First Monday - December 4, 2006

In this issue:

• Visiting Committees Strengthen Connections to the Legal Profession
• Guest Speakers Bring Diverse Perspectives

Visiting Committees Strengthen Connections to the Legal Profession

The College of Law maintains close relationships with the bench and bar, not only through outreach by its faculty and staff, but also through visits paid to the College by two esteemed professional groups. Law Advisory Council. The Council, composed of alumni and friends of distinction in the bench and bar, met on October 13 in Moscow, where they heard reports on admissions, career services, the new pro bono program, the “Water of the West” program and other curricular developments, new initiatives in clinical education, and issues relating to the College’s present and future operations. The Council met with faculty, staff, and students; in addition, the Council engaged in conversations with University of Idaho Provost Douglas Baker and President Tim White. The College expresses its appreciation to all Council volunteers, including those who attended the October meeting: former U.S. Senator Jim McClure (Boise and McCall), Jim Bevis (Boise), Ford Elsaesser (Sandpoint), Bob Alexander (Twin Falls), Laura MacGregor Bettis (Boise), Jim Dale (Boise), Allen Derr (Boise), Mary Giannini (Spokane), chairman Tim Hopkins (Idaho Falls), Hon. Karen Lansing (Boise), Cynthia Larsen (Sacramento, California), William V. McCann, Jr. (Lewiston), Hon. John Mitchell (Coeur d’Alene), Nels Mitchell (Los Angeles, California), Nancy Morris (Washington, D.C.), Bill Parsons (Burley), Hon. John Stegner (Moscow), Justice Linda Copple Trout (Boise), and Jim Whistler (San Diego, California).

Idaho State Bar and Law Foundation

On November 7-8, the College received its annual visit from the President and Commissioners of the Idaho State Bar, together with the President of the Idaho Law Foundation and members of the Bar/Foundation professional staff. This delegation held meetings with the law faculty, staff, and students, and with the University administration, on topics similar to those addressed by the Law Advisory Council. In addition, the meetings addressed questions of law licensure for faculty and a bench-bar-academy initiative to promote diversity in the legal profession. Attending the November meeting were Bar President Jay Sturgell (Kellogg); Foundation President John Bush (Boise); Commissioners Tom Banducci (Boise), Terrence White (Nampa), Andrew Hawes (Boise), and Dwight Baker (Blackfoot). Also attending were Executive Director Diane Minnich, Bar Counsel Brad Andrews, and Idaho Volunteer Lawyers Program Legal Director Mary Hobson. The College is grateful for the supportive relationship fostered by these Bar/Foundation visits for more than a quarter-century.

Guest Speakers Bring Diverse Perspectives

As a place of ideas, the College of Law enriches the curriculum with co-curricular speakers presenting a variety of viewpoints. In addition to the 2006 Bellwood Lecture and related panel discussions (described in the November issue of “First Monday”), recent programs at the College have included the following:

“Clarence Darrow: The Search for Justice.” Nationally recognized thespian Gary Anderson brought his one-person show to the College of Law courtroom on October 5, performing for an audience composed of law students, lawyers in the Lewiston-Moscow McNichols Inn of Court, and guests. During the two-hour show, “Darrow” recalled and re-enacted portions of his high-profile cases, commented on ethics issues, and described with poignancy the personal impact of trials where lives are at stake.

“Lawyering: The View through Women’s Eyes.” On October 6, the College welcomed Georgia Yuan (UI Law ’85), former general counsel to the University of Idaho, and currently general counsel to Smith College in Massachusetts. Ms. Yuan returned to Moscow as a guest of the Women’s Law Caucus and the Dean’s Office. Her presentation included historical and demographic studies on women in the legal profession and her outlook on expanding opportunities in law practice and other law-related careers. Ms. Yuan is the 2006-07 President of the National Association of College and University Attorneys.

Federalist Society Speaker Series. The College’s highly active chapter of the Federalist Society brought several lecturers to campus during the fall semester. On October 5, James Burling, senior counsel with the Pacific Legal Foundation, spoke on eminent domain and the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Kelo v. City of New London, 545 U.S. 469 (2005). On October 23, Professor Rick Stroup, Ph.D., University of Montana, addressed the Endangered Species Act. On November 6, Professor Jim Bond, Seattle University School of Law, spoke on immigration and homeland security issues.