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News and Events 2002 - 2003

May 2003

Faculty to Serve on CALI Editorial Board

Congratulations to Professor David Hricik, who was recently selected to serve on the Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction's (CALI) Editorial Board. The CALI Editorial Board (CEB) is made up of law school faculty and law librarians who review new and existing CALI lessons. The CEB utilizes an anonymous peer-review process to insures CALI lessons are of the highest quality.

Professor Hricik's article, "In the New Digital World, Old-World Ethics Still Apply" recently appeared in the May 2003 World Internet Law Report. He also wrote an article entitled "Troublesome Issues Facing Prosecuting Litigators and Their Firms," which appeared in the Spring 2003 Newsletter of the ABA Section of Intellectual Property Law.

Dean Longan delivered the Law Day speech for the Macon Bar Association on May 16, 2003. The title of his speech was "Generations of Mentors."

Attorney Paul "Pete" Wellborn (J.D., '89) who serves as an outside attorney for the company Earthlink, was recently quoted in the Wall Street Journal article, "Hunting 'Buffalo': Elusive Spammer Sends Web Service On a Long Chase," regarding Earthlink's use of lawyers and private investigators to track an e-mail spammer. To read the article, click here.

The Legal Writing Institute (LWI) - the world's largest organization of people interested in the improvement of legal writing - is moving to Mercer Law School. LWI's international membership includes practicing lawyers and judges, most Legal Writing professors in the United States, and law school deans and other professors. In announcing the decision, the Institute's President stated, "No other school can match Mercer's clear commitment to Legal Writing as reflected both in the strength of the program you offer your students and your faculty's extensive contributions to the national Legal Writing community." The transition will be completed this summer. Professor Linda Edwards will be the Director of the LWI Home Office, and Debbie Manley will be the Home Office Administrator.

Professor Smith Elected to National Legal Writing Directors' Board

Congratulations to Professor Michael Smith, who was recently elected to the Board of Directors of the Association of Legal Writing Directors.

Faculty Busy Making Legal Ethics Presentations

Professor David Hricik moderated a panel on the "Legal Ethics for Trademark Practitioners," April 4, 2003 at the 18th Annual ABA Intellectual Property Law Conference in Washington D.C. On April 11, Professor Hricik also spoke about the "Ethics of Using Testers" before the Committee on Consumer and Personal Rights Litigation of the ABA Section on Litigation in Houston, Texas.

On April 12, Interim Associate Dean Patrick Longan served as program chair for a program on "Emerging Ethical Issues in Representing the Elderly Client" at the American Bar Association Litigation Section Annual Meeting in Houston, Texas.

Professor David Brennen spoke on a panel concerning the intersection of business law and race at the Northeast People of Color / Ron Brown Center Conference at St. John's University School of Law on April 4, 2003. He also recently published the article, "The Potential Impact of the Supreme Court's Pending Decision in Grutter v. Bollinger on Private Universities and Other Tax-Exempt Charities" in the Spring 2003 edition of the ABA Tax Section's Newsquarterly.

New Mercer Center for Legal Ethics and Professionalism Web Site

The Law School's web site now has several pages dedicated to the activities of the Mercer Center for Legal Ethics and Professionalism. To view this material, go to http://www.law.mercer.edu/mclep. The Center recently completed a project on ethical issues that arise with the use of expert witnesses. The project was funded by a grant from the Foundation of the American College of Trial Lawyers. It makes available to lawyers and law schools, free of charge, a videotape with a series of vignettes from a fictional case and a teacher's manual for use with the tape. For more information, go to http://www.law.mercer.edu/mclep/ethicsandexperts.cfm.

Professor Patrick Longan recently spoke in Macon to the Employers' Duties and Problems Committee of the State Bar of Georgia on "The Ethics of Using Testers." The paper for this presentation was prepared by Professor David Hricik. The paper and the presentation dealt with the ethical issues that arise when an attorney uses investigators who pretend, for example, to seek a job or to rent an apartment, in order to "test" whether discrimination is occuring. Additionally, Professor Longan is completing his three-year term as Co-chair of the American Bar Association Section of Litigation's Consumer and Personal Rights Litigation Committee. He is chairing a program for the April Litigation Section meeting in Houston on "Emerging Ethical Issues in Representing the Elderly Client."

Mercer Wins the ABA's 11th Circuit Client Counseling Competition

Mercer Law School's team of Shaun Huband and April Stafford won the ABA's 11th Circuit Client Counseling Competition that took place in Birmingham, AL. The team has earned a chance to compete in the ABA's elite national finals on March 15, 2003. This is the fourth 11th circuit victory for Mercer in the past eight years. Congratulations to Shaun and April!

Professor Baldwin Serves on Panels to Discuss Higher Education Standardized Testing, Labor and Employment Law

On October 17, 20O2, Professor Tony Baldwin served on a panel at the Illinois Committee on Black Concerns in Higher Education Annual Conference at Illinois State University (Normal, Illinois) that discussed Higher Education Standardized Testing and African Americans. On December 20, 2002, Professor Baldwin made a presentation on a panel discussing arbitration, employment law, and employment contracts at the 32nd Annual Labor and Employment Law Institute jointly sponsored by the State Bar of Georgia and the Atlanta Bar Association Labor and Employment Law Sections.

Faculty Drafts Multijurisdictional Practice Report for the State Bar of Georgia

On February 20, 2003, the Executive Committee of the Board of Governors for the State Bar of Georgia voted unanimously to recommend that the Board of Governors approve the Report and Recommendations on the Multijurisdictional District Practice of Law, drafted by Professor Pat Longan. Georgia will be the first state Bar to present recommendations on MJP to its governing board.

Black Law Student Association Receives Regional Honors

Mercer's BLSA Chapter captured the Regional Community Service Chapter of the Year honors for the fifth consecutive year. Congratulations to BLSA President Loquetta Pearson and Vice-President Akilah Burden, as well as to all the other BLSA members who served in the community this year.

U.S. Supreme Court Brief Based on Faculty Article

A brief recently filed in the United States Supreme Court was based on a law review article Professor Adam Milani co-authored with Professor Ruth Colker (Ohio State). The article examined whether state disability discrimination laws offered protection equivalent to that found in Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). They found that less than half did, a finding that could have major implications if the Supreme Court were to hold that Congress exceeded its authority in providing for monetary damages against the states in Title II. That issue is now before the Court, and the brief relying on their research was filed on behalf of the National Association of Protection and Advocacy Systems (NAPAS).

Law Day

Law Day will be celebrated at Mercer Law School on Friday, March 14, 2003. Alumni and friends are welcome at the Law School for coffee and conversation beginning at 10:00 a.m. in the Eberhardt Room. At 11:30 a.m. there will be a meeting of the Law School Alumni Association composed of all Mercer law alumni. At 12:30, the Law Day luncheon will be held at the Macon City Auditorium featuring our own Cathy Cox '87, Georgia's Secretary of State.

Friday evening at 6:00 there will be a reception for alumni, faculty and seniors at the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.

Professor Sammons to Speak on Topics Concerning Religious Commitment and Public Policy, Theology and the Practice of Law

Professor Sammons will speak at a symposium at the University of Arkansas Department of Philosophy in April on the topic of religious commitment and public policy. Professor Sammons will be responding to Professor Robert Audi. Later, he will speak at the University of Arkansas School of Law on the topic of theology and the practice of law.

Faculty Maintain Busy Publishing and Conference Schedules

Professor Adam Milani has accepted an offer to update and revise Federal Disability Law in a Nutshell. The book was originally authored by Bonnie Poitras Tucker (Arizona State), and West will publish the new edition by the end of year.

In December, West published the new, two-volume edition of Professor Hal Lewis' mini-treatise, Litigating Employment Discrimination and Civil Rights Cases. Elizabeth Norman, a graduate of Mercer Law, co-authored this treastise with Professor Lewis. Professor Lewis also co-authored Police Misconduct and Civil Rights with Stephen Yagman, which was published by West earlier in the Fall.

Professor David Hricik was recently named to the Mentoring Committee of the AALS Civil Procedure Section. He was also quoted discussing the effectiveness of web site and e-mail "disclaimers" in the December online version of the ABA Journal, available at http://www.abanet.org/journal/ereport/d20email.html. As chair of the Ethics and Professional Responsibility Committee of the ABA Section of Intellectual Property, Professor Hricik is also currently heading up the creation of an annotated version of the Patent & Trademark Office Code of Professional Conduct.

The National Center for Philanthropy and the Law sponsored a conference in New York in December to provide a forum for comment on Professor David Brennen's forthcoming casebook, The Tax Law of Charities and Other Exempt Organizations. This was only the second time the NCPL has held such a conference on a forthcoming casebook, and this book is expected to be the first in the country with an exclusive tax focus.

Professor Jim Fleissner Accepts Appointment To U.S. Department Of Justice Post

Professor Jim Fleissner has been appointed to serve as Chief of the Criminal Appeals Section in the Office of the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. He will begin this U.S. Department of Justice position in January, 2003. Professor Fleissner's duties will include supervising appellate litigation and serving as an adviser and resource for the over 150 prosecutors handling criminal investigations, trials, and appeals. This will be Professor Fleissner's third tour of government service as a federal prosecutor. From 1986-1994, he was an Assistant United States Attorney in the office to which he is now returning, last serving as Chief of the General Crimes Section of the office. While on the faculty of the law school, Professor Fleissner served from 1998-2000 as Senior Associate Independent Counsel in the case involving former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros, which was prosecuted in Washington, D.C.

Mercer Law Wins Best Brief Award at Moot Court Competition

The Mercer team of David Clifton, Wesley Person, and Jamie Woodard won the Best Brief Award at the National Moot Court Competition (Region V) in Atlanta on November 9. The team will advance to New York City to compete for the national championship the week of January 27. Congratulations to David, Wesley, and Jamie.

Professor Marshall Elected to Congress

Professor Jim Marshall was elected November 5 to the 108th Congress. Professor Marshall will represent the 3rd Congressional District of Georgia.

Professor Hricik Gives Patent Law Presentation

Professor Hricik presented "A Malpractice Checklist for Advanced Patent Practitioners" at the 7th Annual Advanced Patent Law Institute in Austin, Texas on November 1, 2002.

October 2002

Halloween Costume Contest in Professor Hricik's Civil Lawsuits Class

Students in Professor David Hricik's Civil Lawsuits course participated in a Halloween contest for the best costume representing a first year legal concept. Costumes included a future interest (dressed to appear pregnant), loss of consortium (a widow), and a waiver (a student with a hand on a stick that she waved). The Best Costume prize went to Jennifer Ferrell, whose Erie Doctrine costume had spiders and other "eerie" creatures. For pictures of Professor Hricik representing a harmful and offensive contact, click here.

Law Review Symposium: Lessons from Enron

The Mercer Law Review is sponsoring Lessons from Enron: A Symposium on Corporate Governance, on Thursday, October 17, from 9:00am - 4:15pm in the Moot Court Room. There will be four session in the Symposium; The New World of Corporate Responsibility, The Role of Lawyers in Governance-New Legal and Ethical Requirements, Proposed Corporate Governance Reforms, and The Role of Accountants.

Moot Court Students Have Brush With Fame

Moot Court students in Madison, Wisconsin for the Evan's Constitutional Law Moot Court Competition had a chance to meet Bill Cosby outside their hotel. Click here to see the photo.

In Remembrance of September 11th: President Godsey Addresses the Law School Community

Mercer University President, R. Kirby Godsey, addressed the Law School community in remembrance of September 11th. For the full text of his address, click here.

Dean Sabbath Speaks About Bankruptcy Law

On Sept. 6, 2002 Dean Michael Sabbath was a speaker at the 5th Annual Bankruptcy Law Seminar presented by the Middle District of Georgia Bankruptcy Law Institute, Inc. His topic was "How Revised Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code Affects Your Bankruptcy Practice."

Professor Sammons' Recent Publications and Speaking Engagements

Professor Jack Sammons recently moderated the plenary session of the Georgia Jury Summit, a three day conference to examine the role of the jury sponsored by the National Center for State Courts and the Georgia Judicial Council. His article entitled "On Cheating and Legal Ethics" will be published as part of a symposium on legal ethics by the University of Idaho and his article on curriculum reform will be part of a symposium on legal education published by Gonzaga. In November, Professor Sammons will be a featured speaker at a national conference on Christian perspectives on legal thought. He is currently Vice Chair of the Georgia Formal Advisory Opinion Board.