First Monday - June 6, 2005

In this issue:

2005 Graduation Puts Spotlight on Academic and Professional Achievement

• Commencement Address Emphasizes Creativity Within the Legal System
• Law School and University Recognize Lawyers Who Make a Different
• Faculty and Students Bestow Awards Within the College of Law
• Faculty Members Earn Tenure and Promotion

Commencement Address Emphasizes Creativity within the Legal System

David Z. Nevin (UI Law ’78), selected by the graduating students to be their commencement speaker, called upon the Class of ’05 to show respect for the legal system while also working creatively to improve it. Speaking on May 14 to a total audience of approximately 900 in the Student Union Ballroom, the Boise trial lawyer noted that preparation, civility, and the courage of one’s convictions are the hallmarks of effective trial advocacy. Nevin urged the graduates to put substance over style in their careers, despite the attention-mongering behavior they see in media depictions of the legal profession. The graduating class of 98 students included 85 spring graduates and 13 students who graduated at the end of the previous fall semester.

Law School and University Recognize Lawyers Who Make a Difference

• Pamela L. Jacklin (UI Law ’78) received the Award of Legal Merit, voted by the law faculty in recognition of distinctive achievements and service to the legal profession. Ms. Jacklin, who practices in Portland, Oregon, with the firm of Stoel Rives LLP, is one of the Northwest’s foremost experts in energy and public utility law. She also is a role model for lawyers who combine success in private practice with a dedication to the public good. She is a founder of the “I Have a Dream Foundation” of Oregon, providing educational enhancements and scholarship assistance to disadvantaged youths. She has received the President’s Public Service Award of the Oregon State Bar, the Rotary Club Meritorious Service Award, and the Judge Mercedes Deiz Award from Oregon Women Lawyers. In addition, she has been recognized by the Northwest Women’s Law Center for pro bono contributions. Ms Jacklin graduated with honors from Wesleyan University of Illinois, and received a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, before choosing a career in law and earning her law degree at the University of Idaho.
• Allen Derr (UI ’51 and UI Law ’59) was recognized as the recipient of an Alumni Hall of Fame Award from the University of Idaho for his distinguished career as a public interest lawyer. Mr. Derr, who was a newspaper correspondent before attending law school, is widely recognized in Idaho for his expertise on First Amendment issues and his ongoing advocacy for the “public’s right to know.” He is best known, however, as the Boise lawyer who took the case of Sally Reed to the United States Supreme Court, where he argued successfully that the Court should declare unconstitutional a statute requiring a man to be appointed in preference to a woman when two qualified individuals apply to become the administrator of a decedent’s estate. The case of Reed v. Reed, 404 U.S. 71 (1971), established the fundamental principle that the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution protects against gender discrimination under color of state law.

Faculty and Students Bestow Awards within College of Law

• Students received honors voted by faculty and by fellow students. Sarah Elizabeth Davis received the faculty-established “Award of Legal Achievement,” presented to the graduating law student with the highest cumulative grade point average. Alycia Truax Feindel, past vice president of the Student Bar Association, received the “Spirit of the Class Award,” presented by graduating students to a colleague who demonstrates values of the class that go beyond academic performance. Suzanne Mary Fegelein, past president of the Student Bar Association, received the “Outstanding Student Service Award,” given in recognition of unselfish efforts on behalf of the law school community. Ms. Fegelein delivered the student address at commencement, in which she noted the College’s emphasis upon ethics and professionalism.
• The students also conferred awards upon members of the faculty. Associate Professor Richard H. Seamon received the “Peter E. Heiser Award for Excellence in Teaching.” The students presented an “Outstanding Faculty Service Award” to Associate Professor Russell A. Miller. During the commencement ceremony, student speakers joined the dean in expressing appreciation to retiring faculty member, Professor Joann Henderson, for her thirty years of service and commitment to academic excellence.

Faculty Members Earn Tenure and Promotion

Upon unanimous recommendation of the law faculty and dean, Associate Professor Monica Schurtman has been approved for tenure by the Provost and President of the University. Upon similarly unanimous recommendation of the law faculty and dean, and endorsement by the university-wide promotion review committee, Associate Professor and Clinic Director Maureen Laflin has been approved by the Provost and President of the University for promotion to the rank of (full) Professor of Law. Both personnel actions will become effective in the 2005-06 academic year.