University of St. Thomas

    The University of St. Thomas School of Law Journal Spring Symposium will host a group of national scholars and legal professionals to discuss federal commutations on Friday, April 20 beginning at 8 a.m. in the Schulze Grand Atrium at the School of Law in downtown Minneapolis. 

     Professor Teresa Collett particpated in a debate at the University of Minnesota -Duluth campus which drew a large crowd according to WDIO Television.  Professor Teresa Collett is a nationally sought-after scholar and speaker on the topics of marriage, religion and bioethics. She has published numerous legal articles.

     The Lent Retreat in Daily Living has become an important annual event at the School of Law under the direction of Professor Susan Stabile.  Again this year, faculty, staff and students are invited to participate in this retreat which provides an opportunity to experience the richness of the Lenten season, Holy Week and Easter Week according to Professor Stabile.  It will focus on personal prayer and the experience of God in prayer and daily life.  Through personal prayer participants will enter experientially into the mind and heart of Jesus in his passion, death and resurrection.

     Minnesota Lawyer has named University of St. Thomas School of Law faculty Thomas M. Mengler and Neil Hamilton recipients of the “Outstanding Service to the Profession” award.  Dean and Ryan Chair in Law Mengler and Professor and Director of the Holloran Center for Ethical Leadership in the Professions Hamilton will be presented at a ceremony on February 3, 2012.

      For the fifth straight year the Community Justice Project of the Interprofessional Center for Counseling and Legal Services at the University of St. Thomas will hold its annual symposium which explores the question, “How are the Children?”  This year’s symposium is “Part V: From the Classroom to the Courtroom; Exploring a Child’s Journey through the Justice System.”

     Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Robert Vischer has announced that Father Dan Griffith will join the School of Law community in January, 2012.  Fr. Griffith will serve as Distinguished Service faculty, an appointment he received from the University of St. Thomas.  In his first semester at the School of Law, Fr. Griffith will offer a course on Catholic social teaching and the law.  The course will equip students to analyze and critique current issues of law and public policy through the lens offered by Catholic social teaching.  

     The recent United States Supreme Court decision in the Hosanna-Tabor case was watched with interest by James L. Oberstar Professor of Law and Public Policy Thomas C. Berg.  Berg, who is a leading figure in religious liberty wrote an amicus brief on behalf of the school and wrote about the case in the Northwestern University Law Review.   He answered some questions for local media about the case after the decision was handed down last week.

     Professor Mark Osler was interviewed on Fox 9 about the pardon power.  The story was motivated by the recent pardons in Mississippi.   Osler directs the nations first Federal Commutation Clinic at the University of St. Thomas School of Law.

     At the first Session of the 2012 Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, January 5 the House of Representatives of the American Association of Law Schools (AALS) voted to recommend that the University of St Thomas School of Law be admitted to AALS membership. Dean and Ryan Chair in Law Thomas M. Mengler, Associate Dean Rob Vischer and a small group of faculty were on hand to be welcomed into membership.

     In the story, "Local law professor finds her calling in civil rights work" Professor Nekima Levy-Pounds discusses some of the work that led to her recently being named one of the Minnesota Jaycees Ten Outstanding Young Minnesotans.

     2011 graduate Charles "Roscoe" Heaton's story is one that Pioneer Press columnist Ruben Rosario lists in his column "The people of 2011 who resonated with you."  Heaton is currently practicing in Colorado.

     On Thursday, January 26 from 12:30 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. in Thornton Auditorium at the University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business in Minneapolis, the Holloran Center for Ethical Leadership in the Professions will host former Missouri attorney and legislator Steve Brown.  Part of the ongoing “Lessons Learned” series, this event “The Severe Consequences of Attorney Misconduct: Prosecution, Disbarment, Loss of Elected Office, and a Felony Conviction” will be directed by Holloran Center Fellow Hank Shea, who is a former federal prosecutor.

     Professor Mark Osler's new piece, "The Advent Challenge to Wealth" is featured on the religion page of the Huffington Post.  Osler is a frequent contributor the news website.  Recently Osler has also been featured on CNN and a number of newspapers in Michigan speaking in the areas of sentencing law and capital punishment.

     Professor Thomas C. Berg, an expert in religious liberty was interviewed for the Christianity Today story, "A Private Matter: Vanderbilt Vets Student Ministries."   Berg is often called upon to discuss cases of religious liberty and has been frequently quoted in the magazine on topics related to the intersection of religious and public life.

     Professors Jerry Organ, Susan Stabile, and Jennifer Wright will lead a retreat experience designed to help participants reflect on how God might be calling them to use their gifts and talents to serve others in the study and practice of law to kick off the spring semester.  The retreat will be held Friday, January 13 to Sunday, January 15 for University of St. Thomas School of Law current students and alumni.   The retreat will be held at the Benedictine Center of St. Paul’s Monastery, a wonderful retreat facility located near the border of St. Paul and Maplewood twenty minutes from the School of Law. 

     The Minnesota Jaycees, recently named University of St. Thomas School of Law Associate Professor Nekima Levy-Pounds to the list of the 2011 Ten Outstanding Young Minnesotans. The 11 honorees will be recognized at a special awards celebration held on Saturday, December 3, 2011 at the Earle Brown Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota.

     Professor Mark Osler's opinion piece, "Oregon's death penalty halt merciful and right" was one of the highlighted pieces on their website over the Thanksgiving holiday.  Osler is a national expert on criminal law and sentencing issues.  As a professor of law and former federal prosecutor, Osler argues in the piece that Governor Kitzhaber's questions about the death penalty are valid, and that Gov. Kitzhaber should go beyond the executive clemency order and commute death row sentences.

     Thomas Mengler, dean of the University of St. Thomas School of Law and holder of the Ryan Chair in Law, has announced that he will step down on June 30, 2012.  As dean for the past 10 years, Mengler guided the School of Law to several important milestones, including American Bar Association accreditation, the $100 million mark in fundraising and hiring a nationally recognized faculty.

     Five newspapers in Michigan that are part of the Booth newspaper group have published a guest opinion piece by Professor Mark Osler.  In the piece Osler argues against the sentence of juvenile life without parole.  Michigan is currently considering getting rid of the senteance.  Osler debated Jeanne Bishop about this sentence in September at the School of Law and has consistently worked to bring this issue to light.

     For three days in November the Journal of Law and Public Policy brought together legal scholars from around the country to discuss how pro life issues are presented at law schools in  the curriculum and text used.  The colloquium was titled, “Prolife Efforts  in the Legal Academy” and according to the group’s chair University of St. Thomas School of Law Professor Teresa Collett was called together to consider what response, if any, is appropriate to ensure fair and adequate coverage of the prolife perspective at law schools.

     This year, the School of Law will again host faculty, students, and staff for the, “Advent Retreat in Daily Living: Preparing the Way for God.”  The retreat will be held on four consecutive Mondays during the advent season starting on November 28, at 12:30 p.m. in MSL 242.

     The University of St. Thomas School of Law Negotiation team is advancing to the national competition after winning the regional competition held at the University of Minnesota last weekend.  Twenty-two teams from schools as close as the William Mitchell College of Law and as far away as Texas Tech University School of Law participated in the American Bar Association Law Student Division Negotiation Competition.

     Professor Mark Osler has contributed a piece to CNN on the Hank Skinner case.  Skinner is set to be executed in Texas though there remains an outstanding case in federal court regarding DNA evidence that has not yet been tested.  

     The Holloran Center for Ethical Leadership in the Professions will be hosting Lessons in Leadership, a Medtronic Roundtable Event, on Thursday, November 10, 2011, from 4:30-6:00 in the Schulze Grand Atrium in the School of Law, with a reception following the program.

Dean and Ryan Chair in Law Thomas M. Mengler provided an op-ed piece to the Star Tribune this week titled, "Potential stadium funding source -- a casino -- comes with many costs."  In the piece Mengler discusses some of the potential impacts of opening up gambling on Block E in downtown Minneapolis a few blocks from the School of Law.  As proposed, the gambling revenue would support a new Vikings stadium.

      Professors Susan Stabile and Mark Osler invite faculty, staff, and students to take part in “Mid-Day Dialogue on Faith: Intercession” on Wednesday, November 16 at 12:30 p.m. in room 242 at the University of St. Thomas School of Law.

Professor Teresa Collett's work in the area of fetal pain is cited in the cover story in the November 7, 2011 Weekly Standard.  The article discusses gains made in the pro-life movement.

     The Minneapolis Star Tribune publishes two opinion pieces on the Minnesota Marriage Amendment by University of St. Thomas School of Law professors.  Professor Mark Osler’s piece “May our debate about gay marriage be constructive” was published on October 15.   On October 20 Professor Collett published a counterpoint, “May debate over marriage include facts”.

    The Terrence J. Murphy Institute for Law and Public Policy will host David Luban on October 27 at 4:30 p.m. in the Frey Moot Courtroom as part of their Human Dignity Series.  

The Minneapolis Star Tribune featured an editorial supporting the work of the Infinity Project after the organization's recent event at the University of St. Thomas School of Law.  Senior Assistant Dean Lisa Montpetit-Brabbit serves as the past president and is a founding member of the organization.

     Raj Bhala of the University of Kansas School of Law will present the fall 2011 Law Journal Lecture at the University of St. Thomas School of Law on Wednesday, Nov. 2 His presentation is titled, “The Doha Round as a Failed Instrument in Counter-Terrorism.”

     The Black Law Students Association (BLSA) will hold its annual Multicultural Bar Reception on Wednesday, October 26 at 6 p.m. in the Schulze Grand Atrium at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in downtown Minneapolis.  The theme for this year’s event will be "From Backpack to Briefcase: Bridging the Gap Between Success in Law School and Success in the Legal Profession" and wil feature a networking reception followed by a panel of four speakers.

     The University of St. Thomas School of Law has again been recognized by the Princeton Review, this time in the category of “Best Professors.”   The ranking came in the Princeton Review’s publication, The Best 167 Law Schools.  In the list of rankings, the school finished in the top eight, along with elite schools such as Duke, Chicago, Virginia, and Stanford. 

     On November 1 Professor Susan Stabile will continue her fall programs at the School of Law with a mid day reflection, “What the Saints Mean to Our Lives.”  Faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to attend the program which will be held from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. in MSL 242.

Professor Wiebe, Director of the Legal Services Clinic and the Immigration Law Practice Group,  was interviewed by CBS Minnesota on October 3, 2011 about what rights U.S. citizens carry with them as they travel abroad.

University of St. Thomas School of Law Director of Career and Professional Development Kendra Brodin recently contributed the article, "It's About Work-Life Choices, Not Work-Life Balance" to American Bar Association's Section of Litigation.  In the article Brodin seeks to reframe the issue of work-life balance in the face of pressures in the legal world and the many obligations which lawyers have in their personal lives.

    The Murphy Institute for Catholic Thought, Law and Public Policy at the University of St. Thomas kicks off its new ‘Hot Topics’ ‘Cool Talk’ speaker series with a discussion on Minnesota’s same-sex marriage amendment. The discussion will begin on at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 13, in Room 235 at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in downtown Minneapolis.

     The University of St. Thomas School of Law has been recognized by National Jurist Magazine as being the top school for the number of externship placement opportunities per student.  Stating that, “The University of St. Thomas far exceeds all other ABA-accredited law schools in terms of placements,” the article discusses the growing trend among law schools to provide externship opportunities.

Professor Mark Osler continues his work on capital punishment and particularly the role of mercy in the justice system in this piece for CNN.

     At a reception celebrating the University of St. Thomas School of Law’s tenth anniversary, Dean Thomas M. Mengler announced that fifteen law firms had donated over $850,000 toward the establishment of scholarship funds in honor of the school’s tenth anniversary.  As part of his brief remarks at the event, Mengler thanked the entire donor base which has contributed over $100 million dollars since the School of Law was re-established ten years ago.

     Representatives from religious groups, the broader nonprofit sector and the legal community have been appointed to a trio of panels that will work with the Commission on Accountability and Policy for Religious Organizations.   Thomas C. Berg, professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, Minneapolis, and expert in religious liberty and church-state interactions, is a member of the Panel of Legal Experts.

Five law professors will discuss the impact of recent decisions and look ahead at interesting cases on the court’s docket.

     Thursday, September 15 the University of St. Thomas School of Law will host the Minnesota Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.   The event in the Frey Moot Courtroom at the School of Law is a community forum “Racial Disparities: Unemployment in the Twin Cities.”  The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the downtown Minneapolis Campus of the School of Law.

     On Tuesday, September 27 at 5:15 p.m. in the Schulze Auditorium in the Opus College of Business, the Holloran Center for Ethical Leadership in the Professions and the Opus College of Business will feature nationally prominent higher education scholars Anne Colby and William Sullivan (co-directors of Carnegie Foundation’s studies of education in law, engineering, medicine, nursing, and the clergy) in a discussion of how undergraduate business education can do a much better job of educating the government and business leaders we need.

The University of St. Thomas School of Law will begin the 2011 school year by launching a new Federal Commutation Clinic.  Under the direction of Professor Mark Osler, the clinic is the first of its kind in the nation. 

This weekend, the Huffington Post published Mark Osler's article on President Obama's executive order promoting diversity in the workplace.  Professor Osler is a regular contributor to the Huffington Post.

     The Holloran Center for Ethical Leadership in the Professions and the University of St. Thomas School of Law hosted a public debate: “Searching for Justice: Juvenile Offenders and Life Without Parole” on Tuesday at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in downtown Minneapolis.
     The debate took place during the opening week of classes for the first year class.  Both Minnesota Public Radio and KARE-11 news covered the debate.

 Professor Thomas C. Berg comments in the SCOTUS blog on conflicts between same-sex marriage and religious liberty.  The piece includes his analysis that legislatures may do a better job than courts of balancing these rights.

     During the past year, University of St. Thomas School of Law Associate Professor Jennifer Wright continued to advance issues in elder law as part of the Interprofessional Center.   She has written several articles involving issues regarding guardianship and the elderly, including “Protecting Who from What, and Why, and How?: A Proposal for an Integrative Approach to Adult Protective Proceedings”, 12 The Elder Law Journal 53 (2004); and “Guardianship for Your Own Good: Improving the Well-Being of Respondents and Wards in the U.S.A.”, 33 International Journal of Law and Psychiatry 350 (2010).

Professor Thomas C. Berg commented in Christianity Today on the story,  "9th Circuit: University Can Force Christian Groups Open to Non-Christians".