This week the Legal Beagle is doing some serious journalism and interviewed Professor Kishbaugh. Below is a transcript of our conversation: 1. What is your number 1 tip for students who are new to legal writing? “You are not your audience.” And by that I mean most students come into law school with the experience of writing papers in an effort to figure out what they, as individual students,…, fill, space or meet a minimum page requirement. Legal writing, on the other hand, is as much a form of professional writing as it is educational writing, and, because of that, the ability to convey concise, accurate, and useful information to an audience is highly prized. As such, those new to legal writing should understand that, writing is a process, , and they should first learn to write so they, themselves, understand their topic and then, second, revise, edit, and rewrite so their audience understands that information as well and does not have to waste its time trying to doing so. Thus,, time management, also plays a large role in being a strong legal writer because each step of the writing process takes time and its own brand of attention; the days of writing an acceptable paper in a single sitting are but an increasingly distant memory. 2. What is the most rewarding part of working with students? The most rewarding part of working with students is not just watching them succeed and achieve…, The Chinese Written Character as a Medium for Poetry, by Ernest Fenollosa and edited by Ezra Pound. More of a pamphlet or a treatise than a book, Fenollosa’s text with Pound’s edits is the foundation for my understanding of written language and how one can use it to make and convey meaning. 4. Who makes the best pizza in Rhode Island? I’m not a Rhode Island native and have only been living here for about three years, so my opinion on this topic is…
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Roger Williams University School of Law is proud to announce that Professor David A. Logan has been appointed as an Adviser on the new American Law Institute (ALI) Restatement of the Law Third, Torts: Defamation and Privacy. As part of a small group of experts, Logan – who served as Dean of RWU Law from 2003 to 2014 – will be advising the project Reporters, Professors Lyrissa Barnett Lidsky of…
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Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 is a federal law that states, "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance…" According to the NCAA website , “Title IX applies to all educational institutions,…
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One of the most controversial topics raging on college campuses today concerns how to properly handle allegations of sexual misconduct. For decades, such matters have been governed by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. But opposing positions on the law taken by recent U.S. presidential administrations– playing out amid the seismic societal shifts of the #MeToo movement – have…, Roger Williams University Law Review., “Title IX has become a powerful, and often controversial, tool for promoting gender equality in colleges and universities,” explained RWU Law 3L Caitlyn Horbert, editor-in-chief of the, Law Review, . “But the statute has also yielded passionate debate about a number of issues, including whether student allegations of sexual misconduct should be resolved in the courts or on campuses – and, if on campuses, what processes colleges and universities should use to balance the interests of students.” “Ultimately, changes to Title IX enforcement will impact virtually every college and university in…, Law Review, is excited to provide the legal and educational community an opportunity to engage in a timely discussion about the many important issues raised by the statute.” Panel discussions at the symposium will touch on legal developments surrounding Title IX, as well as due process concerns and the issue of consent on campus. Each panel will be composed of practitioners and professionals who will…, New York Times, ,, Time, ,, USA Today, , and the, Washington Post, ., For further information on speakers and panelists, please visit the event page ., , Registration for the symposium is free for Roger Williams students, faculty and staff, and $50 for the public. Registration includes all symposium sessions plus lunch. All attendees must register. Members of the Rhode Island bar can earn 5.5 Rhode Island MCLE credits by attending the program.
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The Association of American Law Schools has chosen Laurie Barron, director of the Feinstein Center for Pro Bono & Experiential Education at Roger Williams University School of Law, to receive a major national award for her work expanding the availability of legal services for the neediest by “forwarding the ethic of pro bono service” in the legal community. Barron was selected from a wide…, ‘An Absolute Rock Star’, In a statement, the AALS Section on Pro Bono and Public Service Opportunities explained the reasoning behind its choice of Barron for the award. “Laurie Barron has built one of the top public interest law programs in the nation,” the statement said. “When Laurie became the Director of RWU’s Feinstein Center in 2001, it was a tiny program and she was the only (part-time) attorney. Under her…, Passion and Compassion, A group of academic colleagues from across the country submitted a nomination observing that “Laurie is a thoughtful scholar. Her work is collaborative and pragmatic. She is always making sure others can pick it up and use it immediately. While Laurie’s writing is clear and accessible, she writes on topics intended to help us better support our students and ensure they are making meaningful…
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President John F. Kennedy was killed on November 22, 1963. Almost 30 years later, the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 directed the National Archives and Records Administration to create a collection of U.S. government documents related to the assassination. Now available on HeinOnline, this collection contains an assortment of interesting documents, such…
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One of the library staff’s favorite holiday pastimes is finding the nexus between law and the holidays. While there are several ways that Thanksgiving is related to law, the one we are choosing to highlight this year is the invention of cranberry sauce. Americans purchase over 5 MILLION gallons of cranberry sauce every holiday season. While this side dish is considered a staple at Thanksgiving,…
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The Bravo Bistro in downtown Providence was packed as Professor Deborah Gonzalez – director of the Immigration Law Clinic at Roger Williams University School of Law – keynoted a Newsmaker Reception, warning of the increasingly acute crisis in asylum policy at the United States border with Mexico. Meanwhile, her colleagues praised Gonzalez's contributions to the field, for which the event sponsors…, Rhode Island Lawyers Weekly, , the Rhode Island Women’s Bar Association and the Hispanic National Bar Association – chose Gonzalez ( RWU ’04, RWU Law ’07) for the honor. “Professor Gonzalez is admired and respected not just within the confines of the law school, but throughout the legal community at large,” said Professor Andrew Horwitz, RWU Law’s Assistant Dean for Experiential Education. “She is widely recognized as one…, A System ‘in Shambles’, Upon taking the podium, Gonzalez minced no words. Referring to President Donald Trump only as “45” throughout her presentation, Gonzelez condemned his administration’s controversial immigration policies for helping create a humanitarian situation that she termed “dire,” and exacerbate the ills of an immigration system that is “in shambles.” Gonzalez began by summarizing the U.S.’s 50-year history…, An Artificial Crisis?, Gonzalez then rebutted Trump administration claims that record numbers of immigrants are flooding the southern border, offering a flurry of official statistics. “I know the numbers seem high, but the CBP [U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency] has reported that their highest numbers of immigrants coming in at the southern border came in the ’80s, ’90s, and 2000s, with upwards of 1.7 million…
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In a small, late-afternoon ceremony in November, Roger Williams University School of Law dedicated Seminar Room 279 in Bristol as the Linn Foster Freedman Esq. Classroom. “I am thrilled that we were able to name this classroom in Linn’s honor,” said Dean Michael J. Yelnosky. “I hope that our students will draw some inspiration from her work and appreciate all that she has done for our law school…, An Influential Supporter, Linn Freedman has been a member of the RWU Law Board of Directors since 2008 (she’ll be terming off next spring). “I first got involved with RWU Law maybe 10 or 15 years ago, through Dean David Logan , when he and I were serving on the Touro Foundation board together,” she recalled. “He got me interested in the law school and eventually nominated me to be on the board. From that point on, of…, Nimbleness and Flexibility, Freedman is a partner at Robinson+Cole , where her practice focuses on data privacy and security. In that capacity, and in her previous role as a partner at Nixon Peabody LLP , she has encouraged the hiring of RWU Law alumni. She has also volunteered her time teaching Privacy Law as an adjunct for several years. Freedman notes that the story of how she came to fill those shoes says a lot about…
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The third annual Stonewall Lecture at Roger Williams University School of Law was unusual in that it played out more like a conversation, with a sizeable audience of students, faculty and staff driving the discussion through an engaging series of questions and answers, while the prepared remarks of this year’s speaker, Blake Liggio, Esq., served as more of a prologue. Liggio, a partner with…, ‘Just Showing Up’, Navigating the administrative aspects of integration with a large law firm, however, is just the beginning of the challenge for trans lawyers. “I’m not going to sit here and tell you that today, as a trans person, you’re going to walk into that large of an organization, and everybody is going to understand you, or have experience working with or being exposed to a trans person,” Liggio said.…
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