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News and Events 2001 - 2002

August 2002

Professor Lewis Continues Work With Employment Discrimination and Civil Rights Law

Professor Hal Lewis, who recently returned to Mercer after serving as a visiting professor at George Mason University, spent the past year working with many aspects of Civil Rights and Employment Discrimination Law. He served as consultant to the Chief Counsel, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, concerning the Employment Nondiscrimination Act of 2001, which would be the first national bill banning employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. During the past summer, Professor Lewis published a new chapter on Civil Rights substantive violations, attorneys' fees, procedures and other remedies for Stephen Yagman's book, Section 1983 Federal Jury Practice and Instructions. He is currently completing the 2002 edition of Litigating Employment Discrimination and Civil Rights Cases with co-author Elizabeth Norman. They completed the 2001 edition last Fall, and it was published in January 2002.

Faculty Publishes Race Discrimination Law Article

Last spring, the Journal of Southern Legal History published Professor Hal Lewis' article, "Affirmative Distraction: Race Preference and Bias in the New South."

Professor Hricik Speaks About Patent Prosecution

Professor David Hricik spoke on August 23 at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office on "Satisfying the Duty of Candor in Patent Prosecution" at the 2002 American Intellectual Property Law Association Patent Prosecution Basic Training Seminar.

Faculty Publishes New Disability Law Supplement

Professor Adam Milani and Professor Ruth Colker (Ohio State) co-authored a supplement to the Third Edition of "The Law of Disability Discrimination" which can be accessed from Professor Colker's web site at http://moritzlaw.osu.edu/faculty/facultyprofiles/colker.html. The supplement includes the Supreme Court's decisions since the Third Edition was published as well as recent developments in the lower courts. In addition, Professor Milani wrote a new section on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Professor Milani Speaks at the 2002 Conference of the Legal Writing Institute

Professor Adam Milani made a presentation on an article he co-authored with his Mercer colleague, Professor Michael Smith, on their article "Playing God: A Critical Look at Sua Sponte Decisions By Appellate Courts" at the Tenth Biennial Conference of The Legal Writing Institute, University of Tennessee College of Law, Knoxville, TN, June 1, 2002. The article can be accessed from Professor Milani's web site at http://www.law.mercer.edu/faculty/index.cfm?staffid=60.

Faculty Serves on ABA Accreditation Team

Professor Linda Edwards and five other team members have completed and submitted to the ABA their accreditation fact-finding report on Fordham Law School in New York City. The report is part of a regular seven-year review process to continue Fordham's accreditation status.

Faculty Publishes New Book

Professor Linda Edwards' book titled Estates in Land and Future Interests: A Step-By-Step Guide has been published by Aspen Law and Business. The book is a text on the estates system designed for use in Property or Wills and Trusts courses. The text is being adopted at a number of law schools across the country for use in courses beginning this Fall.

Professor Edwards' Recent Legal Writing Contributions

Professor Linda Edwards has returned from spending last semester as a Visiting Scholar at the Harvard Law School, where she conducted research on the intersection of jurisprudence and forms of legal reasoning. Her research formed the basis of a presentation titled Jurisprudence and the Rhetoric of Legal Writing, which Professor Edwards gave at the national conference of the Legal Writing Institute held at the University of Tennessee in June. Relatedly, Aspen Law and Business will publish Professor Edwards' newest book, the working title of which is Legal Method and Legal Writing, this coming March. The book takes a more theoretical approach to the teaching of Legal Writing and includes chapters on jurisprudence, legal method and forms of legal reasoning.

Faculty to Chair Ethics Committee

Professor David Hricik was recently appointed Chair of the Ethics Committee of the American Bar Association's Section of Intellectual Property for 2002-2003.

Professor Hricik To Speak About Ethical Issues

Professor David Hricik will serve on a panel discussing the ethical issues arising from the use of high technology at the ABA Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. August 11. Professor Hricik will also give a presentation on inequitable conduct at the American Intellectual Property Law Association's Annual Program for New Patent Lawyers in Washington D.C. later this month. He is currently taping a series of CLE presentations regarding various ethical issues that will be available to lawyers through the West LegalEd Center.

Professor Alice Baker's article, "Legislative Prohibitions on the Enforcement of Post-Employment Covenants Not To Compete in the Broadcasting Industry" was recently published in the Hastings Communications and Entertainment Law Journal.

Professor Baker Speaks at SEAALS Conference

Professor Alice Baker presented "Expensive Accomodations Under the Americans with Disabilities Act: When Does an Effective Accomodation Cease To Be 'Reasonable'?" at the SEAALS conference.

June 2002

Faculty to Coauthor New Tax Law Casebook

Professor David Brennen will coauthor The Tax Law of Charities and Other Exempt Organizations, which will be published by West in 2003. His coauthors are from the University of Pittsburgh, University of Florida, and Vanderbilt, and their book will be the first casebook devoted almost exclusively to the tax aspects of charities and other exempt organizations.

May 2002

Mercer Legacies Among Law Graduates

Mercer University President R. Kirby Godsey, and Advancing the Vision Campaign Chairman and former United States Attorney General Griffin B. Bell were among the proud parents and grandparents at the 2002 commencement for the Walter F. George School of Law. Stephanie Jansen, Dr. Godsey's daughter, and Griffin Bell III, Judge Bell's grandson, were among those who earned their J.D. degree in May 2002. For the full text of Judge Bell's commencement address and a photo of these graduates, click here.

Professor David Brennen was elected to membership in the American Law Institute at its May meeting. Membership in the Institute is a significant achievement and distinguished honor in the legal profession.

Dean Dessem Leaving

After serving as Dean at Mercer Law for seven years, Dean Larry Dessem has accepted the position of Dean at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law effective July 1 of this year. Associate Dean Mike Sabbath will serve as acting dean at Mercer Law for the 2002-2003 academic year, and Professor Steve Johnson will serve as Associate Dean effective July 1.

New Faculty

Professor David Hricik will join the Law School faculty next fall. He is an honors graduate of the University of Arizona and of the Northwestern University School of Law, and he has taught as an adjunct professor at the University of Texas School of Law and the University of Houston Law Center. He has practiced law in Houston and in Austin, Texas since 1988, serving as a member of the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct Committee of the Texas State Bar. He has written widely in the areas of professional responsibility, litigation, and e-commerce, and he has written the book Law School Basics. At Mercer, Professor Hricik will teach courses involving professional responsibility, litigation, and computers and the law.

Faculty Running for Congress

Professor and former Macon Mayor Jim Marshall will be on leave during the Fall 2002 semester as he runs for the seat in Georgia's 3rd Congressional District.