Alumni News

April 2013 Student Housing Construction Update

dlsnyder@swlaw.edu (SWLaw Alumni Office) — Thu, 23 May 2013 15:49:39 GMT

The Residences at 7th

The Residences at 7th continued to reveal its architecture with scaffolding coming down on the exterior west facade, alabaster stucco finishes nearing completion around the remainder of the exterior and completion of the model unit. Interior work progressed with closets, bathroom vanity and kitchen cabinets installed throughout, as plasterers put finishing touches on walls and flooring contractors poured and smoothed gypcrete subflooring in the upper units.

Alumni Profile: Hon. Craig Mitchell '91

dlsnyder@swlaw.edu (SWLaw Alumni Office) — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:17:47 GMT

L.A. County Superior Court Judge Craig Mitchell, center, leads a group… (Mark Boster / Los Angeles.)

Superior Court Judge Craig Mitchell '91 Goes the Distance

On Sunday, March 17, 2013, Superior Court Judge Craig Mitchell ‘91 led 9 members of the Midnight Mission Running Club through the 26.2 mile Los Angeles Marathon. Combining his passion for running and helping the community, Judge Mitchell’s unlikely relationship with the recovering drug and alcohol addicts at the Mission is certainly one for the record books.

Commencement Speaker: Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey

dlsnyder@swlaw.edu (SWLaw Alumni Office) — Tue, 21 May 2013 21:20:49 GMT

Los Angeles County DA Encourages Southwestern Graduates

Reposted from www.swlaw.edu.

During Southwestern's 98th Commencement Ceremony held on May 12 at the Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey treated graduates and their 3,500 family members and guests to an inspiring speech. As the first female and first African American District Attorney for Los Angeles County, Ms. Lacey oversees the largest prosecutorial agency in the nation, which has more than 2,000 employees. During the ceremony, degrees were conferred on 328 J.D. and 23 LL.M. graduates, and Ms. Lacey was also presented with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.

Southwestern Mourns the Loss of Carole Weiner

dlsnyder@swlaw.edu (SWLaw Alumni Office) — Mon, 20 May 2013 00:00:03 GMT

Southwestern Mourns the Loss of Carole Weiner

Reposted from www.swlaw.edu.

Members of the Southwestern community were greatly saddened by the loss of a beloved colleague, teacher and librarian, Carole Weiner, who passed away on May 7, after fighting a valiant battle with pancreatic cancer. The Associate Director of Southwestern's Leigh H. Taylor Law Library since 1998, Ms. Weiner began her career at Southwestern in 1980 as a circulation librarian. For more than three decades, she taught legal research to thousands of first-year students for whom she served as a favorite mentor.

Southwestern Sets the Trends

dlsnyder@swlaw.edu (SWLaw Alumni Office) — Wed, 15 May 2013 00:56:16 GMT

Southwestern Sets the Trends and Innovations That Other Law Schools Follow

Reposted from www.swlaw.edu.

Just this week, yet another law school - Brooklyn Law School in New York - announced that it would be following Southwestern's lead by launching its own two-year JD program. Brooklyn's news comes on the heels of similar announcements by Pepperdine, Drexel, Florida Coastal, Vermont and Washburn University law schools that they are in the process of developing accelerated programs. In recent years, Dayton and Northwestern established their own two-year programs. While condensing the length of time it takes to complete the JD, these programs do not capture Southwestern's unique and highly respected cohort-based model of small classes and skills-based approach that is the hallmark of the SCALE program.

Southwestern Student Chosen as Next Lt. Governor of ABA Law Student Division, 9th Circuit

jbushore@swlaw.edu (SWLAW Alumni Office) — Mon, 13 May 2013 23:12:56 GMT

Marcus Williams Appointed Lieutenant Governor of ABA Law Student Division

Reposted from www.swlaw.edu.

Second-year day student Marcus E. Williams has been appointed the 2013-2014 Lt. Governor for Student Bar Association Presidents of the ABA Law Student Division, 9th Circuit. In this role, he will facilitate communications between SBA Presidents from the 9th Circuit, coordinate meet and greets with them, and likely travel to other schools as an ambassador to encourage SBA involvement.

On the Road

dlsnyder@swlaw.edu (SWLaw Alumni Office) — Mon, 13 May 2013 15:10:52 GMT

Upcoming Events

Event	Date
Bar Passers Ceremony & Reception	6/3/2013
Seattle Alumni Regional Reception	6/5/2013

Southwestern Celebrates Students' Public Service

dlsnyder@swlaw.edu (SWLaw Alumni Office) — Thu, 09 May 2013 00:34:31 GMT

Luncheon Honoring Impressive Pro Bono Legal Services

Reposted from www.swlaw.edu.

Taking a break from studying, over 250 students were invited to join Dean Parrish, faculty, staff and supervising attorneys from the community at a luncheon to honor and congratulate them for the impressive pro bono legal services they provided to the community during the year. The program included a keynote address by the Hon. Terry B. Friedman, a retired Los Angeles County Superior Court judge and former Executive Director of Bet Tzedek.

Southwestern TAHP Team Finishes in Top Four at National Competition

jbushore@swlaw.edu (SWLAW Alumni Office) — Wed, 08 May 2013 21:15:53 GMT

AHP Team Advances to Semi-Final Round at National Competition

Reposted from www.swlaw.edu.

At the 2013 American Association for Justice (AAJ) National Student Trial Advocacy Competition in New Orleans, Southwestern's Trial Advocacy Honors Program (TAHP) team delivered an impressive performance, finishing in one of the top four spots out of the 250 teams that competed.

Southwestern's Moot Court Team Performs Well in International Competition

jbushore@swlaw.edu (SWLAW Alumni Office) — Tue, 07 May 2013 22:16:08 GMT

Moot Court Team Advances to Semi-Final Round at Price International Competition

Reposted from www.swlaw.edu.

When it comes to appellate advocacy, Southwestern knows how to make an impression all the way across the Atlantic. On a trip to Oxford, England, to compete in the international rounds of the Price Media Law Moot Court Programme, Southwestern's Moot Court team of Matthew Alsberg, Isaiah Costas-Barofsky, Christopher Lloyd and Almara Sepanian earned distinction as semifinalists and won First Place Brief. As the recipient of the First Place brief award, the team's briefs (one written for the Applicant, the other for the Respondent) will be published and publicly available on the Oxford website for future competitors to use as a model.

Appointment of Dean and CEO of Southwestern Law School

dlsnyder@swlaw.edu (SWLaw Alumni Office) — Fri, 03 May 2013 17:19:18 GMT

A Message From the Board of Trustees

Susan Westerberg Prager

I am very pleased to inform you that the Board of Trustees has appointed Susan Westerberg Prager, the Executive Director of the Association of American Law Schools and former Dean of UCLA Law School, as the next Dean and Chief Executive Officer of Southwestern Law School. Her five-year term will begin in the Fall.

Thomas H. Hoberman
Chair of the Board of Trustees
Southwestern Law School

You can read more about Dean Prager’s appointment here www.swlaw.edu/news/newdean.

The formal public announcement will be issued shortly.

First-year Students Continue to Impress Judges in the Triad of Annual LAWS Competitions

jbushore@swlaw.edu (SWLAW Alumni Office) — Thu, 02 May 2013 17:07:35 GMT

1L Students Surpass Expectations in LAWS Competition

Reposted from www.swlaw.edu.

Year after year, judges comment on the intelligence, poise and preparedness of the first-year law students who participate in Southwestern's intramural advocacy competitions. The leading jurists from local, state and federal courts have come to expect a level of skill and professionalism that matches - and in some cases exceeds - the quality of arguments they regularly hear in their courtrooms. This year's outstanding cadre of 1L advocates did not disappoint.

Law Review and Moot Court Tie to Win Annual Honors Program Members' Challenge

jbushore@swlaw.edu (SWLAW Alumni Office) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:02:57 GMT

Honors Program Members' Challenge Results

Reposted from www.swlaw.edu.

Congratulations to the members of the Southwestern Law Review and Moot Court Honors Program, the 2013 winners of Southwestern's annual Honors Program Members' Challenge. The challenge is designed to help Southwestern reconnect specifically with those alumni who participated in Law Review, Law Journal, Moot Court or the Trial Advocacy Honors Program from the class of 1995 to the most recent class. It also gives alumni the opportunity to support Southwestern's Annual Fund in an entertaining way - no matter the dollar amount.

Alumni Profile: Wayne Levin '88

jbushore@swlaw.edu (SWLAW Alumni Office) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 22:47:17 GMT

Variety Honors Southwestern Alumni

Reposted from www.swlaw.edu.

Variety has named Southwestern alumnus Wayne Levin '88 as its 2013 Legal Leadership honoree. Mr. Levin, Chief Strategic Officer and General Counsel for Lionsgate, has played an integral role in the film company's success. He is also one of the most invested supporters of Southwestern's expansive entertainment and media law program.

Class Notes: Marilyn Wise '87

icastillo@swlaw.edu (SWLaw Alumni Office) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 23:22:57 GMT

Southwestern congratulates Marilyn Wise '87 for publishing the book, Seasoned to the Country: Slavery in the Life of Benjamin Franklin.

If you would like to submit a class note please email alumni@swlaw.edu.

Southwestern History Snapshot: Faculty-Professor Voltaire Perkins

dlsnyder@swlaw.edu (SWLaw Alumni Office) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 23:40:23 GMT

Southwestern Faculty- Professor Voltaire Perkins (1924-1931)

Professor Perkins was a practicing attorney and actor who appeared in over thirty movies and TV shows from the 1950s to the 1970s.

Between 1957 and 1969, he played a judge on the original TV series “Divorce Court,” now the oldest court-themed TV show currently airing.

He also played a judge in the “Batman” TV series in 1966.

Southwestern's Excellence in Teaching Awards

dlsnyder@swlaw.edu (SWLaw Alumni Office) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 14:27:41 GMT

Professors Yokoyama, Heilman and D'Italia Receive Southwestern's 2013 Excellence in Teaching Awards

Southwestern is pleased to announce that Professors Dennis Yokoyama, John Heilman and Alexandra D'Italia have been selected to receive the law school's 2013 Excellence in Teaching Awards.

March 2013 Student Housing Construction Update

dlsnyder@swlaw.edu (SWLaw Alumni Office) — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 14:42:41 GMT

Removing the Veil

Reposted from www.swlaw.edu.

During March, the exterior skin began to appear in final form in places, as plasterers applied lath, scratch coat, brown coat and finish coats of stucco in layers around the building. Sheeting and scaffolding began to be removed, while window installers continued their work, air conditioning units appeared on the rooftop and a model unit moved toward completion.

Class Notes: Brian H. Standing '07

dlsnyder@swlaw.edu (SWLaw Alumni Office) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 23:14:20 GMT

Southwestern congratulates Brian H. Standing '07 who became a shareholder at Tisser Law Group.

Click here for more information about Brian H. Standing '07.

If you would like to submit a class note please email alumni@swlaw.edu.

TAHP Teams Impress at Regional Competition

jbushore@swlaw.edu (SWLAW Alumni Office) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 01:58:44 GMT

TAHP Teams Advance to Finals and Semi-Finals at NTC

Reposted from www.swlaw.edu.

Southwestern's Trial Advocacy Honors Program (TAHP) recently sent two teams to a regional tournament of the National Trial Competition (NTC) in Tucson, Arizona. In the preliminary rounds, the team of Michael Morse and Ashley Smolic were ranked first out of 24 teams. Southwestern's second team of Andrea Friedman and Anastasia Sagorsky ranked third overall in the initial rounds.

Southwestern Student Chosen as Next NBLSA Attorney General

jbushore@swlaw.edu (SWLAW Alumni Office) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 20:06:26 GMT

Jonathan Evans Elected Attorney General of NBLSA

Southwestern PLEAS student Jonathan Evans has been elected to serve as Attorney General to the National Black Law Students Association (NBLSA) Board for the 2013-2014 academic year. In this position, he will research legal issues facing the African-American community, prepare memoranda to increase awareness for NBLSA members, and prepare amicus curiae briefs to support cases affecting the African American Community.

Thank You!!! Honor Roll of Donors Draft

dlsnyder@swlaw.edu (SWLaw Alumni Office) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 13:32:27 GMT

A preliminary draft of Southwestern Law School’s 2012-2013 Honor Roll of Donors is now available online. This annual publication which lists the names of our donors is our small way of recognizing their support. Thank you to our donors – your generosity enables Southwestern to attract and retain the finest legal scholars; expand resources, financial support and services for our students; and enhance the campus environment. We rely on your valued support so that Southwestern can strive for new levels of academic achievement.

Class Notes: Barry R. Schirm '80

dlsnyder@swlaw.edu (SWLaw Alumni Office) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 23:12:08 GMT

Southwestern congratulates Barry R. Schirm '80 who was appointed as Partner-in-Charge at Hawkins Parnell Thackston & Young at its Los Angeles office.

Click here for more information about Barry R. Schirm '80.

If you would like to submit a class note please email alumni@swlaw.edu.

TAHP Excels in Competitions With First Place Finish

dlsnyder@swlaw.edu (SWLaw Alumni Office) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 22:39:19 GMT

TAHP Excels in Competitions Across the Country

From coast to coast, Southwestern's Trial Advocacy Honors Program (TAHP) turned in strong performances at two separate regional rounds of the American Association for Justice (AAJ) Competition.

Team members Mackenzie Brown, Jahmy Graham, Michelle Henderson and Christine Wood competed in Santa Monica during the second weekend in March, dominating in all five rounds of competition and finishing in first place.

Southwestern Student's Academic Exchange Program Experience

jbushore@swlaw.edu (SWLAW Alumni Office) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 01:51:53 GMT

Southwestern Student Explores Entertainment Law in Canada

Reposted from www.swlaw.edu.

Daniel Spitz wants to practice in the entertainment law field and believes that diversifying his education can give him a unique edge to accomplish this goal. That is why he participated in Southwestern's foreign exchange program. He spent the Fall semester studying at Western University in London, Ontario, Canada, where he took four courses in Media Law, Negotiation and Mediation, Corporate Law and Real Estate Law.