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The Drexel Docket

July 2006

Welcome to The Drexel Docket!

We are happy to bring you the first issue of the newsletter of the nation's newest law school, Drexel Law! The Docket will bring you updates about the college, stories about what the faculty and students are doing, and news we think will be of interest to current and prospective students, pre-law advisors, co-op sponsors, alumni of the University, and friends of the law school. If you have comments or suggestions, please send them to us using the link at the end of this issue. We invite you to visit us at http://www.drexel.edu/law.

Drexel Law Announces New Faculty
The number of full-time Drexel Law faculty is now 14, following the hiring of several faculty over the past few months. They include:

  • Alex Geisinger – Commercial and Environmental Law
  • Rex Glensy – Property and Intellectual Property
  • Patricia Legge – Civil Procedure
  • Amy Montemarano – Legal Methods
  • Kevin Oates – Legal Methods
  • Terry Jean Seligmann – Director, Legal Research and Writing
  • Chris Simoni – Advanced Legal Research and Director, Law Library
  • Emily Zimmerman – Legal Methods

The College of Law has also made several other appointments including:

  • Louise Hill, Visiting Professor – Contracts
  • Honorable Edmund Ludwig, Jurist in Residence
  • Steven Rocci, Distinguished Practice Professor – Patents and Patent Litigation
  • Ellen Wertheimer, Visiting Professor – Torts

For a list of the inaugural faculty, including pictures and bios, visit the College of Law faculty page.

Inaugural Class Has Lunch with Kweisi Mfume
Drexel Law filled four tables at the June meeting of the Philadelphia Bar Association. Students and faculty were able to meet Kweisi Mfume, the former head of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Legal Defense Fund, who presented the Bar Association's annual public interest law lecture. They were joined at the reception by the chancellor and other leaders of the Bar Association. View pictures from this event.

All students and faculty of Drexel Law have been enrolled as members of the Philadelphia Bar Association; all students are members of the Young Lawyers Division. Look for mailings from them soon!

Visiting Committee Holds First Meeting

On May 19, leaders of the bench and the bar gathered at Drexel University in the first meeting of the College's Visiting Committee. Chaired by the Honorable Louis Pollak (pictured above front row, far left), the committee included general counsel from major corporations, judges and justices from federal and state courts, and leading legal practitioners. They talked with the law school's faculty about the plans for the College of Law's curriculum, new building, and co-op program. They also held extended discussions on the ways in which Drexel Law will balance academics and scholarship with skills training and field placement. The committee will return to campus in the fall to meet with students and review the operations of the school once it has opened.

Visit http://www.drexel.edu/law/visiting-committee.asp for more information on the Visiting Committee.

Drexel Law Sponsors Professional Events
Committed to involving its students in the life of the profession, Drexel Law sponsors a number of professional events that occur in Philadelphia.

Past events:

  • March – Sparer Symposium on "Civil Gideon: Making the Case" in conjunction with the ABA Equal Justice Conference
  • May – Young Lawyers' Comedy Night fundraiser for the Bar Foundation
  • June – National Bar Association Women Lawyers Division (NBA/WLD) Annual Scholarship Luncheon

Upcoming events:

  • August – National Association of Sentencing Commissions Annual Conference
  • October – NBA/WLD 25th Anniversary Celebratory Event (on Drexel's campus)
  • November – National Asian Pacific American Bar Association National Convention

Several admitted students will have the opportunity to attend these events. Please contact Assistant Dean Helen Albertson-Ploucha at helen.l.albertson-ploucha@drexel.edu if you are interested.

Construction of New Law Building On Schedule
The sun continues to shine on Drexel Law! The new building is on schedule to be ready for occupancy by the end of this year. Plans are being made for a ribbon-cutting ceremony with many dignitaries early in 2007. In May the Drexel Trustees approved plans for a two-story law library annex, bringing the investment that Drexel has made to more than $17 million. Floor plans, descriptions, and current photographs of the new building can be found at http://www.drexel.edu/law/law-building.asp.

In related news, Chris Simoni, currently head law librarian for Northwestern Law School, will be Drexel Law's inaugural librarian. View the College of Law Library welcome page at http://www.drexel.edu/law/libraries.asp.

Online Chats
On June 20, 43 soon-to-be Drexel Law students chatted online with Professor David S. Cohen, Assistant Dean Helen Albertson-Ploucha, and Events Coordinator Jerry Arrison about the classic legal movie A Few Good Men. Helen, who is a commander in the Navy, skillfully answered the students' questions about military justice. The movie gave the students a taste of how exciting legal practice can be and heightened their enthusiasm for the start of their law school experience.

Coming Attractions
On July 27, faculty and students will discuss John Grisham's novel A Time To Kill.

 

 

 

If you have comments, questions, or suggestions about The Drexel Docket, please contact us.

New law schools are eligible to apply for ABA accreditation following their first year of operation. Drexel University is committed to achieving ABA accreditation at the earliest possible time. Visit http://www.drexel.edu/law/accreditation.asp for more information about the ABA accreditation process.