A Note from Dean Weich

Welcome to this inaugural edition of the electronic newsletter of the University of Baltimore School of Law. Why an e-newsletter? We want to keep you informed on a more regular basis about the many exciting developments at our law school. Don’t worry – we’ll still publish the alumni magazine Baltimore Law every year. In the meantime we’ll share the good news through this electronic format.  The newsletter will shine a light on the work of our talented faculty members: the books they publish, the teaching innovations they bring to the classroom, and the expertise they provide through the media on subjects ranging from the Supreme Court to the Baltimore Police Department, from Olympic doping scandals to the work of Special Counsel Robert Mueller. We’ll also tell you about the achievements of UB Law students, the dedicated work of law school staff, and the successful careers of UB Law alumni.  We’ll invite you to attend upcoming events. For example, this April we’re hosting not one but two national symposia on cutting-edge topics. You’ll find details below about “Housing and the Urban Child” on April 4 and “Applied Feminism and #MeToo” on April 11. One bit of news from me right now: I’m thrilled to announce that U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein will be the keynote speaker at our 2019 commencement on May 13. Rod is a great friend of the UB School of Law, where he taught as an adjunct professor and was a guest in many criminal law classes. We suspect he’ll bring some interesting thoughts and experiences from his time at DOJ to share with the graduates and their families. We’re bursting with pride about the accomplishments of our wonderful faculty, staff, students and alumni. With this newsletter, you’ll see why. -- Ron Weich

Faculty Accomplishments

Prof. John Bessler's biography, The Celebrated Marquis: An Italian Noble and the Making of the Modern World, won the 2018 Next Generation Indie Book Award for biography and was a finalist in that category in the National Indie Excellence Awards and the 15th Annual Best Book Awards. Prof. Garrett Epps was named to the board of the American Constitution Society in December 2018. ... Prof. Emeritus Eric Easton's book, Defending the Masses: A Progressive Lawyer's Battles for Free Speech, was named one of Choice magazine's outstanding academic titles for 2018. Laurence M. Katz Prof. Jane Murphy and the Juvenile Justice Project received the Herbert Garten Special Project Award from the Pro Bono Resource Center. The Maryland Juvenile Lifers Parole Representation Project, a JJP program, received the Alan J. Davis Award from Ballard Spahr.

Professor Garrett Epps ____________________________ Prof. Nienke Grossman was named co-director of the Center for International and Comparative Law at UB School of Law in October 2018.

U.S. Deputy A.G. Rosenstein to Deliver May 13 Commencement Address U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein will be the keynote speaker at US School of Law's May 13 commencement. A Bethesda resident and former U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, Rosenstein became U.S. Deputy Attorney General in April 2017. Following the recusal of then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the firing of FBI Director James Comey, Rosenstein appointed Robert Mueller as special counsel to investigate alleged ties between individuals associated with the Donald Trump presidential campaign and Russia during the 2016 elections, and related matters. Rosenstein has taught at UB School of Law as an adjunct professor.

Faculty Scholarship

Prof. Barbara Babb , director of the Sayra and Neil Meyerhoff Center for Families, Children and the Courts at UB School of Law, published Caring for Families in Court: An Essential Approach to Family Justice , with co-author Judith Moran, in December 2018 (Routledge). ... Prof. John Bessler 's book, The Baron and the Marquis , was published in January 2019 by Carolina Academic Press. Dean Julius Isaacson Prof. Audrey McFarlane , associate dean of faculty research and development, wrote the article, Cities, Inclusions and Exactions , in 102 Iowa L. Rev. 2145 (2017). . Prof. William Hubbard , director of the Center for the Law of Intellectual Property and Technology , wrote the article Razing the Patent Bar in 59 Ariz. L. Rev. 383 (2017). ... Prof. Gilda Daniels wrote the article, Voting Realism , in 104 Ky. L. J. 583 (2017). Prof. Elizabeth Keyes , director of the Immigrant Rights Clinic , wrote the article, Unconventional Refugees , in 67 Am. U. L. Rev. 89 (2017). ... Venable Prof. Michele Gilman , director of the Saul Ewing Civil Advocacy Clinic , wrote the article (with Rebecca Green), The Surveillance Gap: The Harms of Extreme Privacy and Data Marginalization , in 42 N.Y.U. Rev. L. & Soc. Change 253 (2018). Prof. Angela Vallario wrote the article, The Elective Share Has No Friends: Creditors Trump Spouse in the Battle Over Revocable Trust , in 45 Cap. U. L. Rev. 333 (2017). ... Prof. David Jaros wrote the article, Criminal Doctrines of Faith , in 59 B. C. L. Rev. 2203 (2018).

Dean Julius Isaacson Professor Audrey McFarlane ____________________________ Prof. Robert Rubinson , co-director of the Mediation Clinic for Families , wrote the article, Realizing Dispute Resolution: Meeting the Challenges of Legal Realism Through Mediation , in 18 Nev. L. J. 1 (2017). ... Prof. Cassandra Jones Havard wrote the article, Too Conflicted to be Transparent: Giving Affordable Financing its ‘Good Name’ Back in 30 Legislation and Public Policy 451 (2017). Prof. Jessica Emerson wrote the article (with Alison Aminzadeh), Left Behind: How the Absence of a Federal Vacatur Law Disadvantages Survivors of Human Trafficking , in 16 U. Md. L.J. Race Relig. Gender & Class (2017). ... Prof. Walter Schwidetzky wrote the article, Partnership Tax Allocations: The Basics , in Colo. Law., May 2017, at 39.

UB School of Law in the News

Prof. Natalie Ram, left, has been very busy discussing privacy concerns associated with law enforcement use of DNA obtained from genealogy databases. Prof. Kim Wehle has been a frequent guest on cable TV talk shows, shedding light on the Mueller investigation and other constitutional issues.

Pr of. Dionne Koller , associate dean for academic affairs and director of UB Law's Center for Sport and the Law , has been quoted extensively on scandals in USA Gymnastics. The recent partial government shutdown has kept Prof. Charles Tiefer in the news as an expert on government contracting ... Prof. Garrett Epps writes regularly about the Supreme Court for The Atlantic and other publications.

UB Law Innocence Project Aids in December Exoneration of Man Clarence Shipley Jr. had a very special Christmas last year. On Dec. 18, after spending 27 years in prison, he was exonerated of all charges against him.  Shipley, at right, leaves the Baltimore City courthouse with his attorney, UB School of Law Prof. Michele Nethercott . His exoneration followed years of investigation by the  University of Baltimore Innocence Project Clinic and the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City. Read more

Alumni News

Michelle McGeogh, J.D '07, above, makes a difference with her pro bono work at Ballard Spahr. She travels to detention centers to help prepare migrants for their asylum hearings, under very challenging conditions. Read more

John Varley, J.D. '84, was named senior vice president - chief administrative officer and general counsel at ExpressJet Airlines in January 2019. Previously, he was SVP and general counsel at Virgin America ... Isabel Cumming, J.D. '93, completed her first year as Inspector General for Baltimore City in January 2019. Jonathan Novak, J.D. '09, joined the Dallas law firm Fears Nachawati in October 2018 to focus on litigation related to the opioid epidemic. He played a key role in an investigation by The Washington Post and “60 Minutes” that outlined how opioid distributors lobbied members of Congress to water down DEA enforcement powers. ... Bryanna Spann, J.D. '18, had a front-row seat at the September 2018 congressional hearings for Brett Kavanaugh. She was working as a law clerk to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Student News

Brandon Cahee, Class of 2019, is wr apping up a one-year term as Chief Executive Officer of the National Black Law Students Association. Cahee is also president of UB School of Law's Black Law Students Association. ... J ames Beslity , Class of 2019, won third prize in the 2018 Bruce M. Stargatt Legal Ethics Writing Competition. Beslity is head writing fellow in UB Law’s Legal Writing Center and a student-attorney in the school’s Community Development Clinic. University of Baltimore Students for Public Interest (UBSPI) are planning their annual auction on Feb. 22. Proceeds provide stipends to student fellows working at public-interest organizations over the summer.

Brandon Cahee, center, with fellow students from the National Black Law Students Association.

Upcoming Events

Housing and the Urban Child: Exploring the Landscape April 4, 2019  11th Annual Urban Child Symposium  Keynote speaker: Peter B. Edelman, Georgetown University Law Center Register Today Applied Feminism and #MeToo April 11-12, 2019  11th Feminist Legal Theory Conf. Keynote speaker: Debra Katz, attorney for Christine Blasey Ford Register Today

Both symposia will take place at UB School of Law Angelos Law Center, 1401 N. Charles St., Baltimore MD 21201

Contact Us

Donate Website

University of Baltimore School of Law 1420 N. Charles St., Baltimore MD 21201 ‌ ‌ ‌