TULANEUNIVERSITYLAWSCHOOL TULANE VOL. 27–NO. 2 LAWYER F A L L 2 0 0 9 TAKING THE LAW THISISSUE IN THEI RHANDS ALETTERFROMINTERIM DEANSTEPHENGRIFFIN TULANELAWSTUDENTS I CLASSICALATHENIAN ANCESTRYOFAMERICAN ACTINTHEPUBLICINTEREST FREEDOMOFSPEECH I HONORROLLOFDONORS STEPHENGRIFFIN INTERIMDEAN LAURENVERGONA EDITORANDEXECUTIVEASSISTANTTOTHEINTERIMDEAN ELLENJ.BRIERRE DIRECTOROFALUMNIAFFAIRS TA NA C O M A N ARTDIRECTIONANDDESIGN SHARONFREEMAN DESIGNANDPRODUCTION CONTRIBUTORS LINDSAY ELLIS KATHRYN HOBGOOD NICKMARINELLO M A RY M O U TO N TULANELAWSCHOOLHONORROLLOFDONORS N E W WAV E S TA F F Donor lists originate from the Tulane University Office of Development. HOLMESRACKLEFF Lists are cataloged in compliance with the Tulane University Style Guide, using a standard format which reflects name preferences defined in the RYA N R I V E T university-wide donor database, unless a particular donation requires FRANSIMON specific donors’ preferences. TULANEDEVELOPMENT TULANE LAW CLINIC CONTRIBUTORS LIZBETHTURNER NICOLEDEPIETRO BRADVOGEL MICHAELHARRINGTON KEITHWERHAN ANDREWROMERO TULANELAWYER is published by the PHOTOGRAPHY Tulane Law School and is sent to the school’s JIM BLANCHARD, illustration, pages 3, 49, 63; CLAUDIA L. BULLARD, page alumni, faculty, staff and friends. 39; PAULA BURCH-CELENTANO/Tulane University Publications, inside cover, pages 2, 8, 12, 32, 48, 50, 53, 62; FEDERAL LIBRARY AND INFORMATION CENTER COMMITTEE, page 42; GLOBAL ENERGY GROUP LTD., page 10; JACKSON HILL, Tulane University is an Affirmative Action/Equal pages 24–25; BÍCH LIÊN, page 40 bottom;THE NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR Employment Opportunity institution. RESEARCH ON WOMEN, page 38; TRACIEMORRISSCHAEFER/Tulane University Publications, pages 44–45, 57; ANDREWSEIDEL, page 11; SINGAPORE PRESS HOLDINGS LTD., page 40 top; TULANE PUBLIC RELATIONS, page 47, outer back cover;EUGENIAUHL, pages 1, 26–28, 31, 33;TOM VARISCO, page 51; LAUREN VERGONA, pages 6, 7, 45–46; WALEWSKA M. WATKINS, page 30. CONTENTS 2 FROMTHEINTERIMDEAN 3 LETTERSTOTHEEDITOR 4 BRIEFS WHAT’SNEWATWEINMANNHALL 14 FACULTYNOTEBOOK ANEXCERPTFROMPROFESSORKEITHWERHA N’S ARTICLE ,“THECLASSICALATHENIANANCESTRY OFAMERICANFREEDOMOFSPEECH” 18 FACULTYNEWS 24 RECESSFORREFLECTION 26 TAKINGTHELAWINTHEIRHANDS Clinical legal education changes lives. ON THECOVER Tulane law students act in the public interest. Photographs by EUGENIAUHL 3 4 ALMAMATTERS CLASSNOTE S, ALUMNIGATHERING S, COMMENCEMENT 49 HONORROLLOFDONORS F A L L 2 0 0 9 TULANELAWYER VO L. 2 7–N O. 2 FROMTHEINTERIMDEAN Stephen M. Griffin, Interim STRENGTHENING Dean of Tulane Law School THEFOUNDATION ne of the privileges that part of an important effort to reenergize by Hurricane Katrina. It may seem hard comes with my new position our Louisiana civil law curriculum; to believe, but we are not yet free and as Interim Dean is meeting he is already hard at work, teaching clear of those impacts as they relate to Tulane Law School’s Obligations II and Civil Law Property II. our budget situation. We hope we can OOalumni and friends across the nation and In addition to graduating summa cum count on your support this year. I the world and sharing news of our great laude from Tulane law, Ron earned a encourage you to renew your gift at accomplishments. It’s safe to say that degree from Cambridge University’s whatever level you are able. If you are although I have met many alumni over Trinity College, a rare accomplishment not yet giving to the law school, please the years (including those I have watched that enables him to contribute to our consider adding us to your list of charita- as they marched across the stage to strong comparative law faculty. Ron is ble giving causes. receive their diplomas each May), I’ve the latest in a wave of exceptional new In my six years of service as Vice Dean met more of you since taking over from faculty to join Tulane in the area of com- of Academic Affairs, one of the most Larry Ponoroff in July than I have since parative law, including James Gordley important lessons I learned is the profound being hired as an associate professor in from Berkeley’s Boalt Hall School of way in which alumni support creates 1989. It has been a great pleasure meet- Law and Jörg Fedtke from University positive, tangible consequences for the ing alumni in New Orleans and other College London. Indeed, as a result, life of the law school. Over the next year, Louisiana cities, as well as in New York Tulane may have the finest comparative as the university continues the search City and Houston. I also have plans to law faculty in the world. Also joining the for a permanent dean of the law school, visit additional communities of alumni faculty is Shu-Yi Oei, a 2003 Harvard one of my goals is to demonstrate how in the spring to share the latest news and Law School graduate who specializes giving to the law school creates results updates from the law school. in tax law. Prior to Tulane law, Shu-Yi for our students, our faculty, and the The good news is that we are strength- was with the Boston office of Bingham entire community. ening our foundation and building on McCutchen for nearly six years. She also This issue of the Lawyer highlights the great successes of the past eight held a post-graduate research fellowship our clinics, a perfect example of how in years. We received nearly 3,000 applica- from 2008–2009 at Harvard Law School. accomplishing our mission, we further tions for places in the class of 2012, Shu-Yi is teaching Income Taxation this not only the goals of legal education, an increase of 14.4% over the previous fall and Corporate Tax in the spring. but provide needed support to the larger year and almost three times the rate of In this issue, you will find news of community. Clinical training has become increase in applications nationally. Our our development and fundraising results an essential element in the curriculum of yield also jumped, resulting in an extra- of the past year, and with that in mind, the best law schools in the country, and large class of 282 first-year law students. I want to extend a special note of appre- in many ways, our six live-client clinics The class boasts a median LSAT score ciation to all of our donors and benefac- are among our “jewels in the crown.” of 162 (representing the 86th percentile tors. Thank you. Part of our good news They provide a unique and irreplaceable nationally) and a 3.6 median undergra- is that, despite the difficult economic legal experience to more than 70 stu- duate grade point average. In all, 42% environment of the past 18 months, the dents per year. I hope you will take this are women, and 20% represent various law school ended the fiscal year narrow- opportunity to learn more about them. FA L L 2 0 0 9 minority groups. We are very proud to ly meeting our goal for contributions to My wife Starlynn and daughter welcome your future fellow alumni. the Tulane Law Fund, our most important Christie join me in wishing you a happy This year, we also welcome two out- source of annual unrestricted support. and peaceful holiday season. I look for- standing new faculty members. Ronald Admittedly, the current economic climate ward to seeing you in your community TULANE LAWYER Scalise (L ’00) joins us from LSU as has added to the constraints created or here at Weinmann Hall. 2 LETTERSTOTHEEDITOR COMPLEMENTS&COMPLIMENTS DEAR MS.VERGONA: DEAR LAUREN, I commend you on the Summer 2009 I am writing regarding Tulane Lawyer DEANS OF TULANE LAW SCHOOL edition of Tulane Lawyer. Excellent issue. Vol. 27–No.1, Summer 2009. Henry Adams Bullard 1847–1850 I must however, take exception to the I graduated in May and recently Randall Hunt 1850–1862 very first sentence of the article in the received my first issue of the magazine. (Closed during Civil War: 1862–1865) Briefs section, on page 4! The article I read through it, cover-to-cover, with Christian Roselius 1865–1872 states and I quote, “Louisiana’s legal sys- great excitement and enthusiasm. Carleton Hunt 1872–1883 tem is the only one in the United States During my read, I noticed two minor William Francis Mellen 1883–1888 based on the system of civil law…” errors/inconsistencies of which I thought Henry Carlton Miller 1888–1897 Puerto Rico is a United States territo- you might be interested. Harry Hinckley Hall 1897–1906 ry and we also have a Civil Code since The first is on page 17, the first full Eugene Davis Saunders 1906–1913 the days of Spanish rule over our island! paragraph of Professor Griffin’s article Dudley Odell McGovney 1913–1914 Tulane Law School has a long tradition entitled, “The Bush Presidency and Charles Payne Fenner 1914–1920 of Puerto Rican alumnae, precisely in Theories of Constitutional Change.” The Rufus Edward Foster 1920–1927 part because of the mutual civilian tradi- line reads, “The 2001 and 2002 OLC Rufus Carrollton Harris 1927–1937 tions and legal systems. opinions were critical to the creation of Paul William Brosman 1937–1942, 1945–1951 an lax interrogation policy in which —Luis E. Dubón III (L’85) Robert Joseph Farley (Dean pro tem) 1942–1945 abuses were all but inevitable.” I believe DEAR LUIS, Clarence James Morrow (Acting Dean) 1951–1952 it should read “a” rather than “an” as We regret the unintentional omission. We William Ray Forrester 1952–1963 indicated above. take great pride in our institutional rela- Cecil Morgan 1963–1968 The second is on pages 3 and 21 tionship with Puerto Rico, as well as our Joseph Modeste Sweeney 1968–1978 regarding Dean Ponoroff: On page 3, a successful alumni practicing there. We Paul Verkuil 1978–1985 caption of the Tulane Lawyer, Fall 2001, will keep a vigilant eye on ensuring the John R.