First Monday - April 5, 2010

In this issue:

• College of Law Community Mourns the Passing of Dean Vincenti 
• Class of 2010 Celebration Emphasizes Pro Bono Service and Professional Values
• Annual Native Law Conference Focuses on Tribal Economic Development
• Rosholt Roundtable Blends Securities Law, International Business, and Philanthropic Entrepreneurism

College of Law Community Mourns the Passing of Dean Vincenti

One of the most important figures in the history of the University of Idaho College of Law, Dean Emeritus Sheldon A. Vincenti, passed away on March 31. A memorial service will be conducted in the College of Law courtroom at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 10. The following obituary has appeared in the Moscow-Pullman Daily News:
Sheldon A. Vincenti died March 31 following a nine-month battle with cancer. Sheldon was born Sept. 4, 1938, in Ogden, Utah, to Arnold and Mae Vincenti. Following his childhood in Utah, he traveled to Boston, Mass., to attend Harvard, where he completed his undergraduate degree in 1960 and then went on to receive his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1963. In 1964 he married Elaine Wacker. They divorced in 1996 after raising their two children. Sheldon served in the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Branch, where he rose to the rank of captain. After the Army, he practiced law in Ogden for several years before becoming the legislative and administrative assistant to U.S. Congressman Gunn McKay in Washington, D.C.

In 1973 Sheldon and his young family moved to Moscow after he accepted a faculty position at the University of Idaho College of Law. He served the law school in many capacities over his nearly 30-year career there, including 12 years as dean. The law school was a perfect place for him to combine his passions for both the law and education. He also enjoyed teaching several semesters at the New England School of Law in Boston

In 1997 Sheldon married Donna Allen and they spent their days together sharing books, reading and writing poetry and enjoying their peaceful property on Moscow Mountain. Sheldon loved to tackle projects around the house with his dad, enjoyed cooking delicious meals for his family and was an avid Red Sox fan. Most evenings you could find him gazing at the breathtaking, panoramic view of the rolling Palouse from his front window or deck and listening to classical music.

Sheldon was immensely proud of his children and grandchildren and will be dearly missed by all who knew him. He is survived by his wife, Donna; his father, Arnold; his son, Matt and wife, Renae; his daughter, Amanda and husband, Michael; and his grandchildren Dru, 12, Ashlynn, 3, Quinn, 4, and Eliot, 6 months. A memorial service will be 11 a.m. Saturday, April 10 at the University of Idaho College of Law. Memorial donations may be made to the University of Idaho College of Law.

Further information about the memorial service may be obtained from Professor Jack Miller (jamiller@uidaho.edu).

Class of 2010 Celebration Emphasizes Pro Bono Service and Professional Values

The first graduating class of the College of Law’s second century, the Class of 2010, held its pre-commencement celebration banquet in Moscow on March 27. Class awards (to be included in the “First Monday” report on the upcoming Class of 2010 graduation ceremony in May) were announced, along with certificates to persons, comprising more than half of the class, who have performed pro bono service exceeding the College’s 40 service-hour requirement. Pro Bono Program Director Jack McMahon, who received a standing ovation in recognition of his five years of service to the program, noted that the Class of 2010 had compiled nearly 10,000 hours of genuinely pro bono service (no compensation, no credit hours). He also announced two “Above and Beyond Awards,” recognizing students whose unselfish service has made an exceptional contribution to the administration of justice under law. 3L student Marie Callaway was recognized for her extraordinary efforts in strengthening the CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) program for children in the Second Judicial District of Idaho, and well as for her service to the Idaho Attorney General’s Natural Resource Division and to a landlord/tenant project in Latah County, where she also served on the Latah County Youth Accountability Board. 3L student Gabriela Marrufo was recognized for contributing a record number of service hours (more than 600 over a period of three years) to “Citizenship Day” (a project promoting naturalized citizenship for qualifying applicants) in Boise, as well as for volunteering time to organize a comprehensive filing system for students in the College’s Immigration law clinic.

The banquet’s keynote speaker, Idaho Falls attorney and Idaho State Senate Majority Leader Bart M. Davis (Law Class of ’81), appeared in response to an invitation prompted by memorably eloquent remarks he had made the previous year to the centennial class of 2009. Senator Davis, who chairs the College of Law Advisory Council, noted that he, like this year’s impending graduates, entered the legal profession at a time of economic recession; yet he found no shortage of opportunity. He told the Class of 2010 that their biggest challenge would be to start their careers with a clear moral vision – “How do I want to be considered when I’m in my seventies?” – and to remain true to that vision. Character is measured, he said, by how you treat others who can do nothing for you; and success is measured, not by dollars alone, but also by service to neighbors, by problem-solving, and by the resolution of conflicts. He also urged humility: “Those who believe they walk on water,” he cautioned, ”will someday find themselves on thin ice.”

Further information about the Class of 2010 is available from the College’s Director of Career Development, Anne-Marie Fulfer.

Annual Native Law Conference Focuses on Tribal Economic Development

Under the organization and direction of Professor Angelique EagleWoman, the College of Law conducted its annual Native Law Conference on March 26 in Moscow. The day-long event, held in the Menard Building courtroom, attracted approximately 200 scholars, tribal leaders, practitioners, faculty, and students from the College of Law as well as from other University of Idaho departments and Washington State University. Entitled “Living in Balance: Tribal Nation Economics and Law,” the conference was underwritten by the James E. Rogers American Indian Law Fund at the College of Law.

Featured speakers included:

• Nez Perce Chairman Samuel Penney (welcoming remarks and commentary on economic development issues)
• Professor Robert Miller, Lewis & Clark Law School, Portland, Oregon (“Tribal Economics from an Indigenous Perspective”)
• Gabriel “Gabe” Galanda, Williams Kastner law firm (tribal practice group), Seattle, Washington (“Indian Economic Sovereignty and Sustainability”)
• Professor Stacy Leeds, Director of the Tribal law and Government Center, University of Kansas School of Law (“The Significant Role of Tribal Courts for Tribal Economics”)
• Professor Matthew L.M. Fletcher, Director of the Indigenous Law and Policy Center, Michigan State University (“The Supreme Court and the Economics of Tribal Resistance”)

Further information about the conference may be obtained from Professor EagleWoman.

Rosholt Roundtable Blends Securities Law, International Business, and Philanthropic Entrepreneurism

On February 24, the College of Law hosted the annual Rosholt Roundtable, a unique event underwritten by Twin Falls attorney John Rosholt (UI Law ‘55) and his spouse Karen. The purpose of the Roundtable is to expose law students to the life stories and professional experiences of lawyers who have achieved distinction in pursuits other than the traditional practice of law. This year’s Rosholt guest, Larry B. Grimes (UI Law ’67), brought a uniquely varied background to his presentations as a guest lecturer in a Securities Law class and as a luncheon speaker at the College of Law.

Upon graduation from the College, Mr. Grimes became a Trial Attorney in the Division of Enforcement of the Securities & Exchange Commission. He later served as Branch Chief of the SEC’s Organized Crime enforcement branch and as Assistant Chief Trial Attorney of the Commission’s Division of Enforcement. Subsequently, he went into corporate practice at Westinghouse Electric Corporation, then opened a specialized solo practice, and then merged his practice with the international firm, McGuire, Woods & Battle. He served as partner-in-charge of the firm’s Washington, D.C., office until taking an early retirement in order to reduce his active practice by about 50% and to spend the remaining time pursuing other business and charitable matters. He has acted as general counsel for a number of companies, joint ventures and other institutions including the National Coal Council, a Federal Advisory Committee appointed by the Secretary of Energy, and as a Senior Member of the Synthesis Group, an Advisory Committee on Policy of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Although he has maintained his office and residence in Washington, D.C., his practice in the 80”s and 90’s was managed out of offices in Bermuda and England (London and Bath). In early 2010 he became General Counsel to The Ventura Group, one of the fastest growing Hispanic-owned companies in the nation. He recently completed a term as Chairman of the Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival’s Board of Advisors, and he has served as president of Artsbacker, an entity that supports and invests in the performing arts, at Washington, D.C.

More information about the Rosholt Roundtable can be obtained from Anne-Marie Fulfer, Director of Career Development.