DePaul Law News

College of Law student takes first in cultural heritage law writing competition

Salome Kiwara-Wilson is a 3L at the College of Law.

In October, the Lawyers' Committee for Cultural Heritage Preservation (LCCHP) awarded DePaul University College of Law student Salome Kiwara-Wilson first place for her paper "Restituting Colonial Plunder: The Case for the Benin Bronzes and Ivories."

Kiwara-Wilson distinguished herself among 32 students at 22 different law schools. In an official LCCHP statement, Executive Director Tess Davis cited this year’s competition as one of the most competitive on record. LCCHP was founded in 2004 to further the preservation of cultural heritage both domestically and internationally through education and advocacy. One of its missions is to expose current law students to the evolving field of cultural heritage law and the competition aims to further this goal.

Spanning 40 pages, Kiwara-Wilson’s article follows the course of the West African Benin bronzes and ivories seized by British troops during the Punitive Expedition of 1897. Also known as the Benin massacre, the expedition ravaged the Benin kingdom, located in what is now Nigeria, and plundered the royal family’s collection of ceremonial art—including a large number of brass plaques. Britain auctioned off much of the artwork to neighboring states to relieve the cost of the elaborate expedition.

Launch of Public Interest Legal Skills Seminar Series

The Center for Public Interest Law launches its new Public Interest Legal Skills Seminar on Monday, October 8th.  This first Public Interest Legal Skills Seminar is in partnership with Adjunct Professor Kelli Dudley and will include six non-credit courses in Mortgage Foreclosure Law.

During the seminar, students will have the opportunity to:

• Acquire Practical Skills.
• Network with Practicing Attorneys.
• Receive Certification of Completion.
• Build their Resume and Improve Job Prospects.

 The Mortagage Foreclosure Seminar Series will cover:

1. Client Interview and Initial Answer – special considerations in reviewing a foreclosure case; special timelines and rules applicable to foreclosure; importance of working with HUD-Certified Housing Counseling Agencies.
2. Motion Practice—rules unique to foreclosure in Illinois concerning the timing and content of motions to quash service of process and motions to dismiss. Discussion of constitutionality of special rules. Consideration of discovery strategies and discovery as of right
3.  Impact on tenants in foreclosure and statutes protecting tenants.
4. Settlement Options – working with Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP), short sales, deeds in lieu of foreclosure, non-HAMP modifications, and consent foreclosurealong with some reference to bankruptcy;
5. Fair housing in the mortgage lending, foreclosure, and modification context;
6. Ethical considerations and plaintiffs’ perspectives.

The Seminar Series will take place in Lewis 703 from 11:50 a.m.—12:50 p.m. over six consecutive Mondays; October 8, October 15, October 22, October 29, November 5,and November 12. Attendance at all six sessions is required and will be recognized with a Certification of Completion. 

Please RSVP by Monday, October 1 at 5 p.m. to ckellede@depaul.edu.

Grads head to D.C. as Presidential Management Fellows

One year after graduation, Jack Spittell and Ella Yeargin are rising professionals at the White House and on Capitol Hill.

In 2011, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management selected Spittell and Yeargin to participate in the Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program. This competitive leadership development program offers fellows the opportunity to serve in an entry-level position at a federal agency for two years, with rotations to provide breadth and depth of experience. In addition, they participate in training with fellows from other agencies to broaden their networks and further develop their leadership and management skills.

“Every day, I am working on different pieces,” says Yeargin, now a fellow with the Food & Drug Administration’s center for tobacco products, and on track to becoming a Freedom of Information Act expert. She served a rotation working on national drug control policy at the White House. “It has been a complete change from representing my own individual clients in law school to working on large scale policies that create best practices for the federal government and can also influence state-level policies and programs,” she says. “It has opened my eyes and expanded my thinking of what it means to use my law degree and be a lawyer.” Yeargin describes herself as a chameleon, constantly engaging her skills as a writer, researcher and advocate for various audiences in different mediums and situations.

Spittell is a fellow with the Department of Energy Office of the Chief Financial Officer. “I hit the ground running,” he recounts. “The agency was already in the thick of the budget finalization and roll-out process when I started. Working with a senior analyst enabled me to contribute immediately as I learned the lexicon of energy and appropriations law. While I am not in a courtroom, I have been able to put my classroom training into action on a daily basis, whether in policy meetings or attending hearings on Capitol Hill.” Spittell says he has contributed to agency decisions through his skills in analysis, writing, advocacy and liaising, all of which he sharpened at DePaul.

DePaul law student Dan Sylvester honored for veterans assistance

Dan Sylvester with Steven Elrod, executive partner for the Chicago office of Holland & Knight

On July 16, the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs (IDVA) honored rising 3L Dan Sylvester with the Veteran of the Month Award, an accolade achieved through more than two decades of service, pro bono work and efforts on behalf of veterans. Sylvester's colleagues and friends from DePaul College of Law, including Dean Gregory Mark, Professor Bruce Ottley and Dean for Strategic and Community Alliances Francine Soliunas, attended the ceremony at Holland & Knight, where Sylvester works as a summer associate.

"Daniel Sylvester epitomizes the fact that veterans continue to serve after taking off the uniform," IDVA Director Erica Borggren told the crowd of attendees Monday evening. An 11-year veteran of the U.S. Army, Sylvester spent the larger part of the '90s as an army officer, was involved in humanitarian operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina and garnered roughly a dozen military awards for achievement and merit. He has also worked with votevet.org and the Truman National Security Project to lobby Congress on veteran issues and national security.

Dan Sylvester and IDVA Director Erica Borggren

"He has made a deep impact on Illinois veterans through his work at DePaul University College of Law," Borggren emphasized, "consistently advocating on their behalf."

Sylvester is the current president of the DePaul University College of Law’s Veterans Assistance Service Organization (VASO), which he founded last year. The student organization works with veterans and advocates on their behalf, while exploring how the law affects veterans.

Professor Cavise profiled in Chicago Lawyer magazine

DePaul College of Law Professor Leonard "Len" Cavise, who also serves as director of the Center for Public Interest Law (CPIL) and the Chiapas Human Rights Practicum, was recently profiled in Chicago Lawyer magazine.

The four-page piece focuses on Cavise's public interest efforts at DePaul, including his efforts to establish the Chiapas program and CPIL, his multicultural background and his activist nature. It includes quotes from colleagues and former students, all of whom credit Cavise for the College of Law's "unique" profile within the sphere of public interest law.

Cavise cites his first position with the National Lawyers Guild's Wounded Knee Legal Defense/Offense Committee in New York as a "thrilling" experience that sparked his interest in public service and legal aid. A graduate of Georgetown University Law Center, and a former public defender, Cavise has extensive pro bono, civil and criminal litigation experience. He joined DePaul University College of Law in 1983, teaching a course in criminal procedure.

Read more in the article, " 'Rebel lawyer' makes public interest law his mission."  

DePaul College of Law honors 2012 graduates

Students, faculty members, staff and friends gathered at the Akoo Theater in Rosemont.

On May 20, 2012, DePaul honored 386 scholars robed in blue, red and purple. The College of Law's 114^th law commencement, held at the Akoo Theater in Rosemont, Ill., featured John B. Simon (JD ’67), partner at Jenner & Block and a DePaul trustee, as the graduation speaker and honorary degree recipient. 

The Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, C.M., DePaul president, conferred degrees on the graduates, and Vice Dean David Franklin and Donald Mrozek (JD '73), chair of the Law Dean's Council, inducted the new alumni. 

The College of Law's class of 2012 includes 368 JD graduates and 18 LL.M. graduates. They join a law alumni network of more than 14,000.

Excerpts from Simon’s speech and additional photos of the event are posted at Newsline. A complete webcast of the ceremony is available here.

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 shadow Cook County circuit judges in Bridgeview

As part of the College of Law’s Institute for Advocacy & Dispute Resolution, eight students shadowed judges at the Bridgeview Courthouse, the 5th Municipal District of the Cook County Circuit Court, on Friday, April 13. Students met Presiding Judge Raymond L. Jagielski, and shadowed other judges throughout the day.

Pictured from left to right: Presiding Judge Raymond Jagielski, Victoria Ger, Judge Colleen Hyland, Megan Einsele, Jennifer Gates, Judge Kerry Kennedy, Martha Soto, Kathleen Groark, Lizette Jaramillo, Colleen Glass, Judge Pete Felice, and Marta Tuhchieva-Petit.

“I really enjoyed the day,” says Victoria Ger (’12). “Meeting the judges and hearing their point of view on court proceedings, law practice, and even current events was very insightful.”

The students also had lunch with the judges, and got to meet with representatives of the State’s Attorney’s and Public Defender’s Offices. 

“Thanks so much for the chance to visit the 5th Municipal District Courthouse,” says Susan Ritacca (’13). “It was a productive and interesting trip.” 

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

Panel discusses Arizona’s SB 1070 immigration law and what it means for Midwest

What is Arizona’s SB 1070 immigration law and what does it mean for the Midwest? A panel sought to answer this question on April 19, which was especially timely because of the Supreme Court oral argument in the Arizona v. U.S. case this week. The panel (pictured right) included moderator Chuck Roth, director of litigation at Heartland Alliance’s National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC); Brian Murray, partner at Jones Day who represented NIJC as amicus curaie in Arizona v. U.S.; Maricela Garcia, CEO of Gads Hill Center; and Daniel Morales, assistant professor of law at DePaul University.

Professor Morales began the panel discussion by mentioning some of the controversial aspects of the Arizona immigration law SB 1070 that the Supreme Court would consider. He described how section 2b of the law requires law enforcement officers to verify a person’s immigration status if the officer has a “reasonable suspicion” that the person may be an undocumented immigrant. The concern with this provision is that it opens up too much discretion for officers, and people will be targeted based on the way they look. Professor Morales pointed out that section 3, which the 9th Circuit enjoined, criminalizes being undocumented. Section 5 criminalizes applying or soliciting work if you are undocumented, which is unprecedented for state law. Finally, section 6 authorizes warrantless arrests and deportation based on probable cause. Additionally, citizens can sue local law enforcement for “failing to enforce the law to maximum extent.”

Garcia pointed out that 36 states have filed similar “copycat” laws since Arizona’s, but 31 of those states have rejected those laws. She spoke of a strong pushback in communities across the nation to reject this anti-immigrant sentiment, despite the economic fear-mongering that undocumented immigrants will take our jobs. Garcia illustrated how SB 1070 represents an attack on the Latino community and an invitation to racial profiling. However, Arizona has suffered $740 million in economic loss since SB 1070 was passed because of a significant loss of tax base from people who left the state. Arizona has paid $1.5 million alone in legal fees to defend the bill.

Students help the homeless through a new volunteer legal clinic

(Pictured: Damon Ritenhouse ('11) and students Emily Mannix-Slobig and Goli Rahimi)

 Students and staff started a new program to assist homeless individuals get state identification cards and expunge or seal minor criminal records. The program, Neighborhood Legal Assistance Project (NLAP), takes place every other Saturday at Grace Episcopal Church on 637 S. Dearborn St. Students meet homeless clients at the free breakfast program run by volunteers from The First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple. By helping homeless clients get state identification cards, NLAP helps homeless clients receive public benefits. With their record sealed or expunged, homeless individuals can get housing or employment.  

(Pictured: students Nick Gutierrez and Sam Keen)

NLAP collaborates with several other agencies to make the program work. Franciscan Outreach through St. Peter's Church trained students on getting state IDs. Cabrini Green Legal Aid trained students in expungement and sealing of minor criminal records. The program began on March 17 and will continue every other Saturday. Alumnus Damon Ritenhouse ('11) supervises the clinic. For more information, contact Cheryl Price, Director of the DePaul Pro Bono & Community Service Initiative, at cprice13@depaul.edu

Click here to view the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin's recent piece on NLAP (note that subscription is required to view the article).