First Monday - December 3, 2007

In this issue:

• Distinguished Visiting Committees Conduct On-Site Meetings at College of Law
• Clinic Receives Increased Funding for Small Business Assistance and Justice Projects
• Allan G. Shepard Distinguished Professor Names

Distinguished Visiting Committees Conduct On-Site Meetings at College of Law

As the College approaches its centennial in 2009, and continues its strategic planning for the second century, on-site visits of bench/bar visiting committees have become increasingly important.

• Law Advisory Council
  The Council, composed of alumni and friends in the judiciary and the bar, met on October 22 in Moscow, where they deliberated at length on the College’s strategic future. The Council reviewed faculty planning documents and survey data, met with academic consultant Richard Morgan, and held extensive conversations with the law faculty, professional staff, student leaders, UI President Tim White, Provost Doug Baker, and other senior members of the University’s leadership team. As reported in “First Monday” last month, the Council recommended that the College and University fulfill their statewide mission in legal education by developing opportunities for J.D. education in both Moscow and Boise, subject to approval by the Board of Regents/State Board of Education. Links to the full text of the Council’s recommendation and of the consultant’s report appear at the center of the College’s website homepage. The College expresses its appreciation to all Council volunteers, including those who attended the October meeting in Moscow: Hon. Linda Copple Trout, incoming chair (Boise), Tim Hopkins, outgoing chair (Idaho Falls), Idaho Senate Majority Leader Bart Davis (Idaho Falls), Laura Bettis (Boise), Jim Bevis (Boise), Michael Bogert (Washington, D.C.), Amanda Brailsford (Boise), Jim Dale (Boise), Allen Derr (Boise), Mary Giannini (Spokane), Hon. Karen Lansing (Boise), Bill McCann (Lewiston), Hon. John Mitchell (Coeur d’Alene), Nels Mitchell (Los Angeles, California), Nancy Morris (Washington, D.C.), Bill Nixon (Coeur d’Alene), Jon Oliver (Charlottesville, Virginia), Mack Redford (Boise), and Hon. John Stegner (Moscow).
• Idaho State Bar and Law Foundation
  On November 5-6, 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, as well as President White and Provost Baker, on strategic topics similar to those addressed by the Law Advisory Council. They also received reports on admissions, career development, and the pro bono service program at the College, and they engaged students in an extended meeting on bar exam procedures and preparation. Attending the November meeting in Moscow were Bar President Andrew Hawes (Boise), Foundation President Linda Judd (Boise); Commissioners Terrence White (Nampa), Dwight Baker (Blackfoot), Newal Squyres (Boise), and Douglas Mushlitz (Lewiston). Also attending were Executive Director Diane Minnich and Bar Counsel Brad Andrews. The College is grateful for the supportive relationship fostered by these Bar/Foundation visits for more than a quarter-century. In addition, the College is grateful to the Bar for making time available during all seven of the 2007 district (“road show”) meetings for informational sessions on the College’s “second century” planning.

Clinic Receives Increased Funding for Small Business Assistance and Justice Projects

The College of Law Legal Aid Clinic, directed by Professor Maureen Laflin, has proven to be a successful competitor for grants that expand the scope of service to Idahoans and learning opportunities for students. The clinic secured $236,570 in grants for fiscal year 2007. For the upcoming fiscal year 2008, the clinic already has secured $331,176 in grant funding. Sources of grant revenue are the Idaho Small Business Development Center ($69,372), the Idaho Coalition against Domestic Violence ($51,804), the IRS Low Income Taxpayer Clinic grant program ($85,000), and the U.S. Department of Justice OVC (Victims' Rights) program ($125,000). Clinic instructors Pat Costello, Lee Dillion, Trapper Stewart, and Carole Wells have been instrumental in obtaining the grants. Further information about grant activities and about the clinic programs may be obtained from Professor Laflin at mlaflin@uidaho.edu.

Allan G. Shepard Distinguished Professor Named

Professor D. Benjamin Beard has been named the Allan G. Shepard Professor of Law for the 2007-08 academic year. The Shepard Professorship honors the late Allan Shepard, former Chief Justice of the Idaho Supreme Court. It is supported by the Allan Shepard Endowment, funded by the Estate of Muriel Kirk under administration of Donna Shepard (Justice Shepard’s surviving spouse), and by other gifts from friends and admirers of Justice Shepard. The professorship is awarded annually by the Dean to a faculty member with a record of "distinguished service to legal education, or to his or her area of expertise."

Professor Beard is a nationally recognized expert in electronic commerce. He was the Reporter for the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, which has been adopted in 48 jurisdictions and which became a model for federal E-Sign legislation. He has served as an American Bar Association delegate to a United Nations commission on global electronic commerce. He is an active member of numerous committees and subcommittees of the ABA Business Law Section and is an elected member of the American Law Institute.

Other recent holders of the Shepard Professorship have included Professors Richard Seamon, Russell Miller, Maureen Laflin, Elizabeth Brandt, and faculty emeriti Dennis Colson, Joann Henderson, Art Smith, and Sheldon Vincenti. Further information is available from Dean Burnett (dburnett@uidaho.edu).