UT Law News – February 2007

March 2007

Welcome to UT Law News, our monthly electronic newsletter. The News is sent to help keep you informed about current events at the University of Texas School of Law.

Law School Events

March 1
Morris Dees to speak at the Law School
Morris Dees, founder and chief trial counsel of the Southern Poverty Law Center, will speak at the Law School on Thursday, March 1 at 3:30 p.m. His talk, entitled “With Justice for All,” will focus on his long career as a civil rights litigator and his experiences challenging in the courts the Ku Klux Klan and other hate groups. This event, hosted by the Law School’s William Wayne Justice Center for Public Interest Law, is free and open to the public. Visit http://www.utexas.edu/law/news/2007/021207_dees.html for more information on this program. Learn more about the work of the William Wayne Justice Center at http://www.utexas.edu/law/academics/centers/publicinterest/.
March 2
Symposium on the 2003 Congressional Redistricting in Texas
The University of Texas Press recently released Lines in the Sand, a book by UT Adjunct Law Professor Steve Bickerstaff about the 2003 congressional redistricting in Texas, the 2002 campaign activities that made the redistricting possible, and the civil and criminal court proceedings that followed. UT Law is hosting a day-long symposium on the book Friday, March 2, with twenty participants on four different panels. Participants include Republican and Democratic legislators involved in the passage of the redistricting legislation, the prosecutors and criminal defense attorneys involved in the criminal proceedings, the attorneys who handled the civil litigation, and four law school professors from UT and elsewhere who will discuss the legal significance of what happened. Information about the book and the symposium is available at http://www.utexas.edu/law/news/2007/021907_book.html.
March 3
Explore UT 2007
The University’s annual open house, Explore UT, will be held on Saturday, March 3. All visitors are welcome to discover the many activities that make up the daily life of this premier educational and research institution.

The Law School is hosting a number of events during Explore UT 2007, with tours of the facility, exhibits, and faculty presentations. The day’s events at the Law School culminate with a mock trial of Gold E. Locks, a young woman accused of trespassing in the home of The Three Bears and of criminal mischief in the destruction of a chair. The Honorable Edward C. Prado, ’72, a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, will preside at the trial, with law students serving as counsel, and children selected from the audience serving as jurors.

You will find a full listing of events, including more detailed information and times for all events, at http://www.utexas.edu/opa/news/2007/02/exploreut01.html.
Assault & Flattery 2007
A Law School tradition since 1953, Assault & Flattery is a musical comedy revue written, directed, and performed by UT Law students that showcases their truly amazing talents. This year’s production, Willy Wonka and the Bad Legal Pun, runs from Thursday, March 1 through Sunday, March 4.

All performances will be held in the King-Seabrook Chapel on the Huston-Tillotson University campus, 900 Chicon Street (From I35, drive east on 7th St. Turn left onto Chalmers St., one block west of Chicon St. Park in open lot on Chalmers St. Enter campus through back gate and look for Chapel tower). Show times are 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings, and 2:00 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. Tickets are available at the door, $12.00 for the evening performances, and $10.00 for the Sunday matinee. For additional information, contact the A&F office at assault@law.utexas.edu.
Colloquium on Law, History, and the Humanities
Join William Forbath, Lloyd M. Bentsen Chair in Law and Professor of History, other faculty, and students for a discussion with visiting scholars on topics related to law and history. For the spring semester 2007, the theme is Transnational Legal Histories: Studies in Imperial, Post-Colonial, and Human Rights History.

There are two colloquia scheduled for March. On Monday, March 5, Professor Rebecca J. Scott from the University of Michigan’s School of Law and History Department will discuss her paper “Plessy v. Ferguson and the Concept of ‘Public Rights’: Uncovering a Vernacular Anticaste Framework.” And on Monday, March 26, Professors Jane R. Burbank and Frederick J. Cooper of NYU’s History Department will lead a discussion of their paper “Empire and Citizenship, 212–1946.”

Alumni are welcome to attend these sessions, which are held from 3:30 until 5:30 p.m. in the Sheffield Room of Townes Hall (Room 2.111). Attendees are asked to read the paper under discussion prior to the colloquium. For more information and links to the scholarly papers, visit http://www.utexas.edu/law/news/colloquium/lhh/.
Products Liability: Litigation Trends
The Review of Litigation will host its spring symposium on Thursday and Friday, March 22–23. This two-day event will bring together practitioners, scholars, and judges to discuss products liability litigation on the 10th anniversary of the Restatement of the Law Third, Torts: Products Liability. The Review of Litigation, now in its twenty-sixth year, is the fourth most-cited specialty journal in the nation. Symposium information and registration are available on the TROL website at http://www.utexas.edu/law/journals/trol/sym/.
Texas Law Review: Now Available Online
The Texas Law Review is pleased to announce a completely redesigned main website now available online at http://www.texaslrev.com/. Additionally, TLR recently launched See Also, an online forum for further discussion of ideas introduced in the print edition. See Also can be found at http://www.texaslrev.com/seealso/.

The current board of the Texas Law Review has asked us to include a call to TLR alumni. If you would like to connect with the current board or attend the annual banquet on Saturday, March 24—at which Dean Sager will speak—please contact Elizabeth Hardy at tlrae85@yahoo.com.
Moving Between the Public and Private Sectors
Is it possible to transition from public service to private practice or vice versa? On Thursday, March 29, the Career Services Office will present a panel discussion featuring alumni and other attorneys who have successfully transitioned between these two worlds. The presentation takes place from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in Room 2.123 of Townes Hall. For more information about this event, and to discover what other career services are available to alumni, visit the CSO website at http://www.utexas.edu/law/career/.
Small and Mid-Size Firm Reception
The Career Service Office invites alumni working in small and mid-size firms to attend this reception, which provides an opportunity for law students to meet and seek advice from attorneys practicing with smaller firms or in solo practice.

This joint student/alumni reception takes place in Austin on Thursday, March 8, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Shoreline Grill, 98 San Jacinto Boulevard. RSVP’s are encouraged. A student résumé directory will be available to attending practitioners in advance of the reception. You may respond by contacting Deb Freeman at dfreeman@law.utexas.edu or (512) 232-2162.

Meet the Dean!

Dean Larry Sager has been traveling around the country during his first year in office to meet and visit with UT Law alumni. He may be coming to your city—or a city near you—very soon.

There are three alumni receptions scheduled for March 2007. You are warmly invited to attend and meet Larry, other members of the law faculty, and fellow UT Law alumni. While not required, RSVP’s are appreciated for planning purposes. Please respond to Shanan Storm at sstorm@law.utexas.edu or (512) 471-6314.

March 14:	Los Angeles 6:00–7:30 p.m. Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel, Fireside Lounge 1700 Ocean Avenue
March 15:	San Francisco 6:00–7:30 p.m. Monaco Hotel, Paris Ballroom 501 Geary Street
March 22:	Houston 5:30–7:00 p.m. Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, Founders’ Club Arista Entrance, Mezzanine Level 800 Bagby Street

Continuing Legal Education

UT Law School has a first-class CLE department that offers a wide range of courses presented by experts in an interesting and informative way. UT CLE presents the following courses in March:

March 1-2	School Law Conference, Austin
March 8–9	Collaborative Law Spring Retreat, Austin
March 8–9	Telecom, Cable and Wireless Conference, Austin
March 30	Ernest E. Smith Oil, Gas & Mineral Law Institute, Houston

UT CLE recently launched its new website, where you will find more information on these and other CLE courses, including online courses, as well as helpful tools like the eLibrary, which provides professional resources at your fingertips. Visit the UT CLE website at http://www.utcle.org/.

Save the Date: Reunion 2007
The Law School’s annual reunion is set for Saturday, April 21, 2007. Please mark this date on your calendar and plan to join us. This year’s event recognizes those classes ending in “2” and “7”. The day is full of activities, including tours of the Law School, free CLE courses, scholarly presentations, lunch with Dean Sager and the faculty, and culminating with individual class parties. For more information and to register for Reunion 2007, visit our website at http://www.utexas.edu/law/depts/alumni/reunion/.

Faculty Activites

A full list of faculty activities and publications can be found online at:
http://www.utexas.edu/law/faculty/news/

Quick Links

Comments? Suggestions? Please email Kirston Fortune, assistant dean for communications at kfortune@law.utexas.edu.

The University of Texas School of Law
727 E. Dean Keeton St.
Austin, Texas 78705