The U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, based in Washington, D.C., will hold a public session in the McQuade Law Auditorium at The University of Toledo College of Law from 9:30 a.m. to noon Wednesday, Feb. 24 as part of the court’s Off-Site Court Program.

The court’s session accompanies a visit by Eugene R. Fidell, attorney for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in his pending court martial and visiting lecturer at Yale Law School, who will deliver the Order of the Coif Distinguished Lecture titled “Military Justice and Its Reform” today (Tuesday, Feb. 23) at the College of Law.

“Watching an appellate argument before a federal court in our building is a rare learning opportunity for our students and members of the community,” said D. Benjamin Barros, dean of the College of Law.  “Students and others attending the event will also have the opportunity to ask the judges questions following the argument.”

“This event also has special meaning because of the importance of veterans’ issues in current policy discussions,” said Barros. “This court provides a necessary avenue for our nation’s veterans, including 2.5 million veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, to ensure they receive all the benefits they are due.”

The U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims is a federal court with exclusive jurisdiction over final decisions by the Board of Veterans’ Appeals, an entity within the Department of Veterans Affairs. The court provides veterans an impartial judicial forum for review of administrative decisions by the Board of Veterans’ Appeals that are adverse to the veteran-appellant’s claim of entitlement to benefits for service-connected disabilities, survivor benefits, and other benefits including education payments and waiver of indebtedness.

Three of the court’s seven judges will preside over oral argument at the College of Law in the matter of Noah v. McDonald, concerning an application by a Vietnam veteran for a finding that PTSD was “service connected.” The three-judge panel will be announced at the event. Among the court’s seven judges is College of Law alumnus Alan G. Lance, Sr. ’73, who was nominated to the court by President George W. Bush in 2004.

More information is available on the court’s website, uscourts.cavc.gov, and the UT College of Law website, utoledo.edu/law/us-court-of-appeals-for-veterans-claims.html.

Eugene R. Fidell, senior research scholar in law and the Florence Rogatz Visiting Lecturer in Law at Yale Law School, will deliver the Order of the Coif Distinguished Lecture Tuesday, Feb. 23, at noon in the Law Center McQuade Law Auditorium.

The free, public lecture is titled “Military Justice and Its Reform” and accompanies a visit by the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, which will hold a public session at the College of Law Wednesday, Feb. 24.

In his talk, Fidell, who is representing Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in his pending court martial, will examine current proposals for modernization of the U.S. military justice system not only in light of the overall trajectory of U.S. military justice, but also against the backdrop of contemporary human rights standards and developments in other countries.

“We’re thrilled to host a speaker who is currently handling what is beyond doubt the most high-profile pending court martial in the United States Armed Forces,” said Geoffrey Rapp, associate dean for academic affairs at the UT College of Law and president of the college’s chapter of the Order of the Coif. “Many of our graduates have successfully obtained commissions as [judge advocate general] attorneys, and for students interested in that career path, this is a rare opportunity to discuss military justice in a law school setting.”

Fidell is a co-founder and former president of the National Institute of Military Justice and of counsel at Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell LLP, in Washington, D.C. He is a life member of the American Law Institute and a member of the Defense Legal Policy Board of the Department of Defense and the board of directors of the International Society for Military Law and the Law of War.

He also has taught at Harvard Law School and the American University Washington College of Law. Fidell is a graduate of Harvard Law School and Queens College.

The Order of the Coif is an honorary scholastic society that encourages excellence in legal education by fostering a spirit of careful study, recognizing law students who attained a high grade of scholarship, and honoring lawyers, judges and teachers who attained high distinction for their scholarly or professional accomplishments.

The College of Languages, Literature and Social Sciences and the College of Law at The University of Toledo have partnered to create a program that allows students to earn both a bachelor’s degree and a law degree in just six years instead of the usual seven.

The new three-plus-three program is an innovative collaboration that saves UT students both time and money, according to Dr. Jamie Barlowe, dean of UT College of Languages, Literature and Social Sciences.

“This exciting three-plus-three program not only provides our students with a focused, cost-saving pathway to a rewarding career, but it also acknowledges the importance of a liberal arts background to the study of the law,” she said.

In order to participate in the new program, students in the UT College of Languages, Literature and Social Sciences must fulfill the college’s general education and major requirements by the end of the third year. The student postpones 18 hours of related fields requirement and 12 hours of electives until senior year.

The UT College of Languages, Literature and Social Sciences student applies to the UT College of Law during junior year and begins attending law school during senior year. When the student has completed all of the first year law courses, he or she is awarded a bachelor’s degree from the UT College of Languages, Literature and Social Sciences. The student receives the law degree after completing the entire law program.

“We are very excited to collaborate with the College of Languages, Literature and Social Sciences on the three-plus-three program,” said D. Benjamin Barros, dean of the College of Law. “It gives students an opportunity to get an outstanding undergraduate and legal education quickly and inexpensively.”

A UT College of Languages, Literature and Social Sciences student can decide to pursue the program at any point during undergraduate study, but students are encouraged to discuss their intention as early as possible with an undergraduate adviser to ensure completion of any required courses for the student’s major.

For more information, visit utoledo.edu/llss/prospective/3-3-admissions.html.

Media Coverage
La Prensa (Dec. 18, 2015)

In response to the overwhelming amount of questions and concerns raised by students about the recent terrorist attacks and ongoing Syrian refugee crisis, The University of Toledo will hold an additional symposium at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 3 in the Memorial Field House Auditorium Room 2100.

The event is free and open to the public.

“Our community has been riveted and horrified by the stories and images coming out of the recent terrorist attacks in Paris, Beirut and Mali,” Dr. Joel Voss, assistant professor in the Department of Political Science and Public Affairs, said. “The brazen attacks raise a number of issues for communities here in the U.S. and across the world.”

The panel hosted by the School of Interdisciplinary Studies will include Voss, Dr. Asma Abdel Halim, interim chair for the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies, Dr. Fatima Al-Hayani, retired professor of Middle Eastern studies, and law professor Ben Davis.

The panel discussion will be followed by a question and answer session with the audience.

“The discussion will resonate with not only students, but residents across northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan,” Abdel Halim said.  “The panel also will address several specific topics, including what is motivating terrorist groups and whether we can make a paradigm shift in how we think about the victims.”

This event is a follow-up to UT’s teach-in last month which tackled a wide range of issues, including the fears of resettling Syrian refugees.

Media Coverage
13 ABC (Dec. 3, 2015)
The Blade (Dec. 4, 2015)

In the wake of the Paris terrorist attacks and deepening Syrian refugee crisis, Islamic studies, international law, immigration and refugee law, and political science scholars at The University of Toledo are teaming up to moderate a teach-in to help the campus and Toledo community examine what is happening and how it hits home.

Benjamin G. Davis, a law professor at the UT College of Law and member of the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Law and National Security, just returned from Paris and Hungary with first-hand knowledge of the evolving situation.

Davis will lead the teach-in ‪at 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19 in the UT Law Center Room 1013, along with Ovamir Anjum, the Imam Khattab Chair of Islamic Studies; Joel Voss, assistant professor of political science who has lived in France; and Shelley Cavalieri, associate professor of Law.

“Having been on the ground this past week in Paris and 10 miles from the Serbian border in Hungary where the Syrian refugees are, the hope is to use that experience to help the university and community understand these events over the last ten days and have their questions answered,” Davis said.

The teach-in is sponsored by the International Law Society.

It is free and open to the public.

“It’s an educational opportunity, but it’s also an opportunity to discuss the issues in an informal manner,” Voss said.

“This is a political fight,” Anjum said. “ISIS coordinated the attacks because it doesn’t want refugees to find refuge in the West.”

“We will be providing answers to questions and correcting misinformation in the public sphere regarding refugee resettlement, international law, and terrorism,” Cavalieri said.

Media Coverage
WTOL 11 (Nov. 18, 2015)
The Blade (Nov. 18, 2015)
The Blade (Nov. 20, 2015)

Two University of Toledo colleges have been named among the nation’s best by The Princeton Review.

The UT College of Law is listed in The Best 173 Law Schools and the UT College of Business and Innovation is listed in The Best 295 Business Schools.

“At the UT College of Law, we provide legal education on a personal scale,” said D. Benjamin Barros, dean of the College of Law. “Our goal is student success, and our faculty take the time to get to know their students. No one is just a number here.”

“All of us in the College of Business and Innovation are very excited at this continuing recognition by The Princeton Review of the quality and relevance of our programs,” said Dr. Gary Insch, dean of the College of Business and Innovation. “This recognition by The Princeton Review further validates the quality of our faculty, the significance of our curriculum, and the excellence of our students.”

The UT College of Law had the top ranking on accessibility of professors (92) among Ohio’s nine law schools and The Princeton Review editors wrote, “Students speak overwhelmingly of the school’s obvious care and concern for their future.”

The UT College of Business and Innovation’s MBA program was praised as “one of the best in the Midwest” in the Princeton Review report, which stated “the college’s history of excellence in practical, relevant education based on cutting-edge research and business engagement will take your career to the next level.”

U.S. Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur will be the keynote speaker at the 15th annual Great Lakes Water Conference Friday, Nov. 6, in the Law Center.

The free, public conference, sponsored by the College of Law and its Legal Institute of the Great Lakes, will feature three panels of experts to discuss “Algae, Pipelines and More.”

The algae panel will explore legal solutions to the harmful algal blooms plaguing Lake Erie. The pipelines panel will focus on challenges arising from an important network of petroleum pipelines near valuable water resources. And the more hot topics speakers will discuss a controversial new rule defining the scope of the Clean Water Act, a recent Ohio Supreme Court decision impacting impaired waters, and a proposed diversion of water out of the Great Lakes basin.

“The conference will tackle key water issues that are not yet on many persons’ radar as well as problems that are currently weighing heavily on almost everyone’s mind,” said Kenneth Kilbert, director of the Legal Institute of the Great Lakes and professor of law.

The conference kicks off at 8:30 a.m. with a welcome from UT President Sharon L. Gaber, and Congresswoman Kaptur will give the keynote address at 8:45 a.m. The algae panel will be at 9:15 a.m., the pipelines panel at 11 a.m., and the more hot topics panel will take place at 1:30 p.m.

The conference is free to the public. Registration is $75 for attorneys seeking 4.5 hours of Ohio Continuing Legal Education.

For more information about the conference, click here.

Media Coverage
The Blade (Nov. 4, 2015)
13 ABC (Nov. 6, 2015)
The Blade (Nov. 7, 2015)
The Blade (Nov. 9, 2015)
Marcellus (Nov. 9, 2015)
13 ABC, WTOL 11 and NBC 24 (Nov. 9, 2015)

As CEO of the United States Anti-Doping Agency, Travis T. Tygart was involved in one of the most high-profile cases when he and his agency took on seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong.

Wednesday, Nov. 4, at 7 p.m. in The University of Toledo’s Doermann Theater, hear Tygart talk about that case and more at the Edwin Dodd Distinguished Lecture Series in Business Ethics.

The lecture, named for former Owens-Illinois chairman Edwin Dodd, seeks to start a conversation about ethics while bringing together the fields of business and law.

Tygart

“The case is interesting and well-known,” said Dr. Gary S. Insch, dean of the College of Business and Innovation. “It crosses the boundaries of both areas; there is the obvious legal aspect to this, but Lance Armstrong used his name to create a business. Certainly there are business ethics questions associated with this.”

Tygart was chosen to speak at this lecture not only because of this particular case, but because of the background he has that bridges the gap between business and law. Though he received his JD from Southern Methodist University in 1999, he pursued a different path than most lawyers.

“From our perspective, it’s great to have speakers on campus who went to law school and then ended up doing something different with their lives,” said Geoffrey Rapp, UT associate dean for academic affairs in the College of law and the Harold A. Anderson Professor of Law and Values. “He has legal education but branched into a direction that a lot of people might not think is available if you go to get a JD. It’s nice for our students to get to see the diverse things someone can do after they go to law school.”

Under Tygart’s leadership, USADA’s efforts to protect clean athletes have included cooperating with federal authorities on numerous investigations such as the international steroid bust, Operation Raw deal, and the international doping conspiracy involving the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative in San Francisco.

Tygart also has been recognized by Sports Illustrated as one of the 50 most powerful people in sports; named to Time magazine’s 100 list of most influential people in the world for 2013; named one of the top 12 world sports personalities of the year by Sport Intern; selected as one of the world’s most influential sports personalities by Inside Sport; and was one of the Colorado lawyers of the year named by Colorado Law Weekly.

At 1 p.m. the day of the lecture, law students are invited to have “A Conversation With Travis Tygart,” moderated by Rapp and Benjamin G. Davis, UT associate professor of law. Held in the Law Center McQuade Law Auditorium, the event will offer an opportunity for students to ask Tygart questions and have a more personal conversation.

The free, public event later in the evening is geared toward students, but open to anyone who wishes to attend. Order free tickets at utoledo.edu/honorslecture.

This lecture is co-hosted by the College of Business and Innovation and the College of Law, and sponsored by Dana Holding Corp. and Owens-Illinois Inc.

Media Coverage
The Blade (Nov. 3, 2015)
The Blade (Nov. 5, 2015)

Heather Mac Donald, the Thomas W. Smith Fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a contributing editor at the City Journal, will deliver the second lecture in a two-part series titled “A Conversation on Policing and Race in Post-Ferguson America” at noon Monday, Nov. 2 in the Law Center McQuade Law Auditorium.

The free, public lecture is a part of the Stranahan National Issues Forum and is sponsored by the College of Law and its chapter of the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies.

Since the events in Ferguson, Mo., last year, Americans have seen a steady stream of incidents replayed in video images: the death of Eric Garner in a police chokehold in New York, the killing of a fleeing Walter Scott by a North Charleston police officer, and the death in police custody of Freddie Gray in Baltimore, to name a few.

These incidents and others have raised uncomfortable questions about policing in this country. Is American policing infected with racism? Have police gone too far in their willingness to use force? How can we ensure that policing is performed effectively, but also fairly and impartially?

Mac Donald will argue that police departments are the government agencies most dedicated to the proposition that black lives matter by explaining the policing revolution of the 1990s and looking at race, crime and policing statistics.

Her work at City Journal has canvassed a range of topics, including homeland security, immigration, policing and racial profiling, homelessness and homeless advocacy, and educational policy. Her writings also have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and The New Republic. She is a frequent guest on FOX News, CNN, and other television and radio programs.

Mac Donald is the author of several books. Her second book titled Are Cops Racist? (2003) investigates the workings of the police, racial profiling, and the anti-profiling lobby’s harmful effects on black Americans. She has frequently testified before Congress.

Mac Donald holds a bachelor of arts degree from Yale University, a master of arts degree from Cambridge University, and a law degree from Stanford University Law School.

In the first lecture Sept. 10, David Harris, who has studied police and their conduct for 25 years, and who has worked with and trained police in departments all over the country, offered his thoughts on racial profiling and various means available to curb police misconduct. He is the Distinguished Faculty Scholar at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Harris taught at The University of Toledo College of Law through 2007, where he was the Eugene Balk Professor of Law and Values.

The Stranahan National Issues Forum is a joint program of The University of Toledo College of Law and its chapter of the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies. It is made possible by an endowment from the Stranahan Foundation.

The forum’s purpose is to address issues of national importance through the lens of the American legal system.

Attorney Ray Dowd will discuss recent federal litigation and international developments involving the unfinished business of World War II and the legacy of the Holocaust.

His free, public talk, “Who Should Profit From the Holocaust? Legal Controversies Over Nazi Art Looting,” will take place Tuesday, Oct. 20, at noon in the Law Center McQuade Law Auditorium.

The problem of unrestituted Nazi looted art is one facing museums, governments and private collectors worldwide.

In 1998, the issue hit the front pages of the world press when District Attorney Robert Morgenthau seized two works at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. This seizure led the U.S. State Department under the Clinton administration to convene 44 countries and prominent art world players to sign on to the Washington Conference Principles on Nazi-Confiscated Art.

In the wake of the Washington Conference, many countries created commissions to oversee restitution of Nazi-looted art.

Dowd is a partner in the law firm of Dunnington Bartholow & Miller LLP in New York City. His practice consists of federal and state trial and appellate litigation, arbitration and mediation.

He served as lead trial counsel in notable cases involving art law, copyrights, trademarks, cybersquatting, privacy, trusts and decedents estates, licensing, corporate, and real estate transactions. He has litigated questions of Austrian, Canadian, French, German, Italian, Russian and Swiss law and handled matters in Surrogate’s Court, including Matter of Flamenbaum (2013), recovering an ancient Assyrian tablet for the Pergamon Museum in Berlin.