In addition to teaching and scholarship, the Elon Law faculty enrich public understanding of law and contribute to the formation of law and policy through service in international and national organizations, correspondence with policymakers in executive and legislative branches of government and public commentary. In 2011-12, analysis by Elon Law faculty reached more than 200 million people through a variety of national and international news outlets.
Catherine Dunham, Steve Friedland and Michael Rich provide analysis of the John Edwards trial
In 2012, Catherine Dunham, associate dean for academic affairs and professor of law, Steve Friedland, professor of law and senior scholar, and Michael Rich, associate professor of law, provided public analysis of the campaign finance fraud case against former U.S. Senator and presidential candidate John Edwards.
Their commentary reached more than 200 million people through news organizations that included: The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Christian Science Monitor, Charlotte Observer, New York Post, The Guardian (England), Tokyo Shimbun (Japan), Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, United Press International, National Public Radio, Slate, Politico, The Daily Beast, The Huffington Post, Talking Points Memo and national news programs on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and FOX.
Henry Gabriel advances international commercial law
A U.S. delegate to the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law, Professor of Law Henry Gabriel represented the United States at the 2011 and 2012 commission meetings on electronic commerce at the U.N. Center in Vienna, Austria. An elected member of the Governing Council since 2002, Gabriel presented papers on securitization in agricultural finance and risk management of global navigation satellite systems at two symposia of the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT) in Rome, Italy. At the request of the U.S. Department of State, Gabriel gave three presentations at both the 2011 and 2012 meetings of the State Department Advisory Committee on Private International Law. This year, Gabriel was elected a Fellow of the European Law Institute and re-appointed to the American Bar Association International and Domestic Policy Advisory Group. He participated in international and national law revisions and gave six presentations relating to UNIDROIT in San Diego, Washington D.C., Rome, Italy and Beijing, China.
Scott Gaylord offers public analysis of judicial selection and First Amendment issues
In 2012, Associate Professor of Law Scott Gaylord offered public commentary and published scholarship in the areas of judicial selection. In February, Gaylord authored an op-ed, titled, “Electing Judges Still Works for N.C.,” that was published in the Raleigh, N.C.-based News & Observer. Gaylord also published an article in the North Carolina Law Review Addendum, titled, “Judicial Independence Revisited: Judicial Elections and Missouri Plan Challenges.”
In addition, Gaylord entered the national debate regarding ultrasound requirements for women seeking abortions in an op-ed co-authored with Elon Law Associate Professor of Law Tom Molony, published in The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Birmingham News. Gaylord also provided analysis for state and national radio and T.V. news programs about Constitutional Law issues related to prayer in public schools, sectarian legislative prayer in municipal meetings and First Amendment issues related to speech on government issued license plates.
Helen Grant and Heather Scavone broaden conversation in immigration law community
On May 22, 2012, Elon Law’s Humanitarian Immigration Law Clinic hosted a second annual Immigration Law Seminar, organized by Professor of Law and Faculty Director of the clinic Helen Grant and Clinical Practitioner-in-Residence Heather Scavone. The conference, designed for immigration attorneys, scholars and law students, featured presentations by representatives of two nonprofit organizations, Human Rights First and the Immigration Center for Women and Children, as well as representatives of the Guilford County Public Defender’s Office and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Since its establishment in January 2011, the Humanitarian Immigration Law Clinic has assisted more than 950 clients. In July 2012, the clinic co-hosted an event with the Department of Homeland Security, which examined immigration scams occurring through the unauthorized practice of immigration law and methods for engagement with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Scavone also spoke at the Creighton University School of Law conference on “Effective Representation of Asylees and Refugees.”
Margaret Kantlehner advances engaged learning programs
Associate Professor of Law and Director of Externships, Wills Drafting Clinic and Elder Law Clinic, Margaret Kantlehner was instrumental in the establishment of the Elder Law Clinic at Elon Law and in the creation of a partnership between the law school and The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars that enables law students to enroll in externships with federal government offices and nonprofits in the nation’s capital.
Kantlehner now directs both the Wills Drafting Clinic and the Elder Law Clinic at Elon. Chosen to participate in the Georgetown Law 2012 Summer Institute for Clinical Law Teaching, Kantlehner’s article, “Before Elvis Leaves the Building: Drafting a Will for a Client of Diminishing Capacity,” was the cover story of the North Carolina State Bar Journal Summer 2012 edition.
David Levine engages Congress and the Obama administration on IP law, technology and trade
In tandem with his scholarship, Associate Professor of Law David S. Levine co-authored two letters to Congress in 2011, signed by hundreds of legal scholars, opposing the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). The letters argued that the legislation undermined U.S. leadership in supporting and defending free speech and the free exchange of information on the Internet.
Levine also co-authored a 2012 letter to U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk, signed by 32 legal academics, calling for public access to U.S. negotiating positions related to the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP). After speaking at the 13th round of TPP negotiations, Levine wrote a Slate.com article, “The Most Important Trade Agreement That We Know Nothing About,” which called for more transparency among negotiators.
Faith Rivers James cultivates lawyer-leaders
Professor of Law Faith Rivers James, recently named director of leadership programs at Elon Law, cultivated the professional development of several alumni by engaging them in opportunities to present at conferences and to write for professional publications.
Rivers James invited three alumni to speak about leadership education in law schools at the 2012 Conference on Law and Leadership. She also co-authored an article for a North Carolina Bar Association publication with Ben Snyder L’12, discussing nonprofit engagement in Elon Law’s curriculum, and she supported the development of an article about leadership in the legal profession by alumnus Collin Cooper L’12 that was published in The Young Lawyer, a magazine of the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division.
In her recent St. Louis Public Law Review article, titled, “Engaging Law Students in Leadership,” Rivers James writes, “The new challenge of legal education is preparing civic-minded lawyers to assume leadership roles in their communities, law firms, the legal profession, and in the public square.”
More news about the scholarship and service of the faculty at Elon Law is available here.