. I want to be per- signs, manufactures and sells inherently danger- My last project at Bosch was an intensive fectly clear; everyone at the office was always ous products such as powered circular saws survey of the extended warranty law for all available and extremely nice, but they did their and drills. I became familiar with answering fifty states. This became an enormous 120+ best to challenge me and push me beyond of my pleadings to complaints filed throughout the page document with quick indexes and refer- comfort zone. ences to be used as a guide for the statutory This effort was accomplished through variety. requirements that Bosch must meet before Working for a company with more than 270,000 being selling an extended warrantee in a par- employees worldwide results in a multitude of ticular state.

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