April 2009

Top of the News

UT Law Reunion
UT Law Reunion 2009 takes place Saturday, April 18, and honors those graduates of classes ending in “4” or “9” from 1959 through 2004. Whether you are in an honored class or not, make your plans now to return to the UT campus for the opportunity to get reacquainted with your classmates, see what’s going on around the Law School, and visit your old Austin haunts. Paul Begala, '90, will serve as the keynote speaker on Saturday morning. For a full schedule of events and more information, log on to: http://www.utexas.edu/law/depts/alumni/reunion/

Three UT Law students awarded Justice Corps Fellowships to pursue public interest legal projects
The University of Texas Law School’s Justice Corps program awarded fellowships to practice public-interest law to three third-year students at the Law School. Whitney Hill, Terry Schuster, and Spencer Wilson received the first three of the fellowships in the program. The Justice Corps was launched in November 2008 with the twin goals of increasing access to legal assistance and to support Law School graduates interested in serving the public. It offers two-year fellowships to recent Law School graduates to work for public interest legal organizations.
http://www.utexas.edu/law/news/2009/032609_justice_corps_fellows.html

Second consecutive UT Law grad earns Bristow Fellowship
For the second straight year, a Law School graduate has been chosen for one of only four year-long Bristow Fellowships at the United States Office of the Solicitor General. Judson O. Littleton, ’08, is this year’s recipient. Littleton is currently clerking for the Honorable A. Raymond Randolph of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. He will assume his new position in the fall. Littleton succeeds Scott Keller, ’07, who earned the fellowship last year while clerking for Chief Judge Alex Kozinski of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
http://www.utexas.edu/law/news/2009/031209_bristow_fellowship.html

Justice Center announces University Co-op Public Interest Summer Fellows
Four students at the University of Texas School of Law were selected as the 2009 University Co-op Public Interest Summer Fellows: Kyle Marie Stock, ’10; Bridgett Mayeux, ’10; Jill Davis, ’10; Lawson Konvalinka, ’11; and Stephanie Kolmar, ’10. The fellowships are awarded annually to outstanding students between their second and third years of law school to support their summer public interest work. This summer each fellow will receive a $5,000 stipend. The fellowships are made possible by a grant from the University Co-op, and are administered by the William Wayne Justice Center for Public Interest Law at the Law School.
Related links:
University Co-op Public Interest Summer Fellowship Program
University Co-op
William Wayne Justice Center for Public Interest Law

UT Law wins National Championship in 2009 Hispanic National Bar Association Moot Court Competition
The University of Texas School of Law won this year’s National Championship in the Hispanic National Bar Association Moot Court Competition in Miami, Florida. UT Law team members Cassandra Cuellar, ’10; Belinda Garcia, ’10; and Rudy Segura, ’09; beat Loyola Law School (Los Angeles) in the final round of the competition bringing home the national title. Rudy Segura also won the award for best speaker.
http://www.utexas.edu/law/news/2009/040309_hispanic_national_bar.html

Tarlton Law Library publishes oral history interviews with James W. McCartney and John F. Sutton Jr.
The Tarlton Law Library at the University of Texas School of Law recently published the oral history interviews of two of its distinguished alumni: James W. McCartney, ’52, and John F. Sutton, Jr., ’41. James W. McCartney: An Oral History Interview is available online only at: http://tarlton.law.utexas.edu/publications/OralHistory-McCartney.pdf

McCartney, who grew up in Fort Worth, Texas, graduated from the University of Texas School of Law in 1952, and then joined the law firm of Vinson & Elkins, eventually becoming a senior partner. As an attorney for Vinson & Elkins, he specialized in oil and gas law and arbitration law in Houston. McCartney, now retired, currently serves on the board of the University of Texas Foundation.
John F. Sutton, Jr: An Oral History Interview is available for $20. Sutton is the A. W. Walker Centennial Chair Emeritus at the Law School. Born in Alpine, Texas, in 1918 and raised in San Angelo, Sutton received his law degree in 1941 from the Law School. After serving as dean of the Law School from 1979 to 1984, he taught for another twenty years, retiring in January 2004. To purchase John Sutton’s oral history or to find out about the other publications of the Tarlton Law Library contact tarltonbooks@law.utexas.edu or call (512) 471-7241. More information is available at the Tarlton Law Library Oral History Collection

Events at the Law School

April 16
“Imprisoned by the Past: The Enduring Role of Race in the American Death Penalty”
The Law School’s Capital Punishment Center presents a conference on the role of race in capital punishment cases in the United States. Panels include “Race Discrimination in Capital Jury Selection,” “Reflections on Race, Culture and the Death Penalty,” and “Innovative Litigation of Race Issues in Capital Trials.” Bryan Stevenson, executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative of Alabama, will deliver the keynote address. http://www.utexas.edu/law/academics/centers/capitalpunishment/racedp.html

April 18
UT Law Reunion 2009 (See above.)

April 23
The Gradute Portfolio Program in Dispute Resolution Symposium will take place Thursday, April 23, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Eidman Courtroom. A keynote presentation entitled “Restorative Justice: Putting a Spotlight on Harm and the Personal Dimensions of Crime” by Dr. Marilyn Armour will highlight the Graduate Portfolio Program in Dispute Resolution’s Spring Symposium. Armour’s presentation will be followed by a panel discussion including Ronnie Earl, former Travis County district attorney; Mary Odom of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice; and John Sage of Bridges to Life. The symposium also includes presentations by graduate and law students in the Portfolio Program.

May 1–2
“Law and Innovation: The Embryonic Stem Cell Controversy,”
The George McMillan Fleming Center for Law and Innovation in Biomedicine and Healthcare will hold a conference at the Law School examining legal, medical, ethical, public policy, and healthcare delivery issues surrounding the use of embryonic stem cells in medical research and practice.
http://www.utexas.edu/law/academics/centers/fleming/

This month at the Rapoport Center

The Bernard and Audre Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice is sponsoring a variety of programs in April.

The Rapoport Center welcomes Nobel Peace Laureate, civil rights activist and lecturer in law Dr. Shirin Ebadi. Dr. Ebadi will be part of a public roundtable discussion entitled "Law, Locality, and International Human Rights" on Wednesday, April 29th in the Eidman Courtroom. The conversation will be moderated by Rapoport Center Director Karen Engle and will include UT Professors Kamran Ali, Mounira Charrad, Barbara Harlow, Neville Hoad, and Shannon Speed. Read Dr. Ebadi's profile and the full schedule of public events. For more information: http://www.utexas.edu/law/academics/centers/humanrights/events/conferences.html

Human Rights Speaker Series
April 15
"Human Rights as Social Theory," Benjamin Gregg, associate professor, Department of Government, University of Texas. Sheffield Room, School of Law, 3:30–5:00 p.m.

Be a Mentor

UT Law students interested in public service need you. Please consider becoming a public service law resource by volunteering your time to be a part of the UT Law Mentor Directory. For more information, please visit:
http://www.utexas.edu/law/depts/career/alumni/mentor_signup.html

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