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3 8-9 11 inside U.S. Supreme Court Justice The Year in Review Student Law Clinic Triumphs Meet the Class of 2008 Sandra Day O’Connor’s Visit STUDENTS CELEBRATE CULMINATION OF STUDIES With family and friends looking on, the members of ’s Class of 2008 Graduation in a will collect their J.D., LL.M. and J.S.D. degrees today. Then they’ll depart for life’s next chal- Year of lenges — as clerks, practicing attorneys, academics, advocates Sesquicentennial Events and leaders in numerous non- legal fields. Columbia Law School’s Class deans, alumni who are serving The class comprises more of 2008 is uniquely entwined as judges, and alumnus H.F. than 650 students from 41 states, with the history of the school as “Gerry” Lenfest ’58, who has a Prof. Philip Genty was selected by Cynthia McFadden ’84, an anchor at the District of Columbia, Puerto the class that will have gradu- notable career as an entrepre- students as winner of the Willis L.M. ABC News, will give the graduation Rico and 18 nations. ated in the Law School’s 150th neur and philanthropist. Lenfest, Reese Teaching Prize. keynote address. anniversary year. a Trustee, The Sesquicentennial has has also played a leadership already been marked by several role at the Law School through events, and the celebration will his generosity and service as a continue into the fall of 2008 Dean’s Council member. with events in London and Lenfest’s Class of 1958 New York. is being honored during this year’s graduation to mark its 50th reunion year. On Jan. 31, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg hosted a black-tie alumni dinner to celebrate the Law School’s Sesquicentennial. The attendees dined amid the Italian marble columns of the Great Hall in the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C. Justice Ginsburg graduated Devora Whitman (left) and Shawndra Jones, chairs of the graduation committee. from Columbia Law School in Brian Larkin of Suitland, 1959, and later became its first Maryland, was elected to speak Columbia Law School has “produced no finer role model than Gerry Lenfest,” tenured female professor. “Legal on behalf of his fellow J.D. can- said Dean David M. Schizer in education is a ‘shared adven- didates, and Thomas Krawitz, of awarding Lenfest the 2008 Medal for ture’ for students, teachers and Munich, , will speak Excellence at the Winter Luncheon. alumni,” she said. “For all of my for his fellow LL.M.s. “It is worth reflecting on days, I expect to take part in that They and other student how central our Law School adventure and to see it flourish speakers will address the appre- has been in grappling with the at Columbia Law School.” hensions, struggles and successes great issues of our time,” said Dean Schizer clerked for they all experienced as law stu- Dean David M. Schizer. “We Justice Ginsburg from 1994 to dents and how these have helped are proud of our tradition of 1995, and fondly recalled working them to grow and mature and, engagement with these questions, (continued on page 10) Brian Larkin, J.D. (left), and Thomas Krawitz, LL.M., the student speakers. ultimately, taught them to think and this tradition continues today. like lawyers. We celebrate not only what our Cynthia McFadden, an Law School has achieved in the anchor at ABC News, will past 150 years, but what we will Justice Roberts Presides at Finals of give the day’s keynote address. achieve in the next 150 years Professor Philip Genty will and beyond.” Harlan Fiske Stone Honors Moot Court receive the Willis L.M. Reese The Sesquicentennial began Teaching Prize. in January with events in Hong The Stone Competition is Columbia Law School’s McFadden graduated from Kong, Shanghai and Beijing that most prestigious moot court contest. Columbia Law School in 1984, also marked the 25th anniver- and was executive producer sary of the Law School’s Center Christopher M. Hogan (left) and of Fred Friendly’s Media and for Chinese Legal Studies. Dean Jordan W. Connors faced off Society seminars at Columbia Schizer then attended a Tokyo against Mollie M. Kornreich ’09 University. Next, at Courtroom reception to celebrate the Law and David Scherr ’09 on April Television Network she an- School’s long-standing leadership 17 in the final arguments of the chored live coverage of more in Japanese law, embodied by Harlan Fiske Stone Moot Court than 200 trials, including the The Center for Japanese Legal competition. Menendez brothers’ murder trial Studies, founded in 1980. More than 400 Columbia Law and the Rodney King trial. Now The celebration shifted School students packed the main at ABC News she co-anchors back to New York on Jan. 25 auditorium of Jerome Greene Hall “Nightline” and “Primetime.” for the 59th annual Winter as the finalists, narrowed from the This year’s graduation, held Luncheon for alumni in 55 students who began the com- during the Law School’s 150th the Grand Ballroom of the petition in the fall, argued before a anniversary, also honors the Waldorf=Astoria Hotel. The panel of four highly distinguished Class of 1958, which is celebrat- event honored living former (continued on page 6) ing its 50th reunion year. 2

Join the Columbia Law From the Dean of Students School Alumni Online Michelle Greenberg-Kobrin Community I have a special relationship with the Class of 2008 because we started together. It was this class which helped me define my Congratulations! Upon gradua- profile to keep your contact role, with whom I bonded first and earliest, and who decided tion, you will join more than information up to date, search that “Dean MGK” worked much better than “Dean Greenberg- 19,000 Columbia Law School the alumni database to find and Kobrin.” These were the first students I met as they arrived on alumni living and working keep in touch with your class- campus for orientation, before the 2Ls and 3Ls returned from throughout the world. We hope mates, submit and read class their summers, and it was immediately clear what a very talented you will join us as an active notes, join discussion groups and formidable group this was. member of our vibrant commu- and register for alumni events. In many ways, they have reworked Columbia Law School nity and that you will remain The Columbia Law in their image, and as a result, the Columbia they are leaving is in touch with us through our School Association congratu- a more spirited, friendly, warm and engaged community than the alumni events and programs. lates you on reaching this one they entered. They’ve encouraged and coached incoming 1L How can you remain con- milestone and welcomes you classes into alternative moot courts, so that now almost a third of nected? In July you can access into our alumni commu- the 1L class pursues moot court opportunities in areas that they the Columbia Law School’s nity. You can always keep in are actively interested in. They bring high school students in and Alumni Online Community touch with the Development work with them to afford others the opportunities they’ve had. and log in using your uni/ & Alumni Relations office at They wrote extraordinary articles, filed important briefs, helped password at www.law.colum- (212) 854-2680, CLS_Alumni_ needy clients, wrote some very witty sketches and never forgot to bia.edu/alumni. This com- [email protected] or have a good laugh along the way. They are smart — impressively intellectual — but seek to influence munity allows you to create a through our Web site. and effect change beyond the institution and beyond the profession. They helped us change the ways in which we think about diversity and the ways in which we think about meeting students’ needs. They’ve also changed the way I think about adversity and one’s ability to overcome it. As a class they are extraordinary friends, extraordinary community servants and will be extraordinary advocates. It is with mixed emotions that I welcome them to the profession and bid them adieu. I will sorely miss them.

From the Outgoing Student Senate President Tope Yusuf

The past three years have been a wonderful journey. The times that we shared and the people we met have enriched all of our Class of 2008 Breaks All lives. This graduation newspaper highlights a few graduating students to show the rich diversity of the members of our class. Previous Giving Records Since my first year, my classmates have repeatedly impressed Congratulations to the Class of 2008 for setting three new class me. Some of us worked for several years prior to attending law gift participation records – 83 percent for the full class (J.D.s and school, whether it was teaching in a public school or serving in LL.M.s), 94 percent for the LL.M. Class and 77 percent for the the Air Force. Others, like myself, came straight from undergrad J.D. Class – and the fund is still growing! Never before in the Law to face the challenges of getting a legal education. School’s history have we achieved such high participation, and While at Columbia Law School, we have continued to grow this is due to the Class of 2008’s generosity and the hard work of personally and professionally – from the 1L dinner where we the 2008 Class Gift Committee, spearheaded by co-chairs Simrin heard from Dean Schizer and other faculty members about the Parmar, J.D. (above left) and Francesco Pezone, LL.M. The Class journey we were about to embark on, and ultimately to the of 2008 has much to be proud of and now can add surpassing all Graduation Ball where we watched a slide show highlighting the class gift records to the list. experiences in hindsight! In our three years we have heard from four Supreme Court Justices, participated in oral arguments for various moot court programs and struggled through our major writing requirement. Many of us participated in a Criminal Justice Action Network spring break caravan or a Student Hurricane Network trip to the region hit by Hurricane Katrina. Others participated in clinics where we advocated for the rights of children, assisted victims of human rights violations or advocated on behalf of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer populations. Bruno Santonocito, Associate Dean, Development & These various experiences have brought us together as a class. I am grateful that I have had Alumni Relations the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people in such a short span of time and hope that we Elizabeth Schmalz, Executive Director of Communications continue to grow after we leave Columbia Law School. and Public Affairs James M. O’Neill, Director of Public Affairs Erin St. John Kelly, Editor; Sonia von Gutfeld, Associate Editor

Contributors: Miriam Furman, Todd Stone, Paul Wachter

Photography by Eileen Barroso, Don Berkemeyer, Diane Bondareff, Class of 2008 Bruce Gilbert, Jon Roemer, Dustin Ross, Lynn Saville, Graduation Award Winners Char Smullyan, Chris Taggart and David Wentworth Contact us: [email protected] or (212) 854-2650 A full list of the Class of 2008 prize and award winners announced during graduation can be found on Columbia Law School’s Web site at: http://www.law.columbia.edu/ media_inquiries/news_events/2008/Graduation_2008/Awards.

WHO IS THE CLASS OF 2008? LOOK FOR BOLDFACE NAMES. 3

Justice O’Connor Challenges Law Students to Press for Judicial Reform; Her Two-Day Visit Includes a Speech on Democracy and Terrorism

Justice Sandra Day O’Connor her autobiography, The Lazy and her numerous public lec- spent two days in November at B, was merely a pony. The tures and writings on the role Columbia Law School engag- self-proclaimed “unemployed of international and com- ing students, faculty and alum- cowgirl” was an idiosyncratic parative law in the American ni. She discussed the war on combination of practical and judicial system. The award also terror, habeas corpus, the law- prosaic. “Our best hope for recognized her leadership role yers’ revolt in Pakistan and the world peace,’’ she said, “comes among U.S. judges on these partisan election of judges. from the rubric rule of law.” issues and her individual judi- On Nov. 12, Justice cial practice while sitting on the O’Connor gave the Harold United States Supreme Court. Leventhal Memorial Lecture, “These were two magnifi- “Balancing Security, Democracy, Eric de Cholnoky (right), Editor cent days for us,” Dean Schizer and Human Rights in an Age in Chief of the Columbia Journal said. of Terrorism,” to an overflow of Transnational Law, present- crowd of more than 400. ed the Wolfgang Friedmann O’Connor met with smaller questions on case law, states’ the members of Congress. Memorial Award to Justice groups of students and professors rights and her participation in The Justice said she had O’Connor. The award, given the next day. Most emphatically the Iraq Study Group. She also learned pragmatism in her child- annually since 1975, recognizes and repeatedly she railed against advocated increased pay for hood on a ranch, where she de- an individual who has made the partisan election of judges. judges — so the judicial system vised “solutions that may not be outstanding contributions to “How is it we don’t stand up can better compete with law beautiful, but that work.” She the field of international law. and say we’re not going to do firms to attract the best lawyers. also defended against allega- The Justice was honored this anymore?” she asked. She said she is not optimistic tions that her childhood horse, for her membership in both During O’Connor’s meet- that change will occur as long Chico (small, but with “good the Iraq Study Group and the ing with students she fielded as judges’ pay is tied to that of cow sense”) on the cover of United States Institute of Peace

Myra Bradwell Dinner Dahlia Lithwick, legal editor and columnist at Slate magazine, spoke at the annual dinner hosted by the Columbia Law Women’s Association, a student organization, in honor of Myra Bradwell, a pioneer- ing woman lawyer who was denied admission to the Illinois bar in 1872 because she was married. About 120 alumni, students and faculty attended. Lithwick’s discussion of the role of women in the legal profession spanned the lives of Myra Bradwell to Hillary Rodham Clinton to Lithwick herself. Dinner attendees included (left to right) third- year law students Anne Shutkin, Jenna Levine, Laura Flahive, Mia Gonzalez and Jessica Berch.

MEET THE CLASS OF 2008

“There’s more than just the law. We’re also here to remember our role in our community.” Ashley Scott, J.D., Age 25, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Ashley Scott wanted to go to law school in a major home state three weeks into her time at Columbia. city, and was thrilled to find Columbia’s tree-graced “The Robeson Conference helps remind us of our campus in the middle of New York. She attended role as lawyers,” Ashley said. “I have this voice, and several Black Law Students Association (BLSA) events I’m using it to gather other voices.” while visiting and they sealed her decision to attend. Courses that made a significant impression on “Immediately I knew this was something I wanted Ashley were the Mediation Clinic and the Negotiations to be part of,” Ashley said. It was important that the Workshop, which explore alternatives to litigation. law school she picked have a strong minority presence, The techniques she learned, such as uninterrupted she said. For her undergraduate degree, she had at- listening and asking open-ended questions, “have tended Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, really changed the way I communicate,” Ashley said. a historically black college in Tallahassee. “I’m also much more aware of how people are com- Ashley joined BLSA as a 1L and chaired the organization municating with me.” her second year. The annual Paul Robeson Conference Ashley will join Sullivan & Cromwell as a litiga- is the culminating academic event for BLSA, and dur- tion associate. She notes the firm’s strength in arbitra- ing Ashley’s year as chairperson, the conference focused tion and mediation, and hopes to employ those same on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which hit her skills that she honed at Columbia Law School. 4

MEET THE CLASS OF 2008

“I think you can have a positive impact on society through the private sector.” Carlos Barnard Villalba, LL.M., Age 30, Guadalajara, Mexico

Carlos Barnard Villalba came to Columbia Law School they’re teaching,” he said. to make a transition to corporate law. He had worked While at the Law School he served on the board of at a law firm and clerked for three years for Associate the Columbia Latin American Business Law Association Justice Sergio Salvador Aguirre Anguiano in the and invited Justice Aguirre to talk to the group. He Supreme Court of Mexico. While he found both ex- also brought a bit of Columbia Law School to Mexico periences rewarding, he realized that, as he put it, he when he hosted fellow LL.M. students from Japan in “prefers to be part of the deal than to be the referee.” his hometown of Guadalajara over winter break. Carlos sees the corporate sector as a valuable con- Carlos said personal growth was just as important tributor to a more productive society, the broader goal an experience in the LL.M. program as academic and that first drove him to the law. “If the right conditions professional growth. are met in business transactions, companies will be bet- “You have to adapt to a new environment,” he ter off and provide better services, which keeps and said. “Many cultures are sharing the same experiences creates jobs, and has real benefits for society,” he said. here. You’re all riding the same wave.” New York City and Columbia are “the best place After graduation, Carlos plans to work in business to get knowledge from teachers in the field, who are law in the U.S. before returning to Guadalajara. working on a day-to-day basis on the business issues

“It has been the most amazing experience, getting to know people from all over the world, with diverse backgrounds, bringing other perspectives.” Hanny Ben Israel, LL.M., Age 28, Tel Aviv, Israel

After two years as a human rights lawyer in Israel advo- interned with the Legal Aid Society where she assisted cating for migrant workers, Hanny Ben Israel wanted to in the representation of immigrants facing deportation. pause and reflect on her work. She observed striking parallels between the stories of her “Sometimes as a practitioner, you can miss the clients in New York and those at home in Israel. broader issues,” she said. Whether Nepalese “guest workers” in Israel or The Human Rights Fellowship at Columbia Law Cubans who have come to the United States, “the nar- School was “a wonderful opportunity” to take that rative of immigration, this desire to strike better luck pause, she said. somewhere else, has a universal quality,” Hanny said. Kav LaOved (“Worker’s Hotline”), the NGO where While Hanny loves New York City, the year away Hanny works in Israel, provides legal services to mi- gave her greater perspective into life as an outsider. grant workers, Palestinian workers from the Occupied “It was interesting to think about immigration law Territories and low-paid Israelis. At Columbia, she re- while being something of an immigrant myself,” she searched guest worker programs with Professor Mark said. “I am heartbroken about leaving New York. It’s Barenberg, comparing the Israeli and American approach- been a most extraordinary and rewarding year.” es, lessons she will bring back to Kav LaOved. She also

“Being able to take a class with one of the attorneys from Brown v. Board — that alone justified my decision to come to Columbia.” Uzoma Nkwonta, J.D., Age 24, Winnipeg, Canada

During his first year of law school at George Mason Jurisprudence with Professor Olati Johnson and Civil University, Uzoma Nkwonta grew more interested in Rights with Professor Jack Greenberg. civil rights and wanted to be at a school with depth in “Nowhere else could I have done this,” Uzoma said. that area. Uzoma also got involved with the Black Law “These were issues I had not fully been exposed Students Association and the African Law Student to before,” said Uzoma, who was born in Nigeria, Association. Through the spring break caravans, he or- immigrated to Winnipeg, Canada when he was seven, ganized a group of 16 students who went this year to and earned his undergraduate degree from the University New Orleans to do pro bono legal work. of Manitoba. After graduation, Uzoma moves to Chicago to clerk Uzoma cites Columbia’s “phenomenal faculty” for Judge Ann Claire Williams of the U.S. Court of and the international law and human rights programs as Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. He will use his clerk- key reasons he chose to transfer here. He took advan- ship year to determine his next career step, which may tage of classes such as Law & the Political Process with be working for a firm or a civil rights organization. Visiting Professor Lani Guinier, Integration in American 5

MEET THE CLASS OF 2008

“Now I can confidently say I’m a human rights lawyer.” Otto Saki, LL.M., Age 27, Harare, Zimbabwe

Otto Saki had to leave his home in Africa last year. election he hopes those who drove him to seek safety “I had no intention of leaving the country but I’d at Columbia Law School will have less interest in him. become so targeted because of my work, and I had to When Otto returns home, he is prepared for his look for an opportunity to take a breather,” said Otto, work in ways he wasn’t before, because law schools a lawyer with Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights. there did not have classes in human rights, nor any Columbia Law School and Professor Peter Rosenblum notion of pro bono work, public interest law or litigat- provided one. “If I’d not been able to get a scholar- ing human rights issues, he said. ship I couldn’t have come, could not have afforded the Otto and his wife have weathered their plane trip, even,” Otto said. first winter and are both looking forward to their This past March, Zimbabwe held highly contested return home to his work at the Zimbabwe Lawyers for elections. Otto has represented Morgan Tsvangirai, the Human Rights. “I am glad I came,” Otto said. “I feel likely winner of the presidency if the Mugabe govern- that now I am a very different lawyer and very differ- ment releases the vote results. Otto said that after the ent activist.”

“In litigation you learn to understand what points other people will absorb; it’s often not what you expect.” Caroline Koo, J.D., Age 26, Sydney, Australia

Caroline Koo always loved “the logic and language of Professor Philip Genty’s Workshop in Briefcraft, where law” and knew early on that she wanted to be a lawyer. she helped guide the 2L moot court editors. Caroline was born in Hong Kong, grew up in Sydney, Caroline enjoyed Columbia’s international law of- Australia, and earned a bachelor’s degree in govern- ferings, serving on the Journal of Transnational Law as a ment at Harvard. She chose Columbia for its renowned staffer her 2L year and head notes editor her 3L year. international law programs. While here, she discovered But her path moved toward litigation, and moot court she wanted to be a litigator. was a primary focus. Caroline remembers her first oral argument for “It’s a great chance for 1Ls to learn the practical foundation moot court as a 1L. “It scared me to bits. skills of litigation — reading, research, brief writing, I was shaking behind the podium and couldn’t speak argument — that are very different than what you get for about 30 seconds,” she said. from lectures and seminars,” Caroline said. She made it through arguments and found the ex- Especially valuable is the participation of alumni perience so rewarding that she stayed involved after her judges, who give students the realistic experience of first-year requirement. During her second year she was a getting peppered with questions during their oral argu- moot court editor, designing an appellate advocacy prob- ments and then provide valuable feedback afterward, lem for 1Ls and supervising them as they researched and she said. Caroline, who will be a litigation associate wrote their briefs. This past year, she served as the direc- at Weil, Gotshal & Manges, has promised to return to tor of the first-year program and as teaching assistant for Columbia Law School as an alumni judge herself.

PILF Auction The Public Interest Law promote the practice of public Foundation (PILF) raised interest law at Columbia Law $80,000 in its 16th annual Bid School and across the country. for Justice auction on March 6. PILF then distributes the funds About 450 people attended the as Student Funded Fellowships event, which raises money for and Community Grants. community organizations and stipends for students in public interest law. Auctioneer John K. Johnson PILF is an independent, (right) gave the evening a decid- non-profit corporation of edly legal flair with his banter. Columbia law students, faculty, When bidding escalated on a alumni and friends, founded in pair of tickets to the Broadway 1980. It raises money through show “Young Frankenstein,” membership dues, donations, he quipped: “Yes, bids can be bookstore sales and the an- arbitrary in increments, just like nual auction to support and a federal prosecutor.” 6

Justice Roberts Presides over Stone Honors Moot Court Continued from page 1 Moot Court Roundup judges, including Chief Justice seconds to answer one question larly liked the way the students Columbia Law School partici- of the United States John G. before zinging forth the next resisted the pitfall of stretching pates in intermural moot court 2006 Roberts, Jr. one — just as the justices of the the law or the facts of the case competitions each year; students After the hearing, the Supreme Court routinely inter- when answering the judges’ travel the globe from Detroit to Philip C. Jessup judges left the auditorium, not rupt lawyers that come before questions. “If you do stretch Hong Kong beginning in their International Law to make a decision on the case, them during oral arguments. the law or the facts, then you 1L year. Highlights include: Moot Court but to decide on a winner of After the arguments con- often lose the court,” she said. the Lawrence S. Greenbaum cluded, Roberts praised the four Judge Wood said she liked First place in both the national Prize for Best Oral Advocacy. students for holding up under the way the students answered 2008 and international competition. Upon returning, they an- the intense flurry of pointed ju- their questions with a clear yes Columbia team included Tracy nounced Hogan the winner, dicial queries. “I thought it was or no and then followed up European Law Appleton and Seth Davis. while speaking highly of the a great competition and that all with an explanation. If lawyers Moot Court other student advocates. four of you did quite well with respond with vague answers Native American Law The students argued very difficult material,” he said. or explanations before stating Third place at finals, argued Student Association Nafziger v. Kaergard, a mock Roberts said that as a law- clearly yes or no, “the judge before the European Court Moot Court Seventh Circuit (Illinois) ap- yer, he often wondered whether will assume they don’t have a of Justice in Luxembourg. pellate court case, written by oral arguments really played good answer,” she said. Graduating students on the Best oralist, first place: Mainon Alison Wright , which involved much of a role in the decision- Judge McConnell said all team were Aravind Ganesh and Schwartz. three low-income women who making process of the Supreme four student participants “should Tomas Samulevicius. claimed they had been denied Court. Now, from personal be very proud. Their answers quality health care as a result of a experience, he knows it mat- were spectacular. They didn’t Willem C. Vis regulation issued by the Illinois ters very much. “When we’re flinch. There’s only one win- International Commercial Department of Healthcare and in conference we talk a great ner tonight, but the other three Arbitration Moot Court Family Services (DHFS). The deal about the points brought students are winners, too.” judges complimented the com- out in the argument,” he said. The audience of students Hong Kong team: honorable plexity of the case Wright had “The justices read the and faculty remained focused mentions for best claimant’s and constructed. briefs beforehand, and so they throughout the hearing, which best respondent’s memorandum. “This year’s case was tend to come in with a lot of included not only challenging particularly interesting,” said questions,” Roberts said. questions from the judges but also Vienna team: honorable men- tion for best claimant’s memo- randum, and honorable mention to Gary Li in the Martin Domke Award for best oralist. Mainon Schwartz

Frederick Douglass Members of the Class of 2008 Moot Court also have brought Columbia many moot court honors during Best respondent brief (nationals their law school careers. Their and regionals): Brian Larkin and achievements include: Ashley Scott.

American Constitution 2007 Society’s Constance Baker Motley Philip C. Jessup Moot Court International Law Moot Court Inaugural competition held at Columbia Law School. Second place team award for Quarterfinalists: Craig Boneau best memorials at regional tour- and Nina Yadava; Jim Doggett nament; best oralist, fourth place and Adam Pulver. Tracy Appleton (Left to right) Harlan Fiske Stone Moot Court finalist Mollie Kornreich ’09; student director Alison Wright; Dean David to . M. Schizer; competition winner Christopher Hogan; Chief Justice of the United States John G. Roberts, Jr.; finalist Willem C. Vis Jordan Connors; Judge Michael W. McConnell, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit; coordinator Justin Carroll; Native American Law Judge Diana Gribbon Motz, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit; Judge Diane P. Wood, U.S. Court of Appeals for International Commercial the Seventh Circuit; finalist David Scherr ’09; and Prof. Philip Genty, the faculty director of Columbia’s moot court programs. Student Association Arbitration Moot Court Moot Court Professor Philip Genty, director “You may have thought comments from them that gener- Most honors of any team com- of the moot court program, we were being a little rude in ated laughter from the crowd. Best brief, first place:Laura Lisa peting. Team members included “because it involved a split stepping over each other’s ques- “I was looking in the Sandoval and Gabriel Martinez. Zuzana Blazek and Gary Li. decision that both sides were tions; let me assure you that is judges’ eyes,” said Shira Kaufman appealing — whether the exactly how it looks in the real ’10, who was seated front and women have the right to sue world,” Roberts said. “Because, center, “and you don’t know and whether they have a right quite often, the judges are where they stand [on the issue]. to sue as a class.” debating among themselves, re- They asked pointed questions, Hogan and Connors ally, and just using the lawyers yet they were pleasant and represented the three low- as a backboard.” very human.” income women plaintiffs, while In addition to Roberts, the After the conclusion of the Kornreich and Scherr repre- moot court panel included the hearing and the final remarks, sented the director of DHFS. Hon. Michael W. McConnell, the judges took photos with Kornreich went first, and United States Court of Appeals student advocates and spoke no sooner had she started her for the Tenth Circuit; the Hon. with them privately. prepared opening than Chief Diana Gribbon Motz, United “This is incredible,” said Justice Roberts interrupted her States Court of Appeals for Hogan, this year’s winner. “I with a question. Unflustered, the Fourth Circuit; and the went to this last year (as an Kornreich quickly — but re- Hon. Diane P. Wood, United observer) with Justice Samuel spectfully — began her answer States Court of Appeals for the Alito presiding, which was to counter the Justice’s query Seventh Circuit. fascinating, and I said to myself with a “no, your honor.” Judge Motz said the give- then, ‘My goal is to make it to For nearly an hour and a and-take between the judges this stage next year.’” Columbia’s European Law Moot Court team placed third in the 2008 final half, the bench peppered the and students was “better than competition, which was argued before the European Court of Justice in Lux- embourg. Students competing were (left to right) Aravind Ganesh, Tomas students relentlessly, often giv- any we have in the Court of Samulevicius, Alexander Lawrence ’10 and Sandy Wirtz ’09. At center is ing them only seven or eight Appeals.” She said she particu- faculty advisor Prof. George Bermann. 7

Cardozo ’66 and Michelson ’47 Awarded the 25th Annual Wien Prize

The 25th annual Lawrence to find time for public work, interest lawyers. A. Wien Prize for Social Stern said. Michelson professed her Responsibility was awarded to Michelson worked for more admiration for Lawrence A. Michael A. Cardozo ’66 and than 40 years at R.H. Macy & Wien ’27, the lawyer, real estate Gertrude G. Michelson ’47 on Co. as labor relations manager investor and philanthropist. Nov. 5. and senior vice president for The Wien Prize honors Dean David M. Schizer not- personnel, labor and consum- attorneys who work for the ed that Cardozo and Michelson er relations. She was the first public good. It is bestowed an- embodied the noblest traditions woman to lead an nually with the participation of the law in their commitment board of trustees, when elected of the Wien family, includ- to public service. chair of Columbia’s board in ing Lawrence Wien’s daugh- Cardozo, who was intro- 1989. She now sits on the Law ter Dinny, her husband Lester duced by his former classmate School’s Board of Visitors. Morse, and Wien’s daughter NBA Commissioner David Cardozo praised the Law Isabel and her husband Peter Stern ’66, is the Corporation School’s efforts toward loan Malkin, partner at Wien & Counsel for the City of New forgiveness, and said the gov- Malkin LLP and chairman of (Left to right) Gertrude G. Michelson ’47, winner of the Wien Prize; LL.M. York. No matter how busy he ernment should be more in- Wien & Malkin Properties. Yaara Alon of Tel-Aviv, Israel; Wien Prize winner Michael Cardozo ’66; and was, Cardozo always managed volved by subsidizing public LL.M. Yan Lu of Shanghai, at the awards luncheon.

MEET THE CLASS OF 2008

“The human manipulation of natural resources and the scientific challenges it raises are fascinating. It’s a multi-dimensional question and something I’ll be interested in for the rest of my life.” Sarah Hollinshead, J.D., Age 31, Rehoboth, Massachusetts

As a child, Sarah Hollinshead routinely pulled on rubber Defense Fund and her 2L summer at the Attorney boots and headed into her backyard stream to exam- General’s Office in California. She was the Editor in ine its ecosystem of bugs, plants and animals. “Water is Chief of the Columbia Journal of Environmental Law. fascinating,” she said of the element that has come to “Water Is Not Liquid,” her note that examines securi- define her both academically and professionally. tizing water in California, will be published in June. Since the middle of her undergraduate years study- After graduation she will work at the National ing political science and the environment at Yale, Sarah Resources Defense Council before clerking for Judge decided to get a master’s degree in civil engineering and Sidney H. Stein of the U.S. Southern District of New a J.D. with water as her muse. “I enjoy the legal inter- York. There she hopes to lay the groundwork for a ca- section of science, politics and policy,” she said. reer in public interest litigation. This summer, Sarah will At Columbia, she was active in the Environmental also get married on the bank of her childhood stream. Law Clinic, where she found the amount of responsibil- She described an ideal future in an attorney gen- ity put into the hands of students to be exceptional. eral’s office or working for an advocacy organization. She spent her 1L summer at the Environmental “I’m pretty purely public interest,” she said.

“Columbia does an extraordinary job catering to a diverse student body. They really make an effort to make people feel welcome.” Jeff Tate, J.D., Age 27, Salt Lake City, Utah

Jeff Tate came to Columbia Law School to study tax You get to be the good guy.” law with two degrees in accounting already in hand. Jeff’s interest in pursuing more complex tax prob- “Many people think tax is just filling out your lems ultimately drew him to law school. 1040 on April 14,” Jeff said. “But with a little bit of To attend Columbia, he moved his wife and their knowledge, you can come up with creative solutions two-year-old son from Salt Lake City, where Jeff grew to save your client money.” up and studied at Brigham Young University. “We Because tax law is constantly changing, and be- really enjoy New York’s urban environment,” he said. cause new transaction structures continue to evolve, He and his wife have since welcomed two more Jeff said there is often no clear guidance on a specific sons into their home in Morningside Heights, and have issue. Tax lawyers must creatively analyze and give liked bringing their children to local parks, Columbia opinions on novel issues of law, and also often work to family fairs, and Law School trick-or-treating at convince the IRS and the courts that their tax treat- Halloween. “The community that we’ve experienced ment of a given transaction is correct. here has been remarkable,” Jeff said. As an undergraduate, Jeff thought he might be- The Tates will move this summer to Washington, come an auditor, but soon realized that a career in tax D.C., where Jeff will be a tax associate at Shearman & better suited him: “The tax savings often more than Sterling. Tax law, he said, offers “a lot of interesting pay for your fee, so your client is going to be happy. and challenging work for a young associate.” 8

2007-2008: The Year in Review

Faculty Hires ing and influences policy on a global scale,” Schizer said. Dean David M. Schizer has hired 11 faculty in just over Faculty Web Site a year to broaden course Projects offerings, reduce class size and further improve opportunities Professors Jane Ginsburg for mentorship between faculty and Timothy Wu launched and students. KeepYourCopyrights.org to The newest hires are help artists and writers retain Theodore M. Shaw ’79, an ac- control of their copyrights and tive voice in civil rights who manage those rights throughout has been the Director-Counsel their careers. and President of the NAACP Professor Conrad Johnson Legal Defense Fund since 2004; worked with students to build Jamal Greene, a constitutional a new Web site that documents law expert and former report- a disturbing drop in enroll- er who will teach courses on ment by African-American and constitutional law and the fed- Mexican-American students eral courts; Trevor W. Morrison in America’s law schools. The ’98, an expert on separation site’s URL is http://www2.law. of powers, federalism and ex- columbia.edu/civilrights. ecutive branch legal interpreta- Aiming to make federal Workers pour concrete on the top floor of Jerome Greene Hall during a $12.5 million project to add a new conference area tion who comes from Cornell case law more accessible to the for students, and 38 offices to accomodate the record growth in faculty. Law School; and Alexandra public – and free – Wu and Carter ’03, an associate attorney Stuart Sierra joined with the Professor Michael W. Doyle ing how greatly U.S. Supreme accurate could have their SEC with Cravath, Swaine & Moore University of Colorado Law proposes refashioning interna- Court decisions mold American recognition revoked. He made LLP and a mediator, who will School to launch AltLaw.org, tional laws related to preventive public opinion. Editors Persily, his suggestion during a Senate teach in the Mediation Clinic. which contains nearly 170,000 war. In Striking First: Preemption Jack Citrin and Patrick J. Egan Banking Committee hearing on Joining the faculty at the decisions dating back to the and Prevention in International brought together political sci- the subprime mortgage crisis. start of the 2007-08 academic early 1990s from the U.S. Conflict, Doyle strikes a bal- entists and law professors who Professor Daniel C. year were seven full-time profes- Supreme Court and Federal ance between current inter- analyze 50 years of polling data Richman cautioned the Senate sors with expertise in terrorism, Appellate courts. national law, which holds that to show how court decisions Committee on the Judiciary national security, human rights James E. Tierney, director states may go to war only after change or affect public opinion in September against imposing law, international economics, of the National State Attorneys being attacked or when facing on a wide array of the issues that legislative limits on the Justice criminal law, elections law and General Program at Columbia an “overwhelming” and “im- have defined the culture wars of Department’s negotiating tools other issues shaping the future of Law School and the former at- minent” threat, and the “Bush the past several decades. when prosecuting white-collar domestic and international pub- torney general of Maine, creat- Doctrine,” which advocates The New York Times said corporate fraud cases. He also lic law: Philip Bobbitt, Christina ed Web resources for consum- the use of force to “preempt Professor Emeritus Louis called on the committee to in- Duffy Burnett, Sarah Cleveland, ers and the media to address emerging threats.” Lowenstein is “a heck of an in- crease the financial resources for Ronald Mann, Nathaniel Persily, the subprime mortgage crisis. Professor George P. Fletcher vestigative reporter, as well as an such prosecutions. Richman’s Daniel Richman and Matthew The site (www.law.columbia. and Columbia Associate-in-Law astute financial advisor,” in re- testimony came as Congress de- Waxman. edu/center_program/ag/preda- Jens David Ohlin’s new book, viewing his book The Investor’s bated whether to impose limits “The addition of these dis- torylend) includes links to fact Defending Humanity: When Force Dilemma: How Mutual Funds Are on negotiations between federal tinguished scholars to our fac- sheets for consumers and schol- is Justified and Why, was the fo- Betraying Your Trust and What prosecutors and corporate en- ulty in areas of our traditional arly articles about subprime cus of a symposium March 31 To Do About It, published by tities over attorney-client and strengths solidifies the school’s lending and predatory lending. at Columbia Law School. The Wiley. It describes a current work product privilege waivers. leadership position for innova- book, published by Oxford financial scandal in the mutual In March, Professor Alex tive thinking about the most Faculty Books University Press, develops a funds industry. Raskolnikov gave testimony on fluid and pressing issues of the legal basis for humanitarian in- the tax treatment of derivatives moment, which are changing the Professor Philip Bobbitt’s new tervention. The book offers a Faculty Testimony before a U.S. House subcommit- face of domestic and internation- book, Terror and Consent, pub- new interpretation of Article 51 tee. Raskolnikov told members al law,” Dean Schizer said when lished by Alfred A. Knopf, re- of the United Nations Charter In September, Professor John of the House Ways and Means announcing the appointments. ceived a major review in the and the international law of C. Coffee told the Senate Committee’s Subcommittee on “Bringing these experts New York Times in April. The self-defense, and analyzes hu- Banking Committee that more Select Revenue Measures that together under one roof with Times called it “quite simply the manitarian intervention, ag- transparency could be created “financial derivatives offer- un our current standout faculty most profound book to have gressive war, and the doctrine for the credit rating industry precedented opportunities to will further the creative debate been written on the subject of of preventive war. if the Securities and Exchange reduce or eliminate capital in- and scholarship on current le- American foreign policy since Professor Nathaniel Persily Commission (SEC) started to come taxation.” The hearing gal issues that mark Columbia the attacks of 9/11 — indeed, co-edited a new book, Public calculate default rates for rating was related to the introduction Law School. It underscores since the end of the cold war.” Opinion and Constitutional agencies and make the informa- of a bill to revoke the tax ben- Columbia’s reputation as a In his new book from Controversy, which takes an in- tion public. Coffee said rating efits of exchange-traded notes, a school that drives new think- Princeton University Press, novative approach to measur- agencies that are especially in- form of retail derivative.

Since 2007, 11 professors have joined Columbia Law School.

Philip C. Bobbitt Christina Duffy Burnett Alexandra Carter ’03 Sarah H. Cleveland Jamal Greene 9

In testimony before the was presented the 2008 and representatives from the of the Columbia Program on Columbia Law Professor Ted New York State Commission Howard A. Levine Award for United States and vis- International Investment, said Shaw and Visiting Professor on Sentencing Reform in Excellence in Juvenile Justice ited Columbia for a sympo- that most countries stood to Lani Guinier were among those November, Professor Philip and Child Welfare April 24 at sium to mark the 10th anniver- profit from foreign direct invest- debating the uses of law and Genty said New York State the New York State Bar Center sary of the Chemical Weapons ment (FDI). But recently, first- litigation in promoting equal should update its parole prac- in Albany. The award recogniz- Convention. Diplomats and in- world countries, the traditional educational opportunity at a tices and increase resources for es individuals who have done ternational legal experts agreed advocates of FDI, have begun to symposium co-sponsored by prison rehabilitative programs outstanding work and have that the convention was a legal re-examine this position, he said. Teachers College and Columbia so it can promote public safety led the effort to improve New and diplomatic success story, Dean Schizer, an expert on Law School Nov. 12 and 13. and ensure successful re-entry York’s child welfare and juve- but they warned that the treaty’s tax policy, was a featured speak- Professor Jane Ginsburg of prisoners into society. nile justice system. effectiveness was threatened by er at “Taxing Philanthropy,’’ a addressed current threats to Earlier this month Professor In March, the works of pro- non-signatory nations, as well as day of discussion on Nov. 9 authors’ rights and discussed Peter Strauss testified before the fessors Coffee and Gordon were non-state actors such as terror- that probed U.S. tax law as it whether new business mod- U.S. House of Representatives included on the 2007 list of “10 ists. Professors Lori Damrosch applies to charitable donations. els benefit authors more than Committee on the Judiciary’s Best Corporate and Securities and Richard Gardner moder- Students took advantage investors in a speech giv- Subcommittee on Commercial Articles,” a list compiled ated discussions at the event, of the Deals Workshops on en at the 2007 Congress of and Administrative Law con- each year by the legal journal hosted by the Law School’s The Art of the Deal, Mergers the Association Littéraire et cerning rulemaking process and Corporate Practice Commentator. International Programs. and Acquisitions, Transactional Artistique Internationale in the unitary executive theory. This marks Coffee’s sev- Professor Matthew Waxman, Legal Studies and Deals Uruguay last fall. Ginsburg also He referred to his work on the enth article to be cited on the who served in a Pentagon post Litigation taught by expert spoke on “The Author’s Place President’s constitutional re- annual list and Gordon’s third. to address prisoner abuse cre- practitioners. Since 2002 the in 21st Century Copyright lationship to the agencies on Columbia professors have made ated in the wake of the Abu Deals Workshops have explored as Updated by the TRIPs which Congress has conferred the list for five consecutive Ghraib crisis, gave a lecture on the lawyer’s role in structuring [Trade-Related Aspects of regulatory authority and his re- years, and 11 of the 14 years Oct. 11 titled “Are We At War? and implementing business deals Intellectual Property Rights re- cent writing on the subject, an since the journal first started Trans-Atlantic Perspectives on to create value, manage risks, lated to Commerce] and WIPO essay in the George Washington publishing the list in 1994. Combating Terrorism,’’ spon- and promote client interests in [World Intellectual Property Law Review entitled “Overseer In all, 22 articles written by sored by the Columbia Law a complex business, legal, and Organization] Treaties.” or ‘The Decider’ – The President Professors John Coffee, in Administrative Law.” Jeffrey Gordon, Curtis Milhaupt and Richard Gilson took part in Faculty Awards and a conference Dec. 7 to mark the Appointments 75th anniversary of the ground- breaking book on business law Professor Zohar Goshen in which the late Columbia Law January was tapped by Israeli School Professor Adolph Berle Finance Minister Ronnie Bar- co-authored with economist On to become the new chair- Gardiner Means, The Modern man of the Israeli Security Corporation and Private Property. Authority. The globalization of finan- Professor Harvey cial markets was discussed at the Goldschmid ’65 was named in “Cross Border Securities Market September to the board of the Mergers Conference” presented Center for Audit Quality, a jointly by the Law School and nonprofit organization whose the Business School on Dec. mission is to improve the reli- 19. Christopher Cox, Chairman ability of public audits and boost of the SEC, gave the keynote investor confidence. (Left to right) Prof. Timothy Wu, Morton L. Janklow ’53, Prof. Jane Ginsburg and Dean Schizer during the September address. Professors Merritt B. Professor Suzanne Goldberg launch of KeepYourCopyrights.org, a Web site to educate creators about copyright and contracts. The Kernochan Center for Fox, Lawrence Glosten and Law, Media and the Arts and the Program on Law and Technology unveiled the site at an event which honored Janklow, a received the 2008 Public Interest literary agent and fervent advocate for authors’ rights who is a frequent visiting lecturer in intellectual property law. Harvey J. Goldschmid, a for- Faculty of the Year Award in mer SEC commissioner, as well April. The award, given by Columbia Law School faculty School Association. regulatory environment. as Meyer Eisenberg, Adjunct students, recognizes “a faculty have made the lists. The Software Freedom Instructors this year includ- Senior Research Scholar and member or administrator who Law Center (SFLC), provider of ed Arthur S. Kaufman, a partner Lecturer-in-Law, organized has supported and inspired a Faculty Conferences, pro-bono legal services to pro- resident in Fried Frank’s New the event. significant portion of the public Symposia and Lectures tect and advance Free and Open York office; James B. McHugh, Professor Philip Hamburger interest law student community Source Software, hosted a Legal of counsel at Goldman Sachs & addressed how different forms at the Law School.” Professor Philip C. Bobbitt Summit for Software Freedom Co.; Scott Semer, a partner of of Christianity and Islam have Professor Jeffrey N. Gordon and Sir Lawrence Freedman, on Oct. 12 at Columbia Law the New York office of Davies affected the development of free was named on April 11 a fel- Vice-Principal and Professor School. Speakers includ- Ward Phillips & Vineberg; Igor and open societies at a sympo- low of the European Corporate at King’s College, London, of- ed Professor Eben Moglen, Kirman, Trevor S. Norwitz sium hosted by the Council on Governance Institute, an inter- fered diverging views on the Executive Director of SFLC. and William Savitt, partners Foreign Relations on Mar. 25. national scientific non-profit as- feasibility of a war on terror in On Oct. 30, Professor at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & “Religion is fundamental to the sociation that provides a forum a lecture titled, “Does the War Katharina Pistor guided a round- Katz.; and Ilan Nissan, a part- very liberty that we think we for debate among academics, on Terror Make Sense?” The table discussion on international ner at O’Melveny & Myers’ sometimes need to protect from legislators and practitioners. He event took place at Brooks’s investment agreements at the New York office. religion,” said Hamburger, who joins two other Columbia Law Club in London, England last Second Columbia International Columbia University emphasized the interconnect- professors at the institute: John October. Investment Conference. President Lee Bollinger, edness between a society and C. Coffee and Ronald J. Gilson. In October nearly a doz- Opening the discussion, Karl Professor Susan Sturm, former its religion. Professor Jane M. Spinak en ambassadors, academics P. Sauvant, executive director NAACP President and new (continued on next page)

Ronald Mann Trevor W. Morrison ’98 Nathaniel Persily Daniel C. Richman Theodore M. Shaw ’79 Matthew Waxman 10

A Year of Sesquicentennial Events Continued from page 1 with her at the Supreme Court. to Columbia Law School at a Columbia Law School alumni “The Justice sets a very special dinner at the Morgan Library & who played oversized roles tone in chambers that combines Museum on Feb. 28. The cel- as judges in their time, such intellectual rigor with personal ebration began with a cocktail as U.S. Supreme Court warmth,” Schizer said. “It is a reception in J.P. Morgan’s li- Justices Charles Evans Hughes, tone that I have tried to emu- brary and study. The dinner was Benjamin Cardozo and Harlan late with my students.” held in the recently constructed Fiske Stone. Over the past 150 years, Gilbert Court, part of the mu- The Sesquicentennial con- hundreds of Columbia Law seum’s 2006 expansion designed tinues this fall, with reunion School alumni have gone on to by architect Renzo Piano. events Oct. 17–19 in London serve as judges at every level of Professor Thomas W. Merrill to underscore the Law School’s the state and federal systems; six gave the keynote address, high- global reach and focus, includ- became U.S. Supreme Court lighting Columbia University’s ing a welcoming reception at justices. That service continues close relationship with the judi- the historic Spencer House and to this day, with more than ciary, starting with James Kent, an academic program focusing (Left to right) Law School Prof. Debra Livingston, who was inducted to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit last November, talks with New 300 alumni currently serving as hired in 1793 as the first profes- on international legal issues York State Supreme Court Justice Rena Uviller ’62 at the Morgan Library dinner. judges across the country and sor of law at the university, well at the Hotel Intercontinental. around the world. before the Law School itself was The event will end with a gala at Cipriani 42nd Street in New Justice Ginsburg is scheduled To honor the long history founded. In 1798, Gov. John Jay at the Banqueting House, a York and a program to highlight to attend. of Columbia alumni serving at named Kent to the New York historic royal palace designed the school’s history, its impact To find out more, check all levels of the judiciary, more Supreme Court. by Inigo Jones. on the legal profession domes- the Law School alumni page at than 50 alumni who are judges Merrill’s speech also The Sesquicentennial con- tically and globally, its current http://www.law.columbia.edu/ celebrated their connection explored the influence of cludes Oct. 25 with a dinner mission and its future goals. alumni.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg ’59 hosted a black-tie dinner to mark the Law Four former deans joined Dean Schizer for a photo during the Winter Luncheon. (Left to right) David Leebron School’s Sesquicentennial. Addressing students, faculty and alumni, she reflected (1996–2004), now president of ; Prof. Barbara Aronstein Black (1986–91); Dean Schizer; Benno Schmidt on her time at the Law School and noted that Dean Schizer had been her clerk. (1984–86), now Chairman of the Board of Trustees of The City University of New York; and Prof. Pictured (left to right) are Columbia University President Lee Bollinger ’71, (1991–96). Also in attendance was Prof. Michael Sovern, dean from 1970–79. Justice Ginsburg and Dean Schizer.

2007-2008 Year in Review Continued from page 9 As disturbing cases of violence April 8 and sponsored by Other Academic and and Peru that passed in the ing the wireless network in on American college campuses the Columbia Society of Research News U.S. House of Representatives a 2007 paper, “Wireless Net continue to make headlines, the International Law, was ti- in November. “On close in- Neutrality: Cellular Carterfone Law School hosted a conference tled “Reform and Challenges Students had a rare opportunity spection, the Agreement’s la- and Consumer Choice in on the trend. “Violence on Confronting Regional Human Oct. 4 to watch real cases argued bor provisions lack teeth,” Mobile Broadband,” first pub- Campus: Prediction, Prevention Rights Regimes,” and critically before judges Arthur J. Gajarsa, Barenberg said. “There is no lished by the New America and Response,” was organized compared two regional human Alan D. Lourie and Sharon Prost meaningful mechanism for Foundation. by Professors Elizabeth S. Scott rights courts. Professor Lori of the United States Court of continuous verification that Columbia Law School’s and Jeffrey A. Fagan. Damrosch, the luncheon speak- Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Peru is complying with basic new Center for Contract and The April 4th event fea- er, said the two regions’ human It was the court’s first visit to labor rights. It won’t help real Economic Organization, a tured academic experts from rights systems affect the United Columbia Law School, where the workers in real workplaces.” year-old entity focused on ex- law and the social sciences, States, despite the fact that audience of 300 students and fac- The Federal Communications amining the contracts and busi- policy makers and practitioners. Washington is party to neither ulty heard lawyers argue the ap- Commission held a historic ness structures created when a Sessions covered predicting court. For example, the U.S. peals of three very disparate cases. auction in January under rules corporation goes global, plans violence, how college violence Justice Department and federal The court is based in Washington, first proposed by Professor Tim to analyze how economic the- differs from such incidents at the courts have leaned on these in- D.C., but traditionally travels the Wu. The government agency ory and contract law affect real K-12 level, understanding and ternational courts’ findings in first week of October. accepted bids for some of the corporations. “The technologi- preventing campus suicide, their efforts to thwart terrorism Karl Sauvant, executive di- nation’s most valuable airwaves, cal revolution brought on by media coverage of campus vio- and also to strike down state rector of the Columbia Program requiring the winners to ad- access to less expensive, but lence, the legal issues around pri- sodomy laws, Damrosch said. on International Investment, an- here to “wireless Carterfone” skilled labor around the world vacy vs. public safety, and trans- Professor Sarah Cleveland, co- nounced a $1.5 million grant over principles that Wu recom- has created opportunities for lating theories into practice. director of Columbia’s Human the next five years from Vale, the mended last year. Under auc- innovation in how firms struc- In April Columbia hosted a Rights Institute, led the first world’s second largest diversi- tion rules, wireless companies ture themselves,” said Professor Corporate Social Responsibility panel in examining the struc- fied mining company in market – which have traditionally re- Robert Scott, co-director of panel featuring Professor Mark ture and reform of one of the capitalization, to create the Vale- stricted network usage – must the center. That, in turn, has Barenberg and moderated by bodies, the ICHR. Professor Columbia Center on Sustainable keep the bandwidth open to created a demand for more in- Ellen P. Chapnick, Columbia George Bermann, director of International Investment. any device that does not harm novation in contracts, Scott Law School Dean for Social the European Legal Studies Professor Mark Barenberg the network. This could in- said. “What we are seeing are Justice Initiatives. Center, moderated the second released a report that con- clude everything from better new forms of economic organi- The annual Wolfgang panel in a discussion of the demned the free trade agree- cell phones to devices not yet zation in response to the need Friedmann Conference, held European human rights regime. ment between the United States invented. Wu proposed open- to rapidly adapt.” 11

2007-08 Student Clinic Triumphs

Columbia Law School’s seven clinics provide students with hands-on lawyering experience while giving expert legal advice to clients who otherwise might not have had access to any legal advocacy

Fund for Women on a campaign information on mining compa- completed the first stage of re- to have transitional justice mech- nies, investors, labor conditions search to determine best prac- anisms do more to address gen- and supply chains, all toward tices when representing adoles- der-based and sexual violence. engaging the government in re- cents and identified law reform negotiating and reviewing min- needs for youth aging out of THE HUMAN ing contracts and major inter- the foster care system, which RIGHTS CLINIC national agreements to be more will be the basis for regulatory Students successfully petitioned meaningful to, and better reflect proposals and litigation in the the Inter-American Commission the interest of the local popula- 2008–2009 clinic. on Human Rights on behalf tion. Aisha Weaver, Chia-Li Cho of Jessica Lenahan, formerly and Kathryn Khamsi were par- MEDIATION CLINIC Gonzales, whose three daugh- ticularly instrumental. Students worked with such ters were killed when local organizations as Safe Horizon, Colorado police refused to en- THE CHILD Manhattan Civil Court, Harlem force a restraining order against ADVOCACY CLINIC Small Claims Court and the her former husband. Cheryl James, Alanna Frisby, Equal Employment Opportunity Jessica Ruth Gonzales v. Tope Yusuf, Mary Ross, Commission. Amos Blackman, Eddie Bruce-Jones and Marie-Amelie George ’07 strategize United States of America marked Alison Wright and Kim Zafran Students settled disputes on their projects during a meeting of the Sexuality and Gender Law Clinic. the first time an individual worked on the Adolescent between neighbors, landlords complaint by a victim of do- Representation Project. Students and tenants; family members; THE SEXUALITY AND researching country conditions, mestic violence was brought assisted clients in securing edu- and co-workers. Carla Martinez GENDER LAW CLINIC filling out forms and providing against the United States alleg- cation, appropriate placements, and Anna Kolontyrsky medi- In May 2007 the clinic secured assistance during Messam’s asy- ing international human rights visits with family members, ated a dispute between a student asylum for a Turkmen woman lum interview. violations. Class of 2008 stu- post-discharge financial support and professor who had physi- who feared persecution because Students in the clinic also dents Rachel Barish, Elizabeth and services for pregnant and cally attacked each other and of her sexual orientation and published Defending Your Rights: Howell, Suzannah Phillips, parenting teens. Students also (continued on next page) her political opinions. Jonathan A Transgender, Lesbian, Gay and Helen Ronen, Fabrice Van A. Lieberman and John Olsen Bisexual User’s Guide to the New Michel and Jacqui Zalcberg were among those who provided York City Commission on Human were among those who worked legal assistance to the woman. Rights in January to explain on the complaint. “We are very proud that New York City human rights Students in the Sexuality our client will be able to live law which makes it illegal to and Gender Law Clinic and the openly as a lesbian and be safe discriminate because of gender Human Rights Clinic collabo- from government-sponsored an- identity or sexual orientation. rated and contributed to Race ti-gay persecution,” students said Amos Blackman contributed. and Realities in New York City, in a statement. Adam Pulver argued a a report to the United Nations In November 2007 the case in federal court in Boston Committee on the Elimination of clinic secured asylum for Ven on behalf of a gay inmate in Racial Discrimination. Jonathan Messam, a gay man who feared Massachusetts whose parole was Lieberman and Simrin Parmar persecution if forced to re- denied. The clinic brought fed- contributed. turn to his native Jamaica. eral claims that allege the denial In the Democratic Republic Lieberman and Simrin Parmar was because of bias related to of Congo, clinic students are helped prepare Messam’s ap- his being openly gay. working in partnership with The Human Rights Clinic students with Jessica Lenahan, whom they represent in plication for asylum. The stu- Jimena Avalos Capin The Carter Center to conduct Jessica Ruth Gonzales v. United States of America before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. (Left to right) Suzannah Phillips, Elizabeth dents spent months conducting worked extensively with the field research and create an in- Howell, Shilpi Agarwal ’09, Jessica Lenahan, Lecturer-in-Law Caroline Betting- interviews, drafting affidavits, United Nations Development teractive online map containing er-López, Julia Neiva LL.M.’07, Annie Gell ’09 and Crystal López ’09.

MEET THE CLASS OF 2008

“Every walk of life converges in New York.” Aaron Spiwak, J.D., Age 25, , California

Aaron Spiwak was on a finance track at Washington desire to become a prosecutor. Working in the vio- University in St. Louis but realized after a banking lent crimes and terrorism division, he participated in internship that he was more interested in law. A sum- the prosecution of a multiple homicide case, drafted mer at the law firm of O’Melveny & Myers affirmed a response to a habeas corpus petition, and assisted an his view. armed robbery trial from start to finish. The variety of people at Columbia, the alma mater “I really liked the inter-federal agency aspect of an O’Melveny lawyer Aaron worked with, appealed and having autonomy within a larger hierarchy,” to him, as did its urban campus. Aaron said. While at Columbia he participated in Law After graduation, Aaron will return to his home- Revue, the student senate and the Journal of Law and town of Los Angeles and O’Melveny & Myers to focus Social Problems. on litigation. He looks forward to working at a law Aaron’s 1L summer at the U.S. Attorney’s Office firm with a number of former prosecutors and devel- for the Eastern District in Brooklyn strengthened his oping skills that will help him on that career path. 12

Students Gain Skills While Assisting Clients in Clinics Continued from page 11 were suing for medical expenses the Second Circuit Court of fare benefits. The database al- Samuel Siegel helped create Jon Solorzano worked with a and emotional distress. Anne- Appeals rejected the EPA’s rules lows advocates to track and ad- the prototype of a new online 2L partner to program a user- Carmena Almonord and Adam on six grounds argued by the dress systemic problems in real judicial training and education friendly interface that prompts Ross ’09 mediated between sib- clinic. The case is now before time and make referrals. resource which will be used to a tenant, through simple ques- lings in a credit card dispute and the United States Supreme Tayo Giwa, Shan Jiang and train the next incoming class of tions, to produce a customized Sagar Ravi and Vanessa Foncke Court. Jim Doggett, Dan Brian John K. Johnson represented town and village justices. legal document, as an avatar between angry neighbors. and Sarah Hollinshead assisted. long-term homeless clients Courtney Colby, Ruven walks the tenant through what through administrative hear- Ellberger, Anne-Lise Quach, would otherwise be legal jar- ENVIRONMENTAL Heather Mitchell, Patrick gon. LAW CLINIC (Russell) Wong, and Neil Yang Won Park and Sara Froikin have worked to develop a pro- NON-PROFIT went on a fact-finding mis- totype Web site for the branch of ORGANIZATION/SMALL sion this fall to São Tomé and Legal Aid that works with not- BUSINESS CLINIC Principe, which faces deforesta- for-profit corporations and small Non-profits are an increas- tion. The country’s chief envi- business. In addition, they have ingly important sector of our ronment official asked for help all worked with corporate clients economy and are growing in in curtailing the problem from on direct service, including an af- significance throughout the Columbia University’s Earth ter school program, the incorpo- world. Micro-enterprises are Institute. This spring Park, ration of a non-profit group that key players in grassroots eco- Froikin and Kristina Schwartz will bring musical mentoring and nomic development. This clinic wrote a report reviewing the performance opportunities to the helps students become effective country’s environmental laws young people of Harlem, and a and ethical lawyers by provid- and offering solutions. tenants association that will form ing high-quality transactional Schwartz, Johanna Coats a corporation to own and man- representation to both types of and Alexandra Reeve successful- age their building. organizations. ly defended a citizen group in a Environmental Law Clinic students provided assistance to the African nation of Becca von Behren did so- Shannon Rebholz po- São Tomé in its fight against deforestation. Here, Prof. Ed Lloyd strategizes over defamation case brought against a map of São Tomé with clinic students (left to right) Kristina Schwartz, Sara phisticated health law work sitioned a 40-year-old East it for raising public health con- Froikin and Won Park. with Legal Aid, taming the Harlem organization for expan- cerns about asbestos in its com- complexities of responding to sion of its community develop- munity. After five years of liti- LAWYERING IN THE ings. In both cases, the clients an overburdened hot-line. ment programs. Brian Larkin gation, the citizen group settled DIGITAL AGE CLINIC received favorable decisions Rob Watkins worked with represented a major provider of the case without paying any Sarah Harnett, Diana Marter, which included benefit awards. the Harlem Office of the Legal low-income housing to analyze damages to the plaintiff. David Mindell, Sarah Mullin Both clients moved to perma- Aid Society updating an ad- possible changes in its corpo- Froikin, Vivian Wang and and Melody Wells worked with nent housing. vanced rent calculator that al- rate structure. Zahra Egal gave Nathan Carle successfully rep- programmers at the Columbia Gabriel Gershowitz, Kelly lows stabilized rents to be cal- a presentation to more than resented Brooklyn Borough Center for New Media Ann Shaw, Jared Foley and Zee culated in accordance with the 50 budding non-profits on the President Marty Markowitz, Teaching and Learning to create Zhiyuan successfully represented complex annual rent orders. corporate and tax law govern- Brooklyn Community Board #1 the “Collateral Consequences mentally and physically disabled Tom O’Reilly, Collin Peng- ing their organizations. Helen and the Greenpoint/Williamsburg Calculator,” the second phase of clients referred by the Coalition Sue, Veronica Andrews and Ogbara helped a program for Waterfront Task Force in a chal- a project that provides attorneys for the Homeless. The victories Gabriel Reyes worked on a va- the homeless and survivors of lenge to a proposed power plant and jurists with an overview of produced financial benefits that riety of landlord tenant issues: domestic violence get started. on the East River waterfront the collateral consequences in allow their clients to leave the digital evidence for the court- Michael Rosado and Jordana in Brooklyn. In March 2008, immigration and public housing homeless shelter system. room, powerpoint educational Grodnitzky helped a group the New York State Board on of commonly charged provi- Columbia’s new Center for materials for tenant groups, working in Kenya with its cor- Electric Generation Siting and sions of New York’s Penal Law. Institutional and Social Change court appearances for individuals porate and tax structure. John the Environment denied the The site is at http://ccnmtl.co- worked with Sarah Calvert, and electronic knowledge man- Bennett wrote a chapter of a application. lumbia.edu/triangle/from_port- Christopher Castillo, Laura agement techniques for tenant book for lawyers advising non- The clinic represented 17 folio.html. D’Allaird and Jiandong Li to organizers. profits. Iqbal Khan provided environmental groups in their Aden Allen, Amardeep consider the effective use of The Administrative Judge the corporate and tax help to successful challenge that over- Bharj, Bachir Karam, Julian technology and information in of the New York City Civil get a small Web-based business turned regulations adopted by Moore and Benjamin Rose developing an architecture of Court commissioned the clinic off the ground. Chiraag Kumar the Environmental Protection helped create an online data- inclusion in higher education. to create a computer program helped devise an appropriate Agency which failed to mini- base and extranet to help Project In a joint effort with Chief through which unrepresented legal structure for a group that mize aquatic mortality to mil- FAIR provide information and Judge Judith S. Kaye and tenants can create an affida- trains the homeless for restau- lions of fish, shellfish and oth- service to those facing a denial the New York State Judicial vit to support an application rant jobs. er wildlife. In January 2007, or reduction of subsistence wel- Institute, Neal Hannan and to vacate a default judgment.

14th Annual Paul Robeson Conference

This year’s Paul Robeson Conference addressed “The 40th Anniversary of the Fair Housing Act: Continuing Housing Inequality and Ideas for Change.” Brian Larkin (right) delivered the wel- come remarks. The day’s panels covered such topics as “Subprime, Predatory Lending and the Foreclosure Crisis,” and “Using Legal Activism to Rehabilitate Communities.” Jeh Charles Johnson ’82, a partner with Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, gave the luncheon address. Johnson, a former assistant U.S. attorney and general counsel for the U.S. Air Force, talked about the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as well as his own work in support of Barack Obama’s presidential bid. The symposium concluded with a dinner and gala, where Charlotte Lewis (far left), with Laura James ’10, was recognized as an “outstanding 3L.” Columbia Law School’s Black Law Students Association hosts the conference to honor Paul Robeson ’23 for his stance against oppression and inequality. 13

Support for Public Interest Law Grads

Service to society through a career in public interest law is a tradition at Columbia offered by law schools nationally: Law School. In 1983, the Law School recognized that educational debt discouraged many graduates from pursuing their passion for public-spirited work. To remove this Loans will be forgiven more quickly – beginning after five years of obstacle, Columbia Law School established a Loan Repayment Assistance Program • eligible employment. (LRAP). In February of this year, the Law School announced enhancements to the In calculating a graduate’s household income, the Law School now will program. The changes take effect July 1, 2008. • take into consideration a spouse’s education debt. “Columbia Law School has a longstanding tradition of leadership through service in government and public interest organizations,’’ said Dean David M. Schizer. “As • Benefits will be provided for an employer-sponsored parental leave of up we celebrate the traditions that define our Law School during our 150th year, I am to six months. delighted to announce these significant enhancements to our LRAP program.” Benefits will be available to graduates working part-time to care for children. Under the current program, LRAP benefits begin to phase out as a graduate • earns more than $25,000. This income threshold will be doubled for the Class of A strengthened LRAP, combined with guaranteed funding for summer public in- 2008 and all subsequent J.D. classes. Benefits will not begin to phase out until a terest work for J.D. students and postgraduate fellowship opportunities, provides a graduate earns more than $50,000. superior advantage to Columbia Law School students and graduates interested in In addition, four other enhancements are being provided to all J.D. classes, pursuing career opportunities with non-profits, government agencies, human rights making the Columbia Law School LRAP one of the most generous programs organizations, academia and other institutions.

MEET THE CLASS OF 2008

“I thought I would go home to practice in the Midwest after graduation. But three years of getting to know the city and experiencing the pace and challenge of legal practice here changed my mind.” Kristin Yemm, J.D., Age 25, St. Louis, Missouri

Kristin Yemm, a lifelong Midwesterner, came to New American Legal History (Columbia College). She had York City by way of London. The native of St. Louis, taken first-year classes with both Sturm and Witt, and she Missouri, attended the University of Notre Dame and said they set high standards. thought she might like to live in an international city after “I couldn’t have imagined a better introduction to a semester abroad in England’s capital. Columbia,” Kristin said. “Professor Sturm knows she’s The next year, as she applied to law schools, teaching a really difficult subject and cares so much about Columbia’s strength in corporate law drew Kristin, who her students,” Kristin added. “She also really cares about majored in accounting at Notre Dame. how the rules of civil procedure impact people and jus- “I’ve always been interested in how companies do tice; you’re not just memorizing the rule.” business,” she said. “Accounting is really the language of Kristin also enjoyed the seminar in deals litigation, business, and that background has been valuable.” co-taught by two lecturers-in-law at Columbia who While at the Law School Kristin served as a teaching are partners at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, where assistant for Professors Susan Sturm and John Witt in their Kristin spent her 2L summer, and where she will work respective courses in Civil Procedure (Law School) and after graduation.

“Columbia was the obvious choice for me. It’s the best for intellectual property law and provides excellent opportunities to do social justice work. Plus, New York is the greatest city in the world!” Gabriel Martinez, J.D., Age 25, New York, New York

Gabe’s story is one of ends and beginnings joined. He All along, he has painted in oil, his favorite medium. was born in Morningside Heights, and though his fam- Through the Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts clinic, ily left the neighborhood for a farm in Maryland, after Gabe realized the kind of law he wanted to pursue. 18 years he returned as a Columbia College anthropol- “Each week we were exposed to a new facet of enter- ogy major. He worked for a year as a fundraiser (and tainment law by some of the top practitioners in the the only male employee) of The New York Women’s field,” he said. He became interested in advertising and Foundation, and then returned yet again to Columbia emerging entertainment issues like viral marketing and for law school. branded entertainment. “I love the creative and psy- At Columbia, he sought to gain professional skills chological elements of advertising and entertainment and serve the causes he champions. Gabe still volunteers law, its cutting-edge legal work, and I hope to help at the Women’s Foundation. He spent his 1L summer shape the policies that develop.” at the ACLU, and he was President of the Latino Law He leaves Columbia for the entertainment de- Student Association. He and his teammate Lisa Sandoval partment at Loeb & Loeb, coincidentally located in won best brief in the National Native American Law the same Park Avenue building where his grandfather Students Moot Court competition, and their brief was worked as a janitor after emigrating from Puerto Rico published this year in The American Indian Law Review. some 60 years ago. 14

From the Hudson River to West Africa: 2008 GRADUATES’ WORK RANGES FAR AND WIDE

For three years, members of the Class of 2008 have toiled in classes, crammed for exams and juggled the demands of work and family. Along the way, they have achieved personal, academic and creative milestones. Here’s a sampling.

Mike Plumb, an Environmental wrote bench memoranda for She helped create a permanent ternational trade law during his Law Clinic student and former the judges which explained the and reusable knowledge base time at Oxford. U.S. Air Force officer, wrote a legal issues and possible argu- for the Tenants Association. report with Basil Seggos, chief ments and developed a case Columbia Law School an- investigator at Riverkeeper, record for the contestants Lisa Sachs (right) co-wrote a nounced two human rights which advocated long-term so- to work from. Chief Justice book for her peers and higher fellows for 2008. Suzannah lutions to New York’s combined Roberts complimented Alison at education trustees and adminis- Phillips is this year’s Henkin- sewage overflows, which leave the finals on the complexity of trators who want to advocate re- Stoffel Fellow, while Jonathan most parts of New York City’s the legal problem she created. sponsible investing at their uni- Gant is this year’s David W. waterfront and beaches unsafe Alison, who will draft and versities. Integrating Environmental, Leebron Human Rights Fellow. for recreation after it rains. review statutes for the U.S. Social and Governance Issues Phillips will spend a year New York City could ef- Senate after graduation, said Into Institutional Investment — working with Vivo Positivo in fectively reduce the raw sew- setting up the legal problem was A Handbook for Colleges and Santiago, Chile, where she will age in its harbor and create such a large undertaking that Universities was produced by investigate discrimination against a greener environment if it she started on it last summer. Amnesty International and who use plain, clear and con- women living with HIV/AIDS adopts strategies cited in the the Responsible Endowments cise language. Only 15 student who seek reproductive health report, “Sustainable Raindrops: Veronica Andrews and her 2L Coalition. authors are selected from en- care services, and publish a re- Cleaning New York Harbor partner received a letter of At the Human Rights tries received from the nation’s port to help NGOs in the region by Greening the Urban thanks copied to Dean Schizer Clinic, Lisa co-organized the law schools. Tracy receives her that litigate such cases interna- Landscape.” from the president of the first meeting ever for higher ed- award June 16 at the Library of tionally. Phillips will spend the In April 2007, New York Tenants Association commend- ucation committees on respon- Congress in Washington, D.C. second year of her fellowship City Mayor Michael Bloomberg ing their Lawyering in the sible investment. “Connecting at the Center for Reproductive Rishab Gupta cited Riverkeeper’s findings in Digital Age Clinic work at the Committees: Opportunities was named Rights International Division in “PLANYC: 2030,” a proposal Dunbar, a 500-unit low-cost for Responsible Investment at a Rhodes Scholar for 2008. New York. to improve New York’s envi- cooperative building in Harlem. Colleges and Universities” was Gupta grew up in Delhi, India, Gant will work at the ronment. Andrews worked to protect the held in April 2008. and earned a B.A. in mathemat- Sustainable Development residents from eviction and to ics from Delhi University. He Institute in Monrovia, Liberia, For Alison Wright, researching secure proper repairs. Tracy Appleton won a 2008 is in a dual degree program at providing community outreach and writing legal problems ap- The president praised the Burton Award for Legal Columbia Law School and the and advocacy to prevent com- pealed more than arguing cases. students for their “demeanor Writing. For the past nine years, London School of Economics. panies granted logging conces- After editing legal problems and passion” and for how “ded- Burton, a non-profit organiza- He plans to conduct research in sions from infringing on com- in the foundation-year moot icated and genuinely concerned tion, has honored law students public international law and in- munity land tenure rights. court program, she decided to they have been,” and award- apply for the job to draft the ed them status as “part of the legal problem that other stu- Dunbar Tenants Association A full list of the Class of 2008 prize and award winners dents would argue during this family.” Veronica drafted plead- announced at graduation can be found at: spring’s Harlan Fiske Stone ings, spoke on a client’s behalf http://www.law.columbia.edu/media_inquiries/news_events/2008/Graduation_2008/Awards Moot Court competition. in court, and made presenta- Alison crafted the case, tions to large groups of tenants.

MEET THE CLASS OF 2008

“Columbia opened me up to the possibility of doing human rights work at home. There’s a lot to do.” Tanaz Moghadam, J.D., Age 25, Rye, New York

For Tanaz Moghadam, law school was a longtime calling Interest Law,” she said. and a natural fit. “I’ve always loved to be engaged in argu- Tanaz spent her 1L summer in the Ivory Coast ments and to be able to communicate better,” she said. where she worked in an emergency obstetrics program Her interest in human rights developed during with a fellowship through Columbia’s Human Rights her first year at college when she read Me Against My Internship Program. She said that since coming to the Brother: At War in Somalia, Sudan, and Rwanda by jour- Law School, she has become increasingly interested in nalist Scott Peterson. “I wanted to see this firsthand the civil liberties side of public interest work. An ex- and I wanted to know what happened,” Tanaz said of ternship at the ACLU sparked her interest in challeng- her reaction to the book. ing executive overreach, which she sees as a domestic Tanaz followed through on her concern as an un- effect of the war on terror. dergraduate. She conducted field work in Tanzania, She will clerk for Judge Jan E. Dubois of the U.S. Morocco and Rwanda, then worked at the International District Court for the Eastern District of , Center for Transitional Justice for a year as she applied and she plans to go into public interest work after- to law schools. wards. “I have this passion for transitional justice and “I picked Columbia because of the amount of sup- seeing communities emerge from violent conflict,” port you get right away from the Center for Public she said. 15

MEET THE CLASS OF 2008

“There can be a balance between economic development and envi- ronmental sustainability. Part of understanding how to achieve that equilibrium is to see what fuels economic development — sometimes the private sector, sometimes the government — and how it works.” Won Park, J.D., Age 28, Franklin Lakes, New Jersey

During Fulbright Scholarship seminars in Korea with public participation in environmental policy-making. academics, politicians and artists in 2002–03, New Jersey “That summer really pushed me toward envi- native Won Park decided to get involved in current ronmental law,” Won said. She participated in the policy issues, but felt that with a liberal arts degree alone Environmental Law Clinic her second and third years she “would be seen internationally as an ivory tower.” at Columbia. Two days after running the New York Won, who earned her bachelor’s degree from Harvard, City Marathon in November 2007, she went with the interned at the American Chamber of Commerce in clinic on a fact-finding mission to São Tomé, where Seoul and then went to China to learn Mandarin. There she and others investigated deforestation issues and met she worked at the American Bar Association’s Asia Law with government officials, NGO directors and timber Initiative on rule of law programs. She also shadowed company executives. a United Nations Development Programme project fo- At law school Won also served as the fundraising cused on reducing poverty and human trafficking in the chair of the Columbia Law Women’s Association and Chinese ethnic minority population. co-president of the Asian Pacific American Law Students Won chose Columbia Law School for its strength in Association. human rights and the international diversity of the J.D. Won will join Dewey & LeBoeuf as an associate in and LL.M. programs. The Human Rights Internship project finance, focusing on energy issues and gaining Program sponsored her 1L summer in Beijing, where she skills that will serve her long-term goal of working in worked with the Natural Resources Defense Council on eco-sustainable development and environmental policy.

“Morningside Heights is one of the great benefits of Columbia. It’s an academic community that feels like its own city within New York City.” John Bennett, J.D., Age 28, Duxbury, Massachusetts

John Bennett had not always planned to become a John participated extensively in the public interest com- lawyer. After earning a bachelor’s degree in history at munity. He coordinated the annual fundraiser Deans’ Tufts University, he worked at the Fidelity Investments Cup game against NYU, which raised over $140,000 Charitable Gift Fund in Boston, Massachusetts. He be- this year, and served on the boards of the Public Interest gan in grant-making and then moved into compliance, Law Foundation and the ACLU. where he grew fascinated by the legal aspects of the Several of John’s favorite classes included a semi- non-profit sector, and decided to go to law school. nar on Non-Profit Corporations with Professors The Massachusetts native wanted to study in New Harvey Goldschmid and Peter Swords, the Non-Profit York City, and a Columbia Law alum who worked Organizations Clinic with Professor Barbara Schatz and as outside counsel for the Fidelity Gift Fund gave tax courses with Professor Alex Raskolnikov. positive reviews. John said Columbia has more than met John will stay in New York to work in the tax- his expectations. exempt organizations group at Simpson Thacher & “I was amazed by the vibrancy of public interest on Bartlett, which counsels some of the most sophisticated campus,” John said. During his three years at Columbia, private foundations and public charities in the world.

Students Use Their Spring Break To Give Back, Rather Than Kick Back Two groups of Columbia Law School students spent their spring break in The Student Hurricane Network sent students Jason Lapkin, Uzoma March doing pro bono work. Some of them fulfilled their pro bono re- Nkwonta and Shelita Stewart to do pro bono work at Safe Streets/Strong quirement for graduation, and all of them got to be part of a cohesive public Communities in New Orleans; Travis Davis and James Rosenblum to the interest community while experiencing the law in practice in other places. Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center; Ashley Scott to the Under the auspices of Columbia Law School’s Criminal Justice Action Louisiana Justice Institute; and Nina Yadava and Owen Conroy to work on Network (CJAN), students worked on legal issues that ranged from immi- the issues related to the FEMA Trailer evictions and appeals. gration to the death penalty and public defending. “Some of us do receive pro bono credit for the work done on the trip, Graduating students Nathan Carle, Brian Chang, Jeff Comeau, Ketul but there are much easier and less expensive ways to fulfill this require- Gondha, John Johnson, Rachel Laster, Anish Monga, Meghan Sheridan, ment,” said student organizer Uzoma. “I am very grateful for the commit- Stacy Tillett and Siddharth Velamoor worked in CJAN placements from the ment of those who signed up. I think we all realize that it’s very important California Appellate Project in San Francisco to the Public Defender Service for us not to forget the devastation in the region and that there is much in Washington, D.C., to the American Civil Liberties Union in San Juan, work to be done.” Puerto Rico and, this year for the first time, at the Centro de los Derechos del Migrante (Center for Migrant Rights) in Zacatecas, Mexico. 16

Deans’ Cup Returned to Columbia Law School

The ad hoc co-ed basketball teams that Columbia Law School students and garnered more than $140,000 for public interest law programs for each school. professors form each year for the annual Deans’ Cup game between Columbia Craig Boneau, Jordan Connors, John Johnson, Christine Okike, Jacob and School of Law were both triumphant this year. The Roberts, Joshua Schiller and Pete Schwingler — who scored a three-pointer Columbia Law School student squad soundly routed its rival 83–68, and the — were on this winning team. professors won their matchup as well. The Deans’ Cup also provides a glimpse into the secret sports lives of the This year’s game was at NYU on April 10. professors of law, who at halftime played a faculty game. Since the first Deans’ The Deans’ Cup raises the most money of any single event fundraiser at an Cup game in 2002, Columbia Law School students have won three of the American law school. Over the years it has raised more than half a million dollars seven games, while their professors have won five of theirs. for public interest programs at both Columbia and NYU. This year, the game

Columbia Law School students decked themselves out in Columbia blue and headed down to Andrew Lyle ’09 takes a shot over the Professor Nate Persily sets up to score two for the NYU to cheer their classmates — and professors — on to a double victory. reach of his defender. Columbia Law School faculty.