The Faculty Lounge

University of Baltimore School of Law Seeks Dean

This just in:

The University of Baltimore (UBalt) is seeking applications and nominations for the next Dean of the University of Baltimore School of Law (UBalt Law). The Dean will play a critical role in fulfilling the institution's mission of providing quality, professional legal education. The new Dean will succeed Ronald Weich, who has served in this role with distinction since 2012.

Set to celebrate its centennial in 2025, UBalt excels in developing leaders in Baltimore and beyond, and is nationally recognized for serving a diverse, nontraditional student population. The University is a member of the 12-institution University System of Maryland (USM) and is organized into four schools/colleges, including the Merrick School of Business, the School of Law, the Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences, and the College of Public Affairs. In the Spring of 2023, the University of Baltimore had a total enrollment of 3,082 students, all of whom are commuters.

Founded in 1925, UBalt Law provides a rigorously practical education, combining doctrinal coursework, intensive writing instruction, nationally renowned clinics and community-based learning to ensure that its graduates are exceptionally well prepared to practice law. UBalt Law is housed in the award-winning John and Frances Angelos Law Center, which opened in 2013. This exceptional 12-story facility houses all of the school's clinics, centers and classrooms, and provides many options for indoor and outdoor study. The building was designated LEED Platinum by the U.S. Green Building Council.

 

Concord Law School Officially Renamed Purdue Global Law School

Concord Law School - the online law school started in the days of Kaplan - has been renamed Purdue Global Law School effective November 8.  More details can be found here. I'll be curious to see whether Purdue will begin moves toward ABA accreditation. 

Richard D. Freer Named Dean of Emory Law

Emory University School of Law has announced that Richard Freer will be its next dean.  He is currently on the faculty.  Freer who holds a JD from UCLA, will take over on July 1, 2024.

Jeremy Counseller Named Dean of Baylor Law

Baylor Law School has announced that Jeremy Counseller will be its next dean.  He is currently on the faculty.  Counseller, who holds a JD from Baylor, will take over on July 1, 2024.

One-Offs: Part Three

I considered using these songs for Saturday posts, but I couldn't find enough interesting covers, so here is the third compilation of random one-offs. I'm not saying there are no other versions, just not enough for an entire post. Part One is here, Part Two is here.

CFP: The Association for Law, Property and Society Annual Meeting

This just in:

The Association for Law, Property, and Society (ALPS) announces that the Call for Papers (CFP) for its 14^th Annual Meeting is now available and open. We are excited to host the meeting at Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law in Malibu, California, from June 13 to 15, 2024. 

Individual paper or panel proposals are due by December 31, 2023, and the registration deadline for program inclusion is May 1, 2024.  Our submission portal can be found at https://alps-law.org/submissions. 

The entire CFP, which includes submission details, can be downloaded at https://alps-law.org/call-for-papers. Please feel free to distribute the CFP widely! For more information, please visit our newly redesigned website at https://alps-law.org/annual-meeting. 

Questions can be directed to [email protected]. 

West Coast Sexuality, Gender & the Law Conference seeks abstracts

First Annual West Coast Sexuality, Gender and the Law Conference

 

Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, California

March 22-23, 2024

 

Call for Papers

Abstract Submission Deadline: December 15, 2023

 

We are pleased to announce the first annual West Coast Sexuality, Gender and the Law Conference on March 22-23 in Los Angeles. Loyola Law School will serve as the conference host.

 

As political and legal attacks against LGBTQ people are once again on the rise, as are other legal and political efforts to  shape and reassert normative views of gender and the family, this Conference seeks to bring together scholars exploring issues of sexuality, gender, and the law. The goal of the Conference is to provide attendees with detailed, constructive feedback on their work in a supportive, collegial environment, and to build community among scholars working on these issues (especially those on the West Coast). Scholars at all levels of seniority are encouraged. We also encourage submissions at different stages of progress, from early drafts (incubators) to more developed forms (a work-in-progress session).

 

The Conference will consist of approximately 4-5 panels over the course of one and a half days. Participants will be expected to attend all panels and to read and be prepared to discuss all assigned papers.

 

There is no conference or registration fee. Participants will be responsible for the costs of their own flight, other transportation, and hotel arrangements (we are working on reserving a block of hotel rooms for the conference). Breakfast, lunch, and refreshments will be provided at the conference.

 

To preserve an intimate and supportive character, we can accommodate only 45 participants, Although we will try to fulfill all requests, if space is limited, some preference will be given to West Coast-based scholars.

 

To apply, please submit an abstract of no more than 500 words, as well as a CV, here by December 15, 2023. Submissions will be vetted by the organizing committee (listed below). Selection will be based on the originality of the abstract as well as its capacity to engage with the other papers in a collaborative dialogue. In addition, priority will be given to scholars based on the West Coast.

 

Participants will be notified of their selection by the beginning of January 2024. Drafts of papers will be due approximately two weeks prior to the Conference.

 

We look forward to your submissions and participation. Questions can be directed to the organizing committee members at [email protected].

 

Thank you!

 

Courtney Cahill, UC Irvine School of Law

Courtney Joslin, UC Davis School of Law

Yvonne (Yvette) Lindgren, UC College of Law San Francisco (visiting)

Kaipo Matsumura, Loyola Law School, Los Angeles

Brian Soucek, UC Davis School of Law

Michael Sant'Ambrogio Tabbed as Interim Dean of Michigan State Law

Michael Sant'Ambrogio has been recommended to serve as interim dean of MSU Law, effective January 9, 2024.  Sant'Ambrogio joined the law school in 2011 and currently serves as professor of law and senior associate dean for faculty and academic affairs.  He holds a JD from NYU.

Taboo Trades Podcast: Kidneys, Stakes, and Plasma with James Stacey Taylor

On today’s episode, the amazing James Stacey Taylor, a Professor of Philosophy at The College of New Jersey, joins me and UVA Law 3L Liam Bourque. Taylor has written over 100 academic articles and five books. He’s with us today to discuss excerpts from two of those books: Bloody Bioethics: Why Prohibiting Donor Compensation Harms Patients and Wrongs Donors, and Stakes & Kidneys: Why Markets in Human Body Parts Are Morally Imperative

 

 

Show Notes

Taylor, James Stacey. Stakes and kidneys: why markets in human body parts are morally imperative. Taylor & Francis, 2017.

 

Taylor, James Stacey. Bloody bioethics: Why prohibiting plasma compensation harms patients and wrongs donors. Routledge, 2022.

 

Blood and Repugnant Transactions with Nicola Lacetera & Mario Macis (Season 1, Episode 4)

https://tabootrades.buzzsprout.com/1227113/5542648

 

Plasma with Peter Jaworski (Season 1, Episode 1) https://tabootrades.buzzsprout.com/1227113/5147371-plasma-with-peter-jaworski

 

UNT Dallas College of Law Seeks Faculty

This just in:

The UNT Dallas College of Law seeks to hire two new faculty members. We welcome applications for a full-time faculty member to serve as Director of Academic Success and Bar Readiness and a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Law.

The Director of Academic Success must have significant experience in academic success and bar readiness in legal education. A candidate for this position should have the ability to oversee the operations of a law school academic success and bar readiness department, teach bar readiness courses, and possibly a doctrinal course, depending on interest and need. The position is a 12-month appointment holding faculty rank as a Professor of Practice. Depending on mutual interest and availability, the position would start in Spring 2024 or Fall 2024. The complete position description and information on how to apply can be found here: https://jobs.untsystem.edu/postings/77839. For additional information please contact Professor Loren Jacobson at [email protected].

The UNT Dallas College of Law is also seeking applications from experienced lawyers, judges, and law school instructors who are interested in serving as an entry-level tenure track Assistant Professor of Law beginning in Fall 2024. The Assistant Professor will teach twelve credit hours for the academic year in our Legal Writing program. The program includes first year Legal Writing and upper-level Legal Writing courses. Depending on the needs of the College of Law, the Assistant Professor may be assigned to teach other courses. The complete position description and information on how to apply can be found here: https://jobs.untsystem.edu/postings/77307. For additional information please contact Professor Loren Jacobson at [email protected].

Hiring Announcement: Texas Tech University School of Law

From a recent email message:

Summary Information

The School of Law at Texas Tech University invites applications for a full-time, 9-month tenure-track Professor of Law position to begin in August of 2024.  The position is open to both entry-level candidates and candidates who are on the tenure-track or tenured at another school.  Candidates who satisfy Texas Tech University’s requirements to be hired with tenure will also be eligible to hold the Frank McDonald Endowed Professorship in business law.

Required Qualifications

In line with TTU’s strategic priorities to engage and empower a diverse student body, enable innovative research and creative activities, and transform lives and communities through outreach and engaged scholarship, applicants should have experience or demonstrated potential for working with diverse student populations at the undergraduate and/or graduate levels within individual or across the areas of teaching, research/creative activity, and service.

Specific required qualifications are:

1. Candidates should have a J.D.;
2. Candidates should have a demonstrated potential for excellence in research, teaching, and service; and
3. Candidates should have demonstrated potential for excellence in the areas of Contracts and in corporate/business law, such as Business Entities, Securities Regulation, Mergers & Acquisitions, and related courses.

Preferred Qualifications

In addition to the required qualifications, individuals with the following preferred qualifications are strongly encouraged to apply:  Experience teaching corporate/business law courses and scholarly publications in corporate/business law areas.

Ron Weich Stepping Down as University of Baltimore Law Dean

The University of Baltimore School of Law has announced that Ronald Weich will step down as dean at the end of the 2023-24 academic year.  Weich became dean in 2012.  The university will conduct a  search this with the goal of having a new dean by next summer.

Please Don't Talk about Me When I'm Gone

"Please Don't Talk about Me When I'm Gone" was written in 1930 by Sammy Stept and Sidney Clare, the latter of whom was best known for comic songs such as "Good Ship Lollipop" and "Ma, He's Makin' Eyes at Me." It was almost immediately a hit, with multiple popular big band releases in 1931. It has been a staple ever since, with dozens of covers by major artists in many genres. I first heard Billie Holiday's version.

Linda Greene Stepping Down as MSU Law Dean

The Michigan State University College of Law has announced that Linda Greene will step down as dean of the law school at the end of the calendar year.  Greene became dean in 2021.  She will join the faculty.

Kathleen Guzman Stepping Down as Dean of Oklahoma Law

The Oklahoma University College of Law has announced that Kathleen Guzman will step down as dean at the end of the 2023-2024 academic year.  Guzman was appointed as dean in 2021; she was named interim dean since 2019. 

Call Me J.D., Destroyer of Dreams: Some Thoughts on Preventive Lawyering

Like many readers of this blog, I sit on several non-profit boards of directors. For decades, pro bono service activities of this nature have been a steady and rewarding presence in my professional life, connecting my interests as a law professor with service to organizations that are working to effect positive change.

Many of the groups that I have affiliated with are of the more grassroots varieties. In contrast to larger, more well-funded entities, these organizations often survive on shoestring budgets and have limited staffing. Although it’s not unusual for the big non-profits to have their own lawyers to handle various legal matters and to be watchful for potential liability issues, the smaller groups cannot afford in-house counsel and generally retain legal advice and representation only when specific matters require doing so.

Consequently, on frequent occasion, these smaller groups may ask board members who are lawyers to serve as initial issue spotters for situations that raise liability concerns. This is especially the case when the organization’s activities may have created legal exposure that had gone unnoticed during the more creative and enthusiastic phases of work done by staff.

When information about such activities is brought to the board’s attention, perhaps via a discussion preceding a vote for approval, this is when a J.D.-holding board member may raise their hand and say…

“This is a great idea, but I have a concern….”

It’s probably a healthy thing when folks thinking about how to do their jobs imaginatively and inventively aren’t always asking about liability exposure at every step of the process.

But one of the most valuable roles that lawyers can play is to look at a new program or idea and ask, what could go wrong, what is the liability exposure, and is it possible to minimize that exposure without closing or substantially limiting a useful activity?

During my years of service on non-profit boards, I have sometimes found myself playing this role. The standard setting is a board meeting where a new idea or program is shared and receives an enthusiastic reception on its merits. But as folks are expressing their excitement, I’m quietly asking myself what could go wrong and speculating on how that scenario might implicate potential liability. (This may be the special curse of someone who teaches employment law and once taught torts.)

If I can imagine plausible scenarios raising legitimate concerns about unintended risks and legal exposure, then I will raise my hand and explain what I see as the attendant liability risks. In some cases, I will urge caution before adopting or implementing an idea until these concerns are addressed.

In somewhat self-conscious fashion, I have sometimes quipped that my board role is to be the “destroyer of dreams,” i.e., serving as the legal wet blanket who holds up the works because of liability concerns. Sometimes the line gets a chuckle.

Risa Goluboff Stepping Down as Dean of UVA Law

The University of Virginia has announced that Risa Goluboff will step down as dean on June 30.   She became dean in 2016 and will return to the faculty.

CFP: AI & the Law: Practice, Ethics, & Access

This just in:

The Georgia State Law Review is excited to announce our 2024 Symposium: “AI & the Law: Practice, Ethics, & Access.” The Law Review invites you to submit articles or essays for Volume 40, Issue 4 for publication in our Symposium Edition.

We are seeking pieces related to the intersection of artificial intelligence and the law. Specifically, this year’s symposium hopes to provide insight on the how AI is being implemented to improve client service and increase access to justice. Authors whose articles are selected will be invited to present their papers at the Law Review’s annual symposium on March 22, 2024, and their articles will be published in our Symposium edition in the Spring of 2024.

We welcome submissions of any length, up to approximately 10,000 words (including footnotes) so that we can cover a wide array of issues. We also welcome shorter essays on relevant practice-based topics. Submissions and queries should be sent via Scholastica to the Georgia State Law Review or directly to the Law Review Symposium Editors, Kaylee Marchitto and John Evan Laughter, at [email protected].

The submission deadline is December 1, 2023.

The Wellerman

"The Wellerman" is an Antipodean sea shanty, referring to the supply ships of Australia's Wellerman Brothers, who provisioned the remote whaling station at Otago on New Zealand's South Island in the early Nineteenth Century. The song became a viral hit when the British vocalist Nathan Evans posted it on Tik Tok in early 2021 -- which only shows how out of touch I am, as I first came across it last April (which is when I queued up this post). There are many interesting renditions below.

Kevin Johnson Stepping Down as UC Davis Law Dean

UC Davis Law has announced that Kevin Johnson will step down as dean in July 2024.  Johnson became dean in 2008.  He will rejoin the faculty.