DePaul Law News

Professor Sarnoff quoted extensively in a recent BNA BioTech Watch article

Professor Joshua Sarnoff was quoted extensively in a recent BNA BioTech Watch article on the remand of the Myriad gene patent regarding the application of the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision in a case that found a medical treatment method not be to patent eligible subject matter, High Court's Mayo Standards Applicable To Myriad Remand Despite Case Differences, and was also quoted in a BNA Patent, Trademark & Copyright Journal article in regard to medical treatment method case, High Court's Unanimous Mayo Decision Provokes Mixed Reactions From Stakeholders.

Center discusses Strauss-Kahn allegations at annual family violence lecture

On February 8, the Schiller DuCanto & Fleck Family Law Center hosted its 8th Annual Distinguished Valentine's Day Family Violence Lecture.

Washington D.C. Prosecutor Roger Canaff, who provides technical assistance to U.S. Army rape prosecutors, discussed the evidence in the rape allegations against Dominique Strauss-Kahn. He and fellow presenter, Lester Munson, attorney and senior writer for ESPN.com, entertained a lively discussion about the role that universities and sports institutions play in tacitly accepting violence against women.

Child and family law lunch series focuses on Chicago sex trade

The Schiller DuCanto & Fleck Family Law Center hosted it's monthly "Hot Topics in Child and Family Law" lunch series on March 14 with the presentation, “Who’s Buying Sex in Chicago?” Rachel Durchslag, executive director of Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation, discussed research findings from one of the nation’s only "customer" surveys.

Durchslag presented a slide show focusing on how customers view the women and children they buy; how they view their wives, partners, and children; the prevalence of the rape myth; and how perceptions of masculinity perpetuate the sex trade industry.

Schiller DuCanto & Fleck Family Law Center's annual service project at Cook County Juvenile Detention Center

Fourteen DePaul law students spent their spring break vacation week volunteering at the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center as part of the Schiller DuCanto and Fleck Family Law Center's annual service project. The students designed and ran interactive workshops with the juveniles on topics such as the juvenile justice system, juvenile record expungement, courtroom etiquette, job search and interviewing, street law/know your rights, and communication and negotiations. As always, this project was extremely rewarding for both law students and the youth residents at the Juvenile Detention Center.

Animal abuse, domestic violence, and child abuse program hosted

The Schiller DuCanto & Fleck Family Law Center hosted a presentation Feb. 22 on the intersection of animal abuse, domestic violence, and child abuse as part of its monthly Hot Topics in Child & Family Law series. The program, "Violence Against the Vulnerable," was presented by Aileen Robinson, Program Coordinator with the Chicago Police Department. She discussed the relationship between these acts of violence, with a focus on prevention and the psycho-social issues involved.

Health Law Fellows Compete in National Health Law Transactional Competition

On Friday, March, 23, 2012, three students from the DePaul Law Health Law Institute competed in the National Health law Transactional Competition hosted by Loyola University Chicago School of Law. The annual competition tests students on their ability to sort through a corporate and regulatory dilemma faced by a hypothetical institution. The students then submit a written brief and present their analyses and proposals before a panel of judges.

Azeema Akram ('13), Nikki Ulrich ('13), and Michelle Villanueva ('14) represented DePaul at the competition; this was the first year DePaul sent a team to compete.

While the DePaul team did not win the competition, the team received high praise from the judges for its thoughtful analysis and practical approach to the prompt. Importantly, the students learned a tremendous amount about the nature of corporate and regulatory health law practice and plans to take that experience with them into other extracurricular and professional opportunities.

Students Shadow Cook County Criminal Division Judges

As part of the College of Law’s Institute for Advocacy & Dispute Resolution, nine students shadowed judges at the Criminal Division of the Cook County Circuit Court on Tuesday, March 13th. Students were able to meet and ask questions of Acting Presiding Judge Kazmierski, Judge Hill, and Judge Fox, who runs all nineteen of the specialty courts.

“I thought the day was great,” says Jeffrey Boucher (’13). “I enjoyed speaking with the judges and hearing their thoughts and advice.”

The students also observed a variety of evidentiary and status hearings, a 402 conference, and a felony jury trial.

“I had a wonderful time during the Shadow a Judge trip,” says Samuel Jackson (’13). “It was the first time that I had the opportunity to talk to a judge in his office about the law and the work that goes on in the courtroom. I highly recommend it to anyone who has yet to work in court.”

Events take place every spring and fall semester. Please contact Natalie Taylor at ntaylor4@depaul.edu or (312) 362-8312 if you are interested in participating in fall 2012.

DePaul law students, faculty, staff and alumni volunteer as judges at Pritzker Elementary School history fair

(Pictured: Dean Gregory Mark and Professor Wayne Lewis)

On Monday, March 19, A.N. Pritzker Elementary School held its annual History Fair for sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students.  DePaul law students, faculty, staff, and alumni volunteered at the fair, judging projects and talking with students about their research.  The History Fair projects focused on Chicago history and ranged from well-known topics, such as Prohibition and Soldier Field, to lesser known historical events, such as the Lager Riots and the Eastlander Disaster.  Pritzker students were excited to present their projects and were well-prepared.  DePaul volunteers, which included College of Law Dean, Gregory Mark, and Professor Wayne Lewis, were impressed with the sophistication and depth of many of the projects and enjoyed interacting with the Pritzker students. 

(Pictured: Student David Porter ('12))

A.N. Pritzker Elementary School is a Chicago Public School located in Wicker Park. Pritzker has a strong relationship with DePaul College of Law.   Pritzker is one of the Pro Bono & Community Service Initiative’s partner organizations and DePaul law students are involved with the school in a variety of ways. In addition to assisting at Pritzker’s History Fair, DePaul law students teach lessons on constitutional law and tutor struggling sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students.   Further, DePaul law students “donate-a-day” of service to Pritzker to help with school beautification projects. In fall 2011, nearly 60 law students spent the day at Pritzker painting a science lab and classrooms and planting a courtyard garden. On March 30, Pritzker sixth graders will visit DePaul College of Law to learn about law school, the legal profession, and to observe a mock trial put on by DePaul law students.

For more information about DePaul’s pro bono program and its involvement with Pritzker Elementary School, contact Cheryl Price, Director of the Pro Bono & Community Service Initiative, at cprice13@depaul.edu.

DePaul’s Pro Bono & Community Service Initiative and Center for Public Interest Law launch Neighborhood Legal Assistance Project

At 7:45 a.m. on Saturday, March 17, seven DePaul law students arrived at Grace Episcopal Church (“Grace Place”) in Printer’s Row eager to volunteer. By 8:30 a.m. they were working directly with the homeless, and at 11:30 a.m. they conducted their last intake and reviewed their cases. 

Photo, from left: Law students Brandon Clark, Jonathan Williams and Nick Gutierrez assist a client through NLAP.

The students are among the first to volunteer for the College of Law’s new Neighborhood Legal Assistance Project (NLAP). NLAP, a legal help desk staffed by law student volunteers, assists the poor and homeless with criminal record expungements and obtaining state IDs, which are common barriers when seeking housing, employment and public benefits. DePaul’s Pro Bono & Community Service Initiative (PBCSI) and Center for Public Interest Law, with the assistance of DePaul’s Loop University Ministry, created NLAP after learning of the critical need for legal services by Chicago’s downtown homeless population.

NLAP takes place during Temple United Methodist Church’s homeless breakfast program. Due to space constraints, Temple runs the program at Grace Place and serves a hot breakfast and bag lunch to 150 to 170 homeless every Saturday morning. Temple’s Homeless Ministry has been integral to the planning and launch of NLAP, and the church has graciously donated funds to the project.

Photo, from left: NLAP supervisor Damon Ritenhouse and law students Emily Mannix-Slobig and Goli Rahimi work together to assist a client.

Law students volunteer at the breakfast twice a month, and DePaul law alumnus Damon Ritenhouse (JD '11) supervises the students. Ritenhouse was chosen because of his dedication to service and the expungement experience he gained through volunteer work with Cabrini Green Legal Aid.

NLAP is currently raising funds to cover the costs of obtaining RAP sheets for its clients. To learn more about or to donate to NLAP, please contact PBCSI director Cheryl Price at cprice13@depaul.edu.

Harvard Law Professor Kenneth Mack to deliver annual Enlund Lecture at DePaul

As DePaul University College of Law's spring 2012 Enlund Scholar-in-Residence, Harvard Law Professor Kenneth W. Mack will deliver a lecture titled "A Civil Rights History in the Age of Obama" on Thursday, April 12 at the DePaul Center, 1 E. Jackson Blvd., Room 8005, Chicago.

Professor Mack will discuss ways to reframe the conventional methods of teaching and writing the history of the civil rights movement, with a particular emphasis on the legal history of the African American civil rights movement. He will suggest that the “Age of Obama” makes such a reframing imperative at our present moment.

The lecture and reception are free and open to the public, but a reservation is required by April 9, 2012. To register, please visit law.depaul.edu/enlund. 

DePaul University College of Law is an accredited Illinois MCLE provider. This lecture has been approved for up to one (1) hour of CLE credit.