Brittany L. Raposa , RWU Law Associate Director & Professor of Bar Support, has been voted by the Class of 2022 as Professor of the Year! “Professor Raposa has been a transformational force for our law school,” said Dean Gregory W. Bowman. “Her teaching is excellent, and she knows that teaching and learning are not limited to the traditional classroom setting. Her work preparing our students…, The Ultimate Visual Guide to the Multistate Bar Exam, , published by Wolters Kluwer this year. Professor Raposa’s academic research and presentations focus on learning and teaching in law schools, as well as reproductive justice issues. Professor Raposa is the Associate Director of the bar exam program at RWU Law, and she currently teaches Applied Legal Reasoning, Legal Reasoning, Reproductive Justice, and Family Law.
Type: Article
Returning Students Orientation is designed to provide important information and reminders for returning students. This mandatory session covers specifics about the Pro Bono Experiential Learning Requirement (ELR), experiential learning opportunities including clinics and clinical externship opportunities and successful strategies for finding summer and post-graduate employment. In addition,…
Type: Event
Professor Colleen Murphy is dedicated to teaching, scholarship, and pro bono legal services. She has served at RWU as the Distinguished Teaching Professor for her excellence in teaching and as the Distinguished Research Professor for her creation and advancement of scholarship. The Rhode Island Bar Association honored her with its Pro Bono Publico Award for the free and extensive legal services…, Northwestern University Law Review, , , Virginia Law Review, , and , Texas Law Review, , and she was a member of the American Law Institute’s Members’ Consultative Group for the Restatement (Third) of Restitution and Unjust Enrichment., Articles, , Note-Taking Mode and Academic Performance in Two Law School Courses, , 68 Journal of Legal Education 207 (2019) (with Christopher J. Ryan, Jr. and Yajni Warnapala), Recognizing Restitutionary Causes of Action and Remedies Under Rhode Island Law, , 20 Roger Williams University Law Review 429 (2015), Reviewing Congressionally Created Remedies for Excessiveness, ,73 Ohio State Law Journal 651 (2012), What is Specific about "Specific Restitution"?, 60 Hastings Law Journal 853 (2009), Money as a Specific Remedy, , 58 Alabama Law Review 119 (2006), The Use of Prior Convictions after Apprendi, , 37 U.C. Davis Law Review 973 (2004), Misclassifying Monetary Restitution, , 55 Southern Methodist University Law Review 1577 (2002), Judgment as a Matter of Law on Punitive Damages, , 75 Tulane Law Review 459 (2000), Judicial Assessment of Legal Remedies, , 94 Northwestern University Law Review 153 (1999), The Narrowing of the Entitlement to Criminal Jury Trial, , 1997 Wisconsin Law Review 33, Context and the Allocation of Decisionmaking: Reflections on, United States v. Gaudin, 82 Virginia Law Review 961 (1996), Determining Compensation: The Tension between Legislative Power and Jury Authority, , 74 Texas Law Review 345 (1995), Integrating the Constitutional Authority of Civil and Criminal Juries, , 61 George Washington Law Review 723 (1993)
Type: Faculty & Staff Profile
The RWU Law Library staff warmly welcomes our incoming 1Ls and returning 2Ls and 3Ls. We are excited to have students back in the building with us! We also welcome back our colleagues back on campus this fall. The library staff is here to help you! We offer a collection and services that harmonize with study, research and scholarship, practice skills education, and all aspects of intellectual…
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Professor Shapiro founded the Law Office of Melanie Shapiro, LLC in 2014. Her practice focuses on Immigration law, specializing in asylum, VAWA, U visas, special immigrant juvenile status, federal litigation, and removal defense. She graduated, summa cum laude, from the University of Rhode Island's honor's program, majoring in Women's Studies. Professor Shapiro obtained her J.D. from Roger Williams University School of Law where she was a Public Interest Scholar. She currently serves as a liaison on the American Immigration Lawyers Association's New England Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. She partners with the LGBT Asylum Task Force and the…
Type: Faculty & Staff Profile
“ Roger That ” might sound familiar to you. You may have heard or read this phrase watching or reading something concerning World War II. During World War II, the main form of communication was through two-way radio. Military and aviation personnel used the phonetic alphabet to communicate in a clear way with no room for misinterpretation. “ Roger ” was used to indicate a message had been…
Type: Article
This event is co-sponsored by Roger Williams University School of Law and City University of New York School of Law. The virtual program introduces the newly released book, Integrating Doctrine and Diversity: Inclusion and Equity in the Law School Classroom, . Drawing upon the experience of faculty from across the country,, Integrating Doctrine and Diversity, is a collection of essays with practical advice, written by faculty for faculty, on specific ways to integrate diversity, equity and inclusion into the law school curriculum. Chapters will focus on subjects traditionally taught in the first-year curriculum (Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Legal Writing, Legal Research, Property, Torts) and each chapter will also include a short…, Meet the Speakers, Nicole P. Dyszlewski, Nicole P. Dyszlewski, is one of the editors of, Integrating Doctrine and Diversity: Inclusion and Equity in the Law School Classroom, . She currently serves as the Head of Reference, Instruction, and Engagement at the RWU Law Library and as an adjunct professor. She received a B.A. from Hofstra University, a J.D. from Boston University School of Law, and an M.L.I.S. from the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Library and Information Studies. She is a member of the Massachusetts State Bar and the Rhode Island State…, Raquel J. Gabriel, is the Director of the Law Library and a Professor of Law at CUNY School of Law who teaches Legal Research and Advanced Legal Research. An active member of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL), from 2010 – 2013 she penned a series of columns in AALL’s, Law Library Journal, , geared towards exploring diversity issues in the law library profession. Professor Gabriel was included in, Celebrating Diversity: A Legacy of Minority Leadership in the American Association of Law Libraries, ,, 2nd ed., (2018), where she was recognized for her leadership role within the Association. Professor Gabriel presents frequently on integrating diversity issues into teaching legal research, including the inaugural Teaching the Teachers Conference in 2019 for law librarians, and was invited back to present in 2020. She is a co-editor of the book, Integrating Doctrine and Diversity: Inclusion and Equity in the Law School Classroom, (2021), a collection of essays with practical advice, guidance, and reflections on ways to integrate diversity, equity and inclusion into the first-year law school curriculum. Professor Gabriel also contributed to the Legal Research chapter in the book. She received her B.A. from American University, J.D. from Howard University School of Law, and M.L.S. from Rutgers University. Suzanne H-S, Suzanne Harrington-Steppen, is the Associate Director of Pro Bono Programs and the Director of Summer Public Interest Externship Program at RWU Law. Suzanne received a B.A. in Political Science from Boston College and a J.D. from City University of New York School of Law. Prior to joining the Law School as the Project Coordinator for the Pro Bono Collaborative, Suzanne completed a two-year federal clerkship with the…, Jeremiah Ho, Professor Ho is an Associate Professor at UMass Law. He writes about law and inequality, exploring such issues mostly with respect to sexuality, race, and culture. In addition, he also writes extensively on legal education, methodology, and theory. His articles have appeared in the, Yale Journal of Law & Feminism, , the, Harvard Journal on Legislation, ,, The Georgetown Law Journal Online, , the, Journal of Legal Education, , the, Utah Law Review, , the, Kentucky Law Journal, , and the, U.C. Davis Business Law Journal, . Professor Ho is currently a regular contributor on the Humans Rights at Home Blog, and his blog postings on sexuality and race often garner mentioning by SCOTUS Blog. Professor Ho teaches Contracts I & II, Trusts & Estates, Remedies, and Law Review Note Writing. For his work in the classroom, the University of Massachusetts recently awarded him the, Manning Prize for Excellence in Teaching, , a university system-wide teaching prize. At UMass Law, Professor Ho has been named, Professor of the Year, for a record six times, an award given by students to the most outstanding teacher on the faculty. And in 2014, Professor Ho was selected for inclusion in Lawyers of Color’s, 50 Law Professors Under 50, . Prior to joining UMass Law, Professor Ho taught at Washburn University School of Law. He was the inaugural fellow at the Institute for Law Teaching and Learning, co-sponsored by the law schools at Gonzaga University, Washburn University, and the University of Arkansas, Little Rock. Nejdl, Clanitra Nejdl, is Head of Professional Development and Research Services Librarian at the Alyne Queener Massey Law Library at Vanderbilt University. She is also a Lecturer in Law, teaching both 1L and advanced legal research instruction. Prior to joining Vanderbilt in 2019, she served for five years as a reference and instructional services librarian and an assistant professor at the Northern Illinois…, Hoang Pham, is a Research & Policy Fellow for the Stanford Center for Racial Justice at Stanford Law School. He previously spent 10 years working in education to improve outcomes for low-income Black and students of color—six years as an elementary school teacher in South Los Angeles and four as a consultant with the Center for Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning. He graduated from the University…, Anna Russell, is a US Court Librarian, managing the Alaska library branch. She provides legal research support for Circuit, District and Bankruptcy court staff. Staying current with information technology tools and trends, she was thrilled to have the opportunity to edit the 2021, Integrating Doctrine and Diversity: Inclusion and Equity in the Law School Classroom, Carolina Academic Press teaching book. She is currently serving on the Federal Bar Association’s Task Force on Access to Justice and is a member of the American Association of Law Libraries since 2011. Prior to her librarian work, she worked as an intelligence analyst for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. She has also honorably served as a United States Surface Warfare Naval Officer, living…, Genevieve B. Tung, is the Associate Director for Educational Programs at the Biddle Law Library at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. In this role, she teaches and coordinates Biddle’s legal research instruction for 1L, upper-level JD, LLM, and Masters in Law students. She received a JD from Fordham School of Law and a MLIS from the Drexel University College of Computing & Informatics, and was…
Type: Event
Roger Williams University School of Law is the new home of the, Journal of Maritime Law and Commerce, (JMLC), the premier periodical in the field of maritime law in the United States. Founded in 1969, the JMLC is a scholarly and practice-oriented periodical “devoted to all aspects of admiralty and maritime law, including the law of the sea.” Since its inception 50 years ago, courts and arbitrators – including the Supreme Court of the United States and foreign courts – have cited the, Journal, hundreds of times. “RWU Law is a fitting home for this leading publication,” said Dean Gregory W. Bowman. “We are a nationally known maritime law school that provides strong training in this field to the next generation of lawyers and leaders through our excellent faculty, the Marine Affairs Institute (MAI), and our partnerships with the University of Rhode Island and Rhode Island Sea Grant.”…, Journal, in both online (, law.rwu.edu/go/jmlc, ), , and print editions twice a year, coinciding roughly with the fall and spring academic semesters. ‘The JMLC will serve a dual mission: providing a vital resource to maritime professionals in the field, while also putting our students to work alongside those professionals.’ “This is a wonderful opportunity for the law school and the Marine Affairs Institute,” said Julia Wyman, director of the MAI…, Journal, is an internationally respected, professionally published journal that experts in the maritime field rely on for important analysis of current issues.”, Linking Students and Professionals, At its new home, the JMLC will remain a peer-reviewed publication supported by external funding. It came to Roger Williams as a generous gift from the family of George Jay Joseph, the Washington, D.C., lawyer who founded the, Journal, . Two RWU Law alumni, Alison Laboissonniere Boyd ’06 and Bradford Boyd ’08 – founders of ANOVA Marine Insurance Services LLC, a major marine insurance firm headquartered in Pembroke Pines, Fla. – have generously agreed to underwrite the, Journal, ’s production for five years. “We were thrilled to be able to help RWU Law add yet another component to its already strong maritime law reputation,” said Bradford Boyd. “As a student, I chose Roger Williams because of its maritime law opportunities, and my career has benefited greatly from that decision. Alison and I both felt that a journal focusing on the commercial side of maritime law would…, Journal, while offering opportunities for our students to assist with the production of the, Journal, ,” said Gutoff. “We plan on keeping George Jay Joseph’s vision for the, Journal, alive and strong.” Kishbaugh remarked, “The JMLC is essentially a professional journal, with working lawyers in the field actively involved in the editorial process. This dynamic will provide students with a substantially different experience than that of editing a traditional law review.” “Our intent is for students to be an active part of the editorial team,” Wyman explained. “That means they’…, ‘I’m a Little Jealous!’, Many of those maritime professionals are, in fact, alumni who came to RWU Law specifically for its nationally recognized focus on maritime law. For example, Marc Fialkoff ’14 is a national expert on nuclear security and transport law who works with Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, currently on a detail to the U.S. State Department. A few years ago, he published a piece in the JMLC on…, Journal, is an invaluable forum for important discussions that showcase the interdisciplinary nature of maritime law,” he said. “And Roger Williams is really a perfect fit, being home to the MAI, the admiralty moot court team, the joint J.D./Marine Affairs degree, and so many other outlets. To be honest, I’m a little jealous that I’m not studying there today! This really highlights and elevates the…, Journal, . “This is a very exciting development,” she said. “The, Journal, is a very well-known publication and a great resource for practitioners. The professionals who contribute articles are familiar names in the field. I’m really excited for the law school; this is a real feather in their cap.” O’Brien is equally excited that students will be involved in producing the publication. “It’s such a great opportunity to learn and understand, to be exposed to the issues…, A Unique Mixture, Gutoff said the JMLC offers a unique mixture of scholarly depth and practical know-how that the RWU Law team is committed to maintaining. “Articles in the, Journal, are held to a very high standard of writing and research, but they also tend to focus on current practical issues facing the maritime industry and the maritime bar,” he said. “There’s a lot less theoretical work in the JMLC than you might find in the average student-edited academic journal. Sometimes there are more technical explorations – say, a five-paragraph piece on how to do, x, in a particular court – and sometimes the articles can be historical when history is key to resolving a given legal question.” “As someone who’s been interested in maritime law for my entire career and published work in the, Journal, – one of my JMLC pieces was cited by the U.S. Supreme Court – this is especially exciting for me,” Gutoff added. Kishbaugh noted, “Having this prestigious journal in-house will allow our student editors to develop their writing and editorial skills on an international stage and gain invaluable professional experience prior to even graduating from RWU Law, which is just such an excellent…
Type: Article
The book, Dust Tracks on a Road , ( ebook available at the University Library) is the autobiography of Black female American thinker and writer Zora Neale Hurston. In this 1942 work the author states, "Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose." This is the exact spirit with which the library encourages you to go forward with your directed research papers this semester--formalized legal curiosity…
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