DePaul Law News

President Obama nominates alumnus Thomas Durkin for U.S. District Court

President Barack Obama has nominated Thomas M. Durkin (JD '78) to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. 

"I am honored to put forward this highly qualified candidate for the federal bench,” President Obama says in an official White House statement. “He will be a distinguished public servant and valuable addition to the United States District Court."

Durkin is a partner at Mayer Brown LLP in Chicago, where he handles a broad array of matters including complex commercial litigation and white collar criminal defense. Prior to joining Mayer Brown in 1993, Durkin served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Northern District of Illinois for over a decade. During that time, he served in numerous leadership positions, including chief of the Special Prosecutions Division, chief of the Criminal Receiving and Appellate Division, and first assistant U.S. attorney. From 1978 to 1980, he served as a law clerk to the Honorable Stanley J. Roszkowski of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. 

Durkin has the support of U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mark Kirk (R-IL).

"Thomas Durkin is an outstanding candidate for a federal judgeship in the Northern District and I am pleased that President Obama has nominated him today. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated strong leadership in his community and a solid commitment to public service. I will be working with Senator Kirk to see his nomination approved by the Senate," says Durbin, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who forwarded Durkin's name to President Obama in 2009 based on the recommendation of a bipartisan screening committee chaired by former federal judge and Illinois Congressman Abner Mikva.

Durkin also was one of Kirk's judicial recommendations submitted to the White House in July 2011.

 

 

 

 

Moot court students enjoy record-breaking season of success

Associate Dean Howard Rubin and the Institute for Advocacy & Dispute Resolution are proud to announce that the 2011-2012 DePaul moot court programs enjoyed record-breaking success this year with the most team championships and finalists in recent history. The Moot Court Society anticipates that it will rank among the nation's top 20 programs once all national rankings are finalized.

Dedicated students under the guidance of Legal Writing Instructor Christopher Evers, Professor Barbara Bressler, and several other faculty and alumni coaches produced these record-breaking results:

Whittier National Juvenile Law Competition
Team: Patrick Viktora & Kelly Olivier 
Result: champion

National IP LawMeet
Team: Michael Comeau & Julie Krupa
Results: champion & best term sheet award

Giles Sutherland Rich Memorial Moot Court Competition (Patent)
Team: Nicholas Restauri & Rachel L. Schweers
Results: National -- runner-up; Midwest Regional -- first place, best appellant brief, best appellee brief

ABA Client Counseling Competition 
Team: Brandon Baseman & Zariah Udeh 
Results: National -- third place; Regional -- first place

Fordham Securities Law Competition
Team: Andrew Cunniff & Melinda Wetzel 
Results: semifinalist, best respondent brief, best preliminary round oralist - Melinda Wetzel

Vanderbilt 1st Amendment Competition
Ream: David Porter & Anna Esfeld
Result: semifinalist

Charleston Constitutional Law Competition 
Team: Erik Nelson & James Maruna
Result: semifinalist

Wagner Labor and Employment Law Competition
Team: William Alzugary & Mark Sliwinksi
Results: quarterfinalist, best petitioner brief

George Washington National Religious Freedom Competition
Team: Aaron Dozeman & Rachel Brown
Result: quarterfinalist

Honorary degree recipient John B. Simon to deliver DePaul law commencement address

At its May 20, 2012, commencement ceremony, DePaul College of Law will confer on graduation speaker John B. Simon (JD ’67) the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, for reflecting the highest ideals of the legal profession and helping the university fulfill its Vincentian mission of education and outreach to those most in need.

Throughout his career, Simon has served not only his clients, but also the public, the legal profession and DePaul. He is a former chair of the university’s board of trustees, has served as an adjunct professor at the College of Law, and is currently an advisory board member of the law school’s Center for Dispute Resolution. 

Simon has been a leader in the state and local bar associations and in dozens of community and government organizations—all while maintaining an active practice at one of the nation’s most prominent firms, Jenner & Block. He was president of the Chicago Bar Association, a member of the Illinois Supreme Court Planning and Oversight Committee for the Judicial Performance Evaluation Program, and a commissioner of the Illinois Racing Board. He currently chairs the Illinois Supreme Court Historic Preservation Commission as well as the court’s Rules Committee, where he facilitates the negotiation and drafting of the rules and ethical standards that govern our state’s justice system. 

Committed to public service in innumerable ways, Simon has served as counsel to numerous state agencies including the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority, Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, Illinois Racing Board, Illinois Farm Development Authority, Illinois State Board of Investment, and the Illinois departments of Insurance and Public Aid. He helped expand the Illinois Toll Highway Authority system and McCormick Place, and facilitated the sale of the Chicago Milwaukee Railroad/Heartland Partners’ commuter rail lines to create a regional transportation authority, all of which had major impacts on Chicago’s regional economy. On behalf of three governors of Illinois, he faithfully served and was appointed chancellor of the Lincoln Academy, awarding the state’s highest honor each year to those who have served the state through their life’s work.  

DePaul University and the College of Law are proud to honor an alumnus who has devoted his life to the well being of Illinois’ citizens and its system of justice.

 

DePaul College of Law's Commencement will be held Sunday, May 20, 2012, at the Akoo Theatre in Rosemont, Illinois. A full schedule of events and other information can be found on DePaul's commencement website.

 

DePaul students earn runner-up title at national patent law moot court competition

After a demanding six months of preparation for the American Intellectual Property Law Association’s Giles Sutherland Rich Memorial Moot Court Competition, Nick Restauri’s and Rachel Schweers’ hard work and dedication paid off with a regional first place finish, two best brief awards and the national title of runner-up.

Restauri and Schweers formed a team in November 2011, soon after the release of the competition problem. The brief writing process took them through the end of the year, and in mid-January, they finalized their briefs for the regional competition held in Chicago in March. Unlike most moot court competitions that require participants to write one brief, the patent moot requires students to write briefs for both sides of the argument. Schweers, a patent agent with a Ph.D. in biochemistry and a recipient of the Robert and Clytia Chambers Endowed Prize for Excellence in the College of Law, says, though this requirement made more work for the team at the onset of the writing process, “It also facilitated our ability to more effectively advocate for either side of the issues.”

“Rachel and I spent a great deal of time going back and forth over our briefs,” says Restauri, a third-year student who received the 2012 Allen J. Hoover Memorial Award. “We scrutinized every sentence and rewrote portions multiple times. The process was long and very tedious, but Rachel and I played off each other’s individual writing strengths and eventually arrived at the final products.” The team received awards for best appellant brief and best appellee brief at the regional level, where they competed against 26 teams to win first place and advance to the national competition in Washington, D.C., in April.

To prepare for oral arguments, the team practiced two days a week for seven weeks before the regional, and after winning, continued to rehearse two days a week until the national competition. They also benefited from the assistance and support of DePaul intellectual property law professors, the Center for Intellectual Property Law & Information Technology, and alumni who previously competed in the patent moot.

Students and alumna recognized for pro bono and community service work

DePaul College of Law’s Pro Bono & Community Service Initiative (PBCSI) presented awards to more than 100 law students for their volunteer work. At its annual service awards reception held on April 19, 2012, PBCSI recognized students who completed and reported at least 50 hours of volunteer work during their time at DePaul.

Left: Chancellor's Award recipients Sarah Gorham, Laura Horner, David Zwaska, Sara Suleiman and Rebecca Birger.

Students also received awards for completing 100 hours of service and 200 hours of service. Graduating students who completed at least 200 hours of service and who best exemplified the Vincentian commitment to service and social justice received the Benjamin Hooks Distinguished Public Service Award, named after 1948 law alumnus and civil rights activist Benjamin Hooks. This year 35 students received the prestigious Hooks Award.

Right: PBCSI Director Cheryl Price with Hooks Award recipients Brandon Baseman, Joseph Resowski and Chastidy Burns.

In addition to the students, PBCSI recognized alumna Kellye Fabian (JD ’00) for her deep commitment to pro bono work and service to the poor. The recipient of PBCSI’s 2012 Pro Bono Alumni Award, Fabian is a partner at Freeborn & Peters where she practices commercial litigation.

Below: PBCSI Director Cheryl Price and 2012 Pro Bono Alumni Award recipient Kellye Fabian.

Fabian’s pro bono work is extensive. She is the co-founder of Willow Creek Legal Aid Ministry, which is housed in a food pantry in Hoffman Estates. The ministry was launched in 2009 and provides free legal services every Tuesday from 10:00 a.m. to noon and again from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the areas of family law, consumer debt, immigration law, and foreclosure to name just a few. The ministry uses approximately 20 pro bono attorneys, including Fabian, to assist clients. To date, Willow Creek Legal Aid Ministry has served more than 3,000 people.  

Fabian also is the vice president and a board member of Shama Ministries, a nonprofit organization serving Chicago’s inner-city communities and men and women who have recently been released from prison. She is a former board member of Housing Opportunities for Women, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering women, children and families to break the cycle of poverty to homelessness. In light of Fabian’s impressive pro bono record, this award was well deserved.     

If you have questions about PBCSI or its service awards, please contact PBCSI Director Cheryl Price at cprice13@depaul.edu.

The complete list of our 2012 service award recipients is available for download: Download 2012 PBCSI Service Award Recipients

DePaul IP alumnus named partner of Cherskov Flaynik & Gurda, LLC

DePaul IP Alumn Szymon M. Gurda ('07) was recently named partner of Cherskov Flaynik & Gurda, LLC. The firm specializes in Intellectual Property issues for small and medium size clients. Mr. Gurda holds a B.S. in Computer Science from the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, an M.S. in Computer Science from Depaul University, Chicago, IL, and a Juris Doctor, also from Depaul University.  He graduated from the J.D. program, Magna Cum Laude, and is a member of the Order of the Coif.

 

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.

DePaul hosts 2012 National Cultural Heritage Law Moot Court Competition

DePaul’s Center for Art Museum & Cultural Heritage Law, Center for Intellectual Property Law & Information Technology and Appellate Moot Court Society and the Lawyers’ Committee for Cultural Heritage Preservation (LCCHP) held the annual National Cultural Heritage Law Moot Court Competition at the Everett McKinley Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago on February 24 and 25, 2012. 

Seventeen student teams from across the country addressed issues concerning the Theft of Major Artwork Act (18 U.S.C. § 668). The first issue focused on Congress' Article I, Section 8, authority to regulate interstate commerce and the second issue focused on statutory interpretation of the act. This year's champion team, Richard Poskozim and Filip Zucek, is from IIT Chicago-Kent School of Law. A full list of winners is available on the competition's website.

Throughout the two-day competition, more than 50 DePaul law students volunteered, served as a ghost team and assisted in writing the bench memo, and more than 100 attorneys, including many nationally renowned cultural property experts and DePaul law faculty, served as judges. Additional support was provided by international auction house Sotheby’s. 

The final round was judged by the Hon. William J. Bauer, U.S. Court of Appeals for 7th Circuit, Hon. Diane P. Wood, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, Hon. Mary Mikva, Circuit Court of Cook County, and Hon. Warren Wolfson, Illinois Appellate Court (retired).

Established by DePaul and LCCHP in 2010, the competition is the first and only in the nation to focus entirely on the field of cultural heritage law.

The 2013 National Cultural Heritage Law Moot Court Competition will take place on February 22 and 23 in Chicago. For more information and to view the 2012 results, photo gallery and final-round video, visit the competition website.