Among the crazes of the last decade is poker, fueled by the ease (and promise of riches) from online playing and fan interest form TV coverage taking advantage of “pocket cams” that allowed observers to see players’ “hole cards.”  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poker

As it turns out, Roger Williams University has a number of interesting connections to gaming.

Over the decades, the most prestigious accomplishment in law school is membership on the Law Review.  Staffers are selected in a highly competitive process that considers both 1L grades and performance on a writing exercise.  The 2L members assist with editorial work for the journal and write a “note,” while 3L members oversee the actual production of the law review issues, including the all-important task of selecting articles for publication. 

Yesterday was the 92nd anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment, guaranteeing women the right to vote, cultimating 70 years of struggle by woman suffragists. Here is the text: "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex" and "Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."

Orientation is when the newbies are introduced to law school and the legal profession.  At RWU we mark the end of this transition period by taking a class photo (with, and without shades) and then a picnic by the bay.  Here are some pics from that fun day.

The School of Law Library staff wishes you a successful academic year.  We are here to help you:

The academic year officially begins with orientation for the new group of 1Ls. The class of 2015 is drawn from more than 100 undergraduate institutions, including Duke, Dartmouth, BC, UTEP, Pepperdine, Gettysburg, Rowan, Smith, and SUNY-Maritime, but the top feeder schools are close to home: U Conn, Providence College, RI College, the U of Rhode Island, and Roger Williams.

One of the top junior members of the RWU Law faculty is Zoe Argento, and I am pleased to report that her recent presentation at a young scholars conference at Stanford Law School was one of only eight spotlighted on the influential blog GigaOm (out of 130).  Zoe’s topic was “Who Owns Social Media,” and you can read a summary of all the top presentations here.

I just got an update from one of our most eclectic graduates, Spencer Maguire….  Spencer has served in the Marines in Iraq, worked in politics in D.C., and is now stationed in Africa with the U.S. Department of State. Below is an email I recently received, as well as some amazing pics.

One of the strengths of a Roger Williams legal education is the support our students and graduates have in the legal community, and one manifestation of this is leading lawyers and judges who have recently joined our Board of Directors:

At RWU Law, we have a vigorous public interest program.  This summer, 35 students were awarded summer stipends that enabled them to work in public interest jobs all over the world.  The School of Law funds these stipends with money from the operating budget, and another chunk raised through our Public Interest Auction (Save the date for next year! February 15, 2013).